Some days my job sucks

[brownnewf]

I love my job but somedays it just sucks!
This week we had a person bring in a dog that had eaten rat posion. He brought the dog in because it had stopped eating and was lethargic. He stated that the dog ate the rat posion the day before and was fine up until a few hours ago. We examined the dog and he was not in good shape, he was pale, listless and open mouth breathing but still able to stand at this point. We explained to the person that his dog needed to be hospitalized and monitored for at least the next 24 hours and that the outcome did not look good. Well while the person was trying to make his decision of what to do the dog was getting worse. Meanwhile we were doing as much as we could to treat the dog. Finally the person decieded tht he would just take his chances try some medication and take the dog home, against our advice. However, the dog began to struggle to breathe and was unable to stand and the doctor advised the person that what was best at this time was to stop his suffering and euthanize, the person agreed. It was just so hard to watch this dog struggle. The worst part about this is that 2 weeks ago we had a person bring in 3 of their dogs that got into rat posion and 2 of the dogs ended up dying. It just sucks!

 

[KodysGrandma]

It does indeed suck. I am very careful with rat poison. It is up high and the container are nailed down so that rats cannot knock them off. Also very wide shelves so the liklihood of pieces being thrown off is limited too. There are apparently two different kinds of poison and was does not create the problems the other does, but I can't ever remember which is which so just work HARD at safety.

 

[ina/puusty]

Is this perhaps..a time when a large article in the local media/papers might ..'strike home'..with the misery of the incident, then solution to stop sufferings..and then..an expanded listing of..the ways having the rat treatments..locked-up, and prevented from causing suffering and death..could be shown to the public? Also..a posting of the number of children and dogs..who were counted, as to ingesting such poisens..over the last 12 months? Yes..some of lifes situations do indeed suck..but we gather ourselves..and 'build'..for a stronger 'go at life'..the min. we have..collected ourselves. Stay motivated for education..and healing. ina n HB n Kesa

 

[Jorge's mum]

so sad

 

[ardeagold]

That's awful. Poor dog(s).

I don't allow it around here. Even tho we're in the country.

Mice will pick up pieces and carry them around in their mouths, back to their "nest". Problem is, you don't know where the "nest" is.

When we've had mice get into the house (normal for country living every winter...but last year was virtually mouse free), I've found a stash of dog food here and there behind things/under things.

I always worry that if I had mouse poison/rat poison out, the dogs or cats would find the "stash" before I did. So we use traps.

Best thing is the black snakes around here. They keep the area pretty rodent free 99% of the time.

 

[Newfs Forever]

Heartbreaking!

 

[M & M's Mom Linda]

As we also live in the country...mice and rats can be a problem. We are careful to not have birdseed, cat or dog food in bags etc. We only use traps...not pretty but not dangerous to our dogs. Ohhh...and I hate to say it...they are not the "hav-a-heart" traps.

 

[Windancer]

scarry.....! I always avoid putting poisons out...but I am wondering why it would taste good to them....easy way for someone to poison your dog. I avoid it because I am afraid they will eat the mouse AFTER it has eaten the poison.

 

[Charliesmom]

That must be so hard for you when you know you can help a dog and the owner is uncooperative. Some people just should not own any animal. Try to think of the one's you save and know you did a good thing.

 

[ardeagold]

I too put every bag of any food into a container. We have a storage area full of sealed containers.

Never have seen a rat, but definitely have had our fair share of mice. Keeping things put away, out of a mouse's reach, definitely makes a huge difference.

I do use the humane traps. Take them out and dump them in the field. Maybe not so humane after all tho...that's where the snakes are waiting, in the surrounding trees/bushes right where the mice will run.

As we also live in the country...mice and rats can be a problem. We are careful to not have birdseed, cat or dog food in bags etc. We only use traps...not pretty but not dangerous to our dogs. Ohhh...and I hate to say it...they are not the "hav-a-heart" traps.

