Pet Emergencies

[Silverhobby]

My Christmas morning began rather dramatically. I was putting on my shoes when I heard Baity, my dog, grunt and begin trying to crawl towards me. It was obvious he was convulsing. He was barely able to crawl to me and he looked so very scared in his eyes. Neither he, nor I knew what was happening to him. The total duration of this was less than 2 minutes, and then he slowly returned to normal. He was very thirsty afterwards and slept for a very long time. The emergency clinic said that it most likely was a seizure. I have kept him calm for the day and he seems to be doing well. Do you keep the phone numbers for the pet clinic readily available? I now have it entered into my cell phone. I will also know where hospitals and pet services are available when I travel in the camper. My four legged friend means a lot to me, as I was reminded to be thankful for ALL I have on this Christmas morning.

[moosetags]

Glad to hear that your emergengy turned out well.

[safari57]

Kevin, what a difficult start to the morning. I'm glad to hear that it was a momentary thing and that your pup is back to normal. Having access to emergency pet care is critical as like us they experience health issues that if dealt with quickly and properly can allow them to lead long and fulfilling lives.

I'm missing my kitten, after 20 Christmases with us this is the first where I'm sitting in my den without her waiting for lap time, and the first time that the tree has ornaments on the bottom (our surviving cat is not into laps or tree ornaments).

So enjoy your buddy and show your appreciation, and when travelling you may want to ask your vet if there's any thing you should take along such as a letter noting what has just occurred so if it happens again the other vet will have some idea.

This is the season to, more than ever, appreciate all we have in our lives..
Merry Christmas
Barry

[cameront120]

Seizures can be controlled with medication and sometimes just diet. Since Baity is a Lab cross, please visit the Just Labradors Forum and go into th Lab Health and Nutrition category. There are several members who are managing seizures of varying degrees of severity. If you go in there and introduce yourself and Baity, you'll receive all kinds of help from people with lots of experience dealing with this. Like this forum, the JL forum is full of really knowleagable people with lots of great advice. I hope Baity is feeling better and that you'reable to manage the seizures easily.

Just Labradors Forum - Index

Cam

[Sugarfoot]

Kevin, I'm so thankful you didn't lose your 4-legged friend. What a scary way to start out Christmas day. Baity has so much personality. Glad to hear he's doing OK.

[Heirstreamer]

Kevin, Be sure to follow up with a visit to your vet. Many seizures can be controlled with the proper medication. Baity was a pleasure to meet when I met you and took a look at your trailers. Best of Luck to you and Baity in the NEW YEAR. DJ

[juel]

Seizures are seldom fatal, but always very scarey. I have a Pom with them and she is on medication twice a day. She has not had a seizure since going on her meds which makes me very happy. Imma is an Argosy girl. She and her brother go with us EVERY time. Her brother, Paden, has had a couple of seizures; however, not enough to need medications on a regular basis. A little Valium calms him during emergencies. All our pets are such an important part of our lives we do whatever we need to to keep them healthy. So glad you and Batty came through this OK. Thanks for sharing with all of us.

[Silvertwinkie]

Many years ago, after heartworm treatment, my shep mix had one. Was not a pretty sight.

The vet numbers are always nearby and when we set up camp, we try to make sure we have some sort of knowledge of where the nearest vet is located. It can be a challenge if you are boondocking deep in the middle of nowhere, but we do the best we can....particularly now that my shep mix is 15!

[maxandgeorgia]

Cam, thanks for the Just Laboradors forum. I passed that on to my daughter and her yellow Lab, Jack.

[SierraBreeze]

Glad to hear Baity recovered from that siezure. It is a scary thing to happen. I keep a notebook in our Airstream for my pets. It includes their latest health records, diet info, name and contact info of their regular vet, emergency contact info, copies of adpotion papers and other pertinent info as well as a current pictures. It sure helps if there is an emergency while we are traveling.

[Blu_Hwy_Lady]

Silverhobby's post hit very close to home. A little over a week ago I was in a similar emergency medical situation with my best friend for the last 12 years, Gandalf, a loving, charismatic Golden Retriever.

