# Morning emergency vet visit... kind of long.



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I posted this yesterday:

"I wish they would howl to wake me up, I like the sound, the chorus of howls. Instead I get various barks and whines which I interpret as:

"I NEED to go out" 

"Let me out FIRST!" 

"I NEED to go out NOW!" 

"If I do not get out, I am going to pee in my crate!" 

"Girl! Get your lazy butt up and let us out! You are going to be late and blame it on us again!" 

"NOW, I Gotta Go NOW!" 

"Mo -o - o - m! She's looking at me!" 

"I'm Hungry!" 

"Shut up you idiots, I am trying to sleep!""

********************************************************

Well, today, I thought they were paying me back for this:

This morning I cannot hope to believe we solved Bear's chewing issue, but I thought I would share...

They woke me up an hour early (about 7) with their whiney barky get up and let me out voices. 

I told them to shut up and went back to sleep. They were pretty insistant and I dug my heels in. I went out there (in the next room where the crates are) when they were quiet. It was 8:37. (I try not to reward them for bad behavior.)

Well the moment I entered the room, there was Bear with a marrow bone stuck around her lower mouth. She became frantic, and I could tell that her muzzle was bleeding. Feeling awful, but realizing this would take a little time, I said in my most calm voice -- "I will take care of that." And let Dolly out. 

I had to let Dolly out first as she is in the indoor/outdoor pen, and the door to the outside is where her doggy door is. So, she has to be situated first and then I can let the others out one by one. 

I then put bear in Tori's Pen as I normally do. Her pen would have been better, but I have to put Jenna in first, shut her gate and then put Bear in, so, this made more sense.

Then I let everyone else out one by one making sure they all had water. I let Tori and Babsy out to potty and put them back in a crates. (Babs gets the indoor/outdoor pen with the man-door during the day.)

I then went in took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, called my mom to tell her I would be late, called the vet and got their answering service, they were in a meeting. 

I went and found a collar and leash and put it on Bear and got her into the car. I drove her to the vet and banged on the door until they let me in. It broke up their meeting, which was in their reception room. Oops. 

Anyhow, the vet told me that there is a trick to it, but Bear was good, only panicking once, and the vet was able to lift it up and out of there. She did not charge me. 

Bear was very happy. And really very good. 

We left, I got her home, and in her kennel, cleaned up everyone's morning offerings, and went back in. I remembered to give Babs and Heidi medicine. I remembered mine. I remembered the noodles and pop I was taking to Mom's. I made it to Mom's changed my filthy Bear-printed clothing, and opened my parents' shop at 10:00, on time. 

I did not feed them this morning. I felt that Bear had too much excitement, and feeding her after all that might cause her to bloat. But it is really amazing what adrenalin will do for you. (This was the first morning this week I was on time opening the shop.)

My vet thinks I am crazy now. 

That's Ok. (I think that they have been pretty much convinced by now anyway.)

Anyhow. Bear is doing fine.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Glad it worked out. I have the emergency vets in my state programmed into my GPS ... silly dogs.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Wait a second.

They were frantic for an hour and a half before you got up to check on them?

Your dog is in pain, stressed out and bleeding, because she has a bone stuck around her mouth and you take a shower and get ready first?

I would have been at the Vet ASAP


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## bruiser (Feb 14, 2011)

I'm glad your dog is in good shape again


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

LaRen616 said:


> Wait a second.
> 
> They were frantic for an hour and a half before you got up to check on them?
> 
> ...


That's you. My vet is five minutes away. I got up at 8:37 and was walking into the vet at 9:15. I think it would be just as distressing to dogs to have me leave them in crates and go somewhere before letting them out to potty. That does take time, sorry. 

A five minute shower and two minute teeth brushing is not going to make a difference. 

Also, the important thing is to remain calm and think clearly. It was not life threatening. Not unless she were left so long as dehydration set in. 

No, I do not feel bad for putting my clothes on before taking my dog to the vet.

Oh, and yes, they were barking and talking, and being their usual idiot selves on and off for about an hour and a half before I got out of bed and went out there. They are crated, and no one was crying or screaming. There was more noise than usual and a little earlier than usual, but nothing to make me worry over-much. Bear was not making a lot of noise, more, just frantically trying to rid herself of the bone. She was not crying.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

selzer said:


> That's you. My vet is five minutes away. I got up at 8:37 and was walking into the vet at 9:15. I think it would be just as distressing to dogs to have me leave them in crates and go somewhere before letting them out to potty. That does take time, sorry.
> 
> A five minute shower and two minute teeth brushing is not going to make a difference.
> 
> ...


It is not the taking the dogs out and making sure they have water part, that I dont get. I get that. But the showering, calling your mom part is what I dont get. They were frantic for a hour and a half before you went to see what was going on.

Your dog is in distress, pain and bleeding, because she has a bone wrapped around her lower jaw and you take the time to take a shower, make a phone call, blah, blah, blah.


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## jkscandi50 (Nov 17, 2010)

Great to hear all is AOK ! Many folks panic - you didn't. You assessed your situation and responded accordingly - and all is good


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

LaRen616 said:


> It is not the taking the dogs out and making sure they have water part, that I dont get. I get that. But the showering, calling your mom part is what I dont get. They were frantic for a hour and a half before you went to see what was going on.
> 
> Your dog is in distress, pain and bleeding, because she has a bone wrapped around her lower jaw and you take the time to take a shower, make a phone call, blah, blah, blah.


They were not FRANTIC for an hour and a half. They were doing their normal morning thing. 

There was some blood, yes, it was not critical. I assessed the situation and got her to the vet as soon as was necessary. 

the whole time, I was thinking about whether or not they would have to anesthesize her and cut the thing off. 

I called my mom because I work for her. It is my job. You would not call your boss if you are going to be late? 

Also, my cell is being charged, we have a baby in the NICU, and she was not going to be able to reach me if she tried. So I did not want to worry her if she did try to get a hold of me, which is very possible at any moment. 

Calling Mom was the right thing to do. It took 60 seconds. Could not possibly have taken longer, or I would not have been walking into the vet at 9:15. 

But what you must know is that I might have been at the vet much longer and with no way of communicating with people expecting me. I also thought I could call from there -- they would let me use their phone. But since I was going to call the vet to give them a heads up that I was coming in anyway, it made sense to make that call as well. 

I think that when you have more experience, you will also assess the whole situation do the things that are necessary instead of charging full steam ahead.

