Sometimes pets surprise us during working hours—other times, they don’t. If you’ve got a pet health question that can’t wait until the vet’s office opens, VetHelpline® advice: can help you find peace of mind.
VetHelpline advice: is staffed by experienced veterinary experts and it's available 24/7 to Nationwide pet insurance members.
Champ, our golden retriever pup, got into the Halloween candy bowl. So far as we can tell, he ate around four fun-size milk chocolate bars with the wrapper on. He’s displaying some unusual behaviors, such as hyperactivity, panting and drooling. Should we take him to the emergency vet?
VetHelpline advice:
The good news is Champ likely didn’t ingest a dangerous amount of chocolate. However, this amount may cause an upset stomach and comes with a low risk of pancreatitis. Plus, if he also ingested the wrappers, there’s a possibility for a foreign body obstruction.
For now, we suggest monitoring Champ closely at home. Watch out for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, abdominal pain or loss of appetite. Take his food and water away for the next 2 hours, then slowly reintroduce small amounts of water before offering more food. If nausea becomes an issue, withhold any more food until the morning. If these signs develop and aren’t improving, we recommend taking him to the veterinary hospital for treatment.
It’s a nice autumn day outside. Can we bring Marshmallow, our guinea pig, outside to eat grass and weeds on the lawn? If so, what is a safe time to wait after any pesticides or herbicides were sprayed?
VetHelpline advice:
While it might be a nice day for humans, the outside world is still unsafe for guinea pigs.
The danger posed by pesticides will vary depending on the brand and application. However, small pets like guinea pigs are often more susceptible to poisoning than dogs or cats would be due to their size. Furthermore, there’s a possibility that Marshmallow could pick up a parasite or—even worse—be attacked by a cat, dog or bird of prey. It’s generally best to keep guinea pigs inside where they can be protected.
About 3 hours ago, our 3-year-old cat Stefan ingested an unknown amount of chrysanthemum flower. He was acting normal until about 15 minutes ago when he vomited. Should we bring him to the veterinarian?
VetHelpline advice:
Chrysanthemum can cause a serious upset stomach in cats. We recommend taking food and water away from Stefan for the next 2 hours, then slowly reintroducing water. If he can hold down water for an hour, then offer a small amount of regular food. However, if vomiting persists or other symptoms like lethargy, loss of appetite or diarrhea develop, we recommend an emergency veterinary evaluation.
Pets’ names have been changed. VetHelpline is not a substitute for a visit to your primary veterinarian.