Call of the day: Home tips for glass shard ingestion

by | Wednesday | September 23, 2009 | 25 comments

This call came in after I was gone for the day.

Receptionist: Hello, how may I help you?

Person: My dog ate some glass. What should I do?

Receptionist: You should go to the emergency room immediately. Do you have the number?

Person: Actually, I was researching it on the web and it said just to give cotton balls and metamucil. I was wondering if there was anything else I can give at home. ….bread….?

Receptionist: I don’t have any recommendations for at home remedies for your dog swallowing glass. My recommendation is to go to the vet.

Person: Why would I do that? What could possibly happen?

Receptionist: …..he could have shards of glass migrating through his internal organs?

Person: Oh. So nothing other than the cotton balls, eh?

I would have had a few suggestions, but I doubt they would be what she wanted to hear. I realize upon reflection that I am halfway through the metamorphosis into my father, crotchety and all. I realize the net is rife with such tricks and tips (I’ve also seen instructions for do-it-yourself bloat kits you can assemble at the Home Depot- shudder), but asking me to help you do it is like asking Martha Stewart how to frost a Duncan Hines cake with canned frosting. Try calling your pediatrician and asking the same question- I doubt “cotton balls” will figure anywhere in the answer.

Filed: Daily Life
  • Lisa

    If the owner wasn’t such an idiot, and if I didn’t feel so sorry for the dog, this would be funny. Yeah, that’s what just I’d do if my dog ate glass, just feed him cotton balls and Metamucil – NOT! Poor doggy, to be saddled with such an owner…

  • http://www.kimchicrafts.com kimchi

    OMG! that really is unbelievable. what would the owner do if he himself ate glass?!
    ugh…that poor dog…he deserves a better human…

  • Tanja

    Ha,ha,ha,ha,……sorry. But is sounds like my day at the pharmacy. The owner must be one of my clients, poor dog…

  • Kim

    Glass? Glass? I get not wanting to go for the piece of Halloween candy the dog took off the table, but glass is something entirely different.

  • http://lab-mom.blogspot.com/ Elizabeth

    I understand people want to try and save money on veterinary bills where they can but lets get real here, the dog swallowed glass.
    There is lots of good information on the net but there is so much really bad stuff out there too and for whatever reason some people can’t seem to tell the difference.
    Check out this garbage.. I know people who have fallen for some of this trash, don’t ask me why… well stupid comes quickly to mind..

    http://addisonsdiseasebreakthroughs.com/
    http://www.parvovirusbreakthroughs.com/

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      WOW. That junk was not only incompehensible, it never even said anything. What a tool. It would be funny if he weren’t putting pets’ lives at risk.

      ” But, unlike your vet… I’m not going to waste your time with a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo that’s hard to understand.”

      Right, that medicine is such a pain. You’re going to waste their time with a bunch of random hooey that lines your pockets at the expense of the lives of pets of well meaning owners. Who is this Michael Dole person anyway?

      • Kristie

        That’s just crazy. And sad.

    • wikith

      ” I guarantee if you follow all of the the advice in this next book, your dog will live at least an extra 3-5 years.
      But, how can I make such an outrages claim?”
      Probably because it would be impossible to prove one way or the other. “Hey, my dog would have lived to 12 without the book, it only got him to 14!”

      • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

        This guy is amazing. What a talent.

  • Megan

    Wooow Elizabeth… Heck, I should just stop telling people to hospitalize their puppies for parvo when they come in and refer them to that parvo website. OBVIOUSLY I’m overcharging for my services, and shoving “electrolytes” down a vomiting puppy’s throat will miraculously cure their parvo for $37 and a trip to the grocery store… I’m in the wrong business, apparently ;)

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Dear Michael:
      I would love to know a $30 cure for a white blood cell count of 1 and sloughed intestines. Please, enlighten me. If you really cared about pets you would make this miracle public instead of making poor owners who can’t shell out money for treatment, shell it out on your piece of garbage book.

      • Megan

        Amen. Oh, and don’t forget the tea. Apparently we should be giving all parvo puppies herbal tea as well. Screw plasma transfusions ;)

      • Megan

        A quick Google search of “Michael Dole” came up with another vet blog. I especially love the comment section.

        http://www.zimbio.com/Veterinary+Medicine/articles/22/Michael+Dole+ultimate+charlatan

        Also, I believe this is the document you are paying $37 dollars for:
        http://parvovirusbreakthroughs.com/Document.pdf

        If only treating parvo were so easy. I love the disclaimer too.

        • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

          I am FOAMING reading that. FOAMING.

