Sam, the Garbage Gut man

last year

last modified: last year

This evening was certainly eventful.

I needed to refill the two containers I keep my meds in. No big deal; I do this every two weeks.

I do need a quiet atmosphere and the dogs under control so I can concentrate - meaning I need to do this when DH is not home.

I set everything out and was distributing the pills. I was working on the last bottle, “ergocalciferol,” a prescription version of an industrial-strength Vitamin D.

I started shaking like a leaf and spilled about half the tablets.

Here comes Sam; he’s scarfing them up faster than I can get down on the floor to retrieve them.

I called the emergency vet in Grand Forks and explained the situation to her. Yes; this prescription is dangerous for dogs and can cause liver and kidney problems.

DH drove him to the Emergency Clinic where Sam was forced to vomit and then had a large amount of processed charcoal pumped into his stomach.

They did not have time to let him walk around the grounds before he went in, so on top of all the other mess and stress Sam had an extreme p**ping event.

DH had to stay in the waiting room. He heard the nurses laughing and talking to Sam. He heard water running and a dryer blowing.. They got everything cleaned up, including Sam.

Sam was being a ham the entire time and had the Doc and three nurses totally charmed. He’s such a dawg‘s dog. He luuuuvs girls. 🤣

He’s home now and sleeping soundly. I’m sleeping in the living room recliner so I can take him outside quickly if there’s an emergency.

He has to go back Friday for a blood panel to see if his kidney/liver functions are good.

Featured Answer

Ninapearl

last year

yikes! glad to know you were on the ball and able to get sam help right away. hoping his blood work shows normal kidney/liver function!

when i brought frank (great dane) home after his neuter surgery, he was on an antibiotic and a couple of pain meds, one being tramadol which has a terribly bitter taste. the next morning, i had laid all of his meds out on the counter along with a piece of cheese to put them in. i walked into the laundry room to fill their bowls with food. walked back into the kitchen just in time to see him counter surfing (he is the ultimate chow hound!!). with one swipe of his tongue, he got the cheese and all 3 pills. after that, i didn't even bother with the cheese, i just put his pills in his bowl of food and he cleaned it all up every time. 😂

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Comments (16)

matthias_lang
last year
Oh, no. I hope he hasn't done any damage....And what about you? Are you okay, what with that shaking?
caroline94535 thanked matthias_lang
lucillle
last year
They are a handful aren't they? Never a dull moment. I hope Sam's tests come back normal. And that you can easily get new prescriptions to replace those pills Sam snacked on.
caroline94535 thanked lucillle
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salonva
last year
Wow. DH "does his meds" once a week and I totally can appreciate the concentration required.

I'm surprised the dog ate the pill. Most are pretty yucky smelling.

When we do have a dropped pill, we really scour around to locate it. So far, our dog has never gone for one, but we do have grandkids who come by and worry about that.

Glad Sam seems to be doing ok.

What a story!
caroline94535 thanked salonva
Annie Deighnaugh
last year
Wow, quite the ordeal! And scary. Rat and mouse poison makes use of a Vit D as it is so toxic to them.

Maybe for next time, place a towel over the sink first and then start parsing out the pills so if they spill, they hit the soft clean towel and not the floor.

DH takes these chinese pills that are like bbs and I swear every time he dispenses them, one ends up on the floor. Fortunately, the cats don't eat them...just bat them around.
caroline94535 thanked Annie Deighnaugh
eld6161
last year
last modified: last year
My goodness. Thankfully you knew what happened and acted fast.

I was handing a Tylenol to my DH. He was sitting in a chair. I dropped it and my dog caught it on the way down. He's really good at catching treats, so anything dropping is fair game.

We waited it out and he was fine.
caroline94535 thanked eld6161
nickel_kg
last year
Oh no! I Nothing is quicker than a dog going for a "treat"!

I'm glad Sam had a good time at the vets ... and isn't it funny/odd how from his perspective, all was good: he got treats, he got special attention, now he gets a nap! From our perspective, he caused such a worrying commotion! All in a day.
caroline94535 thanked nickel_kg
Jasdip
last year
I can just picture him happily scarfing up all the dropped pills. Thankfully you had a clear head to phone the vet and were able to take him in right away.

Here's to a happy outcome. No surprise he won the hearts of the vet staff, poop and all!
caroline94535 thanked Jasdip
nicole___
last year
Sam the ham! He sounds so cute...and adorable....so glad you saw what happened and got him to the vet. Good news that he's in good hands....yours!
caroline94535 thanked nicole___
yeonassky
last year
last modified: last year
Oh my! I hope he's all right and no harm no foul.

My Marabelle would do that. She eats anything and I mean anything! :-( :-( :-(.

My Noble on the other hand will drop anything if I say drop it not eat faster. Like Marabelle does.

My sister has essential tremors and it does get worse under stress. She has now switched to the sorted blister packs and that seems to be working much better for her. I don't know if that is a possibility for you. Sorry you have this. It is not easy.
caroline94535 thanked yeonassky
whistle_b
last year
So glad Sam is ok!
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Sherry8aNorthAL
last year
We do my husbands pills like you do yours. Maybe next time he goes behind a closed door, lol. Hope Sam is still doing okay.
caroline94535 thanked Sherry8aNorthAL
Kathsgrdn
last year
Hope everything is okay.
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maifleur03
last year
I hope he has no lasting effects. I had a gobbler years ago and my vet suggested that I keep charcoal pills on hand. He wanted me to call first before giving them but considered it better once the ok was given rather than wait until getting to the office.
caroline94535 thanked maifleur03
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last year
last modified: last year
Also hoping you're OK. What a catastrophe! Glad your doggie didn't get sick.

And I agree about putting a towel or fuzzy blanket down under your work area. I do that for bead projects with children. It works very well to keep them from bouncing and rolling off tables onto the floor.

Or you might use a large tray - that can work too. A towel or other napped fabric in a tray is ideal.

I don't think dogs have the same tastebuds as humans...
caroline94535 thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
jane__ny
last year
Ugh, what a nightmare. I hope he's okay. So glad you were able to get him to the Vet right away.

A few weeks ago, I tried to open my pill bottle where CVS put a child proof top on it. I couldn't get it open no matter what I tried. I then took a pliers to try to crack the top and the top flew off and 30 pills flew all over the kitchen.

I watch my neighbors dog on a regular basis and was so afraid the dog would grab the pills. Grabbed her, threw her out the door and proceeded to try to find all the pills. Luckily, I had just picked up prescription and knew there were 30 pills. Eventually found them all using a broom.

Please let us know how he is doing.

Jane
caroline94535 thanked jane__ny

Sam, the Garbage Gut man

Ninapearl

Comments (16)

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