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Long story short:

I let my 5 pound dog out to potty at 11 p.m. and at 5 a.m. I got up to let him out for his morning potty and he was half dead. I took him to the vet and he was having seizures, brain swelled, tongue was hanging out, the vet said he wasn't going to make it. He gave him a shot to reduce swelling and some meds and after 2 days he is now home struggling to recover. The vet says he was poisoned. By something or someone. Has anyone ever had an experiece like this? Apparently pesticides can cause brain swelling and death in animals (as well as with humans). So I was curious if anyone knew of this happening to anyone because I'm wondering how best to help my dog make a full recovery. Thanks for any help in advance.

Does your dog bark and annoy the neighbors?



What type (if any) weed killers or pesticides have YOU sprayed in

your yard?



Best thing you can probably do for your dog right now is keep him close,

off of any possibly treated areas, and follow your vet's advice.

Just keep us posted.

I really hope your dog recovers, Rainbow. My thoughts are with you.

Sorry to hear your doggie's been so poorly, :-4

i'm sure that if the vet's sent him home he's on the road to recovery.

You say you "Let" him out to go to the toilet, maybe you should take him out on a leash so that you can keep an eye on him.

poor lil doggie, i'd be knocking on the neighbours doors & confronting them

if they dident do it they should at least be aware someone in the neighbourhood is sick & to monitor thier pets OR if using pesticides in future to alert everyone with pets so they can be kept indoors until its safe, im so angry about this i almost have steam coming out my ears

Rainbow, hugs and best wishes to you and your little doggie, I hope that he is recovering but what a dreadful shock for you.

If it was a deliberate act by someone near you then it was a despicable thing to do but there are some very strange and cruel people about.

In the UK there have been instances of people putting anti-freeze in meat to feed to dogs to poison them, could this have happened?

Hope that you both get over this quickly and your dog is up and about again soon.

Rainbow, like Val asked, had you sprayed your lawn or garden recently? I dealt with many poisoned dogs and cats when I worked in that field, and if your vet sent him home, he must have been pretty confident that your dog was out of danger.

I'm assuming he took blood, right? A thorough screening can usually tell the doctor what the dog was poisoned with, and that could help you in your search, if this was a deliberate act.

Watch your dog VERY closely. Watch for any odd behavior like head tilting, or if it looks like he's chewing on the air. (Sounds weird, but that's the best way to describe it. And if you SEE it, you'll know exactly what I mean.)

How did the vet treat your dog? Fluids, I assume, and did they force feed him a liquid charcoal looking substance? Any other onjections, like antibiotics, or anything like that?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, and your poor puppers. Keep us updated, won't you? :yh_pray :yh_pray

Yes my ex neighbours dog was poisoned and it died as a result .Where i used to live we had a neighbour who absolutlely detested dogs , she had been bitten as a child and this irrational fear had never left her - she just lived to cause problems for every one else who owned a dog.

Over the years she was my neighbour i had countless problems with her - she would always complain about dog mess( knowing full well it wasn't my dog) and would pick on my other neighbour just because she was old and she knew she wouldn't retaliate (unlike me )although she did once try to steal my cat - i caught her red handed letting my cat into her house i got him back and she never tryed anything with me again ( now i dont let my cats out )

About a year after i moved to my present house i found out that the old lady my old neighbour (who had three dogs) had had her dog poisoned .The vet said the dog had definitely been poisoned but because the woman hadn't seen a person do it and had no proof there was no one to point the finger at so there wasn't much anyone could do .When i found out i just called the RSPCA it sooo could have been my dog.The woman was a real wack job and over the years i had called the police on her a few times - it goes to show you never know just what a person is really capable of and to poison a persons dog is about the most cruel thing a person could do and i really hope your dog recovers - my fingers are crossed for you

Im sure your devastated right now Rain, I truly hope this works out well for you. And I really hope this wasnt intentional, sad sad declaration if it was.

Adding my good wishes, too! Perhaps one of your neighbors has been poisoning rats and your dog ate one? There are so many possibilities...but, most importantly, your pup needs to regain health.

Let us know....

