Normy Update

Norm is at home resting and watching a Harry Potter marathon. He did well through the night and had no additional complications, other than his high blood pressure burst a lot of the blood vessels around his eyes, so they are very red. They said he even ate well last night, which is surprising and positive. He's licking at the area they shaved on his arm, but hadn't yet destroyed his bandage, so he must be pretty out of it still.

We need to watch him closely for the next 12 hours before we can be sure he's out of the woods on the chocolate toxicity front. His heart rate is down, so that's good, but there is still risk of damage to the kidneys and liver. Hubby is home with him for some quiet time while I'm at work and my first day of class.

Norm was still very wobbly and sedated this morning, but definitely cuddly and seemed happy to be home. He's clearly tired and I suspect he'll sleep most of the day. He's being incredibly affectionate and snugly.

My carpets look pretty rough - they were essentially doused with chocolate sauce, and even after a night of "OxyClean"-ing, they still look pretty awful. There's one on each floor of the house - so this could be tricky.

The emergency vet we went to was really great. First we called our normal vet, St. Francis Animal & Bird Hospital, and their after hours message referred us to St. Paul Animal Emergency Clinic. They were really great about everything. I think there's a lot of guilt when your pet gets sick/hurt, and you go through a lot of "should have/would have" situations, but they don't blame you at all - they gave great care, and were very reassuring - especially since I was an emotional mess. They were clear about the costs and presented them in a straightforward and honest way - we were given a minimum and a maximum range, had to pay a deposit of the minimum and be prepared for the maximum - but luckily it really was in the lower range.

And hopefully Normy will be okay. There is some risk of additional complications which would arise in the week following a chocolate overdose - but we'll take those as they come.

This was a really interesting learning experience for our family. My dog has always been one to find and steal food, and with the variety of things he's eaten, we laughed off his "iron gut." But just because they haven't gotten sick YET, doesn't mean they are immune.

I learned the warning signs of chocolate toxicity - excessive panting, hyperactivity, and vomiting (especially vomiting chocolate I guess), among others. I know anyone who knows Norm is laughing at the hyperactivity - but it's relative. He was actually very sluggish but clearly uncomfortable and trying to get cool by laying on the basement floor far away from us. That's when I googled the symptoms, and while I was on the computer he started throwing up and we called the vet immediately.

At the vet, we had to decide on an advanced health care directive for our dog. I'd never even thought of this before, but when you go to an emergency vet you have to decide if your dog is DNR, or if you want CPR. CPR is a base fee of a few hundred dollars, + around $25 per minute. Beyond that, fewer than 1 in 4 dogs with CPR have a positive outcome, and of them, none are ever the same. They gave us information and time to think about it. It was a tough decision, but we had to check one box or the other.

I also learned that even though we didn't *THINK* Norm could get up into my craft room with it's closed door and full flight of unappealing steps, he apparently can and does - and that means a lock will be installed on that door shortly. The dangers of crafting don't just affect the crafter.

I would have quite enjoyed a Harry Potter marathon today myself, but I'm starting a class in my new Direct Marketing Certificate Program and can't miss it, so I'm just going to power through on adrenaline and caffeine. Hopefully tonight will be less eventful.

Thanks for all the support and good wishes.