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jadedragon
Administrator
Canada
3788 Posts |
 Posted - 06/05/2008 : 17:53:01
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Found via coinflation - another reason to dump zinc
DEAR PET DOCTOR: Our vet told us to make sure that we keep change off the floor because our new dog eats everything in its path. The vet said that eating change was especially dangerous. Why is this? - LOOKING FOR LOOSE CHANGE IN THE COUCH
DEAR LOSE CHANGE: While we always worry when one of our companions ingests a nonfood item that has the potential to become lodged in the gastrointestinal, or GI, tract, pennies can become life-threatening for reasons other than their potential for blockage. In 1983, the folks in Washington, D.C., slyly began coating zinc disks with copper and calling them pennies. Unless you and your dog enjoy coin collecting as a shared hobby, this probably is of little consequence to you, until your dog ingests one of these post-1982 coins.
Zinc is highly toxic to dogs and cats because it causes a condition known as hemolytic anemia. Hemolysis, or breakdown, of red blood cells, occurs when there are high levels of zinc in the bloodstream. Zinc somehow renders the red blood cell membranes nonviable. While the mechanism behind this is not completely understood, the result is that red blood cells are removed from circulation in huge numbers, causing severe anemia.
You might be wondering why pennies are so dangerous if the zinc is covered by a copper coating. The relative danger to a pet that has ingested a penny increases the longer the penny stays in the stomach. In the stomach, where the environment is much more acidic than the rest of the GI tract, the copper coating becomes pitted and the zinc inside is released into the bloodstream. This is why if you suspect that your dog - and yes, even cats will eat pennies, although they typically see themselves as above this type of behavior - ate a penny, you should call your vet immediately.
Your vet will probably make an X-ray of your pet's abdomen to confirm that a coin was ingested and to determine its location in the GI tract. At our clinic, we have an endoscope, which is a small camera on the end of a flexible tube that can be advanced into the mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. We can see the penny, then grab it with special tools and bring it out of the body. Sometimes, the penny can be brought up by inducing vomiting. Oftentimes, surgery is the only way to get it out.
Once the penny is out, your pet may need supportive care for several days to deal with the anemia and inflammation in the GI tract. This might include intravenous fluid therapy to support the kidneys and liver, drugs to control vomiting and blood transfusions to replenish red blood cells. New research supports the use of special drugs called chelators to bind zinc in the bloodstream.
Remember that zinc is found in some skin creams, so limit your pet's access to those.
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“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw.
Why Copper Bullion ~~~ Interview with Silver Bullion Producer Market Harmony
Passive Income blog |
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Bluegill
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1964 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 18:08:52
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Humans can get sick by zinc too.
My first summer out of high school I worked at a machine shop that that made their own kirksite tooling molds(mostly composed of zinc). Being young and and still trusting my elders I gladly helped with the casting process in an area with practically no ventilation, being told it was harmless.
That night while in the emergency room after some blood tests I was told I had zinc poisoning (sometimes called zinc fever). I was sick for almost a week.
So don't try making your own zinc bullion bars with out proper ventilation. 
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fiatboy
Administrator
912 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 18:09:27
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| When the Mint switched to copper pennies, pediatricians petitioned the Mint to reconsider the change because they were afraid children would swallow pennies and become ill from the very reasons mentioned above. |
"Bart, it's not about how many stocks you have, it's about how much copper wire you can get out of the building." --- Homer Simpson |
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jadedragon
Administrator
Canada
3788 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 18:30:10
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| The Canadian Mint used zinc from 1997-1999 but then switched to steel. Interesting stories Bluegill and fiatboy. |
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw.
Why Copper Bullion ~~~ Interview with Silver Bullion Producer Market Harmony
Passive Income blog |
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Kurr
1000+ Penny Miser Member
2906 Posts |
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Epaphras
Penny Collector Member
USA
382 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2008 : 21:10:48
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| All the more reason to have a good zinc disposal plan. |
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WilliamC
Penny Collector Member
USA
471 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2008 : 14:59:56
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I knew it!
A CONSPIRACY!!!
The Gov'ment is trying to kill us with money!
Bad enough that it's not worth the metal it's made with, it's toxic as well!
What's next, coins made out of depleted uranium?
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Sorting In Northwest Mississippi |
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Zinc will kill ya and your best friend!
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