Injury in the Hizouse
I'm gonna have to rent a lot of chests to recoup this one. Wicket's facing a night in the pet hospital, after accidentally choking himself on a much-despised gentle leader. I was removing it from him when it happened. He started flailing, making it difficult to finish the task. When it was finally off, his body went into shock. His lungs (apparently) filled with fluid. Less than ten minutes later, we decided it was time to take him to the emergency room down the street – not understanding why (or how) he was secreting excess mucus from his nose and generally acting aloof. The vet assessed the situation and placed him in an oxygen “box” immediately. He's got an IV going on, too – but at least he's awake and aware of his surroundings. In a couple of hours, we have to take him to the overnight place a few blocks away. I honestly had no idea that something like this could happen; search results indicate that it's a pretty common involutnary reaction for pups (for their lungs to take on organ fluid in these situations).
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13 Comments
alwin
July 13th, 2004
at 5:13pm
It's called “negative pressure pulmonary edema”, and it happens occasionally with acute airway obstruction. My experience is with young, strong male atheletes who get some upper airway obstruction and then try to inhale with all their might against the 'static load', causing fluid to pour into the lungs.
The good news is that the damage isn't permanent, and in humans it resolves fairly quickly with rapid treatment. Sounds like you did a nice job with the initial resuscitation and transport. :-)
Anonymous
July 13th, 2004
at 5:14pm
I hope Wicket makes a speedy recovery. I know what you're going through, man. :-(
\\mandolux
July 13th, 2004
at 5:59pm
Sorry to head that and I hope Wicket gets better.
\\mandolux
July 13th, 2004
at 6:00pm
head=hear (maybe I should start using the preview button).
Anonymous
July 13th, 2004
at 7:32pm
I'm sure Wicket is a strong pup. He'll pull through….
-Nathan
Sunflowr
July 13th, 2004
at 10:39pm
It's good you got him treatment right away. Please keep us posted. I'm sure he'll pull through.
bnaivar
July 14th, 2004
at 4:37am
This is jet another reason I have cats.
Anonymous
July 14th, 2004
at 5:53am
It would be cheaper to have him put down and go out and buy a new one. It's just a dog…
mgrace74
July 14th, 2004
at 8:02am
Ok, what the heck is a “gentle leader”. I do not want to make that kind of mistake when I finally get a pup of my own.
Anonymous
July 14th, 2004
at 8:51am
A gentle leader is a head collar. There is a part that goes around the dog's nose, and another part that goes around the dog's hea below the dog's ears. My question is how the hell did the dog choke on it/ Did you read the directions when putting it on? are you sure you didn't have it on too tight? Like any tool, the gentle leader can be a great tool if used correctly, although I would hesitate to use it outside if you live ina warm climate. i am a guide dog user and we used it at the guide dog school to help with pulling while healing. I still use it occasionally, especially in a cafateria to help with sniffing of food. Good luck.
Anonymous
July 14th, 2004
at 11:59am
Hope your pup has a speedy and complete recovery. I love my “Callie” like a child. My heart goes out to you. It would be easier to sick myself than have my baby ill. Keep the faith. Happy sailing.
Anonymous
July 14th, 2004
at 12:11pm
It happened to our pug Bogey around Christmas. I was scared to death because we had only had him a few months. After a couple of quiet days he was back to normal. Our vet called it ARDS, Acute Respitory Distress Syndrome. Good luck to Wicket.
-Mike in Richmond
Anonymous
July 14th, 2004
at 3:03pm
Y'know, not being a dog person, I thought “Must despised gentle leader” meant Jimmy Carter or something.