Article on antifreeze and pet poisoning
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I believe that all new antifreeze has a bittering agent added to it, but we need to be careful of old material that's been removed from a vehicle. Get it to a recycler rather than letting it sit around.
I was reading a dog magazine many years ago and they had an article on how a dog was saved after drinking antifreeze by giving it enough whiskey to overwhelm the liver so the antifreeze would bypass the liver. The dog survived. Sounds like a difficult solution, but maybe was in a case where there was no charcoal available.
RV antifreeze is listed as non-toxic and I would think that is what should be used in household toilets for winterizing, not car antifreeze which I should think is not good to flush down the sewer either.
They ought to go with a less toxic alternative for cars, but probably cost is a big hinderance, that or perhaps the other chemicals are not nearly as efficient at cooling the car engine.
RV antifreeze is listed as non-toxic and I would think that is what should be used in household toilets for winterizing, not car antifreeze which I should think is not good to flush down the sewer either.
They ought to go with a less toxic alternative for cars, but probably cost is a big hinderance, that or perhaps the other chemicals are not nearly as efficient at cooling the car engine.
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
I was reading a dog magazine many years ago and they had an article on how a dog was saved after drinking antifreeze by giving it enough whiskey to overwhelm the liver so the antifreeze would bypass the liver. The dog survived. Sounds like a difficult solution, but maybe was in a case where there was no charcoal available.
Activated charcoals won't work. Glycol doesn't bind to it.
What happens is the ethanol in the whiskey prevents the ethylene glycol from breaking down so it will be eliminated in your urine.
Works on people too.
I was reading a dog magazine many years ago and they had an article on how a dog was saved after drinking antifreeze by giving it enough whiskey to overwhelm the liver so the antifreeze would bypass the liver. The dog survived. Sounds like a difficult solution, but maybe was in a case where there was no charcoal available.
Activated charcoals won't work. Glycol doesn't bind to it.
What happens is the ethanol in the whiskey prevents the ethylene glycol from breaking down so it will be eliminated in your urine.
Works on people too.
Originally Posted By: AandPDan
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
I was reading a dog magazine many years ago and they had an article on how a dog was saved after drinking antifreeze by giving it enough whiskey to overwhelm the liver so the antifreeze would bypass the liver. The dog survived. Sounds like a difficult solution, but maybe was in a case where there was no charcoal available.
Activated charcoals won't work. Glycol doesn't bind to it.
What happens is the ethanol in the whiskey prevents the ethylene glycol from breaking down so it will be eliminated in your urine.
Works on people too.
The MSDS for antifreeze says to give 4 or 5 shots of whiskey to someone who has drank antifreeze if you cannot get them to the hospital quickly. I believe a hospital will give you pure alcohol to counteract the antifreeze.
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
I was reading a dog magazine many years ago and they had an article on how a dog was saved after drinking antifreeze by giving it enough whiskey to overwhelm the liver so the antifreeze would bypass the liver. The dog survived. Sounds like a difficult solution, but maybe was in a case where there was no charcoal available.
Activated charcoals won't work. Glycol doesn't bind to it.
What happens is the ethanol in the whiskey prevents the ethylene glycol from breaking down so it will be eliminated in your urine.
Works on people too.
The MSDS for antifreeze says to give 4 or 5 shots of whiskey to someone who has drank antifreeze if you cannot get them to the hospital quickly. I believe a hospital will give you pure alcohol to counteract the antifreeze.
Before I knew coolant killed animals, my cat licked up some Preston. He started to act crazy, and jumped into a pond like he was on fire. I held him in my arms as his eyes rolled back and he died. Not pretty and I now am VERY carful about any drops under my vehicles. ed
I use poropylene glycol because it's less lethal. Also if the propylene gets in the engine oil much less chance of bearing damage.
^I used Sierra Coolant in my 89 Accord for one interval back in the early 90's. Someone pointed out to me that after it has run through the engine 30,000+ miles it probably has picked up plenty of toxic stuff. Still, might not be fatal to an animal, but I wouldn't want my pets drinking it.
Yup, just make sure to wash the area after antifreeze service before any animals get around. Obviously, fix any large leaks. Also, don't overfill the system, resulting in overflows. With the bittering agent and bad smell, they are unlikely to drink it, but don't take any chances and avoid a tragedy.
Originally Posted By: Donald
The MSDS for antifreeze says to give 4 or 5 shots of whiskey to someone who has drank antifreeze if you cannot get them to the hospital quickly. I believe a hospital will give you pure alcohol to counteract the antifreeze.
That would have indeed happened in the past, but fomepizole is the standard treatment now. It works the same way as ethanol - competitively inhibits the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme and prevents the breakdown. However, it has fewer risky side effects (getting a very sick person drunk is not helpful for a number of reasons
) and is easier to dose and administer. Without it, though, ethanol would still be a treatment along with other supportive care.
The MSDS for antifreeze says to give 4 or 5 shots of whiskey to someone who has drank antifreeze if you cannot get them to the hospital quickly. I believe a hospital will give you pure alcohol to counteract the antifreeze.
That would have indeed happened in the past, but fomepizole is the standard treatment now. It works the same way as ethanol - competitively inhibits the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme and prevents the breakdown. However, it has fewer risky side effects (getting a very sick person drunk is not helpful for a number of reasons
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Originally Posted By: oilboy123
I use poropylene glycol because it's less lethal. Also if the propylene gets in the engine oil much less chance of bearing damage.
Ha, I think propylene glycol is the stuff they put in foods such as ice cream to keep it soft so you can scoop it out right from the freezer. Notice Haggen Das does not have PG and it is hard as a rock out of the freezer. I'll take the Haggen Das.
I use poropylene glycol because it's less lethal. Also if the propylene gets in the engine oil much less chance of bearing damage.
Ha, I think propylene glycol is the stuff they put in foods such as ice cream to keep it soft so you can scoop it out right from the freezer. Notice Haggen Das does not have PG and it is hard as a rock out of the freezer. I'll take the Haggen Das.
The nasty tasting coolant is all we have had in CA for as long as I can remember. Into the 90's atleast
In my area, we are instructed to pour used anti freeze down the household drain (not into the sewer). This way it gets treated vs just draining into the river. Rinsing off minor spillage from the driveway is allowed.
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