I had to take Duncan to the emergency clinic last night around 11pm. He is doing well now just to ease your minds!! But last night was a pet owner's nightmare!! First of all, I received a phone call at work yesterday from one of the neighbors that is a friend of mine. He said that Duncan was outside running loose in the neighborhood and that the front door was ajar. (He didn't try to catch him because as some of you know, Duncan is fairly aggressive and this particular friend had already been bit once by Duncan)I had gone home for lunch and I know I shut the front door but I didn't lock it since my roommate hardly ever has her key and Duncan is the best security system you could have... But I think either someone tried to get in and left it ajar or the wind blew it open or ??? Anyway, Duncan got out.... I came home and started searching for him.. He came running out from behind the neighbor's house and jumped into the car (through the window, I mioght add! ) Covered in mud, soaking wet but he looked happy and healthy despite his adventure.
So I hung around the house with him cleaning him up and uch for about 1 1/2 hours. Then I went to play racquetball. When I returned home around 10:30, he was a mess!! He was on my bed and he came to the door to greet me but his eyes looked glassy and his pupils were really dilated. He couldn't sit up straight and was wobbly and tilting form side to side. He was shaking like a leaf all over, his heart beat was very slow...I rushed him to the hospital. He sat in my lap all 100 lbs of him, crying and shivering. It was awful. I was crying so hard, I had to call my friend to come over and fill out the paperwork for me. I didn't want to stop holding him for a second....
Anyway, he saw the vet. At first they thought that perhaps he was hit by a car but they ruled that out and we all agreed he appeared tohave been poisoned, either deliberately or got himself into something toxic on his afternoon adventure....
The symptoms, however, were opposite of most toxic poisoning....
his heart rate was slow, pupils dilated almost to the point of blindness...so we ruled out chocolate, nicotine, caffeine....I was terrified it was antifreeze but they did a test and it wasn't Thank you God!!! So to give you the good news, I had to leave him there overnight which was torture. I hardly slept a wink. I picked him up at 7 am and took him to his regular vet and they admitted him there. He has been there all day, getting fluids and being observed. The vet called at 11ish and said that other than his pupils still being dilated, he seems to be better.....I can pick him up at 5pm if he is ok and I haven't heard otherwise....(Keep your fingers crossed.) I have no idea what type of poison it was...the vet thought maybe marijuana poisoning....although I don't have any!! I don't know about the neighbor's though....
So I am leaving now to go get him! If these symptoms sound familiar to anyone, let me know. The vets are stumped also. I'm just so ecstatic that he is alive!!!
I will update again tomorrow!
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