It doesn't matter if you know the numbers to an emergency animal clinic if you can't get your animal companion there in a timely manner. Altho' we did not know it when Gandalf collapsed, he was dying from internal bleeding as the result of cancer metastitized to his spleen. LIke Silverhobby we were confronted with an obviously critical medical emergency. There are not animal ambulances, no special police escorts when rushing an animal friend to the emergency clinic. Only speed, emergency flashers and the hope that people will get the hell out of your way. It's a very diffficult and dangerous situation. As we were speeding down the interstate with Gandalf near death and barely breathing somebody decided to intervene and box us in between a semi in an attempt to slow us down. Guess he thought he thought he was protecting us.

Despite the absolutely heroic efforts of the veterinarians and Albuquerque's Emergency Animal Clinic, Gandalf died.

So, here's a question: What would you do? Would you speed to rush your animal companion in the midst of an obviously serious medical emergency to medical assistance? Maybe there are some folks out there with law enforcement background who might care to provide some additional insight. I think it's an important topic for folks on this forum who might be out in a state park or boondocking and face an emergency. Seems like I recall there was discussion about always unhooking when parked in case there is a medical emergency.

And, it's not just animals that might put us in a circumstance requiring "emergency driving". I was faced with a similar situation with my son several years ago when he was 16. He was feeling quite ill and I decided to take him to an urgent care center. We live in a rural area so nothing is close by. As we were driving in, he suddenly had trouble breathing and his lips turned blue. I got on my cell phone and called 911, turned on my emergency flashers and floored it. Because I was in a rural area my 911 call was rerouted twice. Meanwhile, my son is gasping for air and turning bluer by the second. My first priority was getting him to medical attention as quickly as possible. I was crying and begging the 911 operator to get me a police escort or something and they were more interested in making sure the proper jurisdiction responded. Finally, a 911 operator said they could send paramedics to meet us at a shopping center about 1 mile from where I was. What an incredibly long mile at extremely high speed but we finally got there and the paramedics got oxygen on my son. Turns out he was having a severe allergic reaction to some pollen from weeds he had been pulling.

I didn't try 911 for help with my dying dog since trying to get help for my son during a medical emergency was enough of a hassle, I figured they'd blow me off. These are strategies to discuss

[Silvertwinkie]

I'm so sorry to hear about your pet moving on. It's gotta be one of the hardest things in life.

I would speed to get there. I would not drive way beyond the limit, but I would clearly push the envelope enough where I would most likely get a ticket. Keep in mind that I'm not looking at this from ther persepective of being home, but of being out boodocking in a remote location where I have identified where the vets are and gettin' there as fast as I can where I am not risking my own life or that of other people or animals around me. Accidents do happen, but in my mind, injuring or killing a person or another animal to save an animal, though clearly an emotionally charged decision, makes little sense to me....so, though I'd be going faster than normal, I would most likley not break any land speed records...as painful as I know it would be..... now for a child? I would drive even faster, but again, I keep wondering how I would feel if I killed or injured another person while in transit. It easy to play couch coach until you get into that situation, but I suspect I would try to do my best and do what you did. Involuntary manslaugher I would suspect if someone was killed while you were in transit. Maybe second degree? In that situation, I think it would be one of the last things on my mind though...even though now, not in that situation, it's easier to be calm.

[clancy_boy]

I would think - but this is only an opinion, that a judge would not look upon an accident with injury (much less death) involving pet owner rushing their dog to a Vet and an innocent 2nd party as a positive thing. I'm afraid they would throw the book at you. I have had one friend rush their child to a hospital followed closely by law enforcement. We are a rural area and the local hospitals are some distance from us (OK - 15+ miles is not that great a distance). The driver made all attempts to signal distress to the officer - flashers, hand signals, and allowed the officer to pull along side - they made it to the hospital where the child was treated for a deep laceration and the father received his citation. I believe it was handled in court appropriately - fine greatly reduced to what I believe was a level below reporting to the insurance company and a lecture from the judge.


My pets are my family and I would do all I could to save them in any way possible. I found that the hardest ride I have had with them is the ride home after having to put one down.

[cameront120]

Originally Posted by maxandgeorgia

Cam, thanks for the Just Laboradors forum. I passed that on to my daughter and her yellow Lab, Jack.

You're very welcome! I hope it proves usefull

[Silverhobby]

I also live in a rural area. The emergency vet clinic is 20 miles and I have to pass from my side of town to the other. Although it would be a very emotionally charged situation for me, I do have to drive responsibly. Baity has been resting more lately it seems, and his thirst is greater than normal. But we have had more quality time since Christmas morning, than in many weeks previous. Thanks for the kind words from the Forums members.