Hi, How long would it take heavy metal poisoning symptoms to appear in a cat after consuming it? I know that vomiting, abdominal pain etc would be the symptoms to look for only that i don't know how long shall I monitor my cat to be sure he is OK. I have 4 cats and tonight once again coins disappeared . Not sure wether they ate it or not but I just rather be careful . Thank you
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Thanks for using petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Leo may have eaten some loose change. If it was a penny after the early 1980s that he may have eaten, we would have concern for a possible zinc toxicity. Possible signs are vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence, among others. As coins easily show up on xrays, I would recommend taking Leo (and possibly his siblings) in for a screening xray to ensure that no one ate any coins, and if any did, which one and how many, so a treatment plan could be started. Good luck!
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It really depends on the type of coins consumed. One of the biggest concerns is zinc toxicosis, which is a component of pennies in the U.S. Signs of toxicity can be present on the first day of ingestion, or delayed by a few days depending on the form ingested.
Either way, I don't recommend waiting for signs of toxicosis to appear before taking them to the vet. The coins can be easily scanned for at a veterinarian's office, so I recommend taking them to the vet as soon as possible. If they did eat any dangerous coins, then there are medications that can be given to prevent toxicosis.
I hope that helps and all is well with the cats.
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