Bear acted like a dog who has a muzzle or a halti on for the first time. Yes she was distressed. yes, her gums were bleeding a little. She was not having problems breathing or bleeding to death. It did require an emergency run to the vet, but it was more an urgi-care deal than a full fledged ER deal. 

If I would have found this at 7AM, I would have taken care of the necessary business, left the message with the vet aswering service, drove her to the same vet, and sat on the door-step for half an hour until they opened. I would not have driven her an hour away to an ER.


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## KohleePiper (Jun 13, 2007)

That's why I would never allow my dogs to have any kind of bone unsupervised.

Glad all is ok now.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

My female gets those bones stuck around her lower jaw behind the canine teeth. Once she panicked and I had to take her to the vet, so sedated her. As soon as she was relaxed it was easy to pull off. I hate those things! It's just her.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The vet did say there was a trick to it. Bear really was calm, and let her help her. When she panicked, was when I was bringing her into the room, and she just lay down and struggled with it a little, then she came in, and stood there, like, Ok, I give, you need to help me get this off. 

Getting it off of there took seconds. I was so embarrassed that I did not even try to do it myself. (And, that I interrupted their meeting.) But I think dogs realize when you feel like you are out of your depth. I think taking her in to the vet was the right thing to do.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

selzer said:


> *They were not FRANTIC for an hour and a half. They were doing their normal morning thing.*


You said this:

 "They woke me up an hour early (about 7) with their whiney barky get up and let me out voices. 

I told them to shut up and went back to sleep. They were pretty insistant and I dug my heels in. I went out there (in the next room where the crates are) when they were quiet. It was 8:37. (I try not to reward them for bad behavior.)"

So it doesn't seem like a normal thing, they woke you up an hour early and they were insistant, but you told them to shut up and you ignored them.
 



selzer said:


> There was some blood, yes, it was not critical. I assessed the situation and got her to the vet as soon as was necessary.


You said this:

"Well the moment I entered the room, there was Bear with a marrow bone stuck around her lower mouth. She became frantic, and I could tell that her muzzle was bleeding."

She was frantic and bleeding. Because she was frantic she could have injuryed herself even more, but you showered first. 



selzer said:


> I called my mom because I work for her. It is my job. You would not call your boss if you are going to be late?


I would call my boss with my cell phone while driving to the Vet. 




selzer said:


> I think that when you have more experience, you will also assess the whole situation do the things that are necessary instead of charging full steam ahead.


Experience has nothing to do with it. I am an adult, with my own house, my own job and my own animals. They are my number one priority. If my dog was in distress and was bleeding and I KNEW he required medical attention ASAP, I wouldn't take the time to take a shower and smell the roses! I would be on my way to a VET.




selzer said:


> *If I would have found this at 7AM,* I would have taken care of the necessary business, left the message with the vet aswering service, drove her to the same vet, and sat on the door-step for half an hour until they opened. I would not have driven her an hour away to an ER.


You mean if you would have gotten up and checked to see why your dogs were trying to wake you up so badly, instead of telling them to shut up and take an extra hour and a half to go see what's going on, you wouldn't have taken a shower before going to the Vet?


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Selzer - when I read threads like this I run through my mind how I can keep that from happening at my home? But for the life of me, I can't picture or figure out how she got a bone stuck around her lower mouth. Was it in a circle shape and her lower jaw through the 'donut hole' part? Or was it stuck inside her mouth, like across left side to right side? 

My Mini Doxie had a small milk bone wedge in her lower jaw once and I had to reach in and remove it. But it wasn't tight in, I saw her in a panic and that was when I noticed it.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

What a fun thread.
Glad your dog is OK. Having normally noisy dogs, I understand why you ignored them, not that you need my patronization.
I only give my dog bones that are too big to choke on and/or get caught in her teeth, having had the same experience you had with a former dog. Except that it was more of a major process removing that bone from the jaw/teeth... and expensive.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Glad that Bear is ok. I wish I could be more calm like you, I panic too easily.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

jkscandi50 said:


> Great to hear all is AOK ! Many folks panic - you didn't. You assessed your situation and responded accordingly - and all is good


I agree!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yeah, it was a large round raw marrow bone. I knew she could not choke on it. She actually got her lower teeth through the hole and then stuck. She was NOT going to die unless she died of hunger and thirst. There was some blood, nothing scary. 

My cell phone was dead and is currently on the burner, or I might have risked other drivers -- were there any, to make phone calls so that my dog (who was NOT dying) might get to the vet a minute sooner. If it was charged and in my pocket, I would not have worried about my parents' not being able to get a hold of me and would have only called if I was sure to be late. 

Oh, and the shower was part of the necessary business. So no that was going to happen. The dog was not in danger. 

Might she have injured herself further? I suppose she might have. Every time I put my dogs out into their kennels, they may injure themselves. They may jump on or off a dog house or shelter and hurt themselves. Is it likely? Yes, it actually is likely that they will injure themselves at some point. I cannot put them in a box for the rest of their lives to ensure that nothing ever happens to them. Is it likely that she would injure herself further with the stuck bone. I have to say no. Not likely. Possible, maybe, but not likely, not in the couple of minutes. 

If I would have went to work and come home this evening, and then dealt with it, then yes, that would have been neglectful and even abusive. Getting her to the vet within 38 minutes, was pretty darn good if you ask me.

As for my noisy dogs. Bear has been back with me for less than two weeks. My dogs are being more noisy than usual with another loud puppy in the room. Some of them are crated next to different dogs, and some are not sure that they like the new arrangement. Also, Dolly is going in and out, as does Odessa, instead of her being crated she has an x-pen connected to the wall around the doggy door. Every time she goes out and comes in, they all have to say hello to her. Which makes it noisier than usual. 

Their morning bitchiness is kind of like driving in a car for three hours with four kids sharing the back seat. Move, over! Give me more room! Mom, he's touching me! She won't stop looking at me! GET OVER! Ouch! I need to go to the bathroom. MA! I have to throw up! And the experienced driver can tell by ear what sounds can be ignored and what sounds need to be dealt with.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

selzer said:


> Yeah, it was a large round raw marrow bone. I knew she could not choke on it. She actually got her lower teeth through the hole and then stuck.


 
Ah! Ok, that makes sense.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

selzer said:


> Oh, and the shower was part of the necessary business. So no that was going to happen. The dog was not in danger.


