[PrairieKing]

I have an eighteen month old 106 lb King Shepherd. My wife and I left the house at 1130am this morning. When we returned at 7pm this evening we discovered that he got up on the counter and ate a six month supply of Simparica flea and tick chewable medication. We found five small areas of vomit and the foil packaging of the individual tablets chewed but obviously not swallowed. I called the emergency number for our Vet and was redirected by an answering machine to a phone number where they charge $75.00 just to answer the call. When we arrived home he was acting very normal and playful and still is as I type this at 930pm. He has eaten his food and drank water as normal. He has had two normal bowel movements since we have been home. I have been reading horror stories and watching Youtube videos tonight that say that Simparica causes seizures and other terrible things for dogs. Has anyone ever had a similar experience with their Shepherd over dosing on this medication? What should I be looking for as the night goes on and he is his normal playful self?

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

I have an eighteen month old 106 lb King Shepherd. My wife and I left the house at 1130am this morning. When we returned at 7pm this evening we discovered that he got up on the counter and ate a six month supply of Simparica flea and tick chewable medication. We found five small areas of vomit and the foil packaging of the individual tablets chewed but obviously not swallowed. I called the emergency number for our Vet and was redirected by an answering machine to a phone number where they charge $75.00 just to answer the call. When we arrived home he was acting very normal and playful and still is as I type this at 930pm. He has eaten his food and drank water as normal. He has had two normal bowel movements since we have been home. I have been reading horror stories and watching Youtube videos tonight that say that Simparica causes seizures and other terrible things for dogs. Has anyone ever had a similar experience with their Shepherd over dosing on this medication? What should I be looking for as the night goes on and he is his normal playful self?

If I were you I'd absolutely be en route to the emergency vet. I've had to do it twice in ten years, once for a poisonous plant and once for gum containing xylitol. Both times the dogs recovered fully with proper medical attention.

Vets induced vomiting, filled the stomach with charcoal, administered fluids and monitored the dogs' vitals in case of disaster.

I did pay the fee to talk to animal poison control a few times and it was worth it. With the xylitol I just rushed straight to the vet because I knew it was definitely a matter of life and death

 

[Petra's Dad]

I've paid the fee for the phone call as well for peace of mind. I wouldn't want to say "he should be okay" and find out he isn't and I'm too late.

 

[Magwart]

That phone number was probably to Animal Poison Control -- Animal Poison Control . They do charge a credit card before they talk to you -- but you would have reached a board-certified vet who would have run through the right emergency protocol for your dog's weight and the substance ingested. They have the database for every substance imaginable with toxic dosages calculated by weight, with the right response for all of them. Sometimes they'll tell you that the amount is below the toxic range. Other times they'll tell you to induce vomiting (and guide you through it), or get your on the way to the emergency vet.

Animal Poison Control is usually who the Emergency Vet calls or logs on to communicate with when dealing with poison situations -- most emergency vet clinics actually have to pay for database access to that system. So if you pay the clinic, you're probably still paying for that info.

If you have a Home Again microchip and pay their $20-ish/year annual fee for membership, you get access to Animal Poison Control free through Home Again -- their member-only number is on their website in the member portal. If you are someone who blanches at paying that fee to get help, you probably ought to get yourself a Home Again Chip and subscribe to their membership program so that you can take cost out of the thought-process next time.

Instead of paying for that call, now you get to pay the Emergency Vet. You can't really play the wait-and-see game with poison. Your first sign of a problem could be a seizure that kills your dog. Kidney failure isn't fixable either usually once it happens. The goal is for it not to happen -- sometimes it's an IV fluid flush, or activated charcoal, or stomach pumping, etc.

Your dog might sail through it without a problem. Or it might die. In those situations, most of us opt to intervene because if inaction turns out to be the wrong course, we can't bear the thought of our dog dying needlessly.

I hope your dog is okay!

 

[PrairieKing]

UPDATE:
I appreciate the replies. I am new to owning a King Shepherd and new to this forum. After I put my original post on Saturday night, my wife and I went to bed, and the dog was in the room with us. He was fine. I stayed up most of the night checking on him. I did not see Cowboysgirl's post before I went to bed. The next day (Sunday) he was fine but I was still worried. I called a K9 officer that I have access to where I work. He said the same thing that all three of the replies to my post said. Call the number and pay the money if something like this ever happens in the future. He went on to say that Simparica can cause different reactions in different dogs. He also said that the fact that we found vomit was a good thing and that we were very fortunate not to lose our dog. While I could not understand why a phone call would cost 75.00, I understand now. And if nothing else, the call would have given me peace of mind and a good nights sleep on Saturday night.
We went to our Vet today and he said the same thing as the three replies. That phone number is staffed by very wonderful people. We were told to keep watching him for any seizures. This is a timed release medication and he should be able to handle whatever he ingested before vomiting. There is still a chance that the dog could have a seizure, but as more time passes, that becomes less likely.
I learned a very valuable lesson. I truly appreciate the advice and knowledge.

 

[Magwart]

Thanks for coming back to update us. I'm glad everything worked out well for your dog. We all live and learn.

A few follow-up thoughts for you:

• Do you have pet insurance? With a dog that gets into stuff, a good policy can pay for itself pretty easily. A good one runs about $50-ish per month depending on your region. We have lots of threads evaluating companies.
• Have you done a "safety walk" through your home? The rescue I work with does this as part of the home check -- pointing out obvious things a mischief-prone dog will get into, the need to put poisonous stuff where the dog can't get it, etc. Do it in the backyard too. Some crafty dogs benefit from baby-latches on lower cabinets hiding household chemicals. It's a $5 fix that can save $500 at the emergency vet.
• Post the number to Animal Poison Control (or the Home Again private member number) on your fridge.
• Perhaps talk with the vet about whether you need an "poison first aid" kit at home (peroxide to induce vomiting, activated charcoal, etc.) -- you'll need their guidance on doseage etc.
  

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

I called the poison control # once because my dog licked some liquid on our trail that had leaked from a 4 wheeler. The power company had been up there and their machine had leaked and my dog got a lap or two before I realized what was going on.

I can't remember the specifics because it was years ago but they were able to tell me based on the color of what he injested and what it looked like under blacklight that it wasn't very dangerous. I believe they did still have us induce vomiting.

The dog was fine. It was definitely worth the call.

 

[PrairieKing]

Again,thank you for the caring and thoughtful posts. Mag, great advice and suggestions. We are looking at each one and following up on them. My wife is looking up the Home Again website as I post this. Thanks again for the posts.