          “Since tamiflu isn’t widely known, your best bet is to call around some of the vets in your area and ASK if they would be willing to prescribe the treatment for your dog. If they say “well I dont know, why dont you bring
          your dog in and well see” chances are they are just trying to waste your time and money.”

  • http://lab-mom.blogspot.com/ Elizabeth

    This guy has a website for just about any disease you can imagine. I have no idea why anyone bothers to go to Veterinary school I mean he has all the answers…
    Michael Dole is an idiot and dangerous. It’s hard to believe that anyone falls for his stuff but they do. I have an Addisonian Dogs and belong to a Yahoo Support Group ( I know more dreaded internet Veterinary info ) and we get people who come and ask us about his book etc.. Fortunately they are asking, but what about the ones that don’t…
    Here is a link to another rant about him.
    http://webdvm.blogspot.com/2008/11/michael-dole-ultimate-charlatan.html

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      UGH. I wonder if Michael Dole is the anonymous commenter. lol.

      There are thousands of homeopathic vets out there these days and might I suggest them as a perfectly good alternative to this whackadoo for those interested in doing a more holistic approach.

  • http://yahoo Jeannette Shaw

    That poor dog,needs new owners.Any idiot that would try and treat themselves,shoul’d'nt be able too own a dog or cat.

  • lolly

    I cant wait til Vets and Dentists put their services on SALE like everyone ELSE!
    If you go in for a simple procedure there is no reason to take 1000 dollar Xrtays..
    Also,.there are many cat and dog rescue groups rescuing many animals ..
    Why dont you rich vets donate your services to THEM, or some quality food instead of calling every pet owner who isnt a member of the “lucky sperm club..(ie..BORN RICH and Daddy sent me to Vet SChool”)..irresponsible..not being filthy rich DOESNT MEAN the rest of us dont CARE about our pet..
    Maturity is “Dpoing the best you can with what you have”..not just using the perfect machines and staff ..there I wanted to get that off my chest..many Proffessionals are ELITIST AND CONDESCENDING!”

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      I’m truly sorry you feel that way about vets.

    • Gretchen

      And many professionals are not.

      It is irresponsible not to get treatment for something so serious. Treatment costs, yes, but if you refuse to spend the money to get any, then you should not own pets or have children.

    • macula_densa

      Wow. I regret to inform you that you have a very incorrect view of the vast majority of our profession. =/ I happen to be a veterinarian who donates mountains of her time to a local rescue group for free. Dr. V also donates her time to local rescue groups. In my own case, I can assure you I am not rich and am, in fact, struggling to make ends meet as my husband has been unemployed for 3 months. In addition, I have over $100,000 of student loans from veterinary school. Unlike M.D.’s, we are not able to re-coup our losses from a very expensive training program quickly, because on average, vets make considerably less money than human doctors. Reason for this include a) many clients are not willing to spend the money that they would on a human being and b) most people do not have insurance to help foot the bills that can otherwise be very expensive. I think what many people do not understand is that X-rays, other diagnostics, and treatments in general are expensive and cost *US* money. Most of us cannot afford to mark those things up very much, or else clients would never be willing to pay for them. But then, we are not making much money from having them available, either.

      I hope you reconsider your feelings about veterinarians. There might be some rich vets out there, but as a profession the vast majority of us do not fit that description and entered into it because we loved both animals and people. It becomes very frustrating when money becomes a limitation, because we want to make animals better, but we get caught between a rock and a hard place because this is our profession, and it’s how we work to feed ourselves.

    • Lionesse

      I can’t wait until people finally wake up and realize that if they cannot afford medical treatment, food, etc for a pet – THEY SHOULD NOT GET ONE. Period.

      I’ve had cats all of my life. Been to many vets as I’ve moved around the country. I’ve never encountered anyone with an elitist attitude. I’ve also never encountered a vet who would not work with me on a payment plan.

    • Chile

      If you can’t afford the vet, you can’t afford the pet.

      Man…I got the bum deal in the “lucky sperm club.” I’m gonna go talk to my parents about why I’m only an artist and not a vet. Damn.

  • elephant

    Lolly, you clearly haven’t read much of this blog. Dr. V discusses exactly the kind of donation you’re talking about, including volunteering both her services and soliciting food donations for pets in need from reputable companies.

    If vets wanted to be rich, they would have gone to med school and become plastic surgeons. They didn’t. They’re in it for love of animals, and I have never met one who is elitist or condescending, certainly not Dr. V.

  • http://casacaudill.typepad.com casacaudill

    Lolly – if you can’t afford to properly care for your pet (and that includes the price to keep them well and treat them when they are unwell) you should not have pets.