Why was the shower necessary? I never leave the house without make up on, but if I needed to get to the Vet asap I would not take the time to put it on.



selzer said:


> Might she have injured herself further? I suppose she might have. Every time I put my dogs out into their kennels, they may injure themselves. They may jump on or off a dog house or shelter and hurt themselves. Is it likely? Yes, it actually is likely that they will injure themselves at some point. I cannot put them in a box for the rest of their lives to ensure that nothing ever happens to them. Is it likely that she would injure herself further with the stuck bone. I have to say no. Not likely. Possible, maybe, but not likely, not in the couple of minutes.


This is different. She shouldn't have had the bone unsupervised in the first place. She was already injuryed and could have injuryed herself further. You dont think accidents happen within a couple of minutes? Seriously? So it took her forever to get that bone stuck around her mouth? Give me a break.



selzer said:


> If I would have went to work and come home this evening, and then dealt with it, then yes, that would have been neglectful and even abusive. Getting her to the vet within 38 minutes, was pretty darn good if you ask me.


Actually, she had the bone around her mouth longer than 38 minutes. She probably had the bone around her mouth for that extra hour and a half when you were ignoring them. So it took you about 2 hours to get her to the Vet. 

A dog in pain and distress sounds different from a dog that wants to go out and potty.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I am glad Bear is okay. 

I've got to say I do agree with Lauren on this though.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

If it was a human being with a bone wrapped around their jaw, how long would the person sit in the emergency room before a doctor got around to seeing them?
My guess would be a couple of hours.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> If it was a human being with a bone wrapped around their jaw, how long would the person sit in the emergency room before a doctor got around to seeing them?
> My guess would be a couple of hours.


I dont know what ER you are going to but that does not happen at the hospital where I work.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I think how long a person would wait would depend on how much pain the person was in and whether it was cutting off the circulation. There was someone on this board whose dog got a kong wrapped around their lower jaw somehow and it was cutting off the circulation. Waiting was NOT an option. Actually, there have been two ppl on this board who have had that happen.

Glad Bear is ok and the bone wasn't cutting off the circulation to her jaw. It could have been much, much worse.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> I dont know what ER you are going to but that does not happen at the hospital where I work.


You work in a hospital that regularly treats patients with marrow bones stuck around their jaw?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> You work in a hospital that regularly treats patients with marrow bones stuck around their jaw?


No, I work in a hospital and we do not have patients that wait around that long when they have something physically wrong with them.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> If it was a human being with a bone wrapped around their jaw, how long would the person sit in the emergency room before a doctor got around to seeing them?
> My guess would be a couple of hours.


A human has enough sense to know what's going on and not make it worse, and can convey just how bad it is. 

A dog cannot. 

Also, no wait at the ER around here is more than a half an hour at the most, either.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, the average wait time in the ER is 4 hours and 5 minutes... and over 400,000 people a year wait over 24 hours for care. Not that I really care about winning an argument about how long a mythical person would wait in the ER if they had a bone stuck around their jaw, in a country I don't live in, but really, can't anyone around here tell a story without everyone else dissecting it and carry on about how they would have done it better?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, the average wait time in the ER is 4 hours and 5 minutes... and over 400,000 people a year wait over 24 hours for care. Not that I really care about winning an argument about how long a mythical person would wait in the ER if they had a bone stuck around their jaw, in a country I don't live in, but really, *can't anyone around here tell a story without everyone else dissecting it and carry on about how they would have done it better?*


That's not the point. 

Why was the dog left unsupervised with a bone?

Why did she ignore them for an hour and a half?

Why did she feel the need to take a shower and get ready before taking her dog to the Vet for medical treatment?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, the average wait time in the ER is 4 hours and 5 minutes... and over 400,000 people a year wait over 24 hours for care.


I went to another ER when I had a miscarriage, I only waited 20 minutes in the waiting room.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

But, if you know the dog, and the dog trusts you, you can tell the dog, I will take care of this, and stay calm for the dog, and it will not be so bad. And it was not. 

A bone is not elastic like a kong would be. So I doubt if the bone would be as likely to shut off circulation. It was not. I could assess her situation pretty well, and she was NOT in danger. 

She was NOT making ANY noise during this. She was not barking, not crying, not whining. She was not making any noise. So if she was my ONLY dog, she would have been out there just as long. 

As for the ER, my sister took her three year old kid who had her head split open during swimming at a rec center. The rec center put a bandage on it, but it needed stitches. My sister was there in the ER from 8PM to 1AM before they STARTED to stitch her up. 

It was a friday night. 

But we are talking about a BABY. 

The kid had to have several stitches between her eyes and into her forehead. 

And when I was a child, I fell off a playground swing onto the asphalt and hit my head and my arm. This was in Cleveland. The playground people called my grandmother to come and collect me -- not emergency services. My grandmother took me home, and put me in the bath tub and had me take a bath, first. Then I do not remember if it was my Dad or my Gran that took me to the ER. Probably my dad, because my Gran would have had to be there for the other four kids. My wrist was broken. It ALWAYS took hours to be seen in the ER. 

Not everyone over-reacts in situations. I actually over-reacted. I broke into a meeting for an urgi-care issue, instead of waiting patiently.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

I love Internetland. It is a magical world where you can visit and tell everyone how wonderful you are and how you NEVER do anything wrong or make ANY mistakes.

And I am not saying any mistakes were made in the OP. My vet doesn't show up at his clinic until 8:30 am. If it wasn't a life threatening situation why would I show up at 8 only to have to wait for him to arrive. 

And P.S. My friend cut off one of his fingers and had to wait about an hour before he saw a doctor and stayed in the ER for more than 4 before he went in for surgery.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

LaRen616 said:


> That's not the point.
> 
> Why was the dog left unsupervised with a bone?
> 
> ...


Ok, sometimes, at night, after they have their evening kibble, I give my dogs a raw bone. Sometimes they eat them all, sometimes they are in their crates for a couple of days. In TEN+ years of having dogs, I have had 1 incident with a bone, and have left bones and dogs unsupervised together. So, in over 3,650 x and average of 5 dogs, so lets say in 18,250 possible chances for a dog to get in trouble, I have had 1 incident. 

That is pretty good odds if you ask me. 

I think that I may be a little more careful with the bone shape in the future. But my dogs WILL be unsupervised with a bone again. So you might as well call dog-protective-services now.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

selzer said:


> But my dogs WILL be unsupervised with a bone again. So you might as well call dog-protective-services now.


