Escapees March-April 2023

terror. He pinned his ears back and panted rapidly, his mouth agape, teeth showing. His muzzle shook uncontrollably. The vet techs whisked him to the triage room, and his howls, barks and wails alarmed everyone in the waiting room. Dr. Frost came out, her face ashen. “Buddy just had a grand mal seizure.” I gasped and couldn’t breathe. Expensive Intensive Veterinary Care The veterinarian said he needed their high est level of ICU care, which cost $5,000 per day, and he could be there for several days. The numbers didn’t even register in my mind. All that mattered was getting Buddy and our happy lives back to how they had been fi ve hours before. We didn’t hesitate to make a preliminary credit card payment of $7,800 that would cover Buddy’s care until 6:00 p.m. the next day. We could sell things once we got home, if necessary. Images of Buddy fl itted through my mind: our happy-go-lucky little friend trotting around with his tail high; our dear pup playing under the blankets in bed. He was our gentle kindred spirit who loved life and adventure as much as we did. Mark sat on a bench with his head in his hands. The receptionist touched his shoulder and said quietly, “We can bring in a grief counselor for you…” He looked up and shook his head, his face in agony. I couldn’t stop pacing up and down the halls. Treatment and the Possibility of a Di ffi cult Recovery Dr. Frost took us into an exam room and explained that the top priority was to reduce Buddy’s brain swelling. But fi rst, to stop the seizures, they put him in a medically induced coma. Once the seizures ceased, they would give him the anti-brain swelling medication. Eventually, if he survived, they would bring him out of the coma. However, he might have brain damage, be unable to walk, see, hear or smell, or he might even have a changed personality, and it could take days or a week before they could bring him out of the coma safely. Keeping the Faith She sighed and looked at me intently. “There’s not much you can do right now.”

The Dreaded Grand Mal Seizure Not knowing exactly how much poison Buddy had ingested, he was discharged after receiving activated charcoal, and we began our drive home. Suddenly, he became an entirely different animal, straining in my arms. We pulled over and set him on the ground and he collapsed. As we raced back to the hospital, his eyes were wide with

“The vet techs whisked him to the triage room, and his howls, barks and wails alarmed everyone in the waiting room…”

Rat Poison Bromethalin is the active ingredient Tomcat’s rat poison and it has no antidote. Veterinarians nationwide agree that it should never have been approved by the FDA. Pets, wild birds and mammals suffer horrifying deaths from it. The poison bricks are bait, so they smell good and taste

great. When Buddy returned from the hospital, he went straight to his mat and sniffed around for the yummy green treats he’d left there. It is not biodegradable, so bricks long forgotten outside are still lethal for even as long as 10 years later! After the fact, our veterinary team learned that activated charcoal is ineffective for rat poison. Previous types of rat poison were anti-coagulants that caused the animal to bleed to death, and they had a simple antidote: high dose vitamin K. Popular rodent repellents that didn’t work: Leaving the truck hood open, operating a strobe light in the engine compartment 24/7, dryer sheets or Ivory soap. An effective rodent repellent we now use: Balsam fi r oil infused pads placed in the truck cab and engine compartment (we use Fresh Cab brand).

46

ESCAPEES Magazine March/April 2023