When you first arrive at the veterinarian’s office, she will begin by asking you numerous questions to try and collect a history.
- What your dog was doing earlier that day?
- Are you aware if he got into something he shouldn’t have, such as trash or household products?
- How long ago did he started acting abnormally?
The veterinary caregiver will also ask you to think about anything new in his environment that may be causing his symptoms without you realizing it. While doing this, she will also perform a physical exam on your dog to collect his vitals and all of the symptoms he is suffering from.
If your dog vomits while he is at the clinic, the veterinarian will examine the regurgitated contents for clues as to what he ingested. If he is having diarrhea, a sample will be collected and diagnostics will be run to rule out other possible causes such as internal parasites or bacterial overgrowth.
Lab work will be run to collect information on how your dog is functioning internally. A complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel will be run to give a baseline of how your dog’s organs are handling the toxin. These tests give a broad, overall look and will let the veterinarian know if further diagnostics need to be completed or not. She may also want to run a urinalysis for evaluation of kidney function. If dehydration is a concern, a packed cell volume (PCV) will be run to determine hydration status.
Your dog will be put on monitoring equipment to offer the veterinarian more information she can use to diagnose your dog. Oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure will all be monitored to allow for proper readings of each. When she takes his vitals in the beginning, if she notices his heart rate is abnormal, she will put him on monitoring equipment. This will take a continuous reading of his heart rate. The veterinarian may want to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) so that she can see exactly which beat of the heart is having issues and therefore where the problem may be. In addition to this, she may want to take a radiograph to evaluate the size of your dog’s heart and check for other issues as well.
When the veterinarian takes a radiograph of the abdomen, this will also allow her to take a look at the bladder and kidneys to look for any suspicious abnormality. She will also take a radiograph of the lungs to look for a cause of the coughing. Many things can cause some of the toxicity symptoms your dog may experience. If you witnessed your dog eating a part of this plant, bring it with you to the veterinarian’s office for a quicker diagnosis.