Well then, you just keep on putting your dogs in danger, because you obviously dont learn or care. 

You have a good day Selzer.


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

Having taken a LOT of prisoners to the ER, and having been in one a time or two during my career, the only thing that makes any difference as to how long you wait in an ER is how badly you are hurt, or how badly injured or ill the other people coming in are.
I was involved in a fight one time, early in my career and went down a full flight of stairs with a 245 lb woman on my back. I had 2 broken ribs on one side, seperated ribs on the other side, a broken nose and chin that was split WIDE open, bleeding everywhere. Since I wasn't deemed to be critical, I waited for almost 2 hours to be seen by a Dr. I was 3rd on the list to be seen, behind a stroke/CVA patient and a person who had partially severed their foot.

I'm glad the dog is ok and it sounds like an hour trip to the E Vet would have allowed you to see someone AFTER the time you were seen.
I also think not panicking is always better and the way to go.
In the end, everyone is fine and, in a non snarky way, "Not my dog, not my call".

Glad you didn't have to pay your vet.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ya know, I really feel sorry for all the dogs on this site who have to sit in bare crates all night, and all day while their people do not have their noses, shoved up their tails. That sit in a bare crate with nothing to play with, and nothing to chew on because their owners do not have their noses shoved up their tails. They have to sit there on the bare crate pan staring at the bare bars because just maybe they might otherwise injure themselves. 

Do you know that while a dog sleeps on a plush bed, they might get to chewing, and they may get to swallowing, and they may choke or get a blockage. So if you are planning on sleeping or you have to leave and go to work, better take that bed out of the crate. 

Dogs are dogs. They are going to chew. They are going to run around and they may snag a toenail or injure a limb. Then you deal with it. You do not lose your mind and wreck your car on the way. You stay calm. 

Staying calm is the best thing you can do in ANY emergency. A few minutes when someone is bloating, having heart attack or stroke, or not breathing might be critical. The rest of the time, it is most likely not going to make that much of a difference. But staying calm WILL.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

selzer said:


> Dogs are dogs. They are going to chew. They are going to run around and they may snag a toenail or injure a limb. Then you deal with it. You do not lose your mind and wreck your car on the way. You stay calm.


:thumbup: No sense in chlorinating the gene pool. 
My dad told me if he ever sees one of his grandkids wearing a helmet while walking a dog or riding a tricycle, or getting swimming lessons, he's disowning them :rofl:


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

I have to say, that I normally do not agree with Selzer. I do not know anything about her kennel, and I'm not about to start asking questions or acting like I know everything about her. I'm answering questions GENERALLY. However...issues aside.

Why was the dog left unsupervised with a bone? These Are Kennel dogs. I know you are not familiar with the idea, but many people who own a pack of dogs crate them, and let them have their outdoor runs. These are not pets for the most part. They are a part of the family, yes. They are loved, yes. But they are treated like DOGS. I see nothing wrong with trusting a dog with his bone provided it is proper and won't splinter or whathaveyou. Leaving a dog in a enclosed space with nothing to do is cruel and would probably lead to OCD behaviours in high energy dogs. (Not every dog is trustworthy with a stuffed animal, but you would probably ask why the dog was left with a stuffy if the case was of an obstruction)There is a saying...there are two kinds of dog people. Pet Parents and Dog Handlers. You are a Pet Parent, and wear the badge proudly. But there is nothing wrong with being a Dog Handler and treating an animal like one. We all know that accidents happen. You cannot live your life in a bubble, or an aluminum crate with nothing to do because something *might* happen.

Why did she ignore them for an hour and a half? Dogs are vocal. When a dog is on a schedule, they *know* when its up time, they *know* when its food time and they *know* when its snuggling/training/bed time. When schedule goes off kilter, or someone can't wait, or someone knows its getting close to the scheduled time, they bark. Get a pack of dogs together, thats more chances of someone deciding its time to do something. It just happens. And if you have a routinely early riser, it becomes habit to tell them to go back to sleep for an hour. I don't fault Selzer for waiting-if she was hearing screaming and an obvious issue then I would. But normal barking, I would have done the same thing truth be told.

Why did she feel the need to take a shower and get ready before taking her dog to the Vet for medical treatment? This, I can't answer. Personnally, I would have brought the dog to the vet asap...or tried to get my head around the fact if I could help without making the situation worse. a 5 minute shower, brushing teeth etc, i don't think thats a big deal-if the situation was obviously not a dangerous one. Had she had a 15 minute shower, then made a cup of coffee, I'd be more upset about this one. So, I'm on the fence with this one.


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

Jax's Mom said:


> :thumbup: No sense in chlorinating the gene pool.
> My dad told me if he ever sees one of his grandkids wearing a helmet while walking a dog or riding a tricycle, or getting swimming lessons, he's disowning them :rofl:


I grew up on a farm in the late 60's/early 70's. Myself and all my friends that grew up on a farm are all partially deaf and we never had helmets or safety equipment for anything we did.
I cracked my head plenty of times and I turned out just fine, turned out just fine, turned out just fine, turned out just fine.

Well, you get the picture.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

CassandGunnar said:


> I grew up on a farm in the late 60's/early 70's. Myself and all my friends that grew up on a farm are all partially deaf and we never had helmets or safety equipment for anything we did.
> I cracked my head plenty of times and I turned out just fine, turned out just fine, turned out just fine, turned out just fine.
> 
> Well, you get the picture.


Thanks for this.  I hate to see two people I like and respect not getting along.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Thanks for the support. I got out of bed at 8:37 and had the pup in the vet at 9:15. The vet is 4 miles away, so pretty much a five minute drive. I had to individually take nine dogs, either to their kennels outside, or to potty and back in the crate (until I got home from the vet) and could put them in their day time kennels. 

After getting Bear in the car, I could have gone back inside and let Tori out and put her in her kennel, instead I let she and Babs potty and then crated them for less than 45 minutes, because I got back home with Bear and then back in town to work by ten. (I also cleaned up morning poo during that 45 minutes.) 

Raw bones are some of the only things I will leave in with the dogs. They will chew up/eat plastic, vinyl, and flimsy rubber toys. They will chew a dog bed with stuffing, and I do not leave them that opportunity. I do have some hard rubber balls and a few Kong balls that I will leave in the kennel during the day, now I have to think about that. 

Most house dogs are not supervised 100% of the time. Usually they are just fine. Occasionally they get themselves in trouble. 

