When Caroline Osbourn put her beloved pets, a 17-week-old labrador named Milo and a 7-year-old French Bulldog named Lexi in the kitchen, it was to protect them. Caroline had recently put up her Christmas tree for the holidays, and she was concerned young exploring mouths might chew on cords or swallow decorations.
She didn’t think there was anything dangerous for her pets to get into in the kitchen, but that confidence was shattered when she heard a crash. Caroline rushed to the kitchen in time to find a broken snow globe, and her dogs licking up the liquid inside.
Caroline rushed to clean it up, and noticed the liquid inside the globe was somewhere between oily and sticky. A quick internet search revealed that many snow globes contain ethylene glycol, an ingredient commonly used as anti-freeze which is deadly to dogs even in tiny amounts.
As a professional dog trainer, Caroline was no stranger to dog safety. She immediately rushed her dogs to get veterinary care from her vet before they showed any symptoms. The vet gave them an initial treatment and then referred them to a 24-hour care clinic since they could not provide 24 hour care.
Unfortunately, the 24-hour clinic botched the dog’s care, administering 5x the necessary amount of the incorrect antidote. Both dogs died.
Antifreeze is Dangerous for Pets
It takes just a tablespoon of antifreeze to kill even a large dog. Our chihuahuas are the smallest of dog breeds, so any amount could be a deadly amount for them. Most dog owners are aware of the dangers of antifreeze and are careful to check their car’s radiator for leaks or keep antifreeze picked up in the garage.
Snow globes are one source of antifreeze that may pass you by though. A quick search on Amazon showed that while there are an abundance of snow globes on Amazon, none of them declare the contents of the globe itself.
How to Keep Your Pet Safe
The most obvious way to keep your pet safe is to not have snow globes in the house at all, but just being aware of the danger can save your pet’s life.
If you have a snow globe and want to keep it, make sure it stays well out of reach of exploring paws. If your dog does happen to break it and ingests the contents, contact poison control, and rush your pet to the vet even if they are showing no symptoms.
Sometimes dogs can also appear to be getting better, when in fact their organs are failing. You should take your dog to the vet immediately even if they appear to be improving or don’t have any symptoms at all.
Lexi and Milo died, but they might have survived thanks to Caroline’s prompt action, if it had not been for the poor secondary care.
You can also make your own snow globes, using plain water or ingredients like corn syrup to make it completely safe for your pet.
Although they are beautiful to look at, and completely benign when unbroken, but it’s important to be aware of what can happen so you can protect your pets.
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What a tragic story for Caroline and her dogs. She did everything right, and was let down. I hope she reported the clinic. Thanks for warning everyone about the dangers of snow globes, I’d guess it’s not a well known hazard, and I only find out about it recently.
Super information, Andrea! I think I heard about ethylene glycol in snowglobes a couple of years ago. I have a few snowglobes. But I make sure they are always out of reach of Henry. I LOVE the idea of making your own snow globe. Heck, that could even make a fun gift with a photo inside or some other great mementos. I don’t think most dog parents are aware of the issue with snow globes. This is a great PSA! I love your reading of this article as well. I’m sharing with all my dog parents.
This is such a sad story and a must read for all pet parents, I do not have them in the house and now for definite will not have one, the less dangerous things in the house the safer the house, my heart goes out to the family
Oh, my, gosh…my heart dropped when I read both dogs passed…and she took them right away! How horrible. My heart just breaks for Caroline. Sadly, no matter how much we do to try to protect our beloved pets, accidents and horrible tragedies can happen. This is such an important post that everyone needs to read. I’m sharing it with my followers in the hopes that no dog and their families have to experience this.