#10 For the Love of Chocolate and a Dog

Super rough night...On Tuesday Reese made a recipe for a dessert and misread the ingredients...1.5 Cups of cocoa instead of 1.5 tsp...She has been baking since she was 8 so this was not the norm...We baked it anyway...not palatable! On Wed morn Bob said he would throw it to the chickens but I trumped him and said no, I do not think it would be good for them and anyway...Hatteras, our yellow lab female, steals food from the chickens on the regular...I threw it into the trash can( a metal city can with a pedal step to open the top. When we got home from work I did horse chores and Bob did veggies for the chicken dinner that was cooking slowly in the crock pot and finishing off in the oven. I asked him to change the garbage bag because I put the cocoa cake into the can and was nervous that the dogs would get into it. When we leave the house we put the pooches on short leads in a designated "go to bed" spot in the kitchen.We had dinner...watched some tv...I fell asleep finishing up an episode that I missed on Discovery while everyone went to bed...At 1:00 ish I awoke to the dogs not in their "go to bed" spots but free in the kitchen with the garbage can knocked over and most of the cocoa cake eaten ...I panicked!!!! I blamed Bob for not changing the bag!!! I was so angry and frightened...Cocoa is very high in the type of "caffeine" like compound that kills dogs if enough is ingested. I didn't know who ate what and how much...I got out the Hydrogen Peroxide and dosed both dogs twice...I looked up on the internet the dosage...this would induce vomiting...I walked them around the kitchen...nothing!!! I then let them out and watched them to see if either vomited...not the case...I brought them in and discerned from their belly size that Hatteras was the naughty cake stealer...I dosed her again, walked her again, and then I cried and went into the living room to get some pillows and wool blankets...I decided to lie next to her on the kitchen floor and to wait just in-case she threw up...or worse, started to convulse in tremors...She laid so close to me ...it was a one dog night! I cried and prayed that Jesus would save them from the affects of the cocoa and to help Hatteras to vomit...I know it sounds putrid but I was one step from the emergency room trip the Veterinarian's office...I think within 30 seconds of the end of my prayers(I am a former Catholic and current Christian so praying takes awhile)she got up and vomited what looked like could have filled a small kiddy pool...I am sorry this is so graphic but I had to share...So, to summarize...

1. Be certain to keep all chocolate away from your dogs and if they are garbage guts like mine...flush the evidence or bring it out to the "dump can" (preferably lockable)yourself.

2. Hydrogen Peroxide 3% will more than likely work to induce emesis. Please refer to this link for more information: Pet MD

3.It is everyone's job to insure the safety of your children and your pets.

4.Unfortunate things happen to intelligent people with all good intentions...do not play the blame game...instead go into action and solve the problem.

5. Lastly, Do not underestimate the power of prayer...Thank you, Lord Jesus! I know you pulled us through this one!

This morning everyone is doing well...Enjoy your day, be your best, and be kind and forgiving.