A good bone generally gives the dog something to do, is good for them, and is, on the whole pretty safe. This one just had the wrong shape for this dog. And it seems a bit more common than I realized.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

I just spent over an hour in the ER waiting room with a swollen, bruised hand and a splitting headache waiting to be seen. People ERs see people based on how severe their physical condition and on a first come, first serve basis. Many times there is a long wait to be seen.

As for the dog, I don't see a reason to go rushing of willy-nilly to get her to the vet. It doesn't sound like she was in any immediate danger and selzer got her the the vet in a timely manner, even with stopping to take a shower and brush her teeth. Panicking NEVER helps a situation, staying calm does. Esp when a dog will sense your panic and only become more distressed.

I am glad Bear is okay!


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## smdaigle (Mar 14, 2008)

selzer said:


> Thanks for the support. I got out of bed at 8:37 and had the pup in the vet at 9:15. The vet is 4 miles away, so pretty much a five minute drive. I had to individually take nine dogs, either to their kennels outside, or to potty and back in the crate (until I got home from the vet) and could put them in their day time kennels.


Personally - I'd have had to skip the shower. Of course just getting my clothes on and 2 dogs out might have taken me as much time as it took you to shower, dress, take care of the other dogs AND get to the vet . A shower probably would have taken me a good hour and a half . . . if I could be as fast as you I might have gone for it too. Your dog, your call plus I think you have more experience with dogs than me.

Seriously, it sounds to me like you assessed the situation, did what you thought was best and it all worked out just fine. Anyone here who is a parent has had at least one after hours situation with a child where you had to decide whether to go to the hospital or not. They are tough decisions but as a parent (or dog owner) most of us have a pretty good gut feeling about whether the situation is life threatening or just urgent. By the way, as a daughter of a pediatrician who got lots of midnight calls about colds, I'm well aware that some parents are better at this than others.

I think we all care about our dogs and want whats best for them, obviously Selzer does so can't we give this a rest?

Thanks!


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

Four hours is the average wait at our local ER. When I took someone in with a chin gash that required stitches, we sat there for 3.5 hours before I had enough & "accidentally" took pressure off her wound (well, my arms WERE starting to ache, even though I was switching off) & she saw blood & started screaming hysterically. They got us in pretty quickly after that. 

People use this particular ER as a free clinic, so we had to wait in line behind a bunch of people who were needing pain medication for... uhh.... "excruciating pain" or whose kids had sniffles & earaches. They triage, of course.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

smdaigle said:


> Anyone here who is a parent has had at least one after hours situation with a child where you had to decide whether to go to the hospital or not.


Couple that with a family full of doctors and surgeons and you find yourself sending emails for 3rd, 4th and 5th opinions before you even get dressed if your kid is not blue, overheating or bleeding LOL


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Jax's Mom said:


> Couple that with a family full of doctors and surgeons and you find yourself sending emails for 3rd, 4th and 5th opinions before you even get dressed if your kid is not blue, overheating or bleeding LOL


 I always call my mom (former nurse) to ask her if I need to see a doctor about something. Then I ignore her advice and stay home. I'm sure she wonders why I ask in the first place...


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

selzer said:


> That's you. My vet is five minutes away. I got up at 8:37 and was walking into the vet at 9:15. I think it would be just as distressing to dogs to have me leave them in crates and go somewhere before letting them out to potty. That does take time, sorry.
> 
> A five minute shower and two minute teeth brushing is not going to make a difference.
> 
> ...


 
Everyone has to decide for themselves what is important to them when their pet(s) have to get to the emergency vet!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

If I had the internet at home, I could have taken a picture of the dog with bone lodged, uploaded it to photobucket, created a thread and asked what to do. 

In that case, several people would tell me to run over people getting her to the vet, others would tell me to make an appointment, and somebody could probably describe the "trick" needed to dislodge it myself. 

But alas, I do not have internet access at home. So I had to just do it.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

this is an anomaly, but in the Cook County Hospital ( now stroger hospital in Chicago) you can wait for probably days. i went there. i saw people with gun shot wounds and head trama (blood rags wrapped around their head) sitting there waiting. i promptly left.

but most ER's will get you in pretty quick from my experiance


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I cannot believe the wait some of you are talking about. I've never experienced such a thing. When I was in the ER over the summer for a dog bite I MAY have waited a half hour, I think it was more like 15-20 minutes.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

LaRen616 said:


> No, I work in a hospital and we do not have patients that wait around that long when they have something physically wrong with them.


 
The AVERAGE wait for LACUSC Medical Center here in L.A. is 8-12 HOURS!!!!! That includes very serious and hurt people, unless it is virtually life and death there is a significant wait in most Emergency Rooms, unless of course you happen to live in Hooterville.


I agree with Selzer 100% here, when you breed and raise animals you become very aware of your capabilities and such, I breed horses and believe me, as a species they are born trying to commit suicide the minute they hit the ground, I can't even begin to tell you how many emergency situations I have had to handle by myself and been able to by remaining calm and assessing the situation, like dogs, of which I have 6 of my own, you get to know the tone of their voices, I can tell my horses situations by the sound and pitch of their whinny, from a mere welcome, to a mad that I am not feeding, to a help me somethings wrong, same with any of my dogs, if I had to rush one of my animals into the ER for every hiccup in their day, I'd be broke, it's part of raising animals. It is absolutely paramount to be able to be calm and evaluate the situation around you. I don't blame someone for taking their dog immediately to a Vet if thats how THEY feel comfortable, but neither do I have a problem with an experienced breeder feeling the situation is not dire, they usually have experience on their side, I know I'm comfortable with my ability to handle that responsiblity.


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## Mary Jane (Mar 3, 2006)

DJEtzel said:


> I cannot believe the wait some of you are talking about.


Just my one experience: I had some shrimp salad that had been at room temperature for a few hours (I know, not too bright). After some time being ill, at about 2 AM I realized I had food poisoning. I couldn't get a cab and some nice men saw me about to collapse on the sidewalk took me to the George Washington University Hospital Emergency Room. I waited. I waited. After about 3h, I told the triage nurse I thought I was going into shock. She was kind enough to take my blood pressure-then they got interested.

