Snow Globes
| Severity scale: |
 This toxin is considered to be a very high risk and your pet should be evaluated as an emergency at your nearest veterinary hospital. You may want to contact whiskerDocs or the hospital if your pet has recently ingested this toxin to see if there are additional steps you need to take before leaving home. |
Many children love to play with snow globes, watching tiny white snow flakes fall over a lovely scene or favorite Disney character, creating a gorgeous winter wonderland inside a magical glass ball. In recent years, this same concept has been modified to have glitter instead of fake snow falling around characters, sports teams, and even family photos. While they're beautiful to look at and fun for kids and adults alike, snow globes, glitter globes, and snow domes pose serious hazards to our pets. Specifically, the liquid that suspends the glitter or "snow" often contains ethylene glycol, the toxic component of antifreeze. If your child, or your pet, were to knock one of these over and shatter the glass, the sweet smell and taste of the liquid inside will likely tempt your pet to lick it up, and could cause fatalities if not treated within hours. In dogs, an antidote (fompeizole) must be administered within 8-12 hours to be effective, and in cats, it must be administered in 3 hours or less or hemodialysis might be needed, and even then, may not save your kitty.