Oh Rainbow

My most sincere and heartfelt wishes for your wonderful little friend

I have a small dog as well and am so sorry to hear your story. :-1

Buster sends get-well doggie licks to your best friend

Do let us know what's happening

We really do care

Thanks everyone for all of the support and kind words. I really appreciate it and it does help!



Does your dog bark and annoy the neighbors?

What type (if any) weed killers or pesticides have YOU sprayed in

your yard?

Valerie,

He does bark but not Incessably. He actually barks less than all of the neighbor dogs. On my left is a lab, to my right is a poodle, and in back of our home is 3 pomeranians. The neighbor I suspect of doing the poisoning is the one with the poms. All of the neighbors around us had privacy fences put up (including us) to avoid this specific neighbor. She's an usual character and so are her children. I've caught her son throwing golf balls and a croquet ball at my dogs in the past (I have two chihuahuas). I've tried talking to her on only one ocassion but she couldn't stop screaming and calling me names (and that was the first week after we moved in here). I was told by other neighbors to avoid her and her family because her odd behavior was typical and just best ignored. So far the ignoring worked until this incident. I don't spray my yard. We organic garden and use nothing to treat weeds (we hand dig). My neighbors treat their lawn but I spoke with them and none of them have treated their lawns since May.

Babyrider,

Thank you for the tips on what to watch for in my dog. I think I'm impatient and feel like he should be back to normal but all he does is sleep and when he tries to walk he usually makes it for some water and food but falls over soon after. When he was brought into the vet his prognosis was he'd be dead in 2 hours. They gave him a shot to reduce brain swelling and was given a general antibiotic. The swelling went down immediately and they said he slept all day. Day 2 he ate and drank and was able to potty normally. On day 3 they sent him home. He didn't do charcoal based on his presenting symptoms. He said he had received a toxin either from a plant or pesticide (but later said pesticide considering how fast he came out of his coma or catatonic state and based on what he treated him with). He sent him some meds for him to take 7 days and all he said was that he was optimistic there would be a full recovery but yesterday my dog looked half dead again. He gets up, eats, drinks, potties, and then falls over and sleeps.

Thanks again everyone. I will keep you all posted on his recovery. I'm suppose to call the vet in the morning and let him know how the weekend went and see whether or not he needs to go back in.

Rainbow, your dog's system has just been put through the wringer. I'm not surprised at all that he doesn't have any extra energy. His body is doing what it needs to do to repair itself. What's important right now is healing. Walking? Not so important. So the body is focusing on what needs to be fixed, and other, less crucial areas are being "ignored" for the moment. Does that make sense?

If your dog is eating and going potty normally, and drinking water, I am highly confident that he is well on the road to recovery. No dog that is seriously ill will eat, generally. Looks like you're on the right track!!

Thank you babyrider! It makes me feel better hearing from you that his weakness is to be expected. I kept worrying that it was a bad sign. I checked on him 3 times in the night and kept waking him to see if he was alive - I won't do that again. I'll let him rest. Thanks again

BabyRider wrote: Rainbow, your dog's system has just been put through the wringer. I'm not surprised at all that he doesn't have any extra energy. His body is doing what it needs to do to repair itself. What's important right now is healing. Walking? Not so important. So the body is focusing on what needs to be fixed, and other, less crucial areas are being "ignored" for the moment. Does that make sense?

If your dog is eating and going potty normally, and drinking water, I am highly confident that he is well on the road to recovery. No dog that is seriously ill will eat, generally. Looks like you're on the right track!!


Our BR :-4

Rainbow

Do you have an update for us?

Yes I do

I spoke with the vet this afternoon. As babyrider had said, the weakness is very normal. His eating and going potty is what counts. The vet predicts my dog will be back to his old self by July 30th but if for some reason he is not then I have to bring him back in to the vets office.

I took my dog out of his room today to see if he could walk or if he wanted to walk around and he did for about 2 minutes. His back legs aren't really working so he dragged them a bit. I put him back in his room and he just fell over and went to sleep.

Thanks for asking about him

SO sorry this happend! He'll be ok...and you'll deal with the neighbors.

rainbowsmiles wrote: Yes I do



I spoke with the vet this afternoon. As babyrider had said, the weakness is very normal. His eating and going potty is what counts. The vet predicts my dog will be back to his old self by July 30th but if for some reason he is not then I have to bring him back in to the vets office.



