(The pack on our way to the Ranch- Sheba is the blonde!)
It was a normal Friday night and I was just about to leave the house to meet my hubby for a late dinner at Joey's. The pooches went out to our backyard for once last potty and playtime before I left. When I called them in, Sheba didn't follow my "wait" command- she just barged right into the house, running around like a maniac. She started running around the living room with her face on the ground and her rear up. I told her she was silly, and assumed that perhaps she was excited from an especially fun playtime outside. Then she started frantically licking her nether region, ran around, then she started scratching her nose, then she she ran around...you get the picture- doggy behaving very strangely.I got on the phone with my husband, Eli. "I don't think I can leave to meet you just yet- Sheba's acting really wierd and I can't figure out what wrong...," I said. He replied, "What do you mean? What is she doing?". "Well...," I started looking around for her to give a better visual description of what was happening, and then I saw her. "Oh my gosh! oh my gosh! she's swelling up, she's swelling up everywhere. I need to find the Benedryl NOW!" I put down the phone and began to claw through my medicine cabinet in a frenzy. Sheba's face was swollen to three times it's size and it became appearant to me that I needed to get her to the emergency vet immediately- faster than I'd be able to locate my Benedryl.
We ran to the car and began our drive to Animal Emergency East...I was watching Sheba in my rear-view mirror and she just kept swelling larger, her panting became shallow. My thoughts were racing. If I pull over and give her CPR, she'll still keep swelling. No, we have to get the vet as quickly as possible. Just get there Alisa, just get there. We sped into the parking lot at full speed. I had taken off her collar due to the swelling so I wrapped her leash around her nack and we ran inside.
The contrast between the calm of the office and my complete and utter panic was palpable. "Hi, how can I help you today?" I was handed a clipboard. "This is Sheba, I called you on the way, she's, she's having some kind of allergic reaction," the doctor walked up mid-sentence. "Oh she's a little swollen...do you mind if I take her back for a few injections while you fill out that form?" "Listen, I know you don't know my dog, but that's three times her normal face and she's extremely swollen..." "Yes, I see. Can I take her back right now while you fill out the form?" the doctor asked again, in a slightly less patient voice than the last time. "Yes, Please. Now." I replied. Boy they don't seem to be taking this seriously, I thought. They are way too calm to be taking this seriously.
As I filled out her intake form the doctor came back out. She had given Sheba cortizone and benedryl injections to stop the process. It turns out she took it very seriously, but didn't want to heighten my obvious state of panic. She began to inquire what Sheba had gotten into. I told her she'd simply gotten into our backyard! She expressed extreme concern. "Her swelling is so extreme and so generalized- and it's a good thing you got her here as quickly as you did, because that swelling eventually goes to the lungs..." a few hours after her injections, Sheba's swelling had stopped increasing, but had not begun to go down as quickly as it should have. We agreed to keep her there for medication and observation overnight.
The next morning I went to pick up my pumpkin who was still quite puffy, but much improved. The vet told us that they had no idea what caused this reaction, but from this day forward we are to carry Benedryl and Prednizone everywhere Sheba goes. "now that you know she's capable of having this type of a massive inflamitory reaction, you need to have these meds on you at all times. If this starts again, give her one of these, two of those, and get her into the vet asap".
Before this event, 5.5 year old Sheba had never had an inflamitory allergic reaction. To this day, we still have no idea what in our backyard caused her reaction. It could have killed her had I ignored her strange behavior and just left for dinner. There are three takeaway lessons for every pet owner here:
1. Be aware of, and sensitive to, strange behavior from your animal. Just because you can't tell what's wrong doesn't mean nothing is wrong. I'm guessing you'd rather be our a vet bill than lose your beloved pet.
2. Always have Benedryl on hand in case your pet has a massive allergic reaction- and "on hand" means somewhere you can find it in 30 seconds or less! It could save their life. Call you vet for dosage recommendations specific to your animal's weight and breed should a massive attack occur.
3. Just because your dog has lived with you for several years without a massive allergic reaction doesn't mean they can't have one in the future- and the threat can literally be in your own backyard! Be prepared- not only with Benedryl, but with the location and phone number of your local emergecy vet on hand- I shudder to think what would have happened had I not lived 5 minutes from the emergency vet, known almost exactly where they were located, and had their phone number ready to get directions while I drove there (it's funny how panic clouds the mind). There was no time for Google Maps.
Sheba is all better now, and she and I hope that you and your pet never have to experience the fear and discomfort we did. But if you do, now you can be prepared. Your pet will thank you for it.
AB
