nancy in AZ Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I just got off the phone with ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center emergency line a bit ago. There's not much left for me to do now but watch Boo and Jill closely until the critical period is over, three hours from now. So far, so good. Yesterday I noticed several gopher mounds around my aspen sapling, so I bought a gopher trap but wasn't able to get it set up. I think it was probably defective, but I'm also nursing a probable broken thumb which makes it an even bigger challenge. When I took it back to the store for instruction, the clerk couldn't work it either, so I used gopher bait that I had in the garden shed. One dose in one hole, and I covered it up carefully. The dogs don't normally pay any attention to the gopher holes and I was able to push it down pretty far into the hole, or so I thought. So I'm eating lunch, an event during which the dogs are typically huddled in the immediate vicinity, but Kit is the only one around, so I get a little suspicious, and go looking around for Boo and Jill. When I glance out the door into the yard, I see Boo, his face buried up to his ears in what's left of the gopher hole, and Jill picking around in the dirt right next to him. I get both dogs in the house and get on the phone to the vet with the bait bottle in hand. The vet is unfamiliar with that particular poison so she agreed with my suggestion to call the poison control line for advice and get back to her if necessary. The vet on the poison control line instructed me to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide and told me to watch for signs of illness for the next four hours. I pull the dogs one at a time, and administer the recommended dose (those rinsed out horse wormer syringes come in real handy!!) Both of them vomit within a few minutes of the dose. I call the poison control line back, as well as my vet's office to give an update. So now it's a waiting game. Luckily I was able to treat almost immediately and both dogs did vomit, so I'm hoping for the best possible outcome. Since the original hole wasn't left intact after the dogs had dug around the area, trying to find any remaining pellets would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack, so I shoveled some dirt over the area where the hole was and covered it with a 50lb slab of flagstone to prevent them from returning to the scene of the crime. They are both acting completely normal. So please keep a good thought and send some mojo for Boo and Jill. And I highly recommend keeping this number handy: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 888-426-4435 There is a $60 charge, and it is well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Very best wishes that they both come out of this safe and healthy, and that your experience serves as a lesson to others who read about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Ohh, how scarry! Hope that was the worst of it and your dogs will be just fine (minus the last meal they had before the gopher incident:) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Good mojo for Boo and Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachdogz Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 My best thoughts go out to you and Boo and Jill. We all know it's gonna be a long three hours. It had to be hard to share it, and I thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchersMomma Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 That's so scarey...major mojo coming to Boo and Jill!! Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickkers Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I'm so sorry that happened! I can relate and can also vouch for the poison control line... one of my dogs got into a bottle of toilet cleaner (don't ask) and I had to do that... they were great and she ended up being fine. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Good thoughts to you. I'm sure they will come out just fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsnrs Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Nancy, hope all turns out well. We used gopher poison once and killed our cat. Never again as I learned my lesson. N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 how scary. wonder if the bait smelled good so they were drawn to it. Keep up posted. Prayers going out to both Boo and Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtotwo Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Sounds like you caught it quickly and I'm betting they will both be fine! It is very scary though! Just another bit of advice....making them vomit is not always a good choice for all poisons. Please check with the Vet first. Some of the mole poisons actually react when vomitted. You can also start with the Human poison control. Some counties are not funded for animal help but some are and they are able to give you free information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted November 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 The critical period has elapsed and both dogs are fine. Thank you all for your well wishes. I called the poison number referenced on the product bottle first thing, but that was useless. And Momtotwo, that is sound advice, and the reason I opted to call the experts on the poison line after discussing it with my vet, since the bottle cautioned against inducing vomiting without checking with a physician. The vet at the poison center explained, after I read him the ingredients, that since the incident had just occured it should be OK to induce vomiting. Poor Jill, this is the third serious incident where she has needed emergency treatment in two months (heat exhaustion/ataxia in Sept, Frankenpup abcess in Oct) and she is a VERY uncooperative patient...frantic even. After I casually invited her into the kitchen and closed the baby gate to dose her, it was like trying to catch quicksilver to get hold of her. She had finally just gotten over automatically bolting when I reach for her collar after the last emergency. She still bucks and fights me even when I slip it over her head to remove it. And she had just started to be more accepting of that. <sigh>. These vet emergencies are wearing me out! The horse that boards at my place as a