Aspirin-Advice

[sea4th]

About an hour ago, while I was occupied upstairs doctoring an FIV cat, 4 of my bc's, managed to get my purse down off the table, unsip it and got out a bottle of aspirin which didn't have a child (or dog) proof cap. There were quite a bit of aspirins strewn on the floor, mouthed, but quite a few are gone as well. I can't tell at this point if one or all 4 had eaten the aspirin. There are no tell tale signs around the lips or anywhere else.

 

It was pure aspirin and not Ibuprofen.

 

Should I get them to vomit it up, or force liquids down to dilute on all 4 of them, give them additional food to eat or what.

They ate this morning so it wasn't on totally empty stomachs.

 

This is a new one.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Vicki

[2 Devils]

Call the Emergency Vet and ask them.

[sea4th]

It became evidence w/i the hour who actually ate the aspirin. It's my 5 yr. old bitch, Maggie. She began throwing up a lot.

 

She is now at the ER vet's on IV's to flush out her system plus they will be giving her charcoal & some other meds for her GI tract. She'll be there through tomorrow & I'll be picking her up Monday a.m.

 

What is scaring the crap out of me is that the vet said there is a danger of kidney failure and that it's a possibility in spite of anything we do anyway.

 

Vicki

[AK dog doc]

Vicki - sorry to hear about this, but you have a decent chance for a good outcome. (WHY on earth a dog would WANT to eat an aspirin, let alone a bunch of them, is beyond me - have you ever tasted one? Brr.) However, the fact that she vomited and is on IV's and charcoal should go a good way toward helping Maggie dodge the bullet. As they say, dilution is the solution to pollution, so fluids are your best friend right now, and charcoal will prevent the second-pass effect (where the toxin, having been sent to the liver for processing, is secreted into the bile, and then absorbed a second time when bile is emptied into the duodenum.) You did all the right things. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and let us know how it goes.

[HKM's Mom]

Vicki,

I hope your Maggie comes through this okay.

 

Isn't it amazing how when it's a pill that's good for them we have to cram it down their throats or hide it in something yummy, but when it's a bad pill they'll just snack on them like doggie treats! (just a little joke to help lighten your concerned mood).

 

Let us know how she's doing tomorrow.

HKM's Mom

[sea4th]

I called the ER vet & Maggie is doing well---had a couple of bouts of vomiting, but otherwise is doing well. She is alert---all good signs. I'm really worried about her kidneys though. I'm taking her to my own vet this week & having the bloodwork done.

 

As though this wasn't enough, earlier this week, my one & only cat, became really sick & was diagnosed with FIV. I'd been hand feeding & medicating him. He's eating a little on his own.

 

But wait! There's more. My old mountain dog girl, Lena, who is going on 14 yrs. old----I just noticed a big tumor in her mouth--- obviously fastgrowing. It's on the roof of the mouth, near the front teeth.

 

I've already braced myself for 2004 being the year of losses because I do have old timers, but you're never ready no matter how much you think you've prepared yourself.

 

Sigh.

 

Vicki

[nancy]

That may not be a tumor in her mouth. It sounds exactly like what my husband had - back in 1969 - from an abcessed tooth. Dental surgery solved that immediately.

 

Good luck. My daughter has just gone through losing 4 cats in about 5 years - plus her grandmother and her favorite aunt. We're all hoping for better luck in 2004. THings were so bad last year that my church recommended exorcism instead of more prayers!

[sea4th]

I was thinking that if those yearling border collie pups of mine were really as smart as everyone claims border collies to be, then they would have gone after the credit cards, not the aspirin. We have to have a talk.

 

And AK Doc---you're right---aspirin tastes horrible. Maggie, who ate the aspirin, is not a poop eater, but she ate that!!! Sheesh! Poop I think would be much more palatable judging by the immense attraction some dogs hold for it.

 

Thanks Nancy. At this point in 2004, I feel like I've already gone ten rounds, and the year has barely begun!

 

Just rambling. My mind is on overload about now. Thanks everyone for all your good thoughts for us.

 

Vicki

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Just a note for future reference. There's an animal Poison Control 888 number available through the ASPCA. http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=apcc

 

There's a small fee comparable to a vet office visit, but for some reason the one time I called (my little yellow dog ate several roach baits - did you know they use peanut butter in them?), they did not charge me anything.

 

Just like human Poison Control, they can walk you through any home treatment or tell you when you need to get the dog to a clinic.

 

When your pet (or livestock) is exposed to anything suspect, rescue as much of it and the packaging as possible so your vet or Poison Control can get exact information from it.

 

Rebecca

[Tassie]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Vicki. I do hope Maggie?s bloodwork turns out well, and that Lena?s lump is not too sinister.

 

Know what you mean about old cats ? I have an almost 17 year old (that I got as a kitten for my old late Kelpie/BC mix Jess to stop her playing with the hens) who was diagnosed with a bowel tumor nearly 2 years ago, and probably has FIV ? at the moment expressing itself with sore mouth ? ulcers etc and some patchy coat loss ? it grows back but does look motheaten. I need to give her antibiotics every couple of months ? seems to keep things under control. Why do they make those things in a capsule rather than a tablet ? have they ever tried to give a capsule to a resisting cat with a mouth full of gooey saliva?

 

As to why the smart yearlings didn?t take the credit cards ? they obviously haven?t learned to fake your signature yet!

 

Hey Rebecca ? it?s nice to have you back on the boards. Hope your recovery is progressing well.

[sea4th]

Maggie is home, with a waistline that looks like a whippet's. She took on this ordeal in her usual way---head on.

 

She bounced out of the ER today---for that matter, she bounced in there too, inspite of the vomiting. Bloodwork came back beyond good---phenomenal, as a matter of fact. Between bouts of vomiting over the weekend, she endeared herself to the staff.

 

For the next 8 days, she's on a bland diet---I/D & homemade & also meds to coat her stomach.

 

She is bright-eyed & alert and happy to be home & I'm happy to have her back. Life wouldn't be the same with Maggs.

 

Thank you for all your good thoughts.

 

On a more sombre note, Lena, my old mountain dog girl also went into the vet this morning. It's not good. The growth in her mouth is squamous cell carcinoma & rapidly growing. Lena has perhaps a few weeks. At some point, she won't be able to eat. We'll go from kibble to soft to liquid, and, as fast as this tumor is growing, those transitions are going to come quickly. She's not in pain, so I brought her home.

My vet said there is a possibility that the bulk of the tumor can be removed with laser, but would grow back within a very short time. It would buy her some time, but not much.

 

And so, the losses I knew I would have in 2004, begin.

 

Rebecca,----thanks for your post and it's good to see you back.

 

Vicki

[AK dog doc]

Vicki -

Glad Maggie is home and well. I'm very sorry to hear about Lena. One of our cancer surgeons used to tell clients when they took dogs home post-op to "tell them a lot of jokes" - he was Australian, not sure if this is a Down Under idiom or just his own - by which he meant to jolly them and cosset them however possible. So, tell Lena some jokes from me. And take care.