Monday, November 19, 2012

Do Not Eat

So, my lovely Elka. My mostly well behaved dog? Yeah, she tried to give me a heart attack the other day.

We got an item in the mail that must have had one of those silica gel packets in it. I didn't see the packet when I opened the package.

I did, however, see it when I found it chewed open on the couch when we left her alone in the house for like, fifteen minutes. Little bead looking things everywhere. Torn paper.




I picked it up, and immediately called the vet. Elka was still dancing around in her "yay, you're home!" fervor. 

I laid it out for the person who answered the phone, she asked how big Elka was, then asked if she was in their system. Then she said "Oh, the Dobie." I said "Yes, the Dobie," impatient but starting to be hopeful. The person who'd answered the phone sounded somewhat amused. "We just went through this not too long ago with somebody else," she said. "I think she'll be all right, but hold on, let me make sure." I waited on hold for what seemed like an interminable amount of time but was really less than a minute. When she came back on, she said "Yes, she'll be fine. I asked a tech, who also asked a vet, and there's nothing to worry about with her size."

Of course, it could be that Miss Elka never ingested any of it at all, just chewed on the paper. I'll never know. This was Friday, and she's been fine since, behaviorally and gastrointestinally. But when something says "Do Not Eat", I tend to think it's for some dark reason. According to the Wikipedia article (the hallmark for good solid online medical research, I know /sarcasm), "Silica gel is non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-reactive and stable with ordinary usage." However, it does also say "Silica gel is irritating to the respiratory tract and may cause irritation of the digestive tract", which is in fact a valid reason not to eat the things (do you hear this, Elka? Hmm, Missy?). 


(NaNoWriMo wordcount is 40,136 words)





40 comments:

  1. ooh elka you naughty girl, you cant scare your mum like that! Try stealing her dinner off her lap instead, that will be safer he he!

    Charlene and Stormy
    xxx

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    1. At least I know what's in my dinner (and it is typically Elka friendly)!

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  2. BOl sounds like something I would do!
    Glad Elka's OK

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    1. It was a tremendous relief to me when the receptionist laughed just a little.

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  3. Bet that was scary. Glad to hear it seems to be OK. I bet she thought it was a treat wrapped and left just for her. Then when she opened it, it was like...yuck!

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    1. My heart just dropped when I saw that stuff on the couch.

      I'm not really sure why she likes paper; she'll chew up the occasional paper towel as well. We just try to be vigilant!

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  4. Glad Elka is none the worse for her snack attack. Have a lovely Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  5. Good grief Elka! That would have given me a fright too. Glad there haven't been any bad signs.

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    1. Yes, we were profoundly relieved when the vet's office said it was all right, and there was no digestive anything. Unlike the time she decided to eat the sweet chili sauce package....

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  6. Mom hates this silica monsters. The small packets are everywhere... on,in,at all things. I'm glad Elka is well - those silica gel packets came out from the deepest hell :o)

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  7. Oooo, scary. That's when you really wish dogs could talk.

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    1. Really, really wish that Elka could talk sometimes! I think it would really solve some of the mystery around here.

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  8. Anyone who could read "Do not eat" wouldn't eat it. But children and dogs try to eat anything.

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    1. That's it! I just need to teach Elka how to read ;) (Or, y'know, scour the house for inedibles before we leave it. Whichever.)

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  9. Oh my goodness! I would have freaked out too! I am glad she is ok - phew. That could have been ugly.

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    1. I was expecting, at the very least, some kind of hideous gastrointestinal eruption in a few hours. But no. Thankfully!

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  10. Trying not to laugh, cause Leroy has eaten those before too. and I felt the same way as you!

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  11. Oh Elka! You little mischief maker! I'm glad she is okay, but I sure would have freaked out too!

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    1. Looking back, it was kind of funny, as she was dancing around all happy like that we'd come home, and my fiance and I both being all "Elka, just stay still. Calm down. Just stay right here." As I'm calling the vet.

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  12. Oh Elka, it's not nice to scare your humans! LOL I had a dog once who ate 3 pounds of chocolates...she had to climb up on a bureau, rip open a shopping then tear open the plastic sealed boxes to get at them...I thought for sure she was gonna be a goner. That dog never even had a tummy ache or diarrhea or anything! (But she never did get into another box of chocolates!)

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    1. Holy smokes, 3 pounds of chocolates?! Clearly that dog had super powers!

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  13. Oh dear! Don't tell Ma, butts that is exactly somethings I would do!! And, yes, Ma has thought about what would happen if I did, and none of it was pretty! Glad Elka is okay!! And, now, Ma doesn't have to be too freaked out by those evil packets!

    Kisses,
    Ruby

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    1. Yes, at least it's a learning experience for others!

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  14. We are glad Elka is ok!
    Kaiser has scared me a few times too.
    Silly Dobies! =)

    Have a nice week!

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    1. Yes, I guess some people call them "Dobergoats". With good reason, it would seem....

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  15. Just one more excellent reason to have a big dog. They need to eat a lot to be poisoned. :)

    Glad she's feeling ok. I certainly know how scared you must have been. I had a scary moment with some rat poison that I didn't think the dogs had gotten into but couldn't be sure.

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    1. I know, right? YOu always hear about the absolute no no items, but they're thankfully tempered by body weight a lot of the time.

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  16. Oh Elka...you goose! I'm so glad she's OK!

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  17. I'm glad it all turned out okay and she didn't get sick! And thanks for satisfying my curiosity about what's inside those little packets!

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    1. Hey, education, that's what I'm here for ;)

      It is a relief that she was just fine.

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  18. Oh my gosh, I remember my frantic calls to the vet, glad she didn't ingest any!

    You are kicking butt on your word count, you are about double what I have. Good for you!! How do you like the way it's progressing?

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    1. I guess they have to have a good sense of humor at the vet's!

      I think I took a little too long with my exposition stuff, and I'm still not sure if my story is going to finish out in the 50k, but I'm definitely going to "win" this year, at the very least!

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  19. You're a better dog owner than I am. Silas ate one of them out of his freeze dried liver. I shrugged. "He'll throw it up, or he won't." I think, though, that the dog treats used a charcoal desiccant rather than silica.

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    1. Oh yes, I think the thingers that are in actual food are probably non toxic, just not very palatable. Isn't little Silas very food sensitive? I'm surprised that even the charcoal stuff didn't bother him.

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