Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to study extra about me and my 5 humorous canine, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.
Before there was Kodah, Ned & Fred, there was Remus, the Irish Wolfhound. And what Remus lacked in brains, he made up for in sweetness and measurement. He was a dopey, lolloping large who by no means appeared to know why he couldn’t sit on our laps, or why everybody was all the time yelling at him to cease blocking the TV.
His 3-foot-long tail had the power and diameter of the metal cables on a suspension bridge, and he would wag that factor like a whip, leaving bruises on legs, dents in door frames (significantly), and automobiles overturned in its wake (I may be exaggerating on that final one).
Unfortunately for everybody concerned, Remus additionally had a delicate abdomen.
You can in all probability think about how a lot meals a 160 lb canine consumes in a day. Now think about how a lot it value to feed our lovable behemoth on a premium, hypoallergenic food regimen. Add on the obscene value of his pet insurance coverage, and you’ve got one very costly canine. But I suppose if we averaged his bills over his weight, he in all probability value as a lot per pound as one of many Chihuahuas – it’s all about perspective. And apart from, he was price each penny…more often than not.
Then there was the night time that I’d have accepted 5 bucks for him. Heck, I’d have paid you 5 bucks to take him. The night time that may perpetually be often known as “Code Brown In The Bedroom.”
Code Brown In The Bedroom
It began out as a pleasing, uneventful night. We’d taken the canine for a run within the woods, after which my husband and I went out for a meal at our favourite Italian restaurant. He had the spaghetti gamberoni, I had the vegetable calzone. As we drove residence, the style of raspberry panna cotta and limoncello on our lips, we had no concept of the horror that lurked behind our entrance door.
The very first thing to hit us was the odor. All ideas of the epicureal delights of the night have been forgotten, and of their place was a horribly acquainted olfactory presence. We each labored in a veterinary apply, we had a canine with a dodgy abdomen, and we knew what had occurred. And but, there was nonetheless a tiny a part of me that hoped it was simply fuel. That tiny glimmer of hope was dashed once I noticed a murky brown puddle in the midst of the kitchen.
“Phew” I mentioned, “At least it’s on a tough ground.”
Little did I do know that this was simply the tip of the fecal iceberg.
My nostril twitched as I ventured additional into the home, because the odor was getting worse, not higher. Our two Labradors, Poppy and Bailey, have been huddled collectively on the couch, tails wagging and eyes stuffed with fear. As I entered the bed room I noticed two issues that have been misplaced. The first was one other steaming pile of manure on the carpet, and the second was Remus, curled up on our mattress; he by no means sleeps on our mattress.
As he lifted his huge head, his enormous tail gave a hesitant twitch, and that’s once I noticed it. The remainder of the iceberg. But in fact, it wasn’t actually an iceberg. It was an unlimited puddle of diarrhea that had seemingly poured from our gargantuan canine’s rectum like a river bursting by floodgates.
Let that sink in for a second. Sink in just like the liters of watery feces that have been soaking into my mattress.
Containing The Toxic Spill
I’d like to let you know that my first thought was Remus’s wellbeing – our poor boy having endured such a torrent of fluid exiting his physique. I’d like to say that I rushed to his facet to ensure he was okay, not dehydrated or in ache, however no. My first thought was that I simply needed to mild a match and stroll away.
My second thought was about how I might get Remus away from bed with out additional spreading the brown flood that was slowly soaking by my favourite quilt cowl. Remus had the form of cheerful disposition that meant a glance in his course or the usage of his title would start his tail wagging, a tail that was now partially coated in one thing that regarded like, however wasn’t thick, brown mud.
“Oh s**t” got here my husband’s apt evaluation of the state of affairs.
We fastidiously coaxed Remus away from bed, me holding the top of his tail as my husband slowly led him towards the closest exit. We would sic the backyard hose onto him later.
(Remus was fantastic, by the way in which. No dehydration; simply flatulence and embarrassment.)
Pulling on some rubber gloves, I fastidiously folded the perimeters of the quilt and sheets as much as comprise the worst of the deluge whereas husband handled the fecal landmines on the ground. There was no saving the bedclothes. The mattress, nonetheless, can be one other story.
As I stared on the moist, brown stain in the midst of our mattress, tears started rolling down my cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” requested my husband, ever sympathetic.
“Why aren’t you?” I cried, pointing angrily on the mattress that we had bought solely two months prior. “I’m fairly certain this may void our 100-day free trial.”
Operation Cleanup
It was now 10:30 pm, and my husband positioned a determined name to our native grocery store, which employed out wet-vac machines, and blessedly stayed open till 11. Unfortunately, their solely machine was being repaired.
So we set to work: soak, spray, sponge, repeat.
After two hours, the stain was wanting barely extra beige than brown, however the odor lingered on.
We slept within the spare room that night time (and for a number of nights after), whereas Remus, having been bathed and given one thing to settle his intestine, slept within the laundry room.
The subsequent morning I hit the outlets to restock our provide of bleach, laundry detergent, fabric deodorizers, and every little thing else we had used up the earlier night time, whereas my husband went to type out a wet-vac. As the bored lady on the checkout scanned my ludicrous provide of cleansing merchandise, I felt compelled to inform her what had occurred.
She stopped mid-scan, regarded me within the eye, and positioned a hand on my arm.
“I’m so sorry.” She spoke with such real sympathy, and I can let you know, I’ve by no means felt extra heard and validated, earlier than or since, than in that second.
Do You Have A Dog With A Dodgy Tummy?
If you might have a dog with a sensitive gut, don’t wait to have an epic diarrhea story smash your yr. Talk to your vet and begin the method of diagnosing the issue. It may be a medical challenge or a meals sensitivity that may be managed with medicine or food regimen change.
Even canine with well-controlled gastrointestinal points can have the occasional flare-up, so it’s price having a couple of issues readily available that can assist you by a code brown emergency:
- Medication – speak to your vet about retaining an emergency provide of anti-diarrhea medicine at residence.
- Bland food regimen – relying on what triggers your canine, it’s price retaining some frozen hen or fish within the freezer which you can boil to give your dog some bland meals.
- Get a mattress protector – though Remus is unfortunately not with us, I all the time preserve a water-proof mattress protector on our beds, simply in case!
- Invest in a wet-vac – this has been among the finest issues we’ve purchased to maintain our home clear with a whole lot of pets.
- Cleaning provides – preserve some gloves within the cabinet, and ensure you have a high quality cleaner for arduous surfaces, material, and carpet, that neutralizes pet odors.
If you might have a doggy diarrhea story that rivals mine, I’d love to listen to it! Perhaps we might begin a assist group…
