Just recently we thought
we were going to lose our Copper. (aka Whopper, Copper whop-whop, and Fat Dog)
He is going on 12 years plus and a hound dog.
We had a bad rat problem so we put out tons of
rat poison. I always have some in the hay and feed room but the dogs are not fed
in there and the door is always closed. Anyway, I noticed one morning an open
box of poison spread around the yard. I didn't think anything of it and was sure
the dogs wouldn't eat it.
A few days later, I noticed Copper not looking so
good. He was drinking way too much water, weaving as he walked and only able to
walk a few steps before getting out of breath. I knew it was time for vet bills
anyway because I had just deposited some money into the checking account. I
forgot about the poison in the yard and rushed him to the vet. They ran a fluid
IV, took x-rays and drew blood. The results showed a heart, pancreas and
liver enlarged 3 times their normal size. The end was very near. I brought
Copper home and prepared the family for the bad news.
As John and I were talking we remembered the
poison in the yard. He must have eaten some of the rat poison. By this time his
eyes were deep yellow and so were his gums. He wasn't eating or drinking, just
laying in bed. Poor Whop-whop.
We kept an eye on him for a few days and then one
morning when I went out to feed the horses, here came Copper wagging his tail
and ready to eat. His eyes were bright white and his gums were a pretty pink. Of
course he is going to live, the checking account was now empty. John says he
will never need to be wormed again, especially for heart worms :) Even the flies
don't land on him anymore.
So I hope, Angie that your pup pulls out of
whatever is ailing him. It is amazing what our farm animals can tolerate and
live through until that next bank deposit.
Our oldest dog was 18 when she had to be put
down. Our oldest cat, Aim was 22 when he went out back and just laid down and
died. We don't know how old the pig was but she was well over 10. We still have
a cat who is 18 or so. Her breath stinks like dead, she drinks gallons of water,
is very thin but eats a lot. The vets keep telling us she won't live very much
longer. That started about 5 years ago.
She just goes on, and on, and on. Just like a
hundred miler!
By the way Heidi, thanks for that info about too
much grease. I didn't know that either and my husband has a bad habit of
cleaning out the fridge and giving it all to the dogs.
