Two Dogs Sick at the Same Time: Rosie and Ruby's Story

When two dogs in the same household get sick at the same time, what is the first thing you suspect? Did they get into something they shouldn't? Did they catch an infection?

Two Dogs Sick at the Same Time: Rosie and Ruby's Story

Rosie and Ruby are housemates. Rosie is 5-years-old and Ruby is 7 months. They are happy, healthy Labrador Retrievers.

One night, right after supper Rosie started drooling excessively and stagger around. Rosies mom, worried, took her to a vet immediately. The vet immediately suspected poisoning.

What did Rosie get into?


Leaving Rosie at the vet for urgent treatment, her mom went back home to check for any poisons Rosie might have gotten into. As she arrived, she found Ruby showing the same symptoms as Rosie; she loaded her up as well and hurried back to the clinic.

Ruby looked even sicker than Rosie did.


She couldn't walk at all and was howling, barking and snapping at the air. It looked as if she was having hallucinations.

Rosie and Ruby received aggressive treatment for poisoning


They were made to vomit to get rid of any poison that might still have been in their stomach and were medicated to calm down and to get through the ordeal comfortably. Ruby was also injected with a compound to bind to the poison in her bloodstream.

After that, they were transferred to an emergency hospital where they could be monitored and cared for overnight.

They both recovered after 24 hours.


But what did make them both so sick? Ther mom searched for anything poisonous they might have gotten into but found nothing. Didn't find any rat poison, no slug bait, no nothing at all. What could it have been?

Because it happened in the fall, the only logical answer to that was to suspect poisonous mushrooms.

Most mushrooms are either edible, harmless or could cause an upset stomach. Only very few are actually toxic. One group that belongs to the dangerous category are what are generally known magic mushrooms.

The signs of magic mushroom poisoning reflect the signs and symptoms Rosie and Ruby had.


Even though no such mushrooms were found by Rosie and Ruby's mom, there was clear evidence of them feasting on the compost pile.

Do you know which mushrooms in your yard could poison your dog?



Original story:
Ghillie aged 5 and Mzungu aged 7 months

What is your dog telling you about their health?


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Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog is an award-winning guide to help you better understand what your dog is telling you about their health and how to best advocate for them. 

Learn how to see and how to think about changes in your dog’s appearance, habits, and behavior. Some signs that might not trigger your concern can be important indicators that your dog needs to see a veterinarian right away. Other symptoms, while hard to miss, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or limping, are easy to spot but can have a laundry list of potential causes, some of them serious or even life-threatening. 

Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog is a dog health advocacy guide 101. It covers a variety of common symptoms, including when each of them might be an emergency. 

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Comments

  1. Oh how frightening! I would not know which mushrooms are poisonous but I try to remove any & all mushrooms that occur.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not that many are. BUT, not knowing which is which it is always best to regard them all deadly.

      Delete

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