Are electronic cigarettes poisonous to dogs? | Dr. Justine Lee

Posted by justinelee in Animal Safety, Blog, Pet Health

Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated products that use a cartridge that contains a diluent (typically propylene glycol – what’s in “pet-safe” antifreeze and glycerin), nicotine, and flavoring agents. Electronic cigarettes basically work by converting the nicotine solution into a vapor instead of a smoke, so that the vapor can be inhaled by the user. But are they safe to use?

First, as a non-smoker, I love electronic cigarettes as there’s no second-hand smoke exposure to innocent bystanders (e.g., like family members, dogs, and cats). That said, they still pose potential health risks to the smoker… and to the pet that accidentally ingests them. Here, you can find more information about electronic cigarettes from the FDA here.

The problem is that these cartridges can contain different amounts of nicotine, ranging up to 16 to 24 mg of nicotine per cartridge.¹  That said, electronic cigarettes are just as poisonous as regular cigarettes or cigars. It varies with how much nicotine is ingested.

As a comparison, different products have varying amounts of nicotine (See Table 1 below):

Table 1: How much nicotine is in various products¹

When it comes to poisoning, there are two potential poisoning concerns with electronic cigarettes – the amount of nicotine and the battery (which can cause corrosive injury, depending on what type of battery is in there). Check out my blog on battery poisoning here.

Depending on how much nicotine is ingested, severe poisoning can be seen in dogs. Clinical signs of nicotine poisoning can be seen within several minutes, and signs last for 1-2 hours (in mild cases), or even 18-24 hours in severe cases.

Clinical signs seen with nicotine poisoning include:

• Drooling
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Nervousness
• Agitation
• Weakness
• Dilated pupils
• Walking drunk
• An abnormal heart rate (typically an elevated heart rate, although a very slow heart rate can occasionally be seen secondary to high blood pressure)
• Hypertension
• Panting
• Arrhythmias
• Tremors
• Seizures
• Death

Unfortunately, it only takes a small amount of nicotine ingestion to result in poisoning in dogs. Clinical signs of poisoning can be seen with ingestion of even one cigarette – whether it electronic or a regular unfiltered cigarette. The lethal dose that kills 50% of dogs that get into nicotine (called an LD₅₀) is 9-12 mg/kg,¹ so depending on the size of the dog and the amount ingested, severe poisoning can be seen.

Treatment includes appropriate decontamination (e.g., such as inducing vomiting and giving a dose of activated charcoal to bind the poison from the intestines); intravenous fluids to help hydrate the pet; anti-vomiting medication; anti-seizure medication; blood pressure medication; heart medications to stop the arrhythmias; sedation (to relieve the severe anxiety); and blood pressure or heart monitoring with an electrocardiogram.

When in doubt, make sure to keep anything containing nicotine out of reach. The most important thing to remember is that the sooner you identify that your pet is poisoned, the sooner (and less expensively) it can be treated. When in doubt, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately for life-saving care.

References:

1. Renken CL et al. Nicotine/Tobacco. In: Osweiler G, Hovda L, Brutlag A, Lee JA, eds. Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Small Animal Toxicology, 1^st Ed. Iowa City: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011:pp. 306-312.