The morning croissant run. Young foals penned with their mothers on the rich grass down by the stream . Some sleeping, some grazing. All legs and innocence.
In the little market town another 'antiques' market. What time must these people get up ? It's barely gone seven and already trestle tables are beginning to line the street. A coachload of Belgian tourists doing some pre-breakfast bargain hunting. The term ' antique ' once again proving to have a different meaning in France. Bob eyes up a rather frightening doll that looks as though it's had a long career in 'C' list horror movies. We move on. A hat stall with a large pile of black berets. '' Very popular " says the owner clearly hoping Angus might buy one.
Midnight. Sophie gives us a scare. Bob barks. Not his usual ' let's party ' bark. A ' you'd better get down here quickly ' bark. Sophie's not well. She can't stand,has become separated from her dinner, and is trembling. A quick dash to the vet. She's eaten a poisonous toad. Two injections. One to deal with the venom, another to deal with the shock. This morning she's as right as rain. Has anyone else noticed how dogs are always taken ill late at night, at weekends, or on national holidays ? Once again we're thankful for the kindness and dedication of a slightly bleary eyed vet.
38 comments:
Thank God, Sophie is alright! Petey had his gall bladder removed ten days ago and it was always at night when he would act strangely, sending me into a full-blown panic attack.
Oh no, poor Sophie. Give her lots of hugs from me. (Although she might think it very strange, you giving her hugs from someone she has never met or heard of. It's the thought that counts).
Wow you have some nasty things to deal with over there... toads, caterpillars, ticks! SO glad she is ok.
Thank goodness for the bleary-eyed vet and a double thank goodness that Sophie is okay.
I walk my garden twice a day to check for anything that may harm Brownie.
We have cane toads here, and they are poisonous too. Whenever I see them, I get rid of them. I almost lost one of my dogs to one of these creatures years ago. He ended up at the vet for two days on a drip, since he had ingested a fair amount of the toxins from the frog. What a scare that was.
Sophie is a trooper, give her a tub of yogurt and a tummy rub from us here.
As for The Bride of Chucky doll, I have no words.
little gal - glad you are well again ---- bacetti da Susanne, Daisy and Kirilirli
I am so relieved that she is OK. Bless Bob for being such a good boy. I can feel the tension already setting in as I am about to transport Merlin.
Your vet is a gem. I do hope ours will be as good.
x
Here they are not called antiques markets but flea markets and anything and everything is sold.
I'm so glad that Sophie is okay, and you were able to reach your vet! We have the same kinds of toads here that live in our yard. Last year Todd bit one and had a horrible reaction. We got them all out of our fenced yard, but they found their way back, and so we are 'relocating' them. Todd is still very interested in them, as I imagine Sophie will continue to be too.
Oh my goodness, so glad Sophie is ok. I used to think it was funny that our dogs would "toad hunt" at dusk in Texas until I found out poisonous toads could kill them :( Isn't it funny how we can "read" our dogs' barks - you really can! Bob is the hero here :)
Oh poor little Sophie. Her brother is a good first responder. I'm glad things turned out OK. If our local experiences with porcupines hold true, this unfortunate incident won't keep her away from toads. Maybe you need a honey badger down by the stream.
Poor Sophie!! Glad Bob alerted you! I had no idea there were poisonous toads in your area. I hope both dogs will take note and stay away from the dratted things!
Total agreement about the creepy doll!
I have noticed that dogs are never sick at convenient times. Perhaps vets should change their hours of operation accordingly! I'm glad Sophie is okay. Hopefully, she'll stay away from the toads from now on!
I think Bob was right to eye that doll with suspicion...
You're right. 90% of barks can be ignored . We've learnt the 'there's a hedgehog outside' ones and can safely ignore them. Some barks howver are enough to get me out of bed.
Seems like Friday , Saturday and Sunday nights and Bank Holidays would catch 99% of illnesses !
The vet also helpfully reminds us to watch out for Asiatic Frellons and snakes. In Scotland there was just the rain !
The French seem to be pretty good at producing great vets . The worst we ever had was in Scotland - man who shouted at animals if they were nervous. Digby promptly wet the floor. We were told we should never come again. The font told him he could be sure we wouldn't.
You are so lucky to be able to get a vet too see you at such a late hour. I don't think we would fare so well here in Derbyshire.
Glad Sophie can put the experience behind her ....wonder if she will know to leave them alone now ?!
Leave them alone ? Not words that PON's would understand !
Whew! A night like that is never easy; we are so glad all is good. (Thanks to Big Brother)
Take care and have a more restful day today.
