Let me start this story by saying: He’s fine. And it’s a Thanksgiving miracle.
We spent the long Thanksgiving weekend at my parents’ house, which is doggy heaven. They have a big yard with lots of places to run and hide. There’s a wood pile to pee on, squirrels to chase, a duck pond to bark at (the ducks, not the pond), and tons of toys and sticks to chew. My sister has two dogs, my mom has a dog, my aunt has a dog… At the holidays, the house and yard become a dog park. They run and play, then come inside for snuggles, scratches, and treats, then back out the dog door to chase a rabbit out of the garden.
Doggy heaven.
My mom’s dog, Otto, is tiny. You can scoop him up with one hand. As an aside, he and Lucas are besties because Otto is convinced he’s as big and tough as Lucas, and Lucas is convinced that he’s as small and whimpy as Otto.
Because Otto is so small, my parents are used to leaving whatever on the counters because there’s no way he can get up there. When we visit, because of Emmett’s extensive counter-surfing experience, we move all food-related items off the counters and into the stove or microwave. However, there is this huge glass treat jar that lives on my mom’s desk. It’s been there forever and has never drawn any interest from Emmett, except when we give him treats from it, of course.
Friday night my family went out to dinner. Afterwards, John and I were going to pick up a movie. Before we got to the Redbox, my mom called. “Major destruction. Come home now.”
We hightailed it back to the house, debating the whole way on what could have happened.
We arrived home to find, first, that Emmett had gone in the laundry room and pulled the boys’ dog food off the top of the wash machine. And ate all of it. That was his food, Lucas’ food, and Cooper’s food for the next day, so five cups total.
Then, in the kitchen, Emmett pulled the giant glass jar off the counter. It had shattered. Glass was everywhere, but there were no treats to be found. That jar is always stuffed full with small rawhides for Otto, biscuits, and so on. Every single piece… gone. In the family room, he pulled a box of Crayons out of my nephew’s toy box and ate his way through those.
His stomach was humongous. I feared bloat. Plus, with all the shattered glass, I was terrified that he had eaten some as he inhaled all the treats. Thankfully, Otto and Cooper were both in their crates and safely out of harm’s way. We checked Emmett and Lucas from head to toe, and – here’s the miraculous part – neither one of them had as much as a scratch on them.
All the dogs went outside while we cleaned up the glass, which had exploded all over the kitchen and spread into the living room. Every couple of minutes, we checked on Emmett.
In the meantime, we called the emergency vet, who was in the middle of an emergency and had to call us back.
Emmett’s stomach was inflated, but not sore. He wagged his tail. He didn’t pant or drool. We had been gone for hours, so it was a total miracle that he didn’t experience bloat, especially with all that rawhide (which we never, ever, ever give him anyway). Once the floor was clean, they came inside and fell asleep.
Later, the vet called us back. Normally, she said, they induce vomiting when it’s a quantity issue, but since he may have ingested some glass that was a bad idea. She said to watch for signs of distress and call back.
At that point, it was almost 10:00. We left Emmett with my parents and ran out to buy Cooper and Lucas food for the next day (Emmett was getting NOTHING) and pick up a movie so that we could all stay up and monitor him.
I was convinced that he’d have a bathroom emergency at some point in the night, but he never did.
On Saturday, he went once, but his stomach was still huge. We didn’t feed him breakfast – and, man, was he pissed – then for dinner we gave him a couple tablespoons of wet food with pumpkin puree to help move things along. Same thing for breakfast this morning. He’ll get the same thing for dinner tonight and until he… eliminates… the rest of all that junk he ate.
We’re on the right track, though.
This morning he pooped a box of Crayons.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Goodness! I’ve had a few of those nights after Sadie broke into the dog food. I’m so glad Emmett is OK and didn’t need to be rushed to the emergency vet. It’s absolutely incredible how much dogs can eat and recover from. I’m constantly amazed by what I see in their poo.
It is amazing… and gross! And thank you so much. He seems to be doing much better today!
OH EMMETT! That was such a dangerous thing, but I can’t help thinking about how happy you must have been eating your way through the house.
I’m sure he was SO happy!! But the danger thing… I wish he’d learn a lesson, but that doesn’t seem to happen. Sigh.
oh man, I would have been SO freaked out. sounds like you guys handled it well. I can’t believe after all that other stuff he ate CRAYONS. I’m sooooo glad he is OK! and that picture of Lucas and Otto together is super cute.
Thanks, Jennifer! Sadly, we’ve been through this with him on many occasions. We try to be SO diligent, but it’s just impossible to think of everything he *might* eat… like the Crayons!
I should also add that the “handling” of the situation was mostly me panicking and running every single worst-case scenario through my head… I was NOT the picture of calm!
I’m so glad for the happy ending. What a scare. I would have been panicked too.
SO glad he’s ok!!!!!
Oh, wow! I’ve heard some crazy stories over the years but this one is right up there. So glad he’s ok!
I bet that was a pretty poop!
Sam
Happy ending for Emmett….crayons, notsomuch.
Oh boy, so good that he’s alright. Wow, you guys gonna need a steel vault to keep the stuff in 😉
Thank you so much, everyone! We’re so glad it turned out alright… Once he goes again, I’ll feel much, much better. Next time we go to my parents’ house and have to leave him, he’s going to spend his time in a bedroom far, far away from the kitchen!
I actually heard that it was a raccoon that did all of the damage… Emmett was just trying to clean up….
Yep, and his stomach was only swollen because he ate the raccoon, like any good dog would do!
HAAAAA!!!!!!! Seriously. Hilarious. 🙂
Thanks for starting with the “he’s okay” disclaimer! Oh Emmett, you naughty, naughty boy. Thank goodness he is okay. You must have been a wreck! I know I would have been beside myself.
But oh, that face. :swoon:
Oh my gosh, Leslie. I was a wreck. To be honest, I still am nervous. I want to make sure everything… exits… without any problems from the glass. So far he’s only gone twice since then, so I’m still really anxious!
But, yes, that face… it’s the only thing that saves him when he behaves so badly! 🙂
Whoa! Emmett! You’re my HERO! I’m sorry you haven’t gotten much to eat since your buffet but between you and me, I bet it was TOTALLY worth it! You’re gonna go down in the Doggie Eating Hall of Fame!
My Cuzin Bridger is also a champion eater. He once ate ten DOZEN chocolate chip cookies and was fine. And then yesterday, he pulled down a 5 pound bag of sugar and ate a bunch of it. But I think that his tummy was a little upset after that. He says that’s what happens when you get older but he didn’t care cuz it was also worth it.
Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie
Oooooh, my gosh! It’s a good thing Emmett and Bridger don’t know each other or else they’d be comparing notes! Hope Bridger feels better after his sugar binge!!
Maggie I had a customer over Thanksgiving whose 2 cats managed to open the freezer door. They pushed it open but couldn’t get into it. Still everything thawed and melted on the floor. I was imagining Emmett and how happy/crazy he would be if he could open the fridge or freezer.
So, so funny! We’d be in BIG trouble if he figured out how to open the fridge/freezer!!
Oh Emmett!!! I hope he is feeling better . . silly boy!
Oh, Emmett! It’s always an adventure, isn’t it? So glad he’s okay.