An Epilogue to Christmas
Source: North San Diego's The Paper
We had a great Christmas at our house on Christmas Eve.
Evelyn had her two sons and their families visiting. Was pleased to see Marty, Evelyn's youngest son, his girl friend, Kim, and Klyde, their dog.
Several years ago Klyde was a mal-treated, abandoned dog that Marty learned about and agreed to take in to his home. They have become inseparable. Mutual love and admiration. Marty is a quiet guy, not given to showing much emotion.
But I knew full well that he had just gone through emotional hell.
I learned only on Christmas Eve, to my great shock, that Klyde had gotten into some snail-bait while accompanying Marty on one of his landscaping assignments.
He became violently ill. Difficulty in breathing, convulsions, a variety of serious symptoms. At first, they thought Klyde was having an epileptic seizure . . . he suffers from epilepsy but is easily controlled with regular medication. Soon, however, they realized it was something more serious.
To their great credit, Marty and Kim narrowed down what happened to the fact that Klyde had gone nosing around in the dirt around some plants and gobbled up some snailbait; deadly poison!
Fortunately, they located California Veterinary Specialists in Carlsbad, a stateof- the-art urgent care facility for pets. They have 32 total vets within their organization, 11 in their Carlsbad facility alone. Dr. Todd Bowdre attended Klyde.
Following a quick consultation, Marty agreed to go forward and the vets went to work. Intubation, IV's, stomach pumping, the whole nine yards. It was painful to watch Klyde suffering . . . and painful to watch him endure the medical procedures necessary to save his life. But it worked!
Watching Klyde play with our pups on Christmas Eve, you would never have imagined how close to death he had come, just a few weeks earlier.
You see, we've grown rather fond of Klyde as well. My two (pups) love to play with him and he loves to wrestle and growl with them. They're like a threesome of little kids (though Klyde is around nine years old; our two girls are both about two and a half years old). Seeing Klyde healthy and active just made for a more Merry Christmas than usual.
Having discussed this event with several friends, I received the following message from long time friend, Sid Colquitt: "I can share Marty's pain over Klyde. I had an even worse experience in which "T.J," our family pet, died on Easter morning from ingesting snail bait that my wife admonished me not to use. There is no more horrible feeling than to feel responsible for your dog's death especially one which for the dog is so agonizing and so unnecessary. Happy to hear that Klyde is OK."
In talking to the vets recently, they tell me that snail bait is commonly applied this time of year . . . it needs to be stored safely and pets need to be kept away from areas where it has been applied. Copntaining metaltahide, a deadly poison, it is the most common reason for accidentally poisoning a dog. Within four hours of ingestion, the dog will die. Symptoms include drooling, muscle tremors, fevers, vomiting . . . shutting down of the nervous system . . . it is, essentially, a neurotoxin.
I never knew about snail bait and the danger it poses to dogs. I did, however, know of the tremendous asset we have in North San Diego County with wonderful Urgen Care Centers that can save our dogs lives. California Veterinary Specialists in Carlsbad was there when needed and for that, we are grateful. So is Klyde.
