Do Toxicities Present Differently in Exotic Animals?

Laura Stern, DVM, DAVBT, senior toxicologist for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, explains whether or not exotic pets present differently when they are suffering from toxicity.

“There really aren't a lot of differences in how toxicities present in exotics versus in companion animals or even large animals. Pretty much depending on what the toxin is, you can see most anything. A lot of times when you're seeing an acute onset of signs—so they were fine one minute and they weren't the next—you suspect that there might be a toxicity. Sometimes you'll see depression, sometimes you'll see them get very agitated, certainly most of the time if you've got a dyspneic bird or if you have a pet that's having seizures, you know that something's very wrong and you're going to want to get them right in.”