She loves them SO MUCH that a few months ago... she ate all of them.
I had given her one, and put the rest of the new pack on the breakfast nook, exactly where I'd put the last pack. I came home that night, and all of them were gone. I don't know how she got them, I don't know why she decided to go after these and not the last pack, I didn't really care at the time.
I was FREAKING OUT.
I went to PetMD. I went to the Heartgard page. Nothing about what to do when your pet eats all the pills.
So I looked up an emergency vet and called.
I was practically laughed at.
Turns out Lulu would be totally fine. Heartgard is very safe. Lulu would have to eat two or three packs before we needed to get concerned.
But there was a moment when I didn't know what to do, and it was tough to figure out what to do. I revisited this feeling a week ago when a Facebook follower was scared because her dog had eaten something in the trash that was old. It was tough to find an answer for her, besides inducing vomiting.
So, here are five things you can do when your dog eats something they shouldn't:
1. Don't panic. You aren't helping anyone, and there is nothing you can do until you have more info.
2. Observe your dog. If your dog is acting normally, there may not be a problem. Dogs are incredibly resilient when it comes to their stomachs. They may also be able to vomit up their problems on their own. Offer them a small meal. If they take it no problem, you may have nothing to worry about.
3. Call your vet. If it's at night or a weekend and your vet doesn't have an answering service or an on-call service, call an emergency vet. Some emergency vets will offer advice without needing to come in.
You can also call the poison control line offered by ASPCA. That costs money though, so be aware. ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center is 888-426-4435.
4. Induce vomiting. With a little hydrogen peroxide, you can induce vomiting. Don't do this without doing the first three.
PetMD explains how to do that well. Also, be sure to measure properly. And this is just for your dog. Don't do this with your cat.
5. Take your dog to a vet. If nothing works -- if the dog is still not well, if he hasn't vomited, if you can't induce, if you are told to -- take your dog to a vet.
Every dog eats something they shouldn't -- what's the worst, grossest thing your dog's ever eaten? Tell me below!
