Freakishly Scary But Turned out Okay

[Jennifer and Jack]

What a freakishly crazy thing..... I for the first time ever just started wearing a pain patch.. a low dose one.. in fact it is a pediatric dose because I am a light weight when it come to medications.

I have been going back and fourth with wearing it because I just don't want to be on "pain medication" even the mild dose.. I pulled the patch off this morning but when my nurse came today she convinced me to put it back on..... so I did....

I just put Jack's bowl of food down for dinner......Jack eats his food so fast now it is gone before I can blink... as I put it down.. I caught a glimpse of something shiny and I though I didn't break up the food enough and that it was possible ice crystals but just was going to let him eat because he seemed hungry.... then I remembered reading somewhere that you don't want the dog to eat it if the food is still a little frozen.. ( I forget why and where I read it so I picked it up) As I was mashing it up with my fork I noticed it was a clear plastic strip....

Turns out my patch which is completely clear must have fallen off my arm.. ( because as I now know once you peel it off, it loses it's ability to stick) and fell right in his food.

Though it was a pediatric size dose.. it is meant to be given over 72 hours.... this no doubt according the my pharmacist, the vet and the ER vet all of who I called to check to see would have killed him and we wouldn't have even known what happen....

Thank God I read some stupid thing about not letting them eat it with ice on it.. even though I don't know if it is true or not... the patch is so small just smaller then the top section of my thumb and Jack could have swallowed it whole...

my new patch is not only on my arm, it is taped on and an ace bandage over it..... I would have lost my mind forever...

Now I am paranoid because even if one falls off, he steps on it or it gets on him in anyway it will make him sick...   The only reason I didn't get rid of all the medicine is because they said it only fell off because I took it off and once off you can not reapply.. they said to flush down the toilet when I am done using because it is not safe to throw in garbage cans..

Really, really, really grateful I saw that in his bowl.. I threw all his food out and put new food down in a new bowl.. but OMD.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

My goodness Jennifer! Freakish is right. That was so lucky that you spotted it.

[Hailey and Oliver]

  That is scary!  Even when we catch things like that I still freak out... Thinking about what could have happened, just flat out scary!!!!!

[Bonnie and Kona]

What a scare! and what a blessing that you caught it before Jack ate it. Breathe a sigh of relief and thanksgiving that you know better how to handle that medication. Yikes!

[Gail and Bailey]

Wow, Jennifer!  Thank goodness you saw it!  It is funny that you now tape the patch and secure it with an ace bandage!  I think that you can safely say that it won't fall off now!!  lol  Seriously though....don't let yourself suffer by not using the patch!  Now you just  know to be extra careful.  Doodle hugs to you and little Jack!!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Jennifer, only you would have noticed, thought twice, pulled it up and then discovered. So happy it was not an issue in the end, so happy that you are you.

[Jennifer and Jack]

It is so freakishly scary that that happen... I have a LOT of medications in the house and I am not super careful with them but careful enough.... but the odds of that falling off right into his food bowl are insanely low except for the fact that was the first time I was up and had extended my arm down since reapplying it....

Super paranoia for sure... there is no way this can come off now and if it does it will just fall into the ace bandage.... I still called vet and ER vet because I just wanted to verify what my pharmacist said about it.... I wouldn't think twice that a pediatric dose would hurt him but because it is time released over three days and when it is eaten the heat and acid break it down and cause it to all be released.

They told me drug addicts freeze the patches and then break off the medication and often die from overdose because they don't realize how potent it is.   

If I tell you I am checking my arm non stop it isn't an overstatement... I am wondering if it would be as effective if I put it on the top of my foot and just wore a sock.. I will have to ask the nurse tomorrow...

[Pam & Trixie]

Im so glad you saw that Jennifer. I do think it was only because it was 'reused' they are made to stick good the 1st time.

My sister was a drug addict, she ate part of a fentanyl patch & died :(

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good warning. Glad all is well.

[Jennifer and Jack]

THanks.... I feel so grateful I am sure most ppl on here are not on pain patches but if they are they should know they are extremely toxic/fatal to dogs and they should be flushed in the toilet so no animal that digs through garbage can get it.

It took them all this time for me to finally agree to pain medication.. I have held out for so long being offered drugs from Methadone which i will never take  to Fentanyl and never took.. I finally agree and walaa...

It is hard not to keep saying what if he would have ate it, I would have thought he went to sleep for the night... I understand making it clear so that it isn't obvious but geeze it is impossible to find if you lose it.

[Julie and Charlie]

I remember at the hospital I worked at, we had to cut up the patches in front of a witness and shove it in the sharps disposal box. I'd be worried about a toilet/plumbing clog!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Right in the hospital you always need a witness for a waste...when I worked I. The Cath lab I would walk around with vials of sedation..can't tell you how many times I went home with it and had to go back...there is no way it can clog the toilet the whole patch is the size of the tip of my thumb....

I do have a sharps box for needles but they told me to put meds in the toilet and flush....actually I haven't done it yet but I have an entire bottle of methadone and I begged them to take it back but they can't...they said to flush that as well.....It seems wrong to put that in the toilet and even the pain patch seems wrong..but methadone just freaks me out....I don't even want it in my house.....I would be terrified to take that but I can't help but wonder how sick any animal would get getting any of these drugs

[Julie and Charlie]

I can't believe that pharmacies that dispense the medication aren't required to take back unused stock and dispose of it properly. Our state requires vendors of soda to take the cans and bottles back, for pete's sake.