Dog at mince pies

[CyprusRescueDog]

😔 I was out shopping and the little bugger ate a whole box of mini mince pies as my husband wasn't supervising. This is despite him eating an entire pack of butter only a month ago which cost us £130.....
So anyway for mince pies he has to not only vomit but also stay in for 48 hrs and it's going to cost £1500. Im so pissed off with my husband - he knows he's a thief. The dog lived on the streets - he can't help his instincts. I'm just gutted as we could really do without this just before Xmas 😢

What measures are you both taking to keep food put away where the dog cannot get to? Or to keep the dog out of the kitchen/pantry?

It’s not about supervising a dog that can’t help it, it’s about keeping human food and dog completely separate with no way for the dog to access it.

It’s like baby proofing a house in a way. You can’t count on supervision with a crawling baby and knives or flash bleach under the sink. You have to secure the stuff or block the access to it.

Then your husband needs to do better. It's your dog paying a higher price than you both. Your dog could have died. Raisins are toxic. Get insurance if you haven't already as you'll be paying out again more than likely.

Yes, we aren't stupid. There is a stool that is usually put away. It wasn't today by accident. The box was on a high shelf above the worktop. He's only 8 inches to the shoulder but managed it somehow.
Of course we are careful usually but accidents happen. Thanks for being so supportive

Hope your pup is OK. A friends dog once ate 3 selection boxes which their teen hadn't put away. Then at Easter got into the spare room and ate a couple of Easter eggs. Then a week later managed to eat a pack of hot cross buns.

Cost them a bloody fortune but he's absolutely fine and still a little food thief when he gets the chance (entire beef joint ready to roast a few weeks ago).

People are being supportive. By telling you what you need to do to protect the dog in future. This is about his well being not your ego or feelings. He's going to be feeling very poorly and upset. You're just cross over the money it will cost, it seems. You've not once said you're worried about his health.

Ok, the stool and putting food up high is a good idea, but it is only one line of defence. Perhaps you need a second line of defence by putting food in locking kitchen cabinets or boxes that even if pulled off a shelf the dog can’t get into them. You can always install fold down covers over shelves that lock in a kitchen too. By lock don’t mean need a key, but a twist knob that a dog can’t manage.

Another option is to have your kitchen door always closed or a tall baby gate put in so the dog can’t wander in there without one of you with him (unless your house is open plan).

You are right to go to the vet. Raisins can be deadly.
I think once you know you have a dog like this you just have to keep all food shut securely away. Their noses will tell them if there's anything on offer!

£1500 for a 48 hour stay is pretty reasonable. You could decline fluids and hospitalisation and just go for inducing emesis and gastroprotectants but it would increase the likelihood of lasting damage

I'm cross with my husband not the dog. Of course I'm worried about him but the vet was very reassuring that the treatment would work as we got him there fast. My husband didn't even think the vet would be necessary. I'm just tired, sad and fed up. He is insured so hopefully they will pay up. We've had loads of dogs before, all much bigger and none of them have ever got on the counter tops. He's a total one off and very determined and we need to always remember that. Well I do - but I hope my husband will as well now

I wouldn’t be angry at your DH over a dog doing something neither of you thought the dog could do?! Seriously the issue is you both need to better secure the food for the dog’s safety. The blame game is a waste of time. Put the house in order before the dog comes home. The solution shouldn’t be keep a better eye on the dog either.

Hope your dog (and your nerves) recover quickly

In future, can you get into the habit of putting anything toxic in a locked cupboard or away in the microwave just as an extra measure? That's what we have to do with ours - the dog can't reach the counters, but the cats can and will knock stuff on the floor for him

I'm angry with him (& entitled to be, thank you) as he does know the dog can get on the counter. The butter dish is now in a cupboard due to us knowing this. The mince pies usually are too, but my son is newly diagnosed coeliac so these were gf ones and separate from other types. Also I'm annoyed as he hadn't noticed and didn't think the vet was necessary.

Our friends’ dog died two years ago after getting at some mince pies. You did absolutely the right thing getting him the vet. Fingers crossed you can get the money back on insurance.

I had this late on Xmas eve last year — relative put a mince pie out for santa. She was fine after being sick at the vets and having charcoal afterwards. They didn't offer to keep her in. I hope your dog is OK, it must be very stressful having them staying at the vets :(

Probably best going forwards to not buy food with raisins in if your dog has a strong scavenging instinct. They're banned here now even though ddog doesn't counter surf. Annoying at Christmas though.

We no longer get mince pies, or have Christmas pudding, even though DDog is small and cannot counter-surf.

It's one fewer thing to police!

We have orange spicy biscuits, snowy rocky road and trifle instead.

Yes there's still chocolate to keep secure, but the raisin reduction has been worth it

We've got a climber. It's definitely like having a toddler again and they can be as quick as a flash nabbing things so we are very vigilant. One raisin ended up costing £400 but better safe than sorry especially with little dogs. It's ironic as he eats a huge amount of dead rats and cow shit with no ill effects whatsoever.

Mine stole carrot cake with raisins in it, during my mother's wake. So there was me leaving early to dash to the vets still in my funeral clothes. Dogs are shits. Sympathies.

Thanks all. Glad not just mine is a little turd! So sorry about the funeral being interrupted too

We've had to give up on raisins in this house - they are a banned food

Are the vets award he's not insured?

Who is he insured with? It might be a company that the vets are able to deal with directly and you just pay the excess rather than paying the whole lot and claiming back. Talk to them 😊

Why has he got to stay in for 48 hours? I know loads of dogs who've eaten something they shouldn't and had to have the injection to vomit, but they've then gone home! What a rip off.

I agree. I'm sure you could monitor him at home just as well.

He is insured but we've only had him 2.5 months so need to check the policy as it's a different insurer to our other dogs.
I said I wanted him to come home but apparently the toxicity of raisins is such that he needs to be on a drip and closely monitored. He was sent home straight away after the butter incident but that isn't toxic - just could cause pancreatitis

I think also because he's only 5.5kg and ate 8 (albeit mini ones) it's probably more hazardous than for a bigger dog only eating one

Just to make it more complicated, the emergency vet just called. He's doing ok which is great but they can't keep him in the day so we have to get him at 7.30am, take him to the normal vet for the day, then pick him up and take him back in the evening. What on earth?! Is this normal?