Complacency Can Kill - Page 1

I share the following as a friendly reminder... It's not just the poinsettias, mistletoe, Christmas trees, alcohol, etc. that can kill.

My dog is 3 years old and has been behaving well enough that not thinking anything of it, I left her (ballistic nylon) collar in the usual place where i "knew she couldn't" get to it, but because she's older and sneakier and more experienced, she was able to get to it, so she did, and she ate the WHOLE THING. As in ALL of it except the metal ring and the plastic buckle that she had chewed into little twisted pieces. Fortunately she didn't eat the leashes, traffic lead, or prong collar that were with the nylon collar.

Fortunately, on my old vet's advice, inducing vomiting looks to have removed all of the collar pieces, as confirmed by new vet X-rays. Had to take her in, as she wasn't keeping much food down. Fortunately, as far as can be ascertained, no liver damage, intestinal blockage, or perforation; just nausea, tender (inside) stomach, and a new collar. And although I don't recommend this way of finding a new vet when moving to a new state, the dog and I like this vet and will probably stick with her.

Lesson: no matter how well behaved/trained a dog is, she is still an animal, and sooner or later will act accordingly.

Lesson: even if you think stuff is out of reach/access, or the house is "pet proof" (nothing is), a Czech working line gsd is like having a Siberian Husky in a gsd body, so nothing is safe (or escape-proof) even if it's "out of reach" or "secure."

Lesson:  what was "inaccessible" before, may not be anymore. Reassess frequently.
 

Lesson:  this will be my first use of the pet insurance.  I'll about come out even with premiums plus the annual deductible vs what they'll reimburse.  If surgery had been necessary, the insurance would have reimbursed 90 percent, no matter how expensive.  Not having the worry of a massive (unreimbursed) expenditure... awesome.

Lesson:  I could have killed my dog through my complacency and trust.

I am very, very grateful that God was merciful and saw fit to spare my dog and make sure no surgery was necessary.

 

Pet insurance can be very useful. Word of warning though: be prepared for future premiums to rise ( and rise ...) now you have claimed on it. And watch out for exclusions to do with your dog swallowing things she shouldn't in the future.

So glad she is alright, having come through this misadventure. Quite true what you say, if they are determined it is VERY difficult to dog-proof and hide everything.

OH my gosh, they are clever aren't they; have to look up that collar though, not sure what that is BUT so glad all is well. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Glad to hear that you girl doesn't appear to have any lasting adverse effects from her 'dietary indiscretion'. That's reason enough to see the start of good things for 2019.

Thanks, Hundmutter, Nans gsd, and hexe.

Supposed to be after 6 months the condition isn't considered pre-existing anymore. Hopefully, I won't have to test this out.

Unfortunately, the yearly deductible just reset :-(

Some dogs are fortunate enough to have cast-iron guts. My 11 year old GSD is one of those. When she was younger, she'd eat her bedding, towels, socks, toys, anything she could get her paws on! She once ate some extremely rotten steak bits I'd left in the back of the fridge far too long, and suffered absolutely NO ill-effects.

Last summer, she did exactly what your dog did. I didn't miss the collar until about 4 days later, when I needed it for training. I do leather work, so I often have buckles and D-rings lying around and when I found the buckle and D on the floor, I just shrugged and figured out one of the dogs had gotten into my leather work supplies.

If I'd realized at the time what had happened, I don't think my reaction would have been different. I likely would have kept a close eye on her appetite, and watched for the passing of the collar bits in her poop, but having seen what this dog's digestive system could handle over the years, I wouldn't have been too worried! We're talking about a dog who used to eat black Kongs for breakfast!

Sun silver--

Thanks.

I had a Siberian Husky completely destroy a black Kong. IIRC, it took her about 30 minutes :-(