companion to Otis has colicked twice, a week apart last weekend and the weekend before. On the brighter side, my ability to retain my composure in the face of an emergency has improved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 You did well, Nancy in AZ. About poor Jill, you might want to work on desensitizing her to coming into your "treatment area" (aka kitchen), taking hold of her collar, etc. In other words, do all these things without treating her for anything but rather giving her something nice. My daughter has a dog that goes ballistic about shots. Nellie is what you might call a skeptical dog and is very determined. She just has to see the syringe and uh-oh, here we go. We needed to give her a four-way lepto ourselves and Lisa was not looking forward to this. Not only did we have to give this once but we had to repeat the shot a short while later. And, since we live eight hours apart, we had to do it when I visited her. What I did was to walk up to Nellie fairly frequently and take hold of the scruff of her neck and give it a friendly but firm shake, talking "aren't we having a good time" tones to her. After being quite puzzled initially, she began to take this as another one of Grandma's slightly odd but somewhat enjoyable attentions. After a couple of days of this, Lisa took a special treat and gave some to all the dogs, and Nellie stood rock-solid for her treat as Grandma came up behind, making sure she knew I was there, took her scruff, and gave the shot. No reaction whatsoever. Lisa was astounded. This was, after all, her bit-of-a-demon dog, that the vet loves except when it's time for shots. The next time we got together, we followed the same routine but gave the shot after only one day of occasional "scruffing". Same result, no reaction. I even went so far as to show her the syringe afterward and she just looked at it calmly. Not the same dog... You might try doing this sort of thing with Jill, working one step at a time until the actions that precede treatment become non-issues for her because they happen and nothing unpleasant happens. Might work, might not, but maybe worth a try. I'm glad to hear that everything seems to have turned out fine, thanks to your prompt attention and the help of Poison Control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickkers Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Oh I am SO glad to hear that they're doing well! Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 You are very lucky that they are ok and I so glad to hear that! My Daisy ate fertilizer pellets off of one of my careless neighbors sidewalk this summer. She was very sick - lots of explosive you know what and threw up twice. I took her to the vet and they did a blood test to make sure her kidneys and liver were ok and gave a shot and some meds to make her stomach settle down. She was on a rice and beef diet for 5 days. I am very anti-posion use for any reason and will switch to the other side of street if I see or know that someone uses it. Lesson learned the hard way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Wow! Sorry to hear about the misadventure. I'm so glad that the dogs are okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 That's so scary! Thank goodness they're both fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I'm late to the party but, whew Nancy!. I'm glad everybody is OK. Hugs to all the furkids and to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 So please keep a good thought and send some mojo for Boo and Jill. Oh, I've only just seen this. I'm glad to see that they are OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afrancis Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I'm late too but also really glad they're ok . What an anxiety to go through for everyone ... and I can commiserate about catching a slippery dog. That happens at bathtime over here. There is so much product on the market for outdoor (and indoor, for that matter) pests/diseases that I think its Murphy's Law that if you use it in the vicinity of your home, someone, whether it be dog, cat, small child or inquisitive spouse, will find it and put it in their mouths. That being said, even the so-called "organic" or "biological" products can have bad stuff in them (i.e. diatomaceous earth, Rotenone, etc.) so you're not safe even when you think you are I'm sure that your quick action Nancy ensured the best possible outcome. Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I am very glad to hear that everyone is ok! Poor Jill she has had a rough couple of months. They say things happen in three's so hopefully she has hit her quota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 You are very lucky that they are ok and I so glad to hear that! My Daisy ate fertilizer pellets off of one of my careless neighbors sidewalk this summer. She was very sick - lots of explosive you know what and threw up twice. I took her to the vet and they did a blood test to make sure her kidneys and liver were ok and gave a shot and some meds to make her stomach settle down. She was on a rice and beef diet for 5 days. I am very anti-posion use for any reason and will switch to the other side of street if I see or know that someone uses it. Lesson learned the hard way! We've found 2 dead possums this weekend in our city neighborhood. Obviously someone's using poison (probably for nuisance cats), but we're being very careful when our BCs are in the backyard. Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Very late coming in - but very glad to hear they're fine. I would totally second Sue's suggestion about playing the 'Gotcha collar' game - with high value treats - played little and often. The dog willl often end up virtully pushing the collar into your hands - though of course, they do have a sixth sense about what you're really planning to do with them. Barb S wrote We've found 2 dead possums this weekend in our city neighborhood. Obviously someone's using poison (probably for nuisance cats), but we're being very careful when our BCs are in the backyard. That's a worry for us here, as some people are still using 1080, which is a secondary poison to animals eating the original carcass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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