Veterinary Poisons Information Service and Animal PoisonLine

Veterinary Poisons Information Service and Animal PoisonLine We are the Veterinary Poisons Information Service and Animal PoisonLine. The Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) is a members only service.

We are a 24-hour telephone emergency service providing information and treatment advice on poisoning cases in animals. We provide direct support to veterinary professionals. VPIS can provide advice on the effects of thousands of toxic substances in all species of animal. Our advice is based on our case database of over 280,000 past cases and extensive resources obtained through research of publish

ed data. We constantly refine our advice to ensure we provide the most accurate and up to date treatment advice. More information including details of membership, CPD courses and marketing materials can be found at www.vpisglobal.com


Animal PoisonLine is run by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) and is the only 24-hour specialised emergency telephone service in the UK dedicated to helping pet owners who are worried their pet may have been exposed to something harmful or poisonous. It is a triage service, which will let owners know if a trip to their vet is required. Based on the information the owner provides our vets and scientists will be able to tell the owner if they need to attend the vet. The lines are open 24 hours a day. Calls cost £35 between Monday- Friday 8am to 8pm. Calls cost £45 at all other times including bank holidays. We save 7 out of 10 customers and their pets a trip to the vets. More information can be found at www.animalpoisonline.co.uk

19/02/2025

Please be aware that we are currently experiencing issues with our phone lines. We are working hard to resolve this as quickly as possible. Your call will still be answered by a member of the team. We apologise for any disruption whilst we work to resolve this issue.

07/02/2025

📢Calling all vets and vet nurses!📢

CPD DAY

We have a couple of spaces left on our CPD day in Manchester on 10th March. Refreshments, lunch and plenty of time for discussion and questions in a small group. We would love to see you there!

To sign up, drop us an email to [email protected] or visit our website

📢Calling all vets and veterinary nurses!📢The Veterinary Poisons Information Service is pleased to announce the following...
31/01/2025

📢Calling all vets and veterinary nurses!📢

The Veterinary Poisons Information Service is pleased to announce the following CPD course dates aimed at keeping vets and vet nurses up-to-date in small animal toxicology.

2025
Monday 10th March – Manchester
Tuesday 20th May – Cambridge
Wednesday 2nd July – London (VPIS Office – SE1 4PL)
Thursday 25th September – Cardiff
Friday 5th December – London (VPIS Office – SE1 4PL)

The course will cover:
🐾Case histories for potential poisons cases
🐾Decontamination for poisons cases
🐾Toxicology information resources
🐾Common or tricky poisonings in cats and dogs

To find out more or to book a place please visit https://www.vpisglobal.com/class-based-courses/ or email [email protected].

We are looking for a new cover photo for the month of February, and we need your help!We want to see your photos of your...
30/01/2025

We are looking for a new cover photo for the month of February, and we need your help!

We want to see your photos of your pet! Please comment below for a chance to feature for the month!

The winner for the month will be selected on Saturday 1st February!

Neurological signs have been reported in dogs in Denmark and the Netherlands related to two products of dog chews/bones....
30/01/2025

Neurological signs have been reported in dogs in Denmark and the Netherlands related to two products of dog chews/bones. Cases have apparently also been reported in Germany, Switzerland, Finland and Belgium.

It appears these products are not available in the UK but could be bought online.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising dog owners not to feed their pets specific dog chews from China following concerns from the European Union (EU) of a possible link to serious behavioural changes

🐾Calling all vets!🐾How do you manage cases of grape ingestion in dogs?As part of an ongoing PhD project into grape toxic...
29/01/2025

🐾Calling all vets!🐾

How do you manage cases of grape ingestion in dogs?

As part of an ongoing PhD project into grape toxicity in dogs, a survey which focuses on how vets approach cases of grapes and grape products ingestion is available. The aim of the survey is to gain a better understanding of the factors that affect decision making when vets are presented with cases of grape ingestion.

If you are a vet working in a UK clinical practice that treats dogs (this includes small animal practice as well as mixed practice), and you have 10 minutes to spare, the survey can be found below:

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/nottingham/grapetoxicitysurvey.

Help raise awareness with one of our free promotional packs. These include an Animal PoisonLine poster and a selection o...
23/01/2025

Help raise awareness with one of our free promotional packs. These include an Animal PoisonLine poster and a selection of leaflets.

For veterinary practices, the pack will also include our triage flow chart .

Please email your postal address to receive a pack. Our email address is [email protected]

🌟Calling all vets and veterinary nurses!🌟Now is the time to start planning your CPD for 2025!The Veterinary Poisons Info...
18/01/2025

🌟Calling all vets and veterinary nurses!🌟

Now is the time to start planning your CPD for 2025!

The Veterinary Poisons Information Service's CPD dates are listed below. Please note that some dates are always popular so we always recommend booking early to avoid disappointment.

Monday 10th March – Manchester
Tuesday 20th May – Cambridge
Wednesday 2nd July – London (VPIS Office – SE1 4PL)
Thursday 25th September – Cardiff
Friday 5th December – London (VPIS Office – SE1 4PL)

The course will cover:
🐾Case histories for potential poisons cases
🐾Decontamination for poisons cases
🐾Toxicology information resources
🐾Common or tricky poisonings in cats and dogs

To find out more or to book a place please visit https://www.vpisglobal.com/class-based-courses/ or email [email protected].

