fatality report: phenobarbitol overdose ATTN: owners with dogs on meds

Dog was on phenobarbitol (penta-?) for seizures. Owner packaged daily doses on dog treats for the dogsitter to administer during vacation. Package was placed high on a counter. The package was not dog-proof. Somehow the dog got into it -- dog reached counter? package knocked onto floor by cat? -- lapsed into coma from overdose and died at the emergency vet hospital.

As with plastic bags, keep meds out of reach of pets and children.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 22, 2013 at 9:26pm

Really? I just assumed it was.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on June 22, 2013 at 9:38pm

The poison in Terro liquid ant bait (the bottled kind) is borax. That can be toxic if the dose is high enough, but the amount of the whole bottle would not likely be toxic to a dog.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5144983_terro-ant-killer-poisonous.html

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Permalink Reply by Linda on June 20, 2013 at 11:23am

rae.....liverwurst. We had a dog when I was a kid that could find the tiniest pill in any thing. The only way we could them in him was to show him a piece of liverwurst and get him all excited and then give it to him. At that point all he wanted to do was grab it and swallow.

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Permalink Reply by rae on June 20, 2013 at 8:51pm

hi linda,

i'll keep that in mind...hopefully we won't have to go through that again. but i'm guessing they may give some kind of painkillers for neutering?

actually, we're going in for boosters on tuesday, so i may ask the vet then. just the stubbornest little corg when it comes to pills.

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Permalink Reply by Julia on June 21, 2013 at 2:08am

My spaniel once ate 198 Advil tablets. The candy coating must taste good.Fortunately he vomited up almost everything. This all happened while I was gone. I believe I left the bottle on the counter after opening a new bottle from the cupboard and not putting it away properly in the rush of the morning. I am sooooo careful now.

A few people asked me how he got the child-proof lid off the bottle. Non-dog owners didn't understand that he just ate the bottle along with the pills.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on June 22, 2013 at 2:57pm

We had a springer spaniel when I was a kid and she ate fuzz, lint, thumb tacks, anything. Amazingly she lived to be 13 or so.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on June 22, 2013 at 2:56pm

So sad. :-( I always keep any meds in drawers or cupboards. Maddie eats anything she finds on the floor first and asks questions later; it does not have to be "food" for her to eat it. Jack is a bit more discriminating, but I still don't totally trust him.