Yesterday, on the way home from Kenya's TDI evaluation, I decided to
"swing by" the vet for more medications. Swinging by is actually going to a different town, but my exit was halfway between there and home so I stopped in for Frontline Plus, Interceptor, and had the vet sign Kenya's TDI papers.
When I got home I was anxious to finish the paperwork and tossed the meds on my desk. Then later I started organizing my desk and the meds got buried under other paperwork.
Today it was very hot and humid, so the dogs got a 2.5 mile walk after lunch. This is good for Coke b/c he's lazy and VERY fluffy right now (getting groomed Wed), but not sufficient for Kenya. After dark, I put on her reflective vest (soaked in water) and blinker and took her for another walk. When I got home I found these pieces of paper all over the porch. At first I thought it was one of those packets you get in your new shoes. Then I found this chewed up box....Coke had eaten ALL SIX doses of Interceptor!!!
I grabbed DH off the phone and said we are going to the store NOW and we put Coke in the car. The store is a few blocks away. DH stayed with Coke and I ran in, got the hydrogen peroxide, and started giving Coke capfulls in the parking lot. I thought I was supposed to give him 3 teaspoons so I gave him 4 capfulls b/c some was spilling. On the way home DH was driving very fast (to get to the e-vet) and Coke started heaving. He threw up twice all over the back of the car.
At home I called the e-vet right away, assuming Cokie would need his stomach pumped. I sent DH out to inspect the barf for signs of pill. No dice, but we did find scraps of packaging, and ALL of the dinner Coke ate at 5:30pm (he ate the pills sometime around 10:30pm). The vet tech came back online and said Coke weighs enough he can eat a whole box and be fine. Oh thank God!!
Now I'm a little miffed that the entire box is wasted and the back of my car is covered in vomit, but I will take vomit and $50 lost dollars to have Cokie's life!! Oh I was so scared, I don't know what I'd do if he died b/c I was so dumb and forgot to put that box away. Coke is my heart dog. I *know* he loves those beef flavored pills. The vet assured me he'd be fine but I am taking the morning off to watch him (and detail my car!).
My poor Cokie, I feel so bad. He didn't do anything wrong but I had to pour that nasty stuff down his throat and now he's passed out on the ground. He just had diarrhea for two days and has been miserable in the heat. I keep telling him he gets to go to dog daycare on Wed....
Poor Coke! (would've been a nice pic if that crate tray wasn't there!)
I learned the medicine rule a while back when Elle was a pup, and somehow got a hold of a bottle of antibiotics, when I got back into the room she had chewed the cap (child resistant) off and was playing with the pills, luckily she didn't eat any, but it scared me enough that now when any kind of medications come into the house, they go straight into the cabinet with the door closed.
Poor Coke and poor you! I am glad you posted this story though because I have learned from it. I wouldn't have thought twice about just setting the pills somewhere where my pup could have counter surfed for them. Because of your experience (which sounds awful!!) I now know something I didn't before.
I do hope that Coke is feeling 100% soon and that your car smells better fast...lol
Well Shelly I'm glad it helped you! I feel so dumb b/c Coke has always loved the Interceptor. They are chewables and have some meat taste or something. I should have known he'd go digging for them...
Well, If your a horrible dog mom then you better make room in the boat for me too! Years ago when Lacy was only about 4 months old my Mom came to visit. She had set her purse down on a chair and we went into the other room. Lacy was playing as puppys do and we got busy talking. All of the sudden we noticed that it was too quiet. I ran to the kitchen to find my Moms purse upside down on the floor and her pill holder chewed open. My Mom was taking iron pillls so we had no time to waste.
DH and I got Lacy in the car and away we flew to the vet which is located in another town. My mom in the meantime was trying to contact them to let them know we were on the way.
We got there to find that they close at noon on Sat. (Didn't know that!) So we started heading into the next town. To were there is an e-vet. On the way my Mom tells me of a retired vet and that she had called him and he said to stop by. We pulled in and he gave Lacy a big syringe of H. peroxide and we walked her around. All she threw up was 2 dandilion flowers and a June bug. No PILLS!
So back in the car and away we go to the hospital that is now alerted to our coming. We get there and again they give her more H.P. and we walk her around outside but now there is nothing more to come up. So we help them give her the charcol and after we are all covered in black our very upset looking puppy is taken in for blood work and has to spend the night to be monitered.
We all hoped and prayed that the iron pill hasn't been absorbed yet and we're so terrified of the possible damage it could cause.
So the next morning we are down to get Lacy and all her blood work came back OK.
We learned our lesson! We call this the time that Lacy cost us $2000 because on the way home with her we passed by a van for sale and bought it!
Oh! and the iron pills? It turned out that when my Mom got home she discovered the bottle was still on the bathroom cabinet so we're still not sure if she even had put one in her pill holder.
Liesje, sorry if I hi-jacked this post. I'm so glad that you also had a happy ending!
I would bet that all of us consider ourselves bad dog moms every now and then. A really bad dog mom would not hvae bothered with heartworm prevention in the first place!
You know what's funny? when I stopped at the vet to get the medicine, she didn't want to give it to me b/c Coke has no record of a heartworm test. Apparently they will only sell drugs to dogs that have a test within a year, which is a good policy, but we haven't HAD either of our dogs for a year, so maybe Coke had one before (I have done a HW test on Kenya at her last exam). Anyway, she said she'd do me a favor this one time and sell me the medicine b/c we had a foster dog with whip worms (treated at the same vet) so it's important we keep up with Interceptor. Now Coke ate it ALL, I'll have to go back and explain. They will require he get his heartworm test, but I don't see how he could have any heartworms now that he's had six doses of preventative!
I once left out a brand new bottle of chewable Baytril that I had just picked up from the clinic. Came back in to discover the pill chewed and all the pills gone and two possible culprits. Both got hydrogen peroxide and we all spent a miserable few hours but like you, they said the dogs were big enough the only real damage was to my pocket book. I feel your pain!
Thanks for posting your story. Hope your pup is feeling better this morning, and no you arent a bad pup mom. At some point I am sure most of us have done something without thinking.
I also agree with everyone else that what you went through proves that you are not a bad dog mom.
Poor Coke! I hope he's doing better today. Don't feel like a bad dog Mom. I'm betting we've all done something absent minded like that to our dogs. Me, it was 4 lbs of hamburger and a quart of motor oil...
Reminds me of a time just after we had adopted our female. She was about 11 months old. A brand new bottle of 150 Tums tablets on the bedside table.....yep, she ate them all!! Only a cap and the plastic bottle chewed to pieces. I called the vet and he said they would not hurt her altho she might have an upset tummy. She had no ill effects but her poop was nearly white and minty fresh for a couple of days!!
Originally Posted By: dogs_dollsReminds me of a time just after we had adopted our female. She was about 11 months old. A brand new bottle of 150 Tums tablets on the bedside table.....yep, she ate them all!! Only a cap and the plastic bottle chewed to pieces. I called the vet and he said they would not hurt her altho she might have an upset tummy. She had no ill effects but her poop was nearly white and minty fresh for a couple of days!!
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