Question:
I am 17 years old and my black lab Zulu is only 3 ½ years old and we just took him to the vet Saturday evening, the 28th. We noticed that he was hyper salivating, had uncontrollable trembling, he couldn’t walk or even stand up. We rushed him to a hospital and when the vet first saw him, was in shock how bad of condition he was in, and rushed him to the back room. We learned later that what must have happened was he ingested some sort of toxin.

While in the hospital he went through the worst of his sickness. Constant seizers, vomiting, he couldn’t control his bowels so he was pooping and peeing all over the place, hyper salivating, and trembling. He has gotten a little better, and by that I mean he is able to wait until outside to pee, and he isn’t vomiting as much any more. However he is still having seizures, and he can’t walk, let alone stand up; which is extremely sad because he is a very active pup.

Our dilemma is that the hospital bill is racking up, and the expenses are through the roof. I think for the hospitality and medication right now, it’s around 6,000 dollars. I see little or no progress in his health from this toxin, yet the vet assures us that as soon as it is metabolized, he will be perfectly fine. We want him to get better, yet we might have to take him home today. If there is any insight you all might have on this topic, or clues to what he might have gotten into, that would be amazing. Also what would you do?

Answer:
Well I don't know what he could have gotten into....did you see him eat anything? Was he around something that may have been dangerous....could he have gotten into something...

But as for what I would do, without a doubt I would pay whatever it would take to ensure that he gets the help he needs.

Answer:
If the diagnosies was gloomy,he would not get better,it would be a different story.
However since the vet believes he will be cleared of the toxins eventually and be able to live a normal happy life,I would do everything possible for him.
Good Luck to your pooch and you

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^Yeah that's what I would like to do, except my parents are paying the bill. And we have no idea what he got into. The vet listed off possible explanations yet nothing was remotely possible given where he was on Saturday.

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I understand your parents,it's a lot of money,but the $6.000 already spent would be for naught,if they give up now...maybe it's only uphill for now
Maybe you can promise to do chores,lots of them,as your part of the payment you obviously love your dog..

Answer:
It's only been three days! If he got into something poisonous - and such an abrupt, devastating reaction points that way - his body needs time to recover. The vet has reassured you. Bring him home, give him short walks, lots of rest, good food and love, that is your assignment. There is no way of knowing how long the effects will last, so try not to freak out if he isn't the same old Zulu a week from now, just take it day by day.
And scour your house and yard for anything unusual he could have ingested. Anti-freeze (cats love the taste, not sure about dogs), poisons your parents or neighbours are using in the yard, cleaning products, medication that has been thrown away where he could reach it. Labs are all mouth, gotta watch them.
Let us know how he does, OK?

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I have been through this only my boy was not so lucky he did not make it. It does sound like a rat poison. But if your guy has made it through the last few days you should be very hopeful. Please stick it out he is through the worst of the poisoning and will start to get better everyday as the toxins come out of his system. If they have spent so much money already what is a bit more. I know easy to say but it would be like throwing the money out when things look like they are turning around. Good luck and keep us posted.

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I agree with the others. The worst is over and the vet is optimistic that Zulu will have a full recovery. Just follow the vet's advice on what to do when you get him home. Good luck and keep us posted.

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Don't worry, he'll be fine!
My lab has gone through the same a while back when he was 1 yr old. He had all the symptoms your pup had except seizures. But his mouth was swollen. He visited the emergency clinic in the middle of the night, his reg vet the next day for other symptoms and followed up with an ultra sound for liver damage. My vet bill was a lot less and I was lucky to have health insurance for him.
If he is ready to go home, you may want to keep him on special gastro formula can food for a week. I agree with the other poster said, "labs are all mouths". At one point, I was considering a muzzle for his walk. Now I use a Halti on him and it helps. If he picks up anything, I just tighten the leash and the Halti will close up on him. This gives me time to check his mouth before he swallows the object.

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Just wanted to send some hugs and good vibes your way .

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I'm very sorry you are going through this, my best wishes for Zulu to make a complete recovery.

For the financial aspect, I agree completely with the other's thoughts.
Your vet has given assurances, your dog's prognosis is optimistic.
This is a big bill and getting bigger, I understand the concerns.

But if you were to give up treatment for this reason, I believe there would be deep and lasting regrets
To see this through, to give your Zulu every chance, is the right thing to do.

Perhaps you could offer to get a part-time job (when feasible) to help pay back some of the expenses. Or chores, as mentioned, to let your parents know you're willing to help in whatever way you can.


Good luck to your boy, please give us an update on his condition when you can.

Answer:
We did end up bringing Zulu home yesterday around 6:00, and I must say he is doing well. As opposed to Monday, when he couldn't even stand up, we had him walking (slowly) out the front door of the Vet Hopsital. He got home and just crashed on his bed.

Now this morning he is doing much better. He was able to eat a little food, however we did have to hand-feed him water. Now whenever you say his name his tail waggs and his eyes light up. I do see significant improvement, but the doc says he still is prone to seizers. Thanks for all of your support.

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That is good to hear,often beeing back home,away from the stress of the vets can work wonders.
he'll continue to improve

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Glad to hear Zulu is starting to improve. Fingers crossed for a complete recovery.

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That is wonderful news! Thanks for giving us this encouraging update, and my continued good wishes for your Zulu to make a full recovery!
Please keep us posted on his progress, wont you?

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Oh, I agree....please keep us updated on Zulu.

Also, btw.....welcome to the forum and we would love to see pics of Zulu.

Answer:
Zulu is making a great recovery. He is acting almost normally now. He gets up and begs for food when we start cooking, which means he is hungry (like all labs are) and he has the energy to walk around. However one thing that we are worried about is his neck. He is unable to lift his head up to look at you. We were told that this toxin affected his neurological system, and the pain in his neck might have something to do with that. Hopefully in the near future it improves, and all it takes is time for him to be running around again!


PS. If I want to post pics where should I do it?

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When you get to the reply screen - the one I am typing in now - scroll down to 'manage attachments', click, and go from there. Make sure your picture is 75 pixels or less.
Good news about Zulu. Anything to do with the brain or nervous system takes a long time to resolve, because of their complexity. Just take it one day at a time, like Zulu.

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