Almost Poisoned our Dog!

Yes, he does look like Toto…

Understand that he was almost poisoned… but this situation did have me calling the dog vet in a panic.

Here is the gripping story.

One evening about four or five years ago after my wife and I had put the kids to bed and we were watching The Mentalist, we watched (in shock) as a tiny mouse ran across the room. He was really moving quickly and scurried under the basement door disappearing for good.

Ever had that happen?

So the next day I purchased some mouse traps and a box of Ortho mouse bait packets. Ortho baits work because the mice chew through the package, eat the bait and eventually die. Actually, the peanut butter on the mouse trap did the job!

When we got our dog a couple of years ago, I remembered those Ortho baits and picked them up and tossed them in the trash. All of them, so I thought.

On Monday morning while working in my home office, Skipper (our dog) came charging up the stairs with something in his mouth. Sensing something was wrong, I called for him to follow me to the fridge for what he knows is a platinum-level treat of cheese. He quickly ditched the white package and came running.

At that moment I picked up the package to see it was an Ortho mouse packet. He had punctured the packaging and there was the blue poison.

Oh S~~hiT~~!

Do you think you just poisoned your dog?

I quickly found the number for our dog vet at Great Falls Animal Hospital to get some advice.

They suggested that I contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately, (888) 426-4435. There is a $65 fee for the phone consultation, and after I gave them the DEA Control number off the package I knew that kipper was on the road to recovery.

Anyway, I decided that I should let my Northern Virginia clients know if they are looking for a new vet in their community that these are the two animal vets I have brought Skipper to:

Great Falls Animal Hospital ~ 703-759-2330
Town & Country Animal Hospital ~ 703-273-2110

Luckily Skipper was fine although he had to endure a little forced vomiting and get his blood tested twice. I understand that, for pet owners, their pets are truly family members.

I’m open to tips you might want to share here to keep your pet safe at home. ~ Leave a comment ~
Here is a quick video from a vet on the topic…

How to Tell if Your Dog Has Eaten Rat Poison — powered by ehow