MJ


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

OK, I gotta chime in…one of my sons has hydrocephalous and occasionally I have to bring him to the ER, if he is showing signs of shunt failure (on a weekend). The last time we went, on a Sunday, we waited 8-hours before we were seen by a doctor. The time before that, we waited 6-hours. Unfortunately, our Urgent Care clinic cannot deal with this type of situation so we have to go to the ER, if it happens on a weekend. The ER's here are FULL of folks that dont have health insurance so they use the ER for their care. 

Back to Sue’s situation; none of us were there....Sue was. Maybe some of you would have handled things differently but since the final outcome was favorable I don’t know what the criticism is all about. I’m sure that if Bear were in dire need of care Sue would have gotten her to the vet ASAP.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

Honestly... I think it was just the way the story was told. I found myself scratching my head and going, "Umm... why did she take a shower?" But, really... it sounds like everything was well in hand and everything certainly turned out well. 

I think the OP just wanted to give us a nice story with all the details thrown in. She could've just said, "my dog had a bone stuck on her muzzle so we went to the vet and all is well," but it wouldn't have made much of a story, would it?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

My kennel clothes, a ratty pair of holey cordoroy's and a dirty sweat shirt, and tennis shoes (no socks), is not acceptable attire for off the property. The pants I wear there because they are indecent. And my figure does not lend itself to be caught dead without certain pieces of feminine attire. 

So, I HAD to skin out of that, and put something I could wear in a public place on. It takes another two minutes to apply soap and shampoo, rinse off and another minute or two to towel off and put a comb through the hair. If the dog was not breathing I would have skipped this step -- honest. 

The post, was about Wow, I cannot believe I managed all of that in that much time. 

Every morning, my dogs and my alarm clock work together to get me out of bed. I hit my snooze alarm and tell the dogs that it is NOT wake up time. And to go back to sleepies. And they do. 
I go to the bathroom, climb back into bed, move Babsy off my pillows and sleep for another ten minutes until the I have to hit snooze again.

I guess the idea of putting on clean clothes without washing (which takes just as long), the situation did not warrant that.


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## smdaigle (Mar 14, 2008)

selzer said:


> The post, was about Wow, I cannot believe I managed all of that in that much time.


I'm rather impressed too! I'm going to have to think about what needs to be ditched from my morning routine (or else what kind of coffee I need to be drinking to help me move faster than I do now!)


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I'm glad Bear's okay and FWIW I'd take a quick shower too!!!

Too got a marrow bone caught on her lower jaw ... happened not 2' from where I was sitting. I was lucky, I was able to work it off, but wasn't sure I would be sucessful. I don't know which one of us was more frightened when it happened ... her or me.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Sounds to me like you handled the situation just fine. I might have tried my hand at the bone but probably would have had to go to the vet anyway.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

when I was hand raising a litter of kittens, one morning I got up, checked on them, one was lifeless, the day before, some idiot visiting, dropped her on her head , (we won't go there) They were about 15 days old..She was alive but barely

Well I was in a panic,but I was not panicking, just knew I had to get the kitty to the vet right now or she'd be dead. I threw on a sweatshirt & sweats, while the hubby called the vet, Put the kitten in my shirt and flew there, looking like a real dirt bag. Good thing I didn't get pulled over I still had slippers on .

Also good thing the vet staff knows me well,,long story short, she survived, but had brain swelling, when she came out of it, she was blind, but recovered her site as the swelling went down..I kept her, cause she isn't "right"

I guess we all react differently when it comes to our pets, what may constitute an emergency to one, may not to another


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

JakodaCD OA said:


> when I was hand raising a litter of kittens, one morning I got up, checked on them, one was lifeless, the day before, some idiot visiting, dropped her on her head , (we won't go there) They were about 15 days old..She was alive but barely
> 
> Well I was in a panic,but I was not panicking, just knew I had to get the kitty to the vet right now or she'd be dead. I threw on a sweatshirt & sweats, while the hubby called the vet, Put the kitten in my shirt and flew there, looking like a real dirt bag. Good thing I didn't get pulled over I still had slippers on .
> 
> ...


*Very true!*

And if we are wrong (about what is not an emergency!), then we all have the right to react in various ways.


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## ozshepherd (Mar 26, 2011)

Since joining this forum it was plain to me from the start that it was very much like the hundreds of parenting forums out there.
The old "I'm a better dog owner/parent cause I don't do this and i don't do that".
Looking over your neighbors fence and judging them cause they accidentally left for the day and it rained and the dog gets wet....."lets call the authorities cause there is no way I would ever do that to my dog."
Just because you wouldn't take a shower b4 taking your dog to the vet in a non-life threatening situation doesn't make you a better dog owner or doesn't mean you love your dog anymore....it just means you stink when you get to the vet OP was just giving everyone his story of his very eventful morning and doesn't deserve to be made feel he is a horrible person just cause he didn't do it the way some of you would. Take a chill pill.....don't get so worked up about what others are doing. enjoy your dogs and be supportive after all that is what the forum is for isn't it.....sharing and being supportive of each other....we all share a common interest a love for the best dog in the world....we all have our own ways of expressing that love....stop judging each other!!!


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

ozshepherd said:


> Since joining this forum it was plain to me from the start that it was very much like the hundreds of parenting forums out there.
> The old "I'm a better dog owner/parent cause I don't do this and i don't do that".
> Looking over your neighbors fence and judging them cause they accidentally left for the day and it rained and the dog gets wet....."lets call the authorities cause there is no way I would ever do that to my dog."
> Just because you wouldn't take a shower b4 taking your dog to the vet in a non-life threatening situation doesn't make you a better dog owner or doesn't mean you love your dog anymore....it just means you stink when you get to the vet OP was just giving everyone his story of his very eventful morning and doesn't deserve to be made feel he is a horrible person just cause he didn't do it the way some of you would. Take a chill pill.....don't get so worked up about what others are doing. enjoy your dogs and be supportive after all that is what the forum is for isn't it.....sharing and being supportive of each other....we all share a common interest a love for the best dog in the world....we all have our own ways of expressing that love....stop judging each other!!!


My vote for best answer of the day!

And Selzer, I was very impressed by how much you got done in such a short time.....heck the description of moving all those dogs around, that made me dizzy! I have enough trouble remembering not to open Mike's crate when Bunny is out. Sounds like your dog is fine and that's all that really matters. But then what the heck do I know, there are marrow bones all over this place and my dogs are outside now and I'm not even watching them


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## ozzymama (Jan 17, 2005)

Glad it all worked out.

