How 2 pounds of chocolates turned into a $324 vet bill on Christmas!
By on December 25, 2018
Ahhhh, yes Christmas the season of giving. I feel so bad because I gave my dog an emergency visit to the vet today. =( I also gave the vet $324 dollars but not as a Christmas gift it was a fee for my stupidity as an owner. At the end of this blog I will post my receipt so you can see how much things cost and also the discharge instructions. I am embarrassed to show it but if you can learn from my mistakes I feel it’s worth the embarrassment. I’m lucky my dog is alive and didn’t have more serious consequences.
I am VERY diligent about what my dog eats and the toys she plays with. I am also the first, every time, to tell my kids or family members that come over to make sure that they don’t leave their bags on the floor. We all know that by nature dogs are curious and can tear open a bag of food no matter how well they are “sealed”. If they can smell it they will do all they can do investigate with their noses and their mouths. So back to what I was saying
So, how did my dog end up at the vet having to be induced to vomit? Well…SHE ATE 2 POUNDS OF SEE’S ASSORTED CHOCOLATES that I left under the tree because I forgot to remove them after I took a photo of the tree with all of the presents the night before. Fast forward to today before my kids and I were about to leave to my sister’s house to open presents. I walked over to the tree and found 1 one pound box of See’s Assorted Chocolates that was ripped open with all the contents GONE. I frantically looked around for the other box because it was missing. I found it under the drape next to the tree ripped open with the contents….yes you guessed it…gone!!!
OMG! Panic mode!!!
I dropped off my kids to my sister’s house who lives close by. As I was driving to the vet, Jada started licking her lips and smacking her lips so loud I could hear her. I rolled down the window to give her fresh air. As I was driving I was looking in my rear view and could see Jada’s head drop down and go a partial view of her posture. It looked like she was gagging and could possibly be throwing up because I could kind of smell something like the See’s Candies warehouse in South City but the only problem was we were on 280 headed north to the vet!! I arrived at the vet parking lot about 3 mins after and I finally turned my head all the way to get a good view of my back seat. She vomited… A LOT!!! I could see chunks of caramel, some marsh mellows, almonds, peanuts and of course CHOCOLATE!!!
Let me take a break and just say right now that EVERY dog owner needs to have a car seat cover in the car. My URPOWER car seat cover which stated it was WATERPROOF withstood this vomiting episode. My FABRIC car seats were not even the least bit wet!! Here is the link of the car seat cover if you’re interested in it. (and no they are not paying me to say this. I have the vet bill to prove it.)
Ok, back to what I was saying. Jada vomited a lot!! I took a photo of it to show the vet so they could have an idea of the amount she expelled. They induced more vomiting and Jada threw up a cherry and mostly fluid and melted chocolate. I know this not only because the vet told me but she also showed me a picture of it. So you know what I did, I shared with her the photo I took of my back seat. She felt pretty good about the amount that Jada was able to throw up. After that she received IV hydration and an anti-vomiting med.
I got to the vet right on time. IF anymore time passed Jada could have gotten pancreatitis. Some dogs get seizures and very high blood pressure because of the caffeine found in some chocolates and the theobromine is so TOXIC.
WHAT A HORRIBLE LESSON LEARNED. I FEEL SO BADLY. JADA IS RESTING NOW AND RUNNING AROUND LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. I’M JUST WAITING FOR WHEN SHE NEEDS TO GO OUTSIDE FOR “NUMBER 2” BECAUSE I’M SURE I WILL SEE RESIDUAL FROM THE 2 BOXES OF CHOCOLATES FROM EARLIER TODAY..
I LOVE YOU JADA… MOMMY IS VERY VERY VERY SORRY. MERRY CHRISTMAS…
HERE IS WHY CHOCOLATE IS TOXIC TO DOGS
