oh my god, an episode of e-vet interns, "things pets swollow" helped save my dog

[vet4ever]

ok, so last night mom and i where having some ribs for supper and my mom thaught that as long as we watched her, we would quickly get the bone part away from her. well when mom went to grab it the dog picked it up and swolled it whole. so i am like to my mom "what do we do? she just swolled it!" and she thaught we could waight till morning. but something did not feel right to me. so i went in to my vet mode (fyi- i am not a vet yet. planing on being one). i am certified in pet 1st aid. so i went to get all my emergency vet books. thats when i remembered the episode of " things pets swallow" and remembered the case on the dog that ate 18 pigs ears. i remember the side effects they listed and how serious i could be. so i told mom "MOM WE HAVE TO CALL THE EMERGENCY VET HOSPITAL NOW!!!!!!!!!" because they only have a 2 hr time window before something happens. sure enough, they said to bring her in and they injucted her with some malimorephine(can't spell it!) and she threw it all up. i even got to keep her x-ray! aint that amazing that a show can help in an emergency situation? i think so! what do you all think of what i did?

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[nsdhfk]

Somehow this message was taken out of context based on assumptions that weren't indicated in it...so I deleted it. I was only trying to help.

 

[vet4ever]

FYI: Depending on the size of your dog, 2-5 tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide (regular store brand) will do the same thing as the expensive treatment you went to get. Just put it in your dogs mouth (or inject it), make her/him swallow and in about 2-3 minutes everything will come out the front end.

***Disclaimer: I'm not a vet, only have used this and seen others use it for when their dog ate or drank something that was harmful.

not meaning to sound mean or any thing, but fyi- first of all we did not know where it was sitting! secondly we did not know if it had punctured anything! third of all, I AM ONLY A KID! GIVE ME A BREAK! I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE AND ALL VETS HAVE DIFFRENT TRICKS THAT WORK. THAT ONE JUST DID NOT COME TO MIND! SO MY BAD FOR NOT USING YOUR IDEA! BUT I WOULD RATHER HAVE A DOG THAT I KNOW WILL BE OK!

 

[ri23]

First of all, you asked for an opinion on what you did and someone gave one - don't get so offended!

Secondly - you may want to be careful about recommending things like hydrogen peroxide, I'm sure you probably know this already, but if you ever suggested that to someone or someone read advice like that you could be sued.

 

[vet4ever]

First of all, you asked for an opinion on what you did and someone gave one - don't get so offended!

Secondly - you may want to be careful about recommending things like hydrogen peroxide, I'm sure you probably know this already, but if you ever suggested that to someone or someone read advice like that you could be sued.

i am not mad at what he/she said, just how he/she said it! and yes they should be careful recomanding something like that!

 

[alliecat44]

Also for futher clarification: depending on whether the substance/object ingested is caustic or is very sharp, it could do just as much damage--if not more-on the way back up, so to speak. Hydrogen peroxide is actually contraindicated in those cases. I have seen a dog slough his esophagus after drinking (and subsequently vomiting) bleach. Not a fun way to go.

For a bone ingestion, much depends on the size of the dog, the orientation of the bone, whether there are any sharp edges, and where it is in the GI tract. A radiograph is called for in that situation to make sure that induced vomiting will be safe for that type of case. Otherwise, it could be deadly.

Best to call the emergency vet and/or poison control if it's a chemical. Better safe than sorry to bring the pet in and let the doctor decide.

 

[david594]

i am not mad at what he/she said, just how he/she said it! and yes they should be careful recomanding something like that!

Do you think you could try changing your status on the site? It saying your a Vet student kind of changes the way I(and probabily others) think when I(we) read your posts.

Also, how did they adminster the drug? Very curious as I saw a similiar case a couple days ago.

 

[vet4ever]

Do you think you could try changing your status on the site? It saying your a Vet student kind of changes the way I(and probabily others) think when I(we) read your posts.

Also, how did they adminster the drug? Very curious as I saw a similiar case a couple days ago.

trust me, i have tried! if you know how to change it please let me know! what they did was adminstered and iv sotra thing in the back of her leg!

 

[PiddlingFish]

"my account" ->
"edit profile" ->
"current status"

 

[david594]

Click on the "My Account" at the top of the page, then on the left side under the "Control Panel "heading click "Edit Profile". Under their you can change your status.

