# In a panic... Dog ate my horses previcox..



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm am on the verge of freaking out. I think my heart is going to beat out of my chest. 

My girlfriends 10 pound 14 year old dachshund ate some of my horses previcox. I'm not exactly sure how many pills, probably 10 or so of the 227mg tablets. She twitching, shakey, and gassy. 

Of course we rushed her right to the emergency animal clinic. She in the back now, we are just waiting on news. 

I feel like my heart is in my thoat. It's my fault I left them out and in reach of my dog. If something happens in not sure I could forgive myself.


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

:sad: I hope she will be ok! Praying for her...


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

horseluvr2524 said:


> :sad: I hope she will be ok! Praying for her...


Thank you! She needs it.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Well, the good news is emergency vet didn't seem too worried. Their plan is to take blood, give her fluids and activated charcole to protect her GI system. Possibly give her a muscle relaxant for the twitching/shaking, which she doesn't think is related to neurological issues, maybe from GI pain. 

The bad news, it's going to run $2,700 to $4,000. Best case senerio, 24 hours of IV fluid, a recheck of her bloods and if she is acting normal she can come home. Worst case she may need up to 3 days. The worst worst case... I don't even want to think about it.


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

Hope it all turns out for the best.

I can't help but get angry at what it costs to get animals (and people) medical care. It just seems like there are a lot of medical people out there to get as much money as possible out of people/animals in need.


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## jimmyp (Sep 5, 2013)

Emergency vets are the WORST!!!! Like anyone else I have used them several times, but I HATE going to the E vet. 

Hope that everything turns out for the best.

Jim


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

jimmyp said:


> Emergency vets are the WORST!!!! Like anyone else I have used them several times, but I HATE going to the E vet.


Pretty harsh words for professionals who may well have saved your pet's life.



OP, I hope the charcoal and a night on fluids has your dog feeling much better. What did the bloodwork show? Hopefully liver and kidney values were normal?


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

As a former doxie owner, I feel your pain! My dog ate a jar of macadamia nuts off my desk once (macadamia nuts can be toxic to dogs, thankfully there was less than an ounce left in the jar) and I about lost it. I kept activated charcoal pills on hand after that- thankfully she was okay. 

I'm hoping your dog is OK


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

horseluvr2524 said:


> I can't help but get angry at what it costs to get animals (and people) medical care. It just seems like there are a lot of medical people out there to get as much money as possible out of people/animals in need.


While I can't speak to the human side of it, I can speak to the veterinary side after working in the ER for years (and directly with one of the owners).

Have you ever stopped to think about the costs associated with the practice? The facility likely has a huge overhead - things like the x-ray machine, blood machines, the ultrasound machine, and oxygen cages are incredibly expensive.. yet you sure want them to be available if your pet needs them. There is also a much larger amount of inventory that must be on hand than in a general veterinary practice (eg, the costs of having many, many medications always on hand is a huge investment, syringes to give those meds, etc). Then, add in paying the staff (though they are not paid nearly what human medical professionals are paid), the mortgage, the electric, heat, etc.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

jimmyp said:


> Emergency vets are the WORST!!!! Like anyone else I have used them several times, but I HATE going to the E vet.
> 
> Hope that everything turns out for the best.
> 
> Jim


Thanks! No one likes going to the emergency vet, but thank God there is one.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Mulefeather said:


> As a former doxie owner, I feel your pain! My dog ate a jar of macadamia nuts off my desk once (macadamia nuts can be toxic to dogs, thankfully there was less than an ounce left in the jar) and I about lost it. I kept activated charcoal pills on hand after that- thankfully she was okay.
> 
> I'm hoping your dog is OK


I swear, this little ____ eats ANYTHING. And she seems to get into everything too, blind and all.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Well the blood work from last night shows that her liver enzymes were mildly elevated. They said the trembling had let up and that she was resting more comfortably. We haven't heard anything since about 2am, now it's all about the flood and flush I guess. And more blood work.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

SlideStop said:


> I swear, this little ____ eats ANYTHING. And she seems to get into everything too, blind and all.


That was one of the scariest parts about owning one, IMO- she ate string, a $20 bill, the little metal clamp off a roll of sausage, toilet paper, a plastic model that I had on my desk... 

They are so loving and attached, but definitely not for the faint of heart


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## tjtalon (Apr 26, 2013)

SlideStop, hope the little dog will oka!

My sister has always had doxies. She now has three. They eat anything & everything it seems.

When he youngest was a pup (he's only 18 mos right now), she said that he was the worst chewer-eater of all things doxie she'd ever had or seen.