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued a warning of the risks of water beads to young children. These...
24/12/2024

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued a warning of the risks of water beads to young children. These also pose a risk to pets.

Water beads are made of superabsorbent polymers which are also found in nappies, incontinence pads, water retaining gel for plants and other products. These polymers can absorb and retain a very large volume of a liquid and increase in size. If eaten they can cause gastrointestinal signs and may result in blockage of the gut. This does not happen immediately and can take hours.

Water beads and other products containing superabsorbent polymers should be kept away from pets and children. If you suspect your pet has eaten water beads, seek advice. If an animal presents after ingestion of these products they should be assessed for gastrointestinal signs and obstruction.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine issues a "safety flash" about the dangers to children.

🎄Salt dough ornaments🎄At this time of year, we start to see an increase in the volume of calls regarding salt dough orna...
10/12/2024

🎄Salt dough ornaments🎄

At this time of year, we start to see an increase in the volume of calls regarding salt dough ornaments. Whilst they make a great gift and can look lovely out on display, did you know that they can be very dangerous to your pet?

These ornaments often contain large amounts of salt, which when ingested can lead to toxicity.
High levels of salt may result in vomiting and diarrhoea, depression, tremors, excessive thirst and dehydration. There may also be weakness, in-coordination and wobbliness as well as high blood pressure. In severe cases muscular rigidity, seizures, coma and kidney failure can occur.

In order to keep your pet safe this Christmas, please ensure that all salt dough decorations are kept well out of reach and reach out for advice if you are concerned.

Have you seen an interesting poisoning case in your vet practice that you have not contacted us about? We have an online...
30/11/2024

Have you seen an interesting poisoning case in your vet practice that you have not contacted us about? We have an online questionnaire you can use to share this information. We will then add the details to our case database. The information will help us with toxicovigilance and may provide information that can aid in future cases.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QKH7KMJ

(Please note: we will not provide veterinary advice on these cases, they are for data/information collection purposes only. However if you do require advice, please call us!)

Alternatively you can also email us a summary of the case: [email protected]

Address

Godfree Court, 29-35 Long Lane
London
SE14PL

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Videos

Animal PoisonLine's video has been updated. If any veterinary practices would like a copy of the video for their waiting room TV's, please email [email protected]

In part 2 of this 2-part series for pet owners, we will discuss the common pet poisons that may be found in your home this Springtime. With Covid-19 enforcing us all to stay at home, we are concerned that accidental pet poisonings with certain household items may increase so it is vital pet owners stay vigilant and act appropriately if they suspect their pet has been poisoned. Questions are welcome, please write them in the comments section- we will try to get through as many as we can during the presentation. Please comment, like and share! We are streaming this event directly to our page rather than in the event itself- please go there to watch!

BamBams story:
BamBams story:

BamBam is a 4 year old cavalier king charles spaniel. We recently received a call about BamBam after she woke her owner up during the night crying in pain. She was taken straight to her vets where on arrival, she was collapsed and cyanotic (bluish discolouration of the skin which indicates a lack of oxygen in the blood) with a very painful abdomen. Her vets noticed when they collected a blood sample from her that her blood was dark brown, indicating methaemoglobinaemia. Methaemoglobinaemia occurs in the red blood cells where haemoglobin is changed to methaemoglobin. As a result the blood is less effective at carrying oxygen to the tissues of the body. BamBams vet suspected that a toxin was likely to be the cause of her symptoms and called VPIS for help. Her owners reported that there were no medications missing around the house and she had not been seen eating anything she shouldn't have. We talked through a few potential causes but given her clinical history and symptoms, Paracetamol toxicity seemed a likely cause. There were some concerns about poisoned food being left in the area that BamBam may have eaten without her owners knowledge whilst on a walk that evening. *NB* Paracetamol can be given to dogs (when appropriately prescribed by a vet) but the safe dose is much lower than the dose suitable for humans. Cats do not tolerate paracetamol well at all and even a tiny amount can be toxic to cats. As well as methaemaglobinaemia (which can be fatal if not treated promptly), paracetamol toxicity can cause liver failure. Because her owner and her vet acted so quickly, BamBam was given the necessary antidotes for paracetamol poisoning, which along with supportive care, helped her to feel better quickly. Her vets monitored her very closely in the week following her initial presentation and we are pleased to say she is doing very well and showed no signs of liver failure. Her vets kindly sent us this sweet video of BamBam during her recovery as she started to feel

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Veterinary Poisons Information Service and Animal PoisonLine

The Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) is a 24-hour telephone emergency service providing information on the management of actual and suspected poisoning in animals. We provide direct support to veterinary professionals and the public.

Each poisoning case is directly handled by one of our trained veterinary information scientists. VPIS can provide advice on the effects of thousands of toxic substances in small animals, livestock, exotics, or wildlife.

For each enquiry VPIS will cover the risk assessment for that toxin and species, the anticipated clinical effects and the ideal treatment protocol with prognostic advice, in order to ensure that the veterinary professional is in the best position to provide optimum treatment.

Our advice is based on our case database of over 300,000 past cases and extensive resources obtained through research of published data. We constantly refine our advice to offer current best practice and ensure our veterinary information scientists are qualified and fully trained to handle your enquiry.