ULLSWATER - Since Lori McCall’s golden retrievers were poisoned in the Ullswater area in June, she has made a mission of educating herself about the proper treatment for animals that have ingested antifreeze.
“Ethanol is in the booze that humans drink. The chemical in antifreeze is ethylene glycol. When a human or animal ingests ethylene glycol, the treatment is alcohol (such as vodka). When the vodka enters the system, the liver will deal with the alcohol and disregard the ethylene glycol and it is urinated out without harm,” she said.
“If the liver is not distracted by the alcohol, it starts to metabolize the ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is not in itself poisonous. It is what the liver does with it that is fatal. The liver metabolizes the ethylene glycol into calcium oxalate crystals, which clog the kidneys and the kidneys start to die.”
She added that there is also an antidote, Fomepizole, which costs about $4,500.
But, she said, neither treatment was given to her dying dogs in time to save them. Scarlett and Violet both died as a result of drinking antifreeze, which the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ investigation suggests was left out purposefully, perhaps to poison wild animals. The society is offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that may lead to a conviction for this crime.
“A suspicious container (a bleach bottle cut in half, shaped like a bowl containing remnants of bread) was found by the side of the road at a neighbour’s cottage. An empty bottle of antifreeze was also found at a neighbouring cottage in the recycle bin,” said McCall. “The event was so traumatic for my mom and my family. My mom and I were up there alone and the details of the day and night are horrific,” said McCall.
As she was caring for Scarlett, the first dog to begin vomiting, Violet started to stagger and howl in pain.
Although the animals were taken for veterinary treatment in Muskoka, Barrie, Newmarket and Toronto, and they were confirmed to have antifreeze poisoning, both animals were euthanized after much suffering. McCall is trying to understand why the dogs could not be saved.
McCall said she was horrified by the experience and has now made it her mission to make treatment for antifreeze poisoning more accessible.
Violet belonged to her son Chris, and both mother and son have been in grief counselling since the tragedy.
“We don’t sleep or eat well. We will continue counselling. I have spoken to lawyers and my days are consumed by gathering information and writing reports. I have missed work. My son is self-employed and can’t work much these days.”