Veterinarian Help Needed!

Jen | 1/23/04

[Jen]

Is there a Veterinarian still awake? Please help! By mistake, I gave my kitty 1 ml of Betadine by mouth instead of an oral pain medication (Torbuterol elixir).

I'm an idiot! I wasn't paying enough attention and the bottles are similar.

Help! What should I do? The emergency vet is not open until around 8 a.m. I don't want to lose my furbaby. Please help. Thanks.

[Jen]

AM - please forgive misuse of Breaking News.

[Jen]

Please leave this in Breaking until I can get an answer. I an worried about my kitty. Thanks, Jen

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

go to yahoo and do a search on CAT HELP MESSAGE BOARD

also, go to yellowpages.com and look under los angeles FELINE HOSPITAL and/or ANIMAL HOSPITALS for a 24hr clinic

[Mo1]

Ping for help

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

CLICK HERE FOR 24 HOUR VETS IN YOUR AREA!!!!

[kayak]

bttt

[sweetliberty]

Call the vet hospitals in your area. There is bound to be someone on call that you can talk to.

[tertiary01]

ping

[I got the rope]

dilute it with milk or water. I'm not a vet, but isn't betadine an antiseptic with iodine in it. I don't think it will kill your cat, but it will probably make it sick, and give it the runs.

[AHerald]

There's an 24 hr emergency vet clinic here in Phoenix that has helped me over the phone many times in the past. Freepmail me if you still need help.

[Ichneumon]

Call 1-800-222-1222. That's the national poison control hotline, open 24-hours a day. They're there mainly for people, of course, but they'd know a lot about betadine ingestion and what (if anything) to do about it.

[FairOpinion]

There must be some vet emergency hospital open in your area 24 hrs -- check your phone book, and take the kitty in.

[KantianBurke]

Two things u can do to prevent future mix ups in medication: label EVERY medicine that's for your cat with a big white sticker titled "Kitty's." Next make sure to keep te medication in a separate place such as its very own shelf in ur medicine cabinet or near ur regular cat supplies.

[I got the rope]

I was right. Don't worry. Here is the MSDS sheet

[FairOpinion]

And here is a poison control number for pets:

Poison control: 1-800-764-7661

[Jen]

Just talked to Poison Control Center. Sasso should be OK, but may have some stomach irritation. I need to get him to drink some water.

Thanks everyone. I think he'll be OK.

[FairOpinion]

From your link:

"Section 4 - First Aid Measures
BETADINE SOLUTION (10% POVIDONE IODINE= 1%

---------------

First Aid:
EYES: FLUSH WITH RUNNING WATER. INGESTION: NO HARMFUL EFFECT EXPECTED.

Well, this should put Jen's mind at ease, but I would still call a vet, just in case.

[Jen]

Both meds were for Sasso, my kitty and are separated for his use only. Bottles are similar. I didn't pay enough attention to what I gave him until after the fact. Damn! (How did I manage to raise 2 kids that lived???) :-( Betayne now labeled in RED! Hoping there won't be a 'next' time!

[Ichneumon]

Here is the MSDS sheet

Ah, good, that's encouraging. Besides saying "no harmful effects expected" from ingestion, the LD50 it gives (8100mg/kg) is huge. In order for a ten-pound cat to have a 50% chance of dying from ingestion, it would have to ingest 36.8 grams of Betadine, which equates to roughly 37ml of the stuff. 1ml shouldn't do anything noticeable, although it may give the cat an upset stomach or make it throw up (which cats are built to do pretty easily anyway).

I'd still check with a vet just to be sure, though.