Any situation you
consider an emergency, you should first contact your veterinarian or pet
care specialist. Since time can be of the essence when your
pet ingests broken glass or other sharp items, you should print this out and
ask your veterinarian his opinion of it BEFORE the need to use
it arises. That way, IF
or WHEN your pet does get into trouble, you will be prepared.
COTTON BALL REMEDY
What do you do if your puppy (or mischievous older
dog) gets into your holiday decorations and eats some of the glass
ornaments? This potentially lethal mishap can darken even the brightest
holiday season.
THE PROCEDURE
BEFORE the holiday go to a pharmacy and buy a box
of cotton balls. Be sure that you get COTTON balls...not the cosmetic puffs
that are made from man-made fibers. Also, buy a quart of cream and put it in
the freezer. Should your dog eat glass ornaments. Defrost the cream and pour
some in a bowl. Dip cotton balls into the cream and feed them to your dog.
Dogs under 10 lbs should eat 2 balls which you have first torn into smaller
pieces. Dogs 10-50 lbs should eat 3-5 balls and larger dogs should eat
5-7. You may feed larger dogs an entire cotton ball at once.
Dogs seem to really like these strange treats and eat them readily.
As the cotton works its way through the digestive tract it should find all
the glass pieces and wrap itself around them. Even the teeniest shards
of glass should be caught and wrapped in the cotton fibers and the cotton
will protect the intestines from damage by the glass. Your dog's
stools will be really weird for a few days and you will have to be careful
to check for fresh blood or a tarry appearance to the stool.
If either of the latter symptoms appear, you should
rush your dog to the vet for a checkup but, in most cases, the dogs will be
just fine.