I can't comment on anyone else, when I had my daughter my water broke, I showered (supposed to be a no-no), curled my hair and put on make-up, dh showered, shaved and put pomade in his hair! My water broke at 2:30am, we got to the hospital at 7:30am LOL, and I didn't deliver until 11:42pm. Heck we stopped for coffee on the way and I had breakfast!


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

ozzymama said:


> and I had breakfast!


Also a no no!  

I don't really see the issue here with selzers post. The dog wasn't dying, the vet wasn't open, what is the point of rushing to the vet to sit and wait in the parking lot until they open? Or she could've jumped in the car instantly, and driven to the ER an hour away. But why? The regular vet opened before she would've even made it to the ER.


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## Pattycakes (Sep 8, 2010)

Glad that your dog is okay!


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

glad the do is ok while I may not personally agree with taking a shower I can't talk because I can not seem to get my showers to take any less then a half hour and thats in a huge rush then of course my hair is too long to go out dripping wet so at least have to towel dry it enough to get a brush through it then get dressed which probably just for the shower and getting dressed in a rush would've been around an hour for me. Always amazed at people that can get showered in like 5 minutes just not me.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ah, but I am on a well. This well has plenty of water. My last residence did not. Also, my hot water tank element burns out regularly. Which means cold showers until we replace it. There is no dawdling in a cold shower -- not in NE Ohio where the seasons are Winter, Still Winter, Almost winter, and Barrel.


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## idahospud49 (Jan 28, 2011)

Lol makes me think of 2 years ago when I was visiting my dad.... He got a gash in his arm about 4 inches long while he was working outside. You could literally see the tendons and muscles in his arm. He told me that I was going to have to drive him to the E.R. But first... he had to change his clothes... Seriously Dad? I can see the inside of your arm and you are worried about the dirt on your clothes? I told him I was not scraping him off the floor if he passed out. 
I must be a "bad" mommy too, I have always let my dogs play with things when I'm not around. Of course according to several people on this forum I probably shouldn't even own a dog let alone a GSD.


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## timmster (Jan 26, 2011)

awesome how bear was so calm.

My dogs like what you see in movies...one whiff/sight of the vet and they go transform into cujo trying to get away. Good thing she weights all of 5 pounds


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yeah, I was actually a little proud of her. 

She was prancing out of there.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> That's not the point.
> 
> Why was the dog left unsupervised with a bone?
> 
> ...


Agreed. You can shower after the dog has been taken care off. 

If that would have happened to somebody else, Selzer would have asked the same questions and been up in arms.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I have a lot of respect for you, Sue. You've taken time to give a lot of helpful information and answers on this forum for as long as I've been here. I have no doubt you handled this well. I know if she was bloating or something urgent it would have been a different story and I certainly don't fault or question you for the way you cared for them to the best of your ability. Good job staying calm and getting it done! 

And btw when my 4 year old son broke his foot in 3 places, we had to wait in the ER waiting room for more than 4 hours before he was seen, xrayed and casted. And the insurance company told us, when they got the bill, that because no bones were sticking through his skin, we "should have" waited until his pediatrician's office was open the next day to deal with it, because "a broken bone is not an emergency unless the bone is through the skin or there is internal bleeding."


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

cassadee7 said:


> And btw when my 4 year old son broke his foot in 3 places, we had to wait in the ER waiting room for more than 4 hours before he was seen, xrayed and casted. *And the insurance company told us, when they got the bill, that because no bones were sticking through his skin, we "should have" waited until his pediatrician's office was open the next day to deal with it, because "a broken bone is not an emergency unless the bone is through the skin or there is internal bleeding."*


That is disgusting! I wonder what CPS would have to say about that??


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

That is really disgusting. Listening to your child cry because their bone is broken -- not good. 

My brother broke his hand. He was 17 or 18. My mom sent him up to the ER. He hitch-hiked up there (about 12 miles away). The ER was telling him it wasn't an emergency and were not sure it would be covered since it was an accident. So he hitchiked home. My mom called the surgeon that night (my brother is a piano player and plays professionally) she told him he is a piano player and they were able to fix it the next morning. It WAS covered -- it was an accident.


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

cassadee7 said:


> And the insurance company told us, when they got the bill, that because no bones were sticking through his skin, we "should have" waited until his pediatrician's office was open the next day to deal with it, because "a broken bone is not an emergency unless the bone is through the skin or there is internal bleeding."


That's completley rediculous!!!!! And you were supposed to know there wasn't any internal bleeding HOW?! I had to take my son to the emergency room for stitches because he gashed his eye brow open. The cut was too deep for the walk in to handle. Blood was running down his face and you could see the "insides". It was almost 5 hours before we got back home. We waited for a good 2 hours before they started stitching him up. He was only 3!

Selzer didn't know that something was actually wrong right away. The dogs were barking, dogs bark, and she let them bark for an hour. Ok. I think she acted pretty quickly and the dog got releif pretty quickly once she was aware of what was going on. It would have been different and worth ranting over if she would have looked out the window in the morning to see Bear's jaw stuck on a bone, told the dogs to be quiet, went back to bed, etc. etc. The situation wasn't igonred once it was known and the dog is fine. JMO.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

They were not barking non-stop. They would bark and another would bark, and one would whine and I would say "Shut up and go sleepies, it is NOT wake-up time" And they do. I hit the snooze alarm sleep for ten minutes, it goes off, someone barks, another whines, another barks, someone starts talking. And I say, "QUIET!" hit my snooze alarm and they let me sleep for another ten minutes. 

It really does take and alarm clock and my dogs to wake me up. We go through this every day. I do prefer to go out there when they are NOT idiots, because they do not get the idea that barking and whining and carrying on is the way to get me to let them out. 

They really do have a different sound to say they are in pain or in trouble.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I understand the telling the dogs to be quiet and going back to sleep. Personally I wouldn't have showered, but I can understand showering since she still made it to her vet sooner than she would have made it to the ER vet. 

When my horse broke my foot, I made my friend stop at my house on the way to the ER so I could shave my legs :crazy:


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

lin you are too funny. laren you are too judgemental. selzer i'm glad all's well that ends well.

jmho after skimming the thread.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

When I had appendicitis(Not the best feeling in the world!) I had to wait a good few hours to finally see a doctor to diagnose me. I went to Long Beach Memorial around 5:30ish, then didn't get operated on until 2am. I was lucky my appendix didn't burst. As I was waiting for the doctor my great grandfather was rushed in. The day I was released from the hospital was the day he passed away. Not the best feeling in the world either.

