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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Now puppy has had a zinc tablet!!

26 replies

BurningBridges · 17/01/2017 12:13

FFS. I dropped a vitamin C and zinc tablet on the floor, my 13 week old cockerpoo has eaten it in a heartbeat. He is suicidal. Particularly as I've just changed his insurance from the free one you get from the breeder, and the new insurance has a 14 day exclusion period.

I rang for advice and was told he had to be seen as an emergency (tried a vet helpline and another vet they all said the same) and now he's been admitted they are going to make him sick and then put him on fluids. My poor baby. I'd like to ask "any experience?" but how likely is that? Maybe your dog ate something dangerous and you are now at the stage where you can look back and laugh about it?

OP posts:
Original poster
BurningBridges · 17/01/2017 12:20

DH has said that in future if I drop anything on the floor I should make more of an effort to ensure that the dog doesn't eat it. No. Shit. Sherlock. Angry

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ClaudiaWankleman · 17/01/2017 12:25

Friend's dogs ate a whole pack of dark chocolate last Christmas. Well, one of the dogs did but they weren't sure which, so both had to have the emetic.
It was apparently upsetting to see (dogs shaking and looking very upset and distressed) but caused no long lasting harm. Better than any operation that would have to be done otherwise!

Lots of strokes if you can!

Original poster
BurningBridges · 17/01/2017 12:34

Thank you Claudia - apparently there is no safe level of zinc for dogs - who knew? If only it had been just a vitamin C tablet!

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Deadnettle · 17/01/2017 13:05

My last dog took a zinc tablet every other day on advice of the vet, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Current dog ate a wetwipe she found whilst out on a walk. That involved a trip to the vets and an injection to induce vomiting.

Original poster
BurningBridges · 17/01/2017 13:16

Apparently he's doing well at the vets, more blood tests later but so far he seems ok. What a palaver, you start your day thinking everythings going to be ok ...

Deadnettle I am surprised your previous dog had zinc but yes, hopefully it will be fine as it was only 10mg and they made him sick less than 2 hours afterwards. My dog only swallowed the zinc tablet as he couldn't find any glass/needles/hard plastic or baby wipes. Basically if it hits the floor, its his.

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Whitney168 · 17/01/2017 14:37

I am frankly gobsmacked that a vet would put your dog through this for a single zinc and vitamin C tablet, and would be changing vets!

Floralnomad · 17/01/2017 16:02

Perhaps one of the regular vets can come along and tell us if this is a normal reaction or a massive over reaction . Hope pup is home and well later burning .

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 17/01/2017 16:07

seems like a massive overreaction to me too tbh.

at risk of being made to sit in the KNOWItALL corner with your dh it really is worth working on a solid "LEAVE IT!" from the very beginning.

not that it made a buggers of difference to the one who ate the jellyfish....she was a bloody besom! She was much better behaved indoors though.

Original poster
BurningBridges · 17/01/2017 16:22

Ah so it IS my fault, because at 13 weeks he hasn't got the hang of "leave it". I thought it was because I dropped something accidentally and dogs (whatever age) eat things off the floor, very quickly. But no, its lack of training. But then why did you allow your dog to eat a jellyfish Tony?

I rang my insurers' pet health advice line first, then a different vet, both said 10mg at his age was an emergency and he had to be seen immediately. The vet I am seeing now has said there is no established level of toxicity for zinc in dogs; I found one USA site that said tolerance could be as much as 50mg per kilo (mine's about 5 kilos) in which case it would be fine, but one of the issues was his age.

I'd definitely be interested to hear if any of the vets/nurses come on and say the vet has over-reacted. I won't be responding to any more "its your fault" posts but hey, thanks Hmm

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Original poster
BurningBridges · 17/01/2017 16:24

Sorry Floral I missed you in there. Its the same vet as last time btw, so very interested to hear if this is an OTT reaction, let's see if any vets etc come on the thread later.

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Floralnomad · 17/01/2017 16:27

Don't stress , these things happen , when we first got our pup he chewed a daffodil bulb and nearly died - who would know , that's why our garden is now dog proof .

Original poster
BurningBridges · 18/01/2017 11:17

Puppy is fine, had a final blood test this morning. He was attempting to eat a cable tie in the car this morning ...

And good news, as its classed as an accident, it IS covered by the insurance from the outset, no 14 day waiting period. I'd still be interested to hear from any vets/nurses who know if the emetic, drip and blood tests were an over-reaction or standard practice (I did ring another vet first and they recommended exactly the same thing) but in the meantime thanks everyone.

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averylongtimeago · 18/01/2017 11:38

Glad your pup is ok!
With Goldies, we have also found that anything on the floor =dog food. They eat it first, then decide if they like it. For example, the whole pound of butter that one snaffled - that came back whole, honestly I could have ran it under the tap and you wouldn't have known.
Over the years they have eaten lots of stuff, but only ended up at the vets twice. The first time was when a pup ate a bee, it put up a,fight but still was swallowed - bee = 0, dog =1, vet = £££.