 

[CanadianDVM]

ok, so last night mom and i where having some ribs for supper and my mom thaught that as long as we watched her, we would quickly get the bone part away from her. well when mom went to grab it the dog picked it up and swolled it whole. so i am like to my mom "what do we do? she just swolled it!" and she thaught we could waight till morning. but something did not feel right to me. so i went in to my vet mode (fyi- i am not a vet yet. planing on being one). i am certified in pet 1st aid. so i went to get all my emergency vet books. thats when i remembered the episode of " things pets swallow" and remembered the case on the dog that ate 18 pigs ears. i remember the side effects they listed and how serious i could be. so i told mom "MOM WE HAVE TO CALL THE EMERGENCY VET HOSPITAL NOW!!!!!!!!!" because they only have a 2 hr time window before something happens. sure enough, they said to bring her in and they injucted her with some malimorephine(can't spell it!) and she threw it all up. i even got to keep her x-ray! aint that amazing that a show can help in an emergency situation? i think so! what do you all think of what i did?

its interesting they used an injectable proemetic - the usual proemetic of choice is Apomorphine, which comes as a disc which you put in their eye and let it dissolve (unles there is another type of formulation in the states). Further, depending on how big the bone is - a lot of times you would elect to let it pass rather than risk having it lodge in the esophagus on the way up. if it isn't going to leave the stomach through the pylorus, i doubt its leaving through the esophagus - and then you're looking at a gastrotomy. but then again - i could be wrong..........

 

[vet4ever]

its interesting they used an injectable proemetic - the usual proemetic of choice is , which comes as a disc which you put in their eye and let it dissolve (unles there is another type of formulation in the states). Further, depending on how big the bone is - a lot of times you would elect to let it pass rather than risk having it lodge in the esophagus on the way up. if it isn't going to leave the stomach through the pylorus, i doubt its leaving through the esophagus - and then you're looking at a gastrotomy. but then again - i could be wrong..........

well thats what they told us! plus she left with a cute purple bandage! but now she some how got it off! tell me more about this Apomorphine please! it sounds really cool! the bone was about 4 in in length! they let me keep the 2 x rays they got too! which is really coll for me cuz i wanna be a vet some day! i wonder what my bio teacher will think of it when i show him?

 

[david594]

By administering it via the eye you have the benefit of being able to rinse out the remaining apomorphine once the animal has begun to vomit. This way the dogs system is only getting as much apomorphine as is needed to induce vomiting and no extra.

And thanks for updating your profile.

 

[vet4ever]

By administering it via the eye you have the benefit of being able to rinse out the remaining apomorphine once the animal has begun to vomit. This way the dogs system is only getting as much apomorphine as is needed to induce vomiting and no extra.

And thanks for updating your profile.

we don't know if they did any thing else to her because they took her in the back room! but thanks for the compliment!

 

[alliecat44]

FYI regarding apomorphine in the States--it does also come in an injectable formulation. Better, I think, with wiggly patients--but overall, I do prefer being able to rinse it out once the vomiting begins (unless we're talking about tons of chocolate candy or something, in which case we want multiple heave-ho action!). It's nice to have the choice... It's a controlled drug either way, though, of course!

 

[rexosaurus]

so i have some questions about apomorphine too. i used to work at an ER and we only used the injectable form. in fact, i never knew there was this "eye" form? how does it work? it's a disc that you put in the eye? is it the size of the eye or smaller? does it fizz or just dissolve or is it like a capsule? i'm very curious how this other version works. it seems very useful, like several of you said, for a one time vomitus response. just curious!

 

[vet4ever]

so i have some questions about apomorphine too. i used to work at an ER and we only used the injectable form. in fact, i never knew there was this "eye" form? how does it work? it's a disc that you put in the eye? is it the size of the eye or smaller? does it fizz or just dissolve or is it like a capsule? i'm very curious how this other version works. it seems very useful, like several of you said, for a one time vomitus response. just curious!

your not the only one!

 

[alliecat44]

The type of apomorphine that the others are describing is in a tablet form. You hold the animal's eye open, place the tablet (it's thin and pretty small) on the eye, and then hold the eye shut as it dissolves.

It works much faster than the oral version, because it's absorbed directly into the central nervous system, which is where it acts to induce vomiting.

 

[rexosaurus]

your not the only one!

right, but the difference between you and me is that i actually have some experience in the field.

 

[vet4ever]

right, but the difference between you and me is that i actually have some experience in the field.

so true!

 

[ri23]

I've also seen some larger tablets crushed and then the powder placed in the corner of the eye, as alliecat said, it works extremely fast.

 

[pressmom]

I've also seen some larger tablets crushed and then the powder placed in the corner of the eye, as alliecat said, it works extremely fast.

