Never underestimate your pet’s smarts

Whether they’re people or pets, there’s nothing new about curious youngsters getting into mischief.  Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s adorable, and sometimes it’s just messy.  Sometimes, though, the slightest bit of mischief can lead to real danger. 

Augustus, an 8-month-old mixed-breed puppy, had matured enough to understand most of his boundaries.  He knew where he should not go, what he should not do, and how to use cuteness as a potential get-out-of-jail-free card.  But it turned out Augustus was clever enough to find his way around one rule he had never broken before.  He thought something on a countertop had potential for some new entertainment, so he helped himself.  His naughtiness bought him a ride straight to Greendale Village Vet.

“When Augustus came in, the owner said his little guy had been lethargic, and he had been vomiting and shaking,” said Dr. Kathy Passinault.  “His owner assumed some piece of a chewed up baseball cap he had found was now residing in the young dog’s stomach or intestinal tract.”

During the exam, Augustus was agitated, his hackles were raised, and he was barking more than what was usual for him. “He also had dilated pupils, was uncoordinated, and he goose-stepped with all four legs,” Passinault said.  “When he tried to lay down to relax, his muscles twitched.”

When bloodwork came back normal, and an x-ray showed there were no foreign objects making their way through his body, Passinault concluded Augustus must have ingested something toxic.  The owner, however, was fairly sure he could not have found or reached anything he shouldn’t have.

If toxic poisoning wasn’t the trouble, then, they needed to take the next steps toward figuring out whether there was some other condition at play.  Maybe Augustus had a neurologic or congenital abnormality.  Maybe he was developing a seizure disorder.

Passinault consulted Dr. Adam Moeser, a board-certified veterinary neurologist in Mequon.  During their discussion, the two doctors decided to try medication as a first line of treatment for what they thought was a developing neurological-related condition.  “We chose a combination of a muscle relaxant and gabapentin to help with sedation and perhaps forestall a seizure if there was that kind of neurological condition at play.”

As it turned out, that plan wouldn’t be necessary after all.  When the owner got Augustus home, ready to start the new treatment, he discovered his good boy had been not so good.  Unbeknownst to the owner, the pup had figured out how to grab something from a counter.  He had either never done that before or never been caught, but the wee rascal had figured out how to grab his new medication – Prozac – and ate the whole prescription.