The second time was after a visit to relatives over Christmas a couple of years ago, we had our 11yr old Goldie and 6month old pup with us. Driving home we had a phone call, the dogs had, apparently, eaten most of a tin of quality street. After lots of frantic phone calls and a visit to an out of hours vet and parting with ££££££, both dogs ended up being given an emetic, they were very very very sick. Not a single wrapper to be seen, they were innocent. I blame my teenage nephew, when the discovery of the empty tin was made he blamed the dogs rather than own up.

Original poster
BurningBridges · 18/01/2017 11:42

Blimey avery - the little - um - so and so!! What did you say to your son?!

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Original poster
BurningBridges · 18/01/2017 11:42

Sorry - nephew - ?

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Stormwhale · 18/01/2017 11:43

I also have a suicidal dog. In the last year she has cost over £1000 in vets fees and is now muzzled on walks. She ate something on a walk and ended up vomiting blood and in a sorry state, and on Christmas day she ate a very largr box of chocolates (wrapped up as a present) at the in laws house. It kind of fucked Christmas up.

Stormwhale · 18/01/2017 11:45

My childhood dog was a goldie. Her finest moments were the wallpaper from the kitchen walls, an entire bag of potatoes and a box of chocolate cake bars, which were eaten so quickly they actually came through in their wrappers. I feel this supports the pp that they eat first, think later.

averylongtimeago · 18/01/2017 11:52

Well nephew denied all knowledge, and my sil said that the vet must have been wrong but she would say black was white to prove me wrong. Not an apology, nothing.

MaryManchego · 18/01/2017 11:55

Goldies though. We had one as kids, it would eat anything except salad. Anything.

Polystyrene being the most memorable.

Original poster
BurningBridges · 18/01/2017 12:03

My previous dog only liked nice things - he would remove the hands and feet from the girls' dollies -e.g., a box of collectible Disney fairy figures, which immediately became rare and unobtainable, or a Tinkerbell doll that cost a tenner before he ate the limbs but then became a collectors' item and cost £50 on e-bay. He ate my pale blue flip flops (£30 from a surfer shop in Cornwall), but ignored the £1 pink ones from Primark.

The other thing he loved was M&S leather. Had to be the soft type - once he ate my M&S Chelsea boots so I ordered a new pair from M&S again - I got them out of the box, tried one on, put my hand down next to me to get the second one to try on and it was already in his mouth, teethmarks an all.

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averylongtimeago · 18/01/2017 12:05

Another Goldie story, had forgotten this! not sure how
Heading away in our camper, we camped overnight on the way to get the afternoon ferry from Portsmouth. DH took the dogs for a constitutional before bed, and the pup found something very very tasty. I don't know what it was, but it was dark coloured, sticky and very smelly. In theory, they do know the command "leave", but not this time.
DPup was a bit subdued in the morning, still not right in the ferry queue but not much we could do at that point. When we returned to the van at the end of the crossing, I could smell it before we got to it. She had had the shits, it was everywhere. We drove off the boat with both Windows wide open the customs guy nearly fainted when he looked at our passports and parked up by the beach. DH took the dogs for a swim, they were both covered, while I set to to clean the van inside. I have truly never smelt anything so vile in my life. There was a tide line of shite.
She was fine, btw, the whateveritwas must have been shat out......

GoNorthatthefirstleft · 18/01/2017 13:49

I have a naughty dog too before Xmas he decided to pull my handbag off the table and eat a packet of neurofen £400later we are now much more careful as he'll eat absolutely anything !

willdoitinaminute · 18/01/2017 21:23

My last lab ( no longer with us) was a sock eater, but probably the most embarrassing vet moment was when they administered an emetic after we thought she had eaten rat poison. She emptied her stomach contents onto the bench including an intact panty liner and half a sock, the old male vet asked if I knew what the panty liner was, the vet nurse and I had a good giggle when he left the room.
She was only 13 weeks old at the time and had chewed up the alarm wires in the back of the car a few days earlier, so I asked whether this would be an problem. The vet just looked at me raised his eyebrows an said "she's a Labrador I don't think you have much to worry about".

Original poster
BurningBridges · 18/01/2017 23:00

!!

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Tamberlane · 19/01/2017 05:16

Zinc poisoning is pretty severe so I dont think the level of treatment given is excessive given its a young and i assune light pup is involved.

It used to be the old pennies causing all the issues in the past but zinc toxicities are still relatively common.

In the northern breeds where theres often a congenital mutation for defiency its supplement when there are skin issues.
Ironically the reason northern dogs huskys etc are thought to have this is as they ate a lot of liver in their diet esp polar bear...and the levels of zinc in this was frequently toxic..meaning the only ones who thrived/survived were the animals who were naturally deficient.
Eating polar bear liver for example can kill an adult human due to high zinc content.