Poor little Hudson

[Kristin & Hudson]

My DH had to rush Hudson to the vet today because he was drooling, lethargic, and swaying.  We think he ingested something toxic.  Apparently my landlord put fertilizer down the day we brought Hudson home and didn't tell us!!!!!  I am so angry right now.  He told us he put weed killer down on the concrete to prevent the weeds from growing in the cracks but NEVER mentioned the fertilizer on the lawn!!  When we called to ask him if he put anything on the grass he said he put the fertilizer down but didn't realize it was toxic.  I thought everybody knew that, but I guess not!  The funny thing is that in the six years we have lived here he has never used fertilizer.  I don't know what possessed him to do it now!!!! 

 

Hudson is at the vet now. :( He didn't have a temperature and his coloring was good but the blood work showed that he had elevated nitrogen levels in his blood.  I think they were going to give him charcoal.  They have him on an IV now too.  The vet said the nitrogen is probably from the fertilizer but they did call the poison control center.  She also mentioned another possible cause of elevated nitrogen called a liver shunt.  But I looked that up and that seems to affect the smaller breeds and he hasn't been displaying any of the other symptoms.  He was also one of the larger pups from his litter and not the runt.  So hopefully it is just the chemicals that are causing this.  The vet said he should be fine from this.  I hope so!!!!  I would hate for him to have any permanent damage from this.  I've only had him 5 days and he's only 9 weeks old, poor little guy.

 

So now we are desperately trying to get rid of the fertilizer on the lawn.  We are watering it now but the company said it will take 3 weeks to fully get rid of it.  Where is Hudson going to go potty now???

 

While I'm typing this the vet just called and said he is doing better.  We have to go pick him up at 7:30 and at that time she will have a better idea if he needs to stay at an emergency hospital overnight.  Fingers crossed for the little guy.  

 

Sorry for the long post, but did anyone else experience anything similar and how is your dog now?

 

Thank you for any advice you guys have.

 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Welcome Home Hudson...

 

This is a message from Jack to Hudson,

 

Hi Hudson, I am a little dooped on on pain meds but I thought I would teach you the ropes. I mean if we have to be sick, we might as well make the most of it right??? I can teach you how to pull on your mommy's heart strings, even though your mom is tired and finally getting to eat dinner, just look at her and then start licking your wound or in your case your belly, then look at her again, turn your head sideways and maybe let out a whine. It is a sure fire way to get a piece of chicken or fish. Just kidding, I would never do that..

 

Sleep well Hudson, sorry about your first boo boo. Tell mommy to get pet insurance, it will help a great deal when you decide to get into trouble.

 

Sending love and hugs,

 

Jack Daniels and his mommy

[Kristin & Hudson]

Thanks Jack!  I did give mom and dad my sweetest puppy face and got showered with love tonight.  I love my parents for taking such good care of me while I'm sick.

 

Hudson is fast asleep now.  You what the funny thing is, I was looking up pet insurance just this morning!!  Needless to say we will be getting some asap.  The vet bill tonight wasn't that bad though, could have been much worse.

[Smita, Ollie and Juno]

Sorry to hear that poor little Hudson had a tough day. Glad to hear that he is doing better and is back home with you. Hope he is completely back to normal soon.

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

So glad to hear Hudson is okay.  Maybe he could wear boots to keep the chemicals off his paws.

[Kristin & Hudson]

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I didn't think of that.  Thank you so much for suggesting this.  After I drop him off at the vet tomorrow I will try to find some.

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

I noticed someone buying disposable ones at Petsmart if that helps. Hudson's such a cutie and it sounds like he's doing much better. 

[Kristin & Hudson]

I will look for those today.  I just don't know if I could get them on him fast enough and carry him out.  We are only at week 1 of potty training so we are trying to be as quick as possible.  He is doing a great job of holding it though.  It just might work!

[Lynn D.]

I would be absolutely sick to my stomach, as I am sure you are.

 

If I was in this situation, I would build an artificial potty spot. He is small, so I would build a 2x4 ft structure, bottom layer being laminate, next layer pea gravel and top layer fresh sod. (I do have other options if you don't want to build it) Leave one of his recent poos on top of it and every time he needs to go out for potty, take him there. I do not have a green thumb, but I bet you could keep the grass alive being a gardener.

 

BTW, I am so sorry about this. My previous dog was VERY sensitive to these fertilizers. So my lawn never looked great, just passible enough so that my HOA didn't get mad.

[Kristin & Hudson]

Maybe DH can construct this for him.  He has the green thumb not me :)

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Not on DK as often as I am out of town and I just saw this post.  I am very sorry that Hudson had this happen but it hopefully sounds like he will recover.  Please don't be hard on yourself - these things can and do happen.  We hadn't had Rooney very long when he ended up in the emergency room.  Very scary I know.  Let us know how he is doing!

[Kristin & Hudson]

Thanks Jane!  He seems to be doing much better now.  I will be bringing him back to the vet in about an hour for a check up.  I'll keep everyone posted.

[NewfoundlandNic]

So glad Hudson is on the mend! I hate those chemicals as well, I think if it affects little creatures so adversley it can't be good for any of us. Good luck with the solutions - and the potty training!

 

As for pet insurance, I am signing up when I get my dog next week. I never had it before and there were many, many vet bills for my last dog that we had to cover immediately and out of pocket. The monthly payment may add up, but it is easier to manage than $100s or $1000s of unplanned spending.