He ate & or destroyed everything he could get his teeth on or his go-get-a-badger paws on. He tried to eat the house down...well, not entirely but he did do quite a number on part of the kitchen tile & put an impressive hole in a living room wall...among other things.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

My sister had a weiner dog that had to have surgery due to a blockage caused from him eating a condom. Several years down the road he managed to pull a box of chocolates down off of the table and consumed almost a full and large box along with all those little papers each chocolate sits in. He managed to live through that too.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

Oh no, sending good thoughts to you guys. Hope the little dog is ok!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I used to own a long hair and he was the most amazing, loving little dog. But Gawd A'mighty he ate....and ate...and ate. He was the worst chewer as a puppy that I've ever seen. Then when he turned 2, poof, instant amazing dog. But he ate asthma pills, got into the food presents under the Christmas tree, only dog ever to do that, and when I came home he was bloated, on his side and trying to get to the Almond Roca. Thank God that got turned upside down and he couldn't get the lid off. Man he was something! I had him for close to 20 years, RIP Shaddrack's Sir Duke of Cuddling, aka Cuddles.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

My girlfriend wanted another doxie and I told her I really don't want one. I find them obnoxious and nasty. I tried to get an onion away from her the other day and she bit me! 

Well, the vet called and said she is progressing really well and they just want to keep her overnight to watch her as recommend by the pet poisen control. When my GF's father gets home we are going to see her and see if we can bring her home tonight instead of tomorrow. Then we will do follow up blood work with the regular vet. Fingers crossed!!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I LOVE my two doxies but yes, they can get themselves into trouble! Mine ate a marble which caused a blockage. The vet was about to go to surgery, but at the last minute, was able to pull it out manually. Now there's a fun job for ya!

My other doxie once ate 5 lbs of raw meat we were getting ready to BBQ. 

Honestly, I wish people would stop ragging about what vets cost. Our vet is a good friend and I can tell you he doesn't live like royalty and works 7 days a week for very, very long hours. I wouldn't want his job. People don't always pay their bills and some will even leave their animal there rather than pay. He works like a slave just to run his business which employs half a dozen or more techs and staff. Vets don't make nearly what doctors make, but still have huge overhead. They deserve to make a living.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Well, I am totally grateful for my emergency vet. Saved several of my dogs' lives over the years, including one corgi who started projectile vomiting on NEW YEARS EVE (it was an acorn stopping up his intestines, the most expensive acorn ever spawned by any oak), and an aussie who ate my other dog's newly acquired chewable meds off my dashboard in the time it took me to get money out of the atm. Childproof caps are not dogproof caps in any way. We did the whole puke-the-dog, IV fluids, overnight observation for 3 days, etc. that you are going through.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I don't want to make it sound in any way, shape or form ragging on any emergency vets. They absolutely need to earn a living and keep the lights on! I'm grateful we could afford to put $3,000 down upfront for a (14 year old) dog, but there are many people who can't. And even though we can it's still expensive, and an unexpected expense at that.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Always makes me wonder why equine vets are so much more reasonable.....they come to us, still have some(yes less) overhead.....but even vaccines are cheaper it seems that my dogs...who have also cost me a fortune in emergency vet costs.....but I sure was glad they exist around here!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

phantomhorse13 said:


> While I can't speak to the human side of it, I can speak to the veterinary side after working in the ER for years (and directly with one of the owners).
> 
> Have you ever stopped to think about the costs associated with the practice? The facility likely has a huge overhead - things like the x-ray machine, blood machines, the ultrasound machine, and oxygen cages are incredibly expensive.. yet you sure want them to be available if your pet needs them. There is also a much larger amount of inventory that must be on hand than in a general veterinary practice (eg, the costs of having many, many medications always on hand is a huge investment, syringes to give those meds, etc). Then, add in paying the staff (though they are not paid nearly what human medical professionals are paid), the mortgage, the electric, heat, etc.


PLUS running that 24/7/365!!

Glad your pup is doing well!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

franknbeans said:


> Always makes me wonder why equine vets are so much more reasonable.....they come to us, still have some(yes less) overhead.....but even vaccines are cheaper it seems that my dogs...who have also cost me a fortune in emergency vet costs.....but I sure was glad they exist around here!


Because most of them work out of their trucks, that's why. If they had to pay utilities, rent on a professional building, the interest on buying those expensive diagnostic machines, maintain an operating room and a supercleaned stable for all the patients, pay an office manager, x-ray specialist, secretaries, technicians, etc etc. they would be more comparable.

