For years, I’ve written about Poison Help centers, a national network of state centers that help people out when someone may have ingested a poison, for example, a chemical or medication that wasn’t prescribed for them.
It’s a free service, so helpful for parents and caregivers when a young child may have swallowed something they shouldn’t have. Call 800-222-1222.
It was very surprising then, when I needed to call animal Poison Control, that I had to pay $110 to get any information to help me with my pet emergency.
While I was housesitting for a friend who has a cat, I dropped a tablet. I was trying to be careful because the cat had gotten up on the dining room table and torn up a half dozen paper napkins. I kept the blister pack in my bedroom for safety, and as I was heading to the kitchen to get some water, I dropped one of the tablets.
I looked all over, but I couldn’t find the tablet.
I called the family’s vet, which, fortunately, they’d listed in the sheets of instructions. It was about 6 p.m. Fortunately, the vet’s office was open until 7 p.m.
However, the recommendation was to call the animal Poison Control center run by the ASPCA. It offers a one-time consultation fee that includes any follow-up calls for the same case, with you or with your vet.
Since I didn’t want the cat to come to any harm, I paid the $110. The person I talked to collected information on the tablet and the cat’s age, breed, medications, and medical history. She then talked to a vet. The vet said to take the cat to an animal clinic.
By then, it was 6: 30 p.m. When I called the family’s vet again, the receptionist said all the veterinarians were gone. She gave me the name of a 24-hour animal clinic.
Fortunately, the family had a relative nearby who I could call if I needed help. I called and asked him to help me get the cat to the clinic. I don’t know much about cats, but I do know that dogs get very upset when they have to go to the vet.
He came over with his wife and we did a thorough search for the tablet. We couldn’t find it.
However, he made a brilliant decision. He said cats aren’t as interested in food as dogs are, so it’s unlikely that the cat ate the tablet. He got a tablet out of the cat’s cupboard and put it on the floor. The cat looked at it, but didn’t eat it.
He said what the vet would do is feed the cat charcoal then induct vomiting, which would be hard on the cat. He said he’d be responsible for the decision if anything happened to the cat.
We discussed watching the cat for symptoms.
The story has a happy ending. A couple of days later, I found the tablet on the other side of the bedroom. So the cat was not in any danger.
In looking up whether you always have to pay to get poison control information for pets, I found the Pet Poison Helpline. It charges $85 for the same procedure: the fee covers the initial consultation, and any follow-up consultations made with the pet owner and/or veterinarian.
Some pet insurances may cover this fee.
