This excerpt is from a Facebook post gone viral. It was written by Maddie about her darling cat Ruby and contains vital information if you have a salt lamp and pets. Read right to the very end for information from First Vets in Wanganui who saved Ruby’s life.

“Please, please, pleeease if any of you out there have salt lamps, KEEP THEM OUT OF YOUR FURRY FRIEND’S REACH!

We woke up on Wednesday morning to our darling Ruby walking really strangely and had her head in an odd position as she walked. We initially thought this was just because she was so cold so we got her nice and toasty and left for work as usual.

Wednesday afternoon Clayton arrived home from work and she had deteriorated dramatically so we rushed her to the vets. 

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. Her basic senses and abilities GONE in 12 hours. She was so helpless ☹️ 

So the vets ran some tests and they were all good, no worries. Until her bloods arrived back this morning, and she had extremely high sodium levels in her blood. So this severe salt poisoning had caused her brain to swell, and ultimately the neurological problems that followed. 

The salt poisoning was caused by just your normal salt lamp that we had in our lounge, Ruby has ingested the salt by simply licking the lamp (we didn’t realise obviously). This is usually more common in dogs so this was a huge shock, and their first case they have seen with a cat.

Salt poisoning is EXTREMELY deadly to animals and she is basically a miracle to still be here now. These salt lamps are addictive to animals, and if they get a taste it becomes just like potato chips are to us! So please please keep these out of reach from your fur babies.

Ruby still has a long road to recovery but we are so glad she’s still here with us, with the right nutrition and hydration we should have her back to normal. Ruby wouldn’t be here today without the help of First Vets who have helped her with every hurdle we have faced with our Ruby the past 11 months we have had her. She’s a fighter that’s for sure!

Hopefully sharing this might help educate others on just how deadly these lamps can be if the salt is ingested. I know mines not staying in our house that’s for sure.”

This is from First Vets in Wanganui …

Ruby is a kitty with an important cautionary tale! ??

Ruby’s very concerned owners presented her to us with various neurological signs – she was unable to walk properly, and appeared to be blind and confused.

After blood samples were taken, results revealed Ruby had extremely high levels of sodium and chloride in her blood. Having ruled out the possibility of other diseases, our vets asked Ruby’s owner if there was any possibility Ruby had somehow eaten a significant quantity of salt (sodium chloride).

Ruby’s owner recalled that Ruby had taken interest in the owner’s salt lamp – Ruby is a small cat, therefore it wouldn’t take a large amount of salt for Ruby to ingest a level which is toxic to her.

Supportive therapy was started – it was important to slowly return the level of sodium and chloride to normal in Ruby’s system, with the help of intravenous fluids and potassium supplementation. Our on-site IDEXX blood testing machine ensured we could test Ruby’s electrolytes daily, and monitor the levels returning to normal.

We are pleased to report that Ruby’s neurological signs resolved, and her blood sodium and chloride levels returned to normal today. A Facebook post warning cat owners about the potential for salt lamps to cause salt poisoning in cats was shared by Ruby’s owner and has gone viral in the last few days!

In general, salt poisoning in dogs and cats is usually accidental, with the most common scenario involving dogs ingesting homemade playdough! The neurological signs seen in salt poisoning cases occur due to swelling in the brain that results from disruption in the body’s electrolyte levels.

We are thrilled that Ruby was reunited with her owners today and wish Ruby and her family all the best! ? #firstvets #whanganui

Photo credit Mikhail Vasilyev

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