Your Pal,
Yogi
Our dog stole some cooked chicken off the counter on Saturday at noon. We were awakened at 1AM with dog having diarrhea. Thank goodness for doggie kaopectate. Glad Sophie is better. Good boy Bob!
so relieved that wee sophie is fine again. frightening in the extreme.
i remember when todd at golden pines tried to eat the toad. you'd think nature could have made them smell repulsive or something... to warn little curious puppies!
good boy bob! the valiant lad.
i never liked dolls. too creepy for words.
Very glad Sophie is OK. But since dogs don't seem to learn to stay away from skunks, toads are likely the same.
OK, so you passed on the doll, but surely you snapped up that very smart fishing creel. No?
Such a scare. So grateful all is okay!
Bob's wise to stick to toad in the hole
We have large poisonous buffo toads too...a constant worry during the rainy season...June to November. Just Harry likes to tease the tiny nonpoisonous toads on the golf course...and so far we've had no sad events such as you had with Sophie. Will she remember? I doubt it. Every morning Jakey can't resist a few nips of the dewy grass. Every morning a few seconds later his tummy roils and we have to stop while he spits it back up. Eleven and a half years...one would think memory would finally make an appearance.
Scritches to the intrepid Sophie and her first responder, Bob.
Poor Sophie! Things always happen in the middle of the night either with pets or small children! Glad she is okay now. Keep away from poisonous toads!
The doll is positively creepy.
Much better than toad on the hoof !
Poor Sophie! I'm pleased to read that she is on the mend. No more toads!
Shocked to read this, but so happy Sophie is okay. Yes, they always take ill at the most difficult of times, but we love them no less!
Thank doG Sophie is okay! What a scary experience!
Love ya lots♥
Mitch and Molly
Never ill during the week! Hope Sophie has learned about toads.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
I'm so glad that the vet could fix the problem. We had a toad incident a long time ago, and I learned that some of those venoms are fatal. I'm so glad that Sophie is okay, and that Bob woke you up!
Bart was bitten by another dog at 5:30 pm, just as the vet was closing. It's a natural law.
Zach always managed to become sick, injured on Friday nights of a long weekend. He was bit by a spider on Sat afternoon, just after the vet closed. And the signs of liver failure that started on a Saturday, just as a hurricane was bearing down on the coast. Luckily, our vet is in the 24 hour practice !! Unluckily, emergency prices go into effect after normal hours.
Oh I am so so glad that Sophie is right as rain today. Bob really did save her, it doesn't sound like she was in any state to bark and alert you herself. Shudder to even think of the possibility of her suffering all night. But of course Knight in Shining Armour Big Bro knew to call for you.
Off to look up Asiatic Frellon . . .
I'm so glad Sophie is feeling better. And you're 100% correct about the midnight/weekend vet visits!
Oh yes! My dogs also fall ill on major holidays, late in the evening or on a Sunday. OR - this is our specialty - when I'm about to travel away for several days. That is when, if nothing else happens, The Mop will for sure develop a very achy ear infection. She can do it in seconds.
Last time I traveled away was one of the most challenging ones so far: my old blind PON Miklos got a very bad swollen and sore paw, it was caused either by a poisonous snake bite or a tumor or a foreign object still inside the foot; and The Mop broke a big tooth deep inside the mouth, the one that needs to be surgically cut all the way to the cheek bone to remove it, and as a heart patient no ordinary vet will anesthetize her and the university hospital dentist department is on summer holiday. Happy travelling for me in two days.
We have some slightly poisonous toads here, too. So far some of my dogs have only licked them or picked them up and then quickly spat away because of the bad taste. Afterwards they drool for a long time. I'm very glad Sophie survived her adventure with the toads. Hope she learns her lesson.
I am most sorry for Sophie's sick reaction to her toad, I am just a little envious of the vet you have who will wake up in the night to care for her. I can't even imagine being able to get ahold of a vet here after dark, fortunately I don't know of much that is poisonous that Stella would find to eat either. We hope Ms. Sophie stays well and well away from these creatures!
Cheers,
Jo
Thank goodness Sophie is feeling better after her toad experience. We have these large poisonous toads here as well and not only are they toxic, their skin excretes a powerful hallucinogenic ( leading to the local urban legends about toad licking). News shows feature veterinarians speaking about the potential dangers of ingestion. All the vets are in agreement that most dogs never learn from their toad poisoning experience. Most vets have seen several repeat offenders. They suggest keeping dogs on leashes whilst using the yard in the evening hours during toad season. Give our girl a hug and kiss from us.
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