He ate a dead mouse...
 

Charlie found a dead mouse in the backyard last Sunday and he ate it before we could take it from him. I've been worried ever since but every body kept telling me ''he was going to pass it'' so I just waited.

When I came home from work today (2 days after eating Mickey Mouse), I found a little spot of vomit next to his kennel but no trace of the dead mouse in it.

But tonight, he threw up again, a LOT more. I could not look because that stuff bothers me a lot and I haven't had supper tonight yet. So I asked my fiancé to pick it up and try to see if there was anything other than food in it and he said there was a tail and about half a dead mouse

Should I still call my vet tomorrow and ask if there is anything more we can do or is it over??? I do give him a deworming pill each month so I'll make sure he gets it at the end of the week.

WORRIED...!

Yes, definitely call your vet. I don't want to make you panic but, if the mouse's death was caused by poisoning, Charlie could become fatally ill. He needs to be seen by a vet.

OMG I never thought about that!!! :eek::eek: There is a pet emergency clinic but they closed 2 hours ago and won't be open until tomorrow morning...

What worries me even more is that Charlie normally follows me every where but he has been laying on my bed for almost an hour now. I even went downstairs to ask my fiancé to come take a look at him and he was surprized that I made it all the way there and Charlie did not follow me.

I won't be able to sleep tonight that's for sure... What am I gonna do!!!

How much does Charlie weigh now? It takes much more poison to kill a dog in good health than it takes to kill a mouse, so even if the mouse ingested poison, likely it didn't get a large enough dose to kill Charlie if Charlie weighs significantly more. Right now he may just have a case of gastritis from eating a decaying mouse.

Does the pet emergency clinic have a 24-hour number to call? Sometimes they have an answering service that will page a vet for you. They can give you a better idea of whether Charlie needs to be seen right away or if tomorrow is soon enough.

Meanwhile, make sure he drinks plenty--vomiting can dehydrate a dog quickly, especially if he develops diarrhea as well. And give the clinic a call--if they truly are an emergency clinic, they'll likely have an emergency answering service. :fingerscr

You could give him Chicken Bouillion mixed with water. It acts like electrolytes that would give him strength. :thumbs up

Mix 2 chicken bouillions to 1 cup hot water until dissolved then stir in 1 cup of cold water. I also throw a couple of ice cubes in the mix to cool it quicker and give some fun.

Good luck LoveCharlie! :grouphug: Please keep us posted! :thumbs up

Charlie weighs about 26-27 pounds and he is almost 10 months.

After I posted last night, he threw up again. About 5 times. I decided to let him sleep at our feet on the bed because I wanted to keep an eye on him. At 4 am I took him to his kennel because I wanted to sleep.

When I took him outside to do his morning business, he threw up again but it was just like saliva with a lot of bubbles. Not quite like foam but almost.

I will take him to see his normal vet at noon today just to make sure there is nothing stuck inside of him. I was so scared last night, at one point, I thought he was unconscious.

:fingerscrthat little Charlie will be ok,it's soooo like Cockers to eat anything they see:yell:

Poor you. :grouphug: Poor Charlie too of course. It sounds like he is on the mend though. :fingerscr:goodvibes:

[QUOTE=chico2;908128]:fingerscrthat little Charlie will be ok,it's soooo like Cockers to eat anything they see:yell:[/QUOTE]

ditto Chico2 , the cocker we had when I was a kid loved to eat dead frogs at our cottage :yuck:

Poor Charlie , mice carries lots of yucky stuff , mostly worms , and if it died from poisoning , Charlie will be sick and may need something from the vte to help him with this. Good luck !

I took Charlie to the vet and she said she could not feel anything wrong by feeling his belly/stomach but she was concerned by how dehydrated he is. So she kept him for the afternoon. He will have X-rays done, fluids put back in his little body. He went from 26.8 pounds to 24.8 pounds in 2 days.

I am waiting for a phone call from the vet to find out about the X-rays. She also said she was going to give some meds to take at home.

Oh my nerves!!!

ohhh good luck with the results :goodvibes: :fingerscr

Oh no, poor Charlie. Hopefully, his throwing up was just a reaction to eating something he's not used to. My guess is he threw up so much because his body was just rejecting something it felt wasn't good for him. Hopefully, you'll get a call soon from the bet telling you he'll be okay.:pray:

I am sure he'll be fine,Cockers have iron-tummies..
Bailey a couple of years ago ate THREE 1Lb easter choclate-bunnies,she was so sick,had pooped and vomited all over their kitchen,when I came to get her.
She had to have her stomach pumped,but recovered very quickly,I am sure Charlie will too.
I don't know if he is anything like Bailey,but I always have to watch so she does not eat anything off the street.
:grouphug:to Charlie and you.

[QUOTE]How much does Charlie weigh now? It takes much more poison to kill a dog in good health than it takes to kill a mouse, so even if the mouse ingested poison, likely it didn't get a large enough dose to kill Charlie if Charlie weighs significantly more. Right now he may just have a case of gastritis from eating a decaying mouse.
[/QUOTE]

It depends on the poison. Because of Wally and Roscoe I started reading about it and there are a few really nasty poisons, though not real common, that a mouse could ingest and the secondary poisoning would kill a small or medium sized dog. Though those poisons usually show pretty immediate side effects, so I wouldn't be too worried about that in this case. As long as he's getting fluids and under vet care he should be fine.

