September 2019
Did you know grapes can be toxic to dogs? If they have enough (and that may only be a few) their kidneys can shut down. Early on September 5 Annie counter-surfed and pulled down a large bag of grapes while we were out of the room. Sophie, Tessa, Lily, and Rowdy all helped clean them off the floor. We know the danger and we had an unopened bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the cupboard. The first two, Rowdy and Tessa, gave the grapes back after a large dose of peroxide. Annie didn’t so we knew it would be an emergency trip to the vet. We took her, along with Sophie and Lily, to an expensive morning of treatment. First they gave the three dogs Apomorphine (to induce vomiting), then something to calm their stomachs. The drug didn’t initially work on Sophie, so they did a quick x-ray and found her stomach was packed with grapes and gave her peroxide. That worked, and they said it was an impressive quantity. All three received a liter of fluids, and all had to drink a bottle of activated charcoal. We’re fortunate we have a great relationship with our vets, and were able to contact someone outside normal hours who could arrange to give us immediate help. During the morning we talked to three vets and a half dozen vet techs, and our dogs got terrific care. Two days later we took the same three dogs back for tests and their kidney functions were all normal.
During the grape scare, both Sophie and Tessa were involved. Tessa is still very fearful, and we were lucky the hydrogen peroxide worked on her and we didn’t have to take her to town. Sophie went with us, double-leashed and crated, and handled things surprisingly well. Both the Iowa girls are improving steadily, especially Sophie, who has lately been coming into the office and bumping my arm, hoping I am carrying kibble in my pocket. When I pass out treats, whether it be kibble, cookies, or green beans, she always takes them from my hand. Tessa is coming closer, and every few days will take something before scampering back out of reach.
Of the three original girls, Fena is the closest to recovery because she is with Kathi in a home with normal, well-adjusted dogs. Her dog-walker, Zak, is doing a remarkable job of getting Fena used to men. All three are much more afraid of men, but Zak is now able to take Sophie to the dog park where she gets along well with the others.
Annie has been here since November and is ready for her new home. As mentioned last month, we have arranged for a previous adopter in British Columbia to come meet her, but that is slightly delayed because of a minor health problem. Annie is our resident digger, counter-surfer, and barker, but our adopter is ready and experienced. Sometimes it’s hard to see a dog leave, and that’s definitely the case with Annie. Her faults are because of her age, and we know she is close to the point of settling down and will be an amazing companion.
We will soon get to see Nanuk again. He’s being fostered in Kalama by John and Theresa, and they will be bringing him to our vet for a dental. On their way back they plan to stop and visit, which we know we will enjoy. He is a wonderful dog; if he got along with our boy I’m confident he would still be living with us. As it is, he landed in the perfect home.
Last month we were working with a man in Sandpoint, Idaho, who had a six year old male and twelve year old female he asked us to re-home. Recently he wrote to say the old girl was sick, and he thought he better keep her for now. When we asked what was wrong he couldn’t say because he couldn’t afford to pay for the tests the vet wanted to do. From the symptoms, we were quite concerned, so our board voted unanimously to pay his vet for the tests. Unfortunately, the ultrasound showed a large mass and he elected to euthanize her. We’re sorry that was the outcome, but rescue takes a lot of different forms. Sometimes just doing the best thing for a dog makes it worthwhile. We’re giving him a while to decide whether he really wants us to place the six year old.