Ella and Zinc

On Saturday, I was working on a project in the house. I had my electrical toolbox out with pack of #10 zinc washers on top. I pulled out all of the washers from the bag and either uses them on my project or put them in my box.

At some point Ella nosed around the box.

At little bit later Susan found that bag, chewed up in Ella's crate. She also found 2 washers in the crate.

This is bad.

Zinc poisoning from pennies, washers and other items can cause a dog to get seriously ill.

We called the vet who said to bring her over immediately. I did and they made her vomit. From the coments we determined she had not eaten a washer. The contents included her breakfast, which she had not digested. Since she ate breakfast before this, we knew there was no washer in her system. if we had not determined that we would have to have an x-ray done and then if it was there, surgery.

Close call.


"Pennies minted after 1982 contain a zinc core surrounded by copper plating. Each
penny contains about 2,440 mg of elemental zinc1. Subacute or chronic zinc toxicosis can affect the renal, hepatic, gastrointestinal, and hematopoietic tissues.1-3 Zinc toxicosis can cause hemolytic anemia, which can lead to hemoglobinemia and hemogloburinia.1-3 Because of these severe effects, consider all penny ingestions potentially dangerous, and treat each case aggressively."

Clinical Signs
The clinical signs of zinc toxicosis include:
vomiting
diarrhea
red urine
icterus (yellow mucous membranes)
liver failure
kidney failure

Also
"Common presenting signs of zinc toxicosis in dogs can be confused with an acute gastrointestinal (GI) episode. These patients may be anorexic and lethargic with vomiting and diarrhea that may or may not be bloody. In one reported case, the primary presenting sign was multiple, generalized seizures9, which may be due to the fact that zinc helps in regulating neurotransmission12. Icterus and anemia are consistent findings and are due to the hemolytic anemia. On abdominal radiographs, one or more metallic dense objects may be seen in the stomach or intestine (Fig. 3 and 4). Some dogs may not have a foreign object on radiographs as they may have vomited the object or passed it in the feces. Topical sources of zinc such as zinc oxide ointment, as well as other ointments or shampoos, will not appear on radiographs. Therefore, a thorough medical history is necessary to identify possible sources of zinc exposure."
anemia