I had a pretty big scare this week. If you follow me on Facebook you know that my baby girl, Drusilla, has been very sick. What started out as an upset stomach turned into a life threatening problem.
It started on Saturday night with a little upset stomach, but quickly turned very bad. By Monday morning she was unable to keep anything in her stomach, had stopped eating, dropped a pound, and had become very dehydrated. At first I thought she had eaten a piece of my yarn or embroidery thread and it had gotten wrapped around her intestines, but after several x-rays, blood work, and other various tests it looked more likely that she had been poisoned.
Drusilla had to have her neck shaved for her IV. Poor little girl. (Sorry for the blurry pic. Drusilla kept moving around so I would rub her head.)
I do not keep anything in my house that could potentially poison cats, no living plants, chocolate, coffee. . . I wracked my brain trying to think how this could have happened, and then I remembered I had done yard work Saturday afternoon. I have deduced that I must have stepped in either rat poison, fire ant pellets, or bug spray from my neighbor’s yard and carried it inside on the bottom of my shoes.
I think the only thing that saved her life was that we had rain the night before and the grass was wet. Whatever I brought in was diluted enough that it just made her very sick, but it didn’t cause her seizures or damage her organs.
I never in a million years would have ever thought this could happen, especially in my cat proof house, but I thought I’d share this with all of you, especially those of you who have indoor pets. We try to keep our animals sheltered from the outside, but in this case, the outside still made its way inside. From now on when I cut the grass I will be kicking off my shoes before walking in the house. I will also make a point of washing my hands before touching either one of the girls or any of their toys, bowls, etc.
If you are interested in finding information on potential poisons in and around your home, the ASPCA has a great page full of information. You can find it here. You can also request a free poison control magnet, here. I have already ordered mine. I hope I will never have to use it!
The good news is Drusilla is getting better every day. She is eating and drinking again and even played a little with Daphne last night. I am so happy! And Daphne has been a great little sister, laying beside Drusilla and licking her head. Such good girls!!!
Oh no, Missie! I'm glad to hear she is getting better. I can only imagine how scared you both were.
Oh no, Missie! I'm glad to hear she is getting better. I can only imagine how scared you both were.
Poor girl. 🙁 I saw some of the comments but missed the whole story. Man, I'm really glad she's recovering.
that's so scary! glad she is on the mend.
Oh no! That is terrifying! My neighbors poisons our yard and once I found him outside doing the same to my yard…where I let my animals play (supervised)! I asked him not to do it again but now I'll be extra vigilant about not tracking through his lawn. Thanks so much for the PSA. What a nightmare. Extra hugs to you and Drusilla!