 

[new_2_newf]

if it is a real problem, suspend a coffee can on an axle of sorts, and place it over a 5 gallon container with some water in it. cover coffee can in peanut butter....poor mans mouse trap...works very will in 'bulk' situations...mice drown. not sure about rats, but i suspect if the container was large enough they could not climb out, it would work there as well.

 

[R Taft]

That's awful. Poor dog(s).

I don't allow it around here. Even tho we're in the country.

Mice will pick up pieces and carry them around in their mouths, back to their "nest". Problem is, you don't know where the "nest" is.

When we've had mice get into the house (normal for country living every winter...but last year was virtually mouse free), I've found a stash of dog food here and there behind things/under things.

I always worry that if I had mouse poison/rat poison out, the dogs or cats would find the "stash" before I did. So we use traps.

Best thing is the black snakes around here. They keep the area pretty rodent free 99% of the time.

We are the same here.....We never have it on the place. We have BIG black hunters, the dogs love catching mice. We also set a lot of traps. Katy has had her nose in one, but it does little harm :lol: and she leaves them now....
So sad for those dogs

I have had one newf eat rat bait once at a friends place. We went to the vet pronto and she had Hourly blood clotting profiles done and was given plasma and vit K.....Scary, but she was fine

 

[Sue M.]

I can't imagine waiting a day before taking a dog to the vet when you know they ate rat poisen. Had he taken the dog immediately, maybe the dog wouldn't have suffered and he might have survived the ordeal. That poor dog.

In the fall when the farmers around us cut down their fields, we'll occasionally get a few mice. We put traps where the dogs can't get at them. I just won't take the risk of using a poisen.

 

[brownnewf]

What really got me was that both owners took the "wait and see" approach. They knew the dogs ate the poison but waited to see if it would make them sick. By the time the dogs showed signs of being sick it was too late.
I understand that things happen and some dogs get into things that they shouldn't, I have Leroy, but whenever he has gotten into ANYTHING that is questionable he goes to the vet or I call poison control.:uhoh2: Like the time he ate a battery, no he didn't swallow it he chewed it to the point that the acid was leaking into his mouth and he was foaming. We were to the vet within minutes. (he thankfully was fine and only suffered a few minor acid burns on his tongue) but it never crossed my mind to wait and what would happen.

 

[new_2_newf]

oh, yikes!! that would have scared the sh!t out of me!

 

[Sue M.]

What really got me was that both owners took the "wait and see" approach. They knew the dogs ate the poison but waited to see if it would make them sick. By the time the dogs showed signs of being sick it was too late.
I understand that things happen and some dogs get into things that they shouldn't, I have Leroy, but whenever he has gotten into ANYTHING that is questionable he goes to the vet or I call poison control.:uhoh2: Like the time he ate a battery, no he didn't swallow it he chewed it to the point that the acid was leaking into his mouth and he was foaming. We were to the vet within minutes. (he thankfully was fine and only suffered a few minor acid burns on his tongue) but it never crossed my mind to wait and what would happen.

There are certain things that a person can take the 'wait and see' approach... but definitely not when it comes to poison. I'm sure you see a lot of stupid things on the job that make you want to just shake people and say, "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Some years ago, our Cassie wasn't eating. Now this is a dog who never misses a meal and dives right into it. In the morning, she didn't eat until I put a special treat into the bowl and then she ate the treat and the food. When I put her second meal of the day down, again she acted like she didn't want it and in my opinion, seemed a little lethargic. Well, I did the wait and see after the first meal but by dinner time, I was sure something was wrong. So off we went to the emergency vets. It was a late Saturday afternoon and my normal vet closed at noon. The emergency vet is an automatic $75.00 just to see a vet and then the addition of services. Needless to say, they tested her for Lyme. It came back positive. They gave me instructions to contact my vet on Monday and that was it. I guess on that occasion, I could have waited and it would have saved me $75.00. But since I didn't know for sure, there was no way I wasn't taking her to the vet. I knew something was wrong.

And I have waited on occasion when a dog is limping to see if it continues. I figure that isn't a life threatening ordeal.

But to eat poison... I would have been to the vet immediately!