Where I am if you need something more extensive than what the vet can bring in a truck, you need to haul your horse to the regional equine hospital or the UC Davis equine center. There you will pay what it costs.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

So we went to visit her to see how she looked. Much better then yesterday!! ... But still "off". The most concerning thing to me is that she's still twitching. It's not as frequent as it was, maybe a couple times in 5 minutes. She also seems pretty "aloof" as my GF said, but I tried to bring up the fact that she is in a hospital, in a kennel, with barking dogs, cages opening and shutting, people poking and prodding her, and all the hassle and bustle. This dog sleeps like 20 hours a day, I'm sure she is exhausted. She is certainly staying the night.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Did you speak to one of the vets about the twitching? Could be a side effect of the ingested medication but could also be her own reaction to the upset to her system. You are right on about that environment not being the most restful. Hopefully she will get the all clear in the morning and can go home!


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

phantomhorse13 said:


> Did you speak to one of the vets about the twitching? Could be a side effect of the ingested medication but could also be her own reaction to the upset to her system. You are right on about that environment not being the most restful. Hopefully she will get the all clear in the morning and can go home!


My girlfriends mother spoke with them yesterday and they said they didn't think the medication was the cause of the twitching. Unfortunately she did enquire further. The have my girlfriends number for today, she's a nurse so she'll know what to ask.


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## jimmyp (Sep 5, 2013)

SlideStop said:


> My girlfriend wanted another doxie and I told her I really don't want one. I find them obnoxious and nasty.


I have owned all manner of dog since I was a kid, hounds, bird dogs, herding dogs, the works. When I met my wife she had 2 Dox, both were useless .They thought they were much bigger than they were and would pick and pick at the bigger dogs until it came to bloodshed, and then played the victim. Both of them bit me (the only dogs to EVER bite me, including breaking up hounds that were fighting). One lived to be 22, and the other lived to be 18. my wife and daughter are begging to get another one, and I am scrambling to find a middle ground. the fact that we are feeding 11 hunting or working dogs doesn't help my side of the argument.

Jim


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

jimmyp said:


> I have owned all manner of dog since I was a kid, hounds, bird dogs, herding dogs, the works. When I met my wife she had 2 Dox, both were useless .They thought they were much bigger than they were and would pick and pick at the bigger dogs until it came to bloodshed, and then played the victim. Both of them bit me (the only dogs to EVER bite me, including breaking up hounds that were fighting). One lived to be 22, and the other lived to be 18. my wife and daughter are begging to get another one, and I am scrambling to find a middle ground. the fact that we are feeding 11 hunting or working dogs doesn't help my side of the argument.
> 
> Jim


I guess maybe it would be different if you raised the dog and set the rules? I really wouldn't want one, but if she was insistent I'd probably cave. They make e-collars small enough for them too :wink:, that would be my saving grace!!


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Well, the vet said we can pick her up tonight. The vet said she is much perkier and was walking around quite a bit today. They are sticking to the story that the medication doesn't cause ticking. It's only been a day and a half, almost two, so it hasn't been that long. We will follow up with the regular vet if the ticking persists.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

SlideStop, let me tell you, I have been in your exact situation with my boyfriends dachshund. I HATE that dog. He has caused so many fights between us because no matter what, he will find a way to get into something that will hurt him and it becomes my fault. One time he ate a 15lb bag of cat food that was in a LOCKED CONTAINER in a ZIP TIED cupboard, ate through the tie, ate the handle off the box, got into it, ate the whole thing (This is 15lbs of food in a 12lb dog, mind you) and spent the rest of the night howling and crying in discomfort. They are not the brightest crayons in the box.

I have also experienced that biting you were talking about. Tried to take a chicken bone from him that he was going to swallow (And I was afraid he would either choke or the bones would splinter in his stomach) and he latched onto my thumb and completely degloved it about an inch. ugh.

I am glad though to hear that your pup is doing well after that incident, but know that these dogs are bred to be that way - nosy and pushy and very food aggressive/possessive. It is an unfortunate common breed trait. 

And yes, E Clinics suck, and yes I say that understanding the amount of cost and blah blah blah - It doesn't make it any better. I have been to my share of clinic visits late at night, and I am certain that your vet is more competent there than mine - The clinic here has nothing but horror stories associated with it, and I have my share. I think at this point I would rather just stay home and take my chances. I am jealous of those of you who have competent ECs.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

She's home! Looks like the ticking has resolved, she's just extremely tired. 

Here's the little trouble maker...



And here is the break down of the bill..


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Glad she is home.

