Ask Dr Claire
Our dog at some Meta Slug and Sail bait
Snail baits containing metaldehyde are a very common cause of toxicity in dogs and unfortunately only a very small amount of snail bait is required to cause poisoning. Less than a teaspoon per 5 kilograms of body weight.
Signs of poisoning are fast to show after the poison is eaten. First signs might be twitching, which can progress to seizures and then sadly, to death.
A hands-on examination from your local vet is needed ASAP.
There is no antidote, treatment is aimed at removing the posion from their bodies and treating the clinical signs caused.
If your pet is seen by your vet straight after eating the bait, your dog may be made to vomit it up. However, if there are already signs of twitching it may not be safe to do so. Sometimes they need to be anaesthetised to try to flush the bait out of their body and stop further absorption of it.
If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.
We’re here to help!
Chat soon,
Dr Claire