Selzer, you handled the situation nicely. Glad everyone is safe and sound and healthy. Everyone handles situations differently. Not everyone is the same.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

katieliz said:


> lin you are too funny.


I just thought of another one haha. Though other horse people will appreciate this. 

When I was thrown into a jump standard and mangled my hand... I first popped my dislocated finger back into place (this is normal for me though, I have a condition that causes frequent dislocations) and then got back on the pony, and finished the session teaching him to jump... Then had to put him away, drag the jumps away one handed, before I drove to the ER to get xrays and find out if it was possibly broken or not. It wasn't, so I just got splinted up and went on my way lol. 

When I dislocated my left shoulder coming off my horse, I finished my jumping lesson with it dislocated... Actually didn't know it WAS dislocated, until 3 days later when I accidentally popped it back into place. Thought it was sprained. I did call off work though, I was a waitress and with my left arm frozen against my side I wasn't able to carry much!


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

Jessiewessie99 said:


> When I had appendicitis(Not the best feeling in the world!) I had to wait a good few hours to finally see a doctor to diagnose me. I went to Long Beach Memorial around 5:30ish, then didn't get operated on until 2am. I was lucky my appendix didn't burst. As I was waiting for the doctor my great grandfather was rushed in. The day I was released from the hospital was the day he passed away. Not the best feeling in the world either.
> 
> Selzer, you handled the situation nicely. Glad everyone is safe and sound and healthy. Everyone handles situations differently. Not everyone is the same.


Yea, I always shower unless it is life n death cuz you never know how long you will be where you are...I know when I went into labor I showered and shaved my legs! 
I can remember when my 15 yr old son "blew himself up" with an artillery shell and we were at the ER...I passed out and they stopped helping him to cater to me! LOL He always picks on me for that...he was bloody and gross, smoke coming from his hair but they helped me and got me a drink! :laugh:


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

krystyne73 said:


> Yea, I always shower unless it is life n death cuz you never know how long you will be where you are...I know when I went into labor I showered and shaved my legs!
> I can remember when my 15 yr old son "blew himself up" with an artillery shell and we were at the ER...I passed out and they stopped helping him to cater to me! LOL He always picks on me for that...he was bloody and gross, smoke coming from his hair but they helped me and got me a drink! :laugh:


Yep, I wanted Stabucks!lol. I had to wait in the ER when I had my seizures, but I had one right there so they rushed me into the ER area to get me stable.

It all depends on the severity of the situation.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

When Grim knocked his teeth out - and the bleeding had slowed down I just took my time and was at the vet in 30 minutes or so.......waited an hour there......they kept him overnight did surgery in the am.

When Cyra cut her tongue BAD - I flew to the ER because I had no way to stop it. IT was a bloodbath (she was pretty wobbly for a few days after the blood loss). She was in surgery before I even filled out the papers at the front desk.

Emergencies are all relative. 
FWIW neither dog was particularly freaked out.


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## lanaw13 (Jan 8, 2011)

Threads like this are why newbies leave this forum…… or post threads that have titles like "warning for new members". Thankfully Sue is thicker skinned because she offers good advice to many new dog owners who have questions… It would be a shame to lose her….
just my .02 take it or leave it…..


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I'm with Selzer on this one. 

There are times when you throw the dog in the car, leave the front door standing open, do 100 miles an hour getting to the nearest emergency vet, hand them your credit card and say "Do whatever it takes." 

There are times when you say, "We're going to the vet, just as soon as I change clothes, get a shower, and put on some makeup."

There are times when you say, "It's Friday night; if you're not doing better by Monday we're going to the vet."

It's up to the owner to assess and figure out what the situation calls for.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I can't believe that this thread is causing so much personal controversy.......
They only way I see this thread is....
1) Owner awoke to one of his/her "own" dogs needing "medical or professional assistance" because of a sign of physical distress.
2) Owner accessed his/her "own" dog's immediate condition and situation.
3) Owner proceeded to obtain medical/professional help, in which a positive result was concluded.
I see nothing more or less.......perhaps because I have had my own fair share of "non" emergency situations.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

robinhuerta said:


> I can't believe that this thread is causing so much personal controversy.......
> They only way I see this thread is....
> 1) Owner awoke to one of his/her "own" dogs needing "medical or professional assistance" because of a sign of physical distress.
> 2) Owner accessed his/her "own" dog's immediate condition and situation.
> ...


Agree! Also Selzer I get learning the quick shower in Ohio weather born and raised in Ohio, Toledo to be specific. I am a hot shower girl and would always empty the hot water tank (ticked my dad off all the time lol) 

One time I was in a ton of pain barely able to walk and when another wave came it would drop me to my knees. I took a shower and shaved because I was gross and if I had to go to the doctors or something I wanted to make sure I was good and of course I didn't want prickly legs lol. After getting out it hit so bad I couldn't move my husband helped drag me onto the bed he called insurance company for me since I couldn't talk from being in so much pain (had to get authorization for medical treatment gotta love insurance) the lady HAD to talk to me then told me to call 911 I refused since hubby could drive she then talked to him and made him call 911 to come get me. Did I lay where I was at wait for emergency crews to get me? Nope I had my husband get me fully dressed and brush my hair then help drag me outside on the apartment steps because I hadn't done dishes yet and didn't want them to come inside and go past my kitchen to get me lol. I'm the person I don't want someone in my house if I have the cup I'm drinking out of on an end table.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Holmeshx2 said:


> One time I was in a ton of pain barely able to walk and when another wave came it would drop me to my knees. I took a shower and shaved because I was gross and if I had to go to the doctors or something I wanted to make sure I was good and of course I didn't want prickly legs lol. After getting out it hit so bad I couldn't move my husband helped drag me onto the bed he called insurance company for me since I couldn't talk from being in so much pain (had to get authorization for medical treatment gotta love insurance) the lady HAD to talk to me then told me to call 911 I refused since hubby could drive she then talked to him and made him call 911 to come get me. Did I lay where I was at wait for emergency crews to get me? Nope I had my husband get me fully dressed and brush my hair then help drag me outside on the apartment steps because I hadn't done dishes yet and didn't want them to come inside and go past my kitchen to get me lol. I'm the person I don't want someone in my house if I have the cup I'm drinking out of on an end table.


Were you ok? What did it end up being? 

Ok, I totally LOLed there... Because I'm the same way. That would completely be me. I also don't like people to see me throw up.. I