Question:
My mom's 13(or 14)-year old German Shepherd passed away last night. In the previous 12 hours before so, she began drooling and spitting up foamy saliva. She was frail and elderly with drooping back and some loss of mobility in her hind legs. Other than that, she had been doing well. In recent weeks, her diet had changed to canned puppy food (to add weight) and Purina JM (Joint Mobility) to help her get around. She had also been put on Dexamethasone. The only thing different that we have knowledge of is that approx. 24 hours prior, she did get hold of a SOS type cleaning pad and started to chew on it before it was taken away from her. I did a search and could only find a few listings saying that other dogs had chewed or digested a cleaning pad and there was no mention of it being toxic/leathal. We were wondering if this encounter with the cleaning product could have been fatal or if it may have been a seizure, etc. (just her time to go).

She was being treated by our local vet and I will call them Monday, but was wondering if anyone would like to share their insight on the possibilities regarding the symptoms preceding her death. (We felt there was no need to call the vet over the weekend, as nothing will bring her back now.) She was so sweet and we will miss her dearly.

Answer:
Could have been poisioning, seizure ( brought on by toxicity of the SOS pad) or many other things. The only way you will ever know for sure is to have a necropsy preformed.

Sorry to hear of your loss

Answer:
Only an autopsy will tell you what killed your dog ~ what a useless and sad way to die.

Answer:
I looked up the ingredients in SOS pads and it is basically soap. I copy/pasted this from their site:

II Health Hazard Data III Hazardous Ingredients Contact with eyes may produce irritation and redness. If ingested, gastric irritation and nausea/vomiting are possible. FIRST AID: EYE CONTACT: Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for 15 minutes. If irritation persists, call a physician. SKIN CONTACT: Remove contaminated clothing. Flush skin with water. If irritation persists, call physician. INGESTION: Soap - Drink a glassful of water to dilute. Steel wool pad - immediately contact a physician or call Poison Control Center. This product is not hazardous as defined by 29 CFR Part 1910.1200 (OSHA) None of the ingredients in this product is on the IARC, NTP, or OSHA carcinogen list.

Answer:
I'm really sorry about the loss of your dog. Fourteen is a good age for a shepherd, and I really wouldn't beat yourself up over the soap pad. Sometimes things happen that are just beyond our control. I had a Yorkie once who had what the vet called a 'cerebral' incident during the night, and had to be put to sleep. For a long time after I felt guilty about not being there during the night to help him, etc., etc It's better for you to try to remember the loving times you had with your dog and all the good things you did for him, rather than one incident about a (probably harmless) soap pad.

Answer:
Well, agree about not beating yourself up, since you have no way of knowing and the dog has passed (RIP). But I'm sorry, I don't understand why you didn't see this as an emergency, which it was.

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I'm curious why your mum or yourself didn't think the drooling and the spitting up of foamy saliva after 12 hours wasn't an emergency? It would be a serious sign that something is wrong regardless of the S.O.S. pad. Her health was already compromised and even if the pad was not a lethal dose of chemicals it's possible she was having a reaction to it. It sounds like she had some good times prior to this sad ending and you were doing all you could for her other health conditions, no doubt you both loved her very much. These types of things sometimes happen and as horribly painful as they are all we can do is learn from them.

Answer:
Yeah, the drooling and all that was probably nausea as a result from the toxins in the pads... Not sure it would have killed a healthy dog, but being more frail already probably lessened her chances.

Now you know, I guess, if it ever happens again, you have to run to the vet asap.

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