Salt lamps seem to be the new trend at the minute, and retailers boast of their benefits toward humans, including improving air quality, boosting serotonin levels, and helping you get a good night’s sleep. With all the stresses of everyday life, most of us would jump at the chance of buying a product that’s been proven to help with mental health. But there’s one thing to consider.
Salt lamps are (pretty obviously) made from salt, which means that their high sodium content can be a danger to your pets.
Lots of animals are generally quite nosy and like to lick and sniff new objects, but as one woman from New Zealand found out, just one lick can be enough to land your pet at the vets in a critical condition.
Maddie Barry was getting ready for a day at work when she noticed her cat, Ruby, behaving strangely. She thought that Ruby was simply cold, but when she returned home that afternoon, she feared the worst.
It was all because of her new Himalayan salt lamp, and Maddie shared her post onto Facebook as a warning to others.
“We woke up on Wednesday morning to our darling Ruby walking really strangely and had her head in an odd position as she walked.” Maddie wrote. “We initially thought this was just because she was so cold so we got her nice and toasty and left for work as usual.”
However, when Maddie’s partner, Clayton, returned home from work, Ruby had taken a turn for the worse. Clayton rushed the frail cat to the vets, where she was immediately taken in for treatment.
“The vets were extremely concerned for her and could see she definitely had neurological problems because she simply could not walk properly, could not hear or see, couldn’t even eat or drink properly because she couldn’t function her tongue the best.” Maddie recalled. “Her basic senses and abilities GONE in 12 hours. She was so helpless.”
The vets ran multiple tests on Ruby, all of which came back clear.
But the next morning, things started to become clear when dangerously high levels of sodium were found in her blood. The poor cat had severe salt poisoning which had caused her brain to swell, resulting in her sudden neurological problems.
After racking her brains for something in Ruby’s diet that could have been the culprit, Maddie was suddenly hit with a realization – her cat had been poisoned by her salt lamp.
“The salt poisoning was caused by just your normal salt lamp that we had in our lounge,” she said. “Ruby has ingested the salt by simply licking the lamp. Salt poisoning is EXTREMELY deadly to animals and she is basically a miracle to still be here now.”
The vets worked quickly to remove the salt from Ruby’s body, giving her lots of intravenous fluids and potassium supplements.
Ruby is now on the mend, but she apparently has a “long road to recovery” ahead of her.
“Ruby’s case simply highlights … that for dogs and cats, sometimes the most innocuous sources of sodium chloride can cause issues if the particular animal is drawn to it,” First Vets wrote on Facebook. “Another good example is when dogs ingest homemade playdough in large enough quantities for a toxic dose of sodium chloride to be reached for the particular dog’s size.”
How terrifying! We wish Ruby all the best on her road to recovery, and we’re so thankful to the vets who quickly saved her life. If you know somebody with a beloved pet, be sure to share this post with them.
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