Autumn rain brings slugs out in force across Burnaby, and the bait people put down for them is among the fastest-acting poisons we see. Metaldehyde causes severe tremors and seizures within an hour, and it can be fatal. If your dog has eaten slug pellets, this is an emergency now, not in the morning.
Why September is the dangerous month
Slugs and snails are barely a problem through a dry Burnaby August. Then the rain returns, the ground stays wet, and within a fortnight they are everywhere. Gardeners respond, and the pellets go down across the neighbourhood at almost exactly the same time.
That timing matters because it coincides with dogs spending more time nosing around wet gardens, and with fallen leaves and windfall hiding things at ground level. Pellets scattered in a border in the morning are hard to see by the afternoon.
The pellets are the specific problem. They are often blue or green, they are grain based, and several brands are made palatable so that slugs will eat them. Dogs find them appealing for exactly the same reason. A dog does not need to hunt for them, and there is no unpleasant taste to stop it after the first mouthful.
Where dogs find them
- Your own flower beds, vegetable patch and pots
- Neighbours’ gardens, along fence lines and through gaps
- Community and allotment gardens
- Around planters and landscaped beds in parks and along paths
- Sheds and garages, where an open box or a split bag is within reach
- Spilled pellets on a path or driveway after someone has filled a scoop
Dogs that scavenge, dogs that eat things off the ground on walks, and young dogs generally are the ones we see. It also reaches dogs that never leave their own garden, because a neighbour’s application does not stay on the neighbour’s side of the fence.
How fast it moves, and what it looks like
This is the part to remember. Metaldehyde acts quickly, often within thirty minutes to three hours, and it escalates.
- Restlessness and an inability to settle
- Muscle twitching, often starting around the face and head
- Whole-body tremors that do not stop when the dog rests
- Wobbliness or difficulty standing
- Exaggerated reaction to sound, light and touch
- Drooling, vomiting or retching
- Rapid breathing and a raised body temperature
- Seizures
- Blue or green material in vomit, which is a strong clue and worth photographing
The raised temperature is a serious part of the problem in itself. Sustained tremoring generates a great deal of heat, and a dog can overheat dangerously in a cool room on an autumn day.
There is no reliable safe amount. A small dog can be seriously affected by a quantity that would fit in a tablespoon.
What to do right now
- Phone us immediately and head in. Use our urgent care and call on the way. Do not wait to see whether anything develops.
- Bring the packaging or a photograph of it. Different slug baits contain completely different active ingredients and are handled differently. This single item genuinely changes what happens next.
- Note the time and the amount. Even a rough estimate of how much is missing from the box helps.
- Keep things quiet, dim and cool. Noise, bright light and handling all worsen tremoring. Turn the television off and keep the car calm.
- Do not give food or water to a dog that is unsteady or tremoring.
- Do not try to make your dog vomit at home. A tremoring dog can inhale stomach contents, which turns one emergency into two. Let us make that decision.
If you find an opened or chewed box and cannot account for your dog’s afternoon, phone anyway. Suspicion is enough with this one.
What happens at the clinic
A tremoring dog is triaged immediately. The priorities are controlling the tremor activity, protecting the airway, bringing the temperature down, and supporting the dog through the hours it takes for the substance to clear.
Alongside that, our diagnostics help us confirm what we are dealing with and rule out the other things that cause tremors and seizures, which include several unrelated toxins, low blood sugar and neurological disease. Bloodwork tells us how the liver and kidneys are coping and guides fluid support.
Most dogs need to stay with us rather than go home the same hour, because signs can persist and can return. Dogs that arrive promptly generally do well, and that is the whole argument for phoning early rather than watching.
Safer ways to deal with slugs
You do not have to choose between your hostas and your dog.
- Switch to an iron phosphate based bait. These are widely available, they work, and they are considerably less dangerous to dogs and cats than metaldehyde. Less dangerous is not the same as harmless, so still keep dogs away and still phone us if any is eaten.
- Read the box rather than the front label. Marketing language is not a safety assessment. Look at the stated active ingredient.
- Beer traps, sunk into the soil, work well and involve nothing toxic. Empty them regularly.
- Copper tape around pots and raised beds.
- Go out at dusk with a torch and collect them by hand, which is unglamorous and extremely effective.
- Water in the morning rather than the evening, so beds are drier overnight when slugs are active.
- Clear hiding places, so old pots, boards and dense ground cover close to the house.
- Store any product locked and high, never in an open bag on a shed floor.
Talk to your neighbours
This is worth the slightly awkward conversation. Most people using metaldehyde have no idea it is dangerous to dogs, and almost everyone switches once they know. If your garden backs onto others, or your dog walks past the same front beds every day, a friendly heads-up protects your dog and theirs.
Autumn brings several hazards into Burnaby gardens at once, and it lands in the same weeks that routines change. Our guide to back to school separation in Deer Lake and Burnaby pets covers the other September shift, and a dog left alone in a garden for longer stretches is exactly the dog most likely to find something it should not.
Frequently asked questions
My dog ate a few pellets but seems fine. Can I watch and wait?
No. Please phone now. Signs commonly take thirty minutes to three hours to appear, so a normal-looking dog shortly afterward tells you very little, and this is a fast-moving poison where early action matters enormously. Bring the packaging.
How much is dangerous?
Less than owners expect, and it varies with the concentration of the product and the size of the dog. A small dog can be seriously affected by a very small quantity. Do not use the amount as a reason not to call.
Are the pet-safe slug baits genuinely safe?
Iron phosphate products are substantially less dangerous than metaldehyde and are a real improvement worth making. They are not harmless, though, and a dog that eats a large quantity should still be assessed. The safety comes from the ingredient, so check the box rather than trusting the phrase on the front.
What if my dog ate a slug rather than the bait?
Different problem, still worth a call. Slugs and snails can carry lungworm, which is a separate and slower concern than bait poisoning but matters in this region. Mention it at your next visit, and phone sooner if your dog develops a cough, unusual tiredness or any bleeding that seems out of proportion.
Can cats be affected too?
Yes, though far less often, because cats rarely eat the pellets. When it does happen the signs are similar and it is equally urgent. A tremoring or wobbly cat is always an emergency whatever the cause.
I found an empty box in the garage. Should I assume the worst?
Assume enough to phone. Tell us what the box was, when you last saw it intact, and how your dog has been. We would far rather assess a dog that turns out to have eaten nothing than see one several hours into a problem that could have been caught early.
Speak to the team at Deer Lake Animal Hospital
If your dog has eaten slug bait, do not wait for signs. Call us now on (604) 563-6170 and bring the packaging with you.
Published by the team at Deer Lake Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact Deer Lake Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
Deer Lake Animal Hospital
6170 Kingsway #100, Burnaby, BC V5J 1H5
Phone: (604) 563-6170
Hours: Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Sunday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; statutory holidays closed