We picked up Charlie on the way home from work. He is doing so much better, the difference is like night and day :lightbulb:.

I was very impressed with the technique they use to get fluids back in his little body: they injected the fluids just under the skin on the back of his neck/shoulders. And they gave him a lot because I can see it, it looks swollen but the vet tech said it should be gone by tomorrow.

He has to take Pepcid AC as well as some other medication (anti-nausea) for the next 2 days. The hardest part is no eating and no drinking until tomorrow.

Overall, it's a very happy ending. She did warn me that the X-rays showed A LOT of gas in his intestines :laughing: so maybe we will have to stay away from him for a few days.

Good news! :highfive: Just keep an eye on Charlie with the gas. If he seems like he is in a lot of discomfort I would be heading back to the vet. It may be a good idea when he starts eating again to start him off with some bland rice and boiled chicken for the first day or two. You may also want to get him some probiotics at a health food store.

[QUOTE=14+kitties;908343]It may be a good idea when he starts eating again to start him off with some bland rice and boiled chicken for the first day or two. You may also want to get him some probiotics at a health food store.[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what the vet suggested (boiled rice and ground beef). I can tell Charlie is very thirsty, I took him outside on a leash and he was licking the grass (it rained today).

Hopefully he will back to his old self by the end of the weekend.

[QUOTE=LoveCharlie;908365]This is exactly what the vet suggested (boiled rice and ground beef). I can tell Charlie is very thirsty, I took him outside on a leash and he was licking the grass (it rained today).

Hopefully he will back to his old self by the end of the weekend.[/QUOTE]

You should boil the ground beef and skim off the fat. When our puppers had upset stomaches, I have always used 1 pound of boiled hamburg to 2 cups of instant rice but divided this quantity into 3 days worth.

1st day-straight beef/rice (1 cup morning/1 cup night)
2nd day-straight beef/rice (morning) but reduce to 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup normal food for dinner feeding
3rd day- 1/2 cup beef/rice + 1/2 cup normal food (both morning/dinner meals)
4th day- back on regular food.

This method has always worked in the past when my little guys have had upset tummies. The chicken buillion recipe also complimented the feeding change too. :thumbs up

Good luck LoveCharlie and please keep us posted! :grouphug:

I often boil up chicken pieces and save the broth afterward--the deboned chicken is a good bland protein and the broth encourages them to drink. Also you don't have to worry about added salt in your home-made broth. :thumbs up

He may develop diarrhea soon as the irritation moves down his intestine. Fluid intake will be even more important if that happens!

Quick recovery for you, little Charlie!!! :goodvibes:

You can substitute smashed potatoes ~ skins and all ~ for rice if preferred.

How is Charlie doing this morning? :fingerscr :goodvibes:

You can skim off the fat, or you can just buy the leanest ground beef you can find. Lamb is lean but it's WAY expensive. Chicken, like hazel mentioned, is just fine also. If you remove the skin you don't have to worry about the fat.
Actually ground venison is a really good substitute for ground beef if you have any or can get some.

Glad to hear charlie is doing well :thumbs up

Charlie is doing much better this morning. His energy level is still not what it normally is but his stomach has been empty since Tuesday evening, I don't blame him for laying low.

Thanks to all for inquiring about his health. This week has been very hard and I am glad we are all doing better.

Glad to hear he's doing better ! :thumbs up

Yay, Charlie!! :goodvibes: Hope you're back to your old self again quickly!

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][COLOR="Blue"]Just a quick update on my boy Charlie. He is doing so much better that he was able to go play with his friends at the dog park this evening for 15-20 minutes. We did not stay long because I know he should be resting.

He started eating some of his normal food today too and he hasn't thrown up since Wednesday noon at the vet's office. He is a little skinny though. He is still taking the Pepcid AC and the other medicine the vet prescribed for him.

:highfive:[/COLOR][/FONT]

Glad to hear he's feeling so much better! :goodvibes:

[QUOTE=LoveCharlie;908342]We picked up Charlie on the way home from work. He is doing so much better, the difference is like night and day :lightbulb:.

I was very impressed with the technique they use to get fluids back in his little body: they injected the fluids just under the skin on the back of his neck/shoulders. And they gave him a lot because I can see it, it looks swollen but the vet tech said it should be gone by tomorrow.

He has to take Pepcid AC as well as some other medication (anti-nausea) for the next 2 days. The hardest part is no eating and no drinking until tomorrow.

Overall, it's a very happy ending. She did warn me that the X-rays showed A LOT of gas in his intestines :laughing: so maybe we will have to stay away from him for a few days.[/QUOTE]

Did the vet happen to test for poisoning because the mouse was dead?

I'm glad to hear that Charlie is feeling better, I hope he recovers fully soon. :grouphug: