all is calm….now

Byron the Cavalier

File under the heading of, “it’s always something.” All is well, but this naughty little “elf” gave us quite the scare yesterday. Our son’s caregiver returned from picking him up at camp, to find that Byron, our Treat Seeking Missile™ had somehow gotten out of the kitchen, and climbed up on furniture in the living room to find, tear open, and ingest an entire box of See’s candy. (Chocolate is incredibly poisonous to dogs.)

I was still stuck at work, but fortunately le Monsieur was already on his way home and whisked Byron off the emergency vet. They induced vomiting and gave him some activated charcoal to absorb anything left, and kept him overnight. He never showed any signs of poisoning or distress and after being monitored for 12+ hours was released to come home a short while ago, where he is now resting, seemingly none the worse for wear (or chocolate).

Hoping we have satisfied our Monthly Allotment of Crises, we are settling in for what we hope will be a quiet and peaceful holiday weekend.

May peace reign in your world, and may your dogs and chocolates remain well separated. 🙂 Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and goodwill to all.

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26 Comments

  1. Dogs never fail to fill up our lives – even a small emergency like this may one day seem like a funny, happy memory. Happy holidays to you and I hope the next few days are calm and peaceful.

  2. Dear Femme, so sorry to hear about Byron’s health crisis, but glad he’s well. Chocolate and dogs, who knew? Enjoy the holiday festivities and savor the small moments. All the best to you and your family.

  3. Wow, one thing after another this month. We had a similar thing last month, one of our dogs swallowed a plum pit that was dropped on the floor. They’re also very poisonous to dogs, and off to the emergency vet as well. The induced vomiting didn’t work and she had to be scoped and it removed that way. I hope that’s it for you and that the rest of your holiday season is calm, peaceful and uneventful.

  4. You have had your share this month. I remember reading about a dog that ate the bread dough that was rising on the counter and it continued to rise in the dogs stomach! Glad to hear your puppy is ok. We used to give our Golden chocolate and never knew it was poisonous.
    Enjoy your holidays and hope they are relaxing.

  5. Oh, mon dieu! Just what you didn’t need! I am trying to be so careful with our six month-old puppy because everything is new and alluring to her. I hope that you have a peaceful week-end and that Byron is well.

  6. That is a scary scenario, and one, I’m embarrassed to admit, that has happened more than once to us! Fortunately the vets seem to have the detox process down–but I’m sure it’s a matter of timing as well. I’m relieved to know all is right with the little miscreant!

  7. Very scary indeed, but so happy to hear the little rascal is recuperating well at the moment! I wish you a very Merry Christmas as well and may you have some peace and rest in the coming days!

  8. Two pans of brownies for a bake sale left on the counter to cool. Large mutt dog ate both of them. Fortunately this same mutt subsisted on Victoria’sSecret thongs for the first six months of his life-iron stomach. Gave him dinner and lots of water and about 8 hours later he threw up. Guess all the flour in the brownies saved his behind.
    Glad your little dear is fine. Merry Christmas!

  9. Merry Christmas from our family, including Mr. Remington the black poodle, to yours. Thankful that Mr. Byron is well….sad that all that candy is gone however! Have a wonderful Christmas weekend.

  10. I understand completely. Many years ago, our black Lab Gunnar (lovely guy, but as dumb as a box of rocks) managed to get into a closet, pulled down an entire pillowcase full of Halloween candy from a shelf, and ate it, wrappers and all. We went through the same drill with the vet and the charcoal. That same December, he found a way to get up on the workbench in the garage to reach a shelf high above it and consumed about 100 gingerbread ornaments, which were covered with two coats of polyurethane. This time we were prepared, having purchased a box of the charcoal “just in case.” He died of natural causes at age 15. Shoulda named him “Lucky.” Merry Christmas from our house to yours and best wishes for a joyful, uneventful holiday!

  11. Well, I’m just glad chocolate is not toxic to humans, although sometimes after a big breakfast of chocolate ganache cake it feels like it is. Poor Byron. I’m glad he is fine now!! What a scare.
    I wish you the very best during these holidays with lots of good food, laughter, and maybe even some cool new clothes. x

  12. MIL watched her golden retriever staggering and weaving across the lawn one Christmas season. Called the vet, told him what the dog had eaten (stollen rising on the counter); vet laughed and laughed. Said the dog was drunk from the fermentation of the rising yeast. She slept it off and was fine. Many years later, my husband and I came home from Christmas Eve services to find the remnants of a small package my husband had put under the tree…Frango mint chocolates. We had a labrador retriever and a springer spaniel at the time, so we weren’t sure which dog did the deed. But after smelling each dog’s breath for mint, we narrowed it to the springer. On the advice of the vet, we gave him salt to make him vomit. He didn’t but he was fine. (I think large dogs can tolerate chocolate, especially milk chocolate, better than small guys like Byron. But, never a good idea to feed it to them. Did you know grapes are bad for dogs, too?)

  13. Christmas has to be one of the most popular times of year for dogs getting a hold of chocolate. I remember when I was a kid I left one of those giant Tootsie Rolls out and of course my dog found it and ate the whole thing. Fortunately she didn’t get sick or anything but that’s the day I learned about how you’re not supposed to let dogs have chocolate!

  14. I have a sweet little Cavie as well and I adore your description of the “treat seeking missile”. Buddy performs an elaborate happy dance whenever he anticipates a treat.

  15. Oh, so glad he’s okay. Here’s to a relaxing rest of the holidays for you and your family–and a very peaceful new year.

  16. What an adorable little thief! Glad he’s okay, sorry about your chocolate (and the vet bill!). Have a wonderful holiday season, and all the best to you and your family in 2016.