Ouch to the bill, though the prices are not unlike what I would expect to find here. Hopefully will not need to be repeated!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

So glad to hear she's going home and doing ok <3


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I am so glad she is home!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

She IS pretty darn cute


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

My shepherd puppy has been great about not chewing anything. Even her toys last just about forever. But she has a problem with sticks. Twice now she has gotten a large stick lodged in the roof of her mouth. I come outside and find her pawing at her face and whimpering. The first time I couldn't figure it out. I looked in her mouth and didn't see anything.

My previous dog tended to eat rocks. Sometimes I wonder if he was calcium deficit. 

My cat is the one that really worries me. He opens cabinets. He will steal anything he can get his paws on. He has eaten a muffin wrapper, a rubber band, chocolate chip muffins, bread in the wrapper... He will steal the meat right out of your sandwich and run. Turn around and the sandwich is empty. Rubber bands are a problem as he will definitely go for them. I've banned them from the house.

I added new magnets to secure the cabinets, and bungee them shut. All closets now have latches. I put a board over the kitchen sink to keep him out of the dishes... He has been food obsessed since kitten hood. I had him and his brother on free choice food as kittens. He quickly rounded out and his brother I could barely get weight on. His brother still is lean as an adult. 

Glad your pup is doing better!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

SorrelHorse said:


> SlideStop, let me tell you, I have been in your exact situation with my boyfriends dachshund. I HATE that dog. He has caused so many fights between us because no matter what, he will find a way to get into something that will hurt him and it becomes my fault. One time he ate a 15lb bag of cat food that was in a LOCKED CONTAINER in a ZIP TIED cupboard, ate through the tie, ate the handle off the box, got into it, ate the whole thing (This is 15lbs of food in a 12lb dog, mind you) and spent the rest of the night howling and crying in discomfort. They are not the brightest crayons in the box.
> 
> I have also experienced that biting you were talking about. Tried to take a chicken bone from him that he was going to swallow (And I was afraid he would either choke or the bones would splinter in his stomach) and he latched onto my thumb and completely degloved it about an inch. ugh.
> 
> ...


For the record, only one of my doxies has this trait. He will eat anything, but will also pass anything. My other one is a delicate flower who can only eat one type of dog food because of his sensitive stomach.

ALSO, on the issue of dogs eating stuff they shouldn't, doxies are far from being the only problem breed. Many moons ago, my husband and I adopted a four-year old black lab who had been taken out of a breeding program because of some genetic testing that had shown him to be a carrier of a certain undesirable gene. He had never been in a house. We left him alone one day and the dog ate through a door, some window frames, a pair of skis, and the electric cord behind the fridge (he had to move the fridge with his head to reach it). Dog was fine. He also once ate through two sets of seat belts when we left him alone in the car for five minutes. 

But that wasn't the worst. We were staying with my parents one night on our way to a friend's wedding. We had a night cap (Bailey's) and went to bed. At 2 am I woke up to a big bang downstairs. I go down, flick on the light switch and my mouth just drops. The dog had chewed his way into the liquor cabinet and all over my mother's cream-coloured carpet were bottles of Bailey's, Chivas scotch, green Crème de menthe, a big bottle of rum and about five other bottles. He was chewing the caps off. Also had found a bag of chips which was strewn across the floor. The noise was from the floor lamp this drunk dog had knocked over. He was so bad, he couldn't walk without leaning on the wall! Looked up at me with his tongue hanging and the goofiest look you ever saw. I got my husband up, he took the dog outside (no vet clinics in this area were open after hours) and started walking him. Dog began vomiting and had diarrhea. I started the clean-up which took the rest of the night. 

In the morning, we took him to the vet and explained what happened. The dog still smelled like booze. They chuckled and said they'd keep a close eye on him, but thought he'd be ok, but to be safe, they'd withhold food for the day. 

You'd think that would be the end of it, but noooooo.............. we left to go to our wedding with was in a different town. The next morning, we drove to the vet to pick up the dog. They greeted us at the door, having clearly lost their sense of humour. The dog had chewed his way out of his kennel, broken into the dog food storage room and binged on dog food and treats. He looked like a pot-bellied pig. They told us not to let him run because his stomach might twist. They looked pretty sheepish and grumbled that they should be billing us for the cost of food too.... 

About a year into that dog, he mellowed out and became the best dog ever. Never chewed anything else or got drunk again.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Glad to hear she is home!

My English Setter picked up Giardia. We didn't know at the time. 
Woke up to poop and vomit in the hall. He has a funny belly so we assumed he'd picked up a bug. No issues, my sister set off cleaning as I was getting ready for work. 

