Sunday, September 15, 2013

Scary Sunday

Everything's okay now. But earlier today, it was not.

Mom gives us a rib bone after we get our nails trimmed. She buys a rack of ribs that most people would barbecue and cuts in the meaty area between the bones. She freezes them then gives them to us frozen after nail grinding.

We were all gnawing happily on our bones, us in our crates and Isabelle on her bed. Mom stepped outside to check on the laundry. Then she heard us barking our heads off. If one of us loses our bone through the wires of the crate, we carry on. But it's usually just the one of us. A little voice in mom's head said that she should check.

When she came back in, Isabelle was laying on her side with the bone halfway down her throat, blocking her airway. Her tongue had turned completely gray, an indicator that she was getting no oxygen. She was twitching her legs, her eyes were open and her body was stiff.

Naturally, mom took the bone out right away. Isabelle's was mostly meat which is probably why it lodged in her throat so easily. It took a few horrifying seconds, but she started breathing on her own. Once mom saw that, she ran to get the oxygen tank.

Again, mom made a mistake. She kept the oxygen tank dismantled (there's three pieces to make it work) to make sure it didn't leak oxygen. We have gas for heating and cooking so mom was afraid that a leak would catch fire. She couldn't find the one piece that turned the oxygen on for 20 minutes.

By this point, Isabelle was up and walking around. Her tongue was no longer gray, and she could walk without stumbling. Despite that, mom gave her some oxygen anyway until her tongue was bright pink.

She's napping now. Oxygen makes her uber-relaxed then sleepy. Her throat is probably sore so mom gave her some honey to soothe it.
You can see her pink tongue a little
The lessons here? Never leave your dog with a bone. Mom knows better, but she did it anyway. She won't do it again. And if you have something like oxygen or an epi-pen or some other life saving thing, for pug's sake, make sure it's available to use. If Isabelle's life depended on that oxygen, she wouldn't have made it. Now, the tank is all put together except the key that turns on the oxygen. It is tied with a ribbon to the tank so it won't get lost again.

Mom always wondered if we would alert her that something was happening. This time at least, we did. Mom likes to think that we were calling for help, but she figures that in reality, we weren't. We aren't exactly known for being helpful where Isabelle is concerned. No matter the reason, at least we did make a big enough of a fuss that Isabelle was saved.

So learn from mom's mistakes. Never leave your dog unattended with a bone or chew that can be swallowed. Keep your emergency stuff ready. And hug your guys a little tighter tonight.


14 comments:

  1. Oh Goodness, I can't imagine how scary that must have been. So glad Isabelle is OK
    hugs
    Bailey, Hazel & Greta

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  2. OMG!!!!!! I am so sorry what a terribly scary thing to have happen!! I'm so glad this ended OK in the end, it was scary to read and I can only imagine how your mama felt while it was happening I'm sure she was on the verge of a heart attack but she took action! Douglas is known for trying to swallow bones whole so he doesn't get the chance to try anymore with those kinds of treats, he just can't control himself. I'm thinking it may be a Pug thing! Sending lots of love and hugs to you guys tonight.

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  3. how horrifying. thank goodness her sisters sounded the alert, and that she's ok. thanks for sharing the warning -- I'd argue it's not a story of a pug mama mistake rather than a pug mama successful rescue! our pugs will be getting extra firm snuggles tonight. give a kiss to isabelle for us.

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  4. How terrifying. Thank goodness Isabelle is ok. We are never allowed bones like that cause our mouths are larger than our throats and we try to swallow everything. Mom saved my Lily once from a rawhide. Ugh
    Benny & Lily

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  5. How scary, a very good reminder. I have to seperate mine for bones so we do one bone at a time and we dont get as many bones as we would like becasue of the needs for supervision. so glad isabella is ok

    urban hounds

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  6. My heart is racing just reading this..girls thank you for barking! Oh we hope Isabelle enjoys her post crazy oxygen nap she deserves it. Sending hugs.

    Jenn and the girls

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  7. Its hard as a Mom to make a mistake but its brave to share it with others so it doesn't happen to them!! Thank you for sharing this story with us, we are so thankful Isabelle is okay!!!!
    Hugs a bunch!
    Stella Rose

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  8. How very scary for everyone!!!! Glad she is okay!

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  9. IZZLE BIZZLE! i'm so glad she is ok! no pug parent is infallible and i'm just glad you were quick thinking and were able to save her. *big hugs*

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  10. oh thats really scary!

    Stop on by for a visit
    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

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  11. that was soooo very scary!!! oh gosh- so glad everything is okay.
    Thank you for the well wishes and love you have been sending to me while I am recooping from my back surgerys.
    love
    tweedles

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  12. I am so thankful that Isabelle is ok. I know Gampy wishes he could give her some love right now. :-)
    Love,
    Christy

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  13. I came to check on you again-- being thankful your okay- and to say once again- thank you for all the well wishes for me to get betters.
    love
    tweedles

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  14. Oh my gosh - that was a scary story! I'm so glad it had a happy ending though. I hope you are feeling better Isabelle. It's hard for us pugs to take our time with special treats, we just want to gobble everything down - often without chewing. It was very kind of your sisters to alert your Mom and it sounded like her quick action of removing the bone saved the day. Thank you for sharing with us.

    -Love,
    Sid.

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