I took my dog out of his room today to see if he could walk or if he wanted to walk around and he did for about 2 minutes. His back legs aren't really working so he dragged them a bit. I put him back in his room and he just fell over and went to sleep.



Thanks for asking about him
It's still only been a few days, Rain, I wouldn't worry. Your dog is so tiny, it may take him a bit longer to regroup than a larger dog. He's still eating, drinking and going potty normally?

Rainbow

Of course we want to know how your boy is doing

We like animals more than we like most people! :-6

rainbowsmiles wrote: Has anyone ever had an experiece like this? Apparently pesticides can cause brain swelling and death in animals (as well as with humans). So I was curious if anyone knew of this happening to anyone because I'm wondering how best to help my dog make a full recovery. Thanks for any help in advance.


The vet. will give best advice. Did you know that (especially) dark chocolate

with a high cocoa content is poisonous to dogs? Milk and white chocolate are

also poison to dogs, but not so dangerous. Rat poison is another obvious

danger, as are certain common plants.

He's still eating, drinking and going potty normally?


He's still eating, drinking and going potty normally. My concern is he walks in circles. I took him outside for the first time this morning because when I let him out of his room he hobbled to the back door. But when he got outside all he did is walk in circles. I'm wondering about brain damage.

Of course we want to know how your boy is doing

We like animals more than we like most people!


:wah: I know that feeling.

The vet was vague when he said Pesticide so I picked up a book yesterday and looked at all the signs and symptoms of different pesticide poisonings and he fits strychnine to a T. But that is just a lay persons diagnosis. I did ask the vet if he tested him for any specific poison and he said "no because there were too many to count, he'd have to know which he would be looking for." He just treated the symptoms.

Rainbow

My good thoughts and good wishes are being sent your way

I hope and pray for a full recovery

Whoever did this should rot in hell

"whoever did this should rot in hell...."

Yes....surrounded by the bodies of dead dogs and cats....

Lulu2 wrote: "whoever did this should rot in hell...."



Yes....surrounded by the bodies of dead dogs and cats....


I hate seeing dead animals, Lulu. Sewage would be more appropriate.

rainbowsmiles wrote: He's still eating, drinking and going potty normally. My concern is he walks in circles. I took him outside for the first time this morning because when I let him out of his room he hobbled to the back door. But when he got outside all he did is walk in circles. I'm wondering about brain damage.







:wah: I know that feeling.



The vet was vague when he said Pesticide so I picked up a book yesterday and looked at all the signs and symptoms of different pesticide poisonings and he fits strychnine to a T. But that is just a lay persons diagnosis. I did ask the vet if he tested him for any specific poison and he said "no because there were too many to count, he'd have to know which he would be looking for." He just treated the symptoms.
OK, don't panic, Rain. He may fit strychnine, but that does not mean for sure that he was poisoned with that. There are many poisons that can cause the same symptoms. Again, his body is still repairing itself, and focusing on the things that need to work, and ignoring the things that are less vital. It's like hypothermia. When you're in freezing cold water, your body slows the flow of blood to your extremities causing them to go numb, and reserves your blood flow and body heat for more important things, like your heart and other vital organs.

And remember...no dog that is gravely ill will eat, drink, and potty normally. His equilibrium may be off, but that doesn't surprise me at all. Give him time.

Babyrider,

Is breathing rapidly normal? Just tonight he started breathing very rapidly. I wasn't sure if it was cause of the exercise we let him have or that its a sign of something else.

I'm sorry for going on about this everyone, I just can't stop worrying.

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts!

rainbowsmiles wrote: Is breathing rapidly normal? Just tonight he started breathing very rapidly. I wasn't sure if it was cause of the exercise we let him have or that its a sign of something else.



I'm sorry for going on about this everyone, I just can't stop worrying.



Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts!
Rain, first off, there are lots of dog lovers here who understand completely what it's like to worry about a sick furkid, so don't worry about going on about it!! Frankly, it's good to have someone else's worries to help deal with to make me forget about my own!!



If you gave him some exercise, I would not be surprised at all to see him breathing rapidly, as anything rigorous right now will tire him out more quickly than before, because his body is still recovering from the beating it took. Give him an hour or so to relax and regain some energy, and then let me know what he's up to, okay?

