Our Grape Ape

Last week we had quite a scare with Wrigs. At some point in the early morning hours, Chumley knocked over a 2 pound container of grapes that were sitting on the kitchen counter. Wrigley ate all of them. When I realized what had happened, I immediately called our vet. They weren't open so I left a message. I didn't feed Wrigley breakfast because I thought he would probably need his stomach pumped. I let him outside and while waiting for him to do his business, I googled a bit on grapes and dogs, knowing they were toxic to some, not all, but that's when I really lost it. The vet called back in minutes and said to bring him in ASAP. They gave him IV fluids to flush his kidneys and fed him charcoal bits to absorb all the toxins from the grapes. He spent the whole day at the hospital. I came home and just cried for hours, not knowing what was going to happen to him. I called to check in on him and he was doing well. His kidney levels were elevated but still within normal range so the vet didn't seem too worried about that. He stayed there several more hours so they could monitor him and then I brought him home, early evening. And he was so weak. 

He would sit up and whine and then lay down and moan. It was so sad to see him so miserable. At one point he buried his head in my armpit and started breathing really heavy and then ran over to the carpet and threw up EVERYWHERE. Let's just say we'll never have light colored carpet in this house (or any house) ever again. And did I mention they fed him lots and lots of charcoal??? I called the vet to let them know he was vomiting and wondered if I should bring him to the EV (Emergency Vet). They said that the vomiting was probably from drinking water, which he did right when he got home, but if he did it again then to bring him to the EV. I set up camp on the couch that night and stayed up watching him sleep, making sure I could see the puffs of his belly as he took each breath. He wasn't feeling so good that night.

The toxins in grapes may or may not show any signs for up to 48 hours so we were not out of the woods yet. The next morning I brought him back to the vet for more blood work. Before we went,  I wanted to stop at our local coffee house first, so he didn't associate every car ride with a vet visit. But he could sense something was up. Especially since people were hugging and loving him and offering treats which he couldn't have and when I explained why they were very concerned. He definitely knew this wasn't our only stop.

After that visit we came home and I was instructed to keep an eye on him and watch for any changes in behavior, appetite, discomfort, etc. I decided I'd use this time to get some Spring cleaning done and when I finished vacuuming I walked in the bedroom and saw the two of them on the bed together. It looked like I interrupted something?? Chumley was very concerned when Wrigley was at the vet the day before, he actually had some sort of an episode, where he flipped out for about a half hour, growling, panting, running and stopping, scratching, biting, it was a bit strange. But he seemed much calmer when Wrigley came home and for the two of them to sit so close together like this, they were definitely communicating.

Saturday morning was the 48 hour mark so we were given the all clear that he should be able to resume normal activity. We were so happy about this. Wrigs rejoiced by grabbing his 2 favorite new toys and posed for this picture. One thing I learned from this experience is if your dog or cat consumes something that is potentially dangerous like grapes (or chocolate, onions, garlic) don't wait for signs to show up. Get them into the vet immediately! By the time symptoms arise, it could be too late.