Look outside, and from the second storey I can see blood on the lawn. He had blood coming from both ends. My father was leaving in the car to catch the ferry to see my Opa who'd had a heart attack and it was 0630. I ran to a friend, got friend out of bed and dog to out of hours vet. They thought at the time he'd been poisoned as they had a couple in the back who had and I was beside myself. Thankfully I'd had the forethought to gather some of what was in the garden.

Three nights at the clinic, and an expensive bill later he came home tired but well.

If it had been poison, every second would have counted and I wouldn't care how much I paid for an emergency vet.

On a side note, my insurance covered all but the specialist food he was one for ten days after- they even covered the pills I had to give to our other dog too. Would insurance not cover emergency vet fees?


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I'm glad your dog is OK.
I've had dogs eat things they shouldn't. If noticed quickly a little oral hydrogen peroxide given orally will have them throwing everything up in a few minutes.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

I think for my next pet of any sort I'll be looking into pet insurance. We used to get a discount on it through my work but I guess they took it away. But, it's nice to think there's a way to recoup some of the money from an emergency rather than depleting an emergency fund.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Yogiwick said:


> She IS pretty darn cute


She is not so cute when she is incessantly barking, or eating her own crap, or constantly wanting on and off the couch, or getting stuck on the stairs.... But thanks! :lol:


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

natisha said:


> I'm glad your dog is OK.
> I've had dogs eat things they shouldn't. If noticed quickly a little oral hydrogen peroxide given orally will have them throwing everything up in a few minutes.


I think I'm going to pick up some emergency charcoal and peroxide. 

So next time she eat 4 pounds of Mac and cheese she can enjoy it twice around!


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Mulefeather said:


> I think for my next pet of any sort I'll be looking into pet insurance. We used to get a discount on it through my work but I guess they took it away. But, it's nice to think there's a way to recoup some of the money from an emergency rather than depleting an emergency fund.


It's really not a bad idea. They have sunk about $8,000 into vet bills for this year alone. She recently got over a raging bout of pneumonia, $5,000 later.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Thank you everyone for the thoughts and prayers!! I swear, this dog has 9 lives. She's fallen in the pool, down the basement stairs, pneumonia, this overdose, eats all sorts of ridiculous things (raw rice, 4 lbs of Mac and cheese, raw steaks). For real though, I was convinced she's be a gonner this time.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Mulefeather said:


> I think for my next pet of any sort I'll be looking into pet insurance. We used to get a discount on it through my work but I guess they took it away. But, it's nice to think there's a way to recoup some of the money from an emergency rather than depleting an emergency fund.



I was lucky. I'd changed my insurance company two months before. I had the same company as I had for the horses- for horses they were fantastic. I hadn't realised that they would only cover dogs if they had anaesthetic. 

I don't mind paying the £30 a month, because I know if I was landed with a big bill from an operation I could never afford it. A friend of mine has a collie who jumped a wall and clunked her leg on landing- couldn't put any weight on it and had it operated on. She's had it all pinned etc and will have to have another op- insurance paid the vet directly.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

SlideStop said:


> I think I'm going to pick up some emergency charcoal and peroxide.
> 
> So next time she eat 4 pounds of Mac and cheese she can enjoy it twice around!


Me right now: :rofl:


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

My little 9lb doxie LOVES chocolate. As in the really dark stuff.

Rushed her to the vet after she had eaten 3/4 of a large bar of the really good dark chocolate. The vet said the worst was over... caffeine somehow didn't bother her much. Poor dog, her tummy didn't feel very good and she pooped chocolate syrup for quite awhile. That was a $70 visit.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Ipecac is what you need to keep around for puking your dog. Charcoal is mainly for when it is dangerous to make your dog vomit (corrosive) or it's just too late. Can't remember why now but once I was on the phone with Poison Control and the first question was, "do you have ipecac?" I was ashamed to admit I didn't, so she said, "then get to the vet, now." After that I always kept ipecac handy. 

Charcoal is hard to get down most dogs, you need to make a slurry and have a large long-nosed syringe or similar. 

Although you know what vets use to make dogs throw up? Morphine, dripped into their lower eyelid. Works incredibly well.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

She back and better then ever.... 

*rolls eyes* 

Yes, that's a chocolate lollipop in her mouth!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

ChitChatChet said:


> My little 9lb doxie LOVES chocolate. As in the really dark stuff.
> 
> Rushed her to the vet after she had eaten 3/4 of a large bar of the really good dark chocolate. The vet said the worst was over... caffeine somehow didn't bother her much. Poor dog, her tummy didn't feel very good and she pooped chocolate syrup for quite awhile. That was a $70 visit.


My corgi once ate a five pound bag of flour out of the food drive basket. Pooped lil white tootsie rolls for days.


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