Now that is terrible. I've got a 50lb mutt,named Wine. We've been together for 5yrs. and he makes his home in my back yard. I never let him run outside of the fence free. If he convinces me to take a walk, he's on a lease.

I just don't trust ppl around my dog.

papaboo951 wrote: Now that is terrible. I've got a 50lb mutt,named Wine. We've been together for 5yrs. and he makes his home in my back yard. I never let him run outside of the fence free. If he convinces me to take a walk, he's on a lease.

I just don't trust ppl around my dog.


You two look great together papa.

papaboo951 wrote: Now that is terrible. I've got a 50lb mutt,named Wine. We've been together for 5yrs. and he makes his home in my back yard. I never let him run outside of the fence free. If he convinces me to take a walk, he's on a lease.

I just don't trust ppl around my dog.


Ditto what OM said, he's a sweetie!!

Er, I meant Wine looks like a sweetie

but OM can be a sweetie, too!!

:o



And welcome to the Garden!!



:-6

Beautiful dog papaboo!

Give him an hour or so to relax and regain some energy, and then let me know what he's up to, okay?


Thanks for your reply babyrider, I'll keep you posted for sure.

I'm just checking in for a status report, Rain! Sending good wishes...

Thanks Lulu - I believe I have better news. I took him outside this morning because he's starting to get agitated when he has to potty (no longer wants to go inside his small room) so, I took him out and I walked about 15 feet from him and started calling him over and he was slow but he walked to me. Its a big plus since yesterday all he could do is walk in circles and not aim for any destination in particular - but he made it over to me and after I scratched his back a few times he just laid down and tried to rest. I'm excited. I'm more optimistic now!

rainbowsmiles wrote: Thanks Lulu - I believe I have better news. I took him outside this morning because he's starting to get agitated when he has to potty (no longer wants to go inside his small room) so, I took him out and I walked about 15 feet from him and started calling him over and he was slow but he walked to me. Its a big plus since yesterday all he could do is walk in circles and not aim for any destination in particular - but he made it over to me and after I scratched his back a few times he just laid down and tried to rest. I'm excited. I'm more optimistic now!


Good to hear this, Rainbow. You must feel a lot better now, too.:-6

Excellent News!

YEAH FOR THE DOGGIE!! :p

Any progress is good progress, Rainbow :-6

What is your dog's name?

Rainbow, I just saw this. I'm so sorry to hear your furfriend has been ill but very happy to hear he's on the mend. We dog lovers know what it is to worry about our pets and we know the heartbreak of losing them. I'm sure he will be doing fine now. He really seems to be improving. Who knows...in just a few days he may be doing this.

Attached files

very glad to hear your pooch is doing better

Thanks everyone!

:wah: Very cute animation grumpaz!

Cherandbuster (What is your dog's name?)

His name is Techi.

I feel he is certainly on the mend now. Today he was out again and it seems some of his personality is starting to return. He made a small attempt to play with our other dog but then soon realized that was too much and laid down. But he no longer walks in circles and he comes (slowly) to you each time he is called. And he can now shake his body, which he was unable to do before.

Rainbow, seems like he's making progress every day.

I am so happy for you.

And your little Techi, of course! :-4

Thanks again for the prayers and well-wishes everyone - they are working!

It is a miracle, he finally lifted his leg. I never knew leg lifting would seem like such an accomplishment but we both yelled yay when he did it. Once he's back to his normal self I will take a photo of him to share with you all. I did share him a while back I believe when I first joined this forum but he's a full grown chi now so he's a little different.

rainbowsmiles wrote: Thanks again for the prayers and well-wishes everyone - they are working!



It is a miracle, he finally lifted his leg. I never knew leg lifting would seem like such an accomplishment but we both yelled yay when he did it. Once he's back to his normal self I will take a photo of him to share with you all. I did share him a while back I believe when I first joined this forum but he's a full grown chi now so he's a little different.
Oh that's fantastic news, Rain!!!! I was pretty sure from what you were telling us that he'd be okay, but to hear it for sure is just great. Really happy for you and your little Techie. :-6 :-4