I have seen this too. We used the opthalmic preparation at the first place I worked.

 

[flokemahe]

We used to have apomorphine tablets which we'd either
1) put in the eye, rinse when they were done pukin'
or
2) dissolve in a syringe & give IV
it was the same tablets either way. #2 never seemed terribly sterile to me, but some vets preferred that method because you could control the dose for a smaller animal - ie, you can dissolve the whole tablet, but only give a fraction of it, rather than putting the whole tablet into the eye. My experience with this is that it works just fine, but they can't stop vomiting for a good 15-20 minutes, or whenever they work the drug out of their system. Other vets preferred the eyeball route because you could rinse it out after they'd vomited up the offending item, but smaller animals get a big whompin' dose of drug all at once.

does that clear some things up?

 

[Beagingese]

So basically calling the emergency vet if your dog swallows a large bone is a good idea no matter what...whether or not you saw a TV show.

 

[vet4ever]

So basically calling the emergency vet if your dog swallows a large bone is a good idea no matter what...whether or not you saw a TV show.

SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!

 

[rexosaurus]

We used to have apomorphine tablets which we'd either
1) put in the eye, rinse when they were done pukin'
or
2) dissolve in a syringe & give IV
it was the same tablets either way.

does that clear some things up?

Another question!
If you dissolve a tablet in a syringe and give IV, does that maintain the original dose concentration (i.e. mg/kg, etc) I have been under the impression that drugs are given at different doses when they are intented for different routes, for reasons such that pills dissolve slow(er) in the gut and permeate into the blood stream at a slower rate than an IV bolus. So this method confuses me a bit. (Am I making sense?) But as far as the eye vs. injectable versions, yes, you cleared some things up for me. Thank you

 

[alliecat44]

Excellent questions, rex. To quote Plumb himself: "Apomorphine is slowly absorbed after oral administration and has unpredictable efficacy when given by this route and, therefore, is usually administered parenterally or topically to the eye. When given intravenously in dogs, emesis occurs very rapidly; after IM use,vomiting occurs generally within 5 minutes but may be prolonged. Topical administration to the conjunctival sac is usually effective, but less so than either IV or IM administration...Solutions of apomorphine can be made by solubilizing tablets in at least 1-2ml of either sterile water for injection or 0.9% NaCl for injection. After being sterilized by filtration, the solution is stable for 2 days if protected from light and air and stored in the refrigerator...

[now on to what you're really asking] In dogs, 0.03mg/kg IV or 0.04mg/kg IM; alternatively a portion of tablet may be crushed in a syringe and dissolved with a few drops of water and administered into the conjunctival sac. After sufficient vomiting occurs, rinse conjunctival sac free of unabsorbed apomorphine."

Hope that answers your question. Impossible to be exact with the eye doses, but a drop or two should do the trick--we titrate the dose based on amount of emesis and/or CNS depression (not hard at all).

FWIW, I've never seen it given IM.

 

[ShelterGirl]

Slightly OT - I Plumb's! It's been a HUGE help where I work in dosage calcs!

 

[rexosaurus]

thank you, that helps quite a bit. and yes, plumbs is a genius! "he" helped quite a bit when i worked in an er! on a side note, i too have never seen apomorphine given IM.

 

[bunnygirl]

I have seen it given IM and I would NOT reccomend it. Even after the foreign body was vomited up the dog continued to vomit and dry heave. It was absolutely horrible! It seems to last too long this way.
At least with the tablet in the eye you are able to wash it out....

 

[vet4ever]

Even after the foreign body was vomited up the dog continued to vomit and dry heave.

what is dry heave?

 

[Beagingese]

trying to vomit but not bringing anything up.

 

[vegternarian]

trying to vomit but not bringing anything up.

In my personal opinion, the worst type of heaves.

 

[Cheska]

In my personal opinion, the worst type of heaves.

I would like to confirm the above after a bout of food poisoning this past week.

I loved using the apomorphine via the eye, it was such a smooth process and really cool to watch too. I can't remember why, but the clinic I worked at then couldn't get them in that form anymore after a while.

I do remember dissolving the tablet in saline, then giving it SQ- I wasn't comfortable with that idea because:
1. who knows what is on everyone's hands if they handle the tablets, then you dissolve and inject SQ, or good grief IM or IV- yikes!!!
2. the dry heaving took forever to stop- poor dogs! It is better than dying of organ failure or an obstruction, but I think there are better ways of making them vomit.

 

[vet4ever]

trying to vomit but not bringing anything up.

ooooooo! i so knew that!(just kidding!)