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WHITE SPIRIT POISONING

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

If you are planning to do some decorating - make sure you keep your pets away from white spirit, and don't lock them in rooms containing white spirit fumes

White spirit is derived from petroleum and it is similar to kerosene. Dogs, cats and other pets can become intoxicated with white spirit through :

  • Direct contact - splashes or deliberate application on the animal to remove paint splashes
  • Ingestion - drinking or licking spilled white spirit, or white spirit applied to the pets coat to remove paint splashes
  • Indirect contact - inhalation of fumes in a confined space

White spirit can cause a variety of signs including :

  • Death - may take many hours or even days
  • Coma
  • Seizures - fits
  • Excitation, staggering
  • Persistent vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Difficulty breathing, coughing
  • Blood in the urine due to kidney disease
  • Irritable skin 

So, Provet recommends :

  • keep pets away from white spirit eg in trays or sinks to clean brushes
  • don't lock pets in rooms in which there are white spirit fumes
  • don't use white spirit to remove paint splashes off the coat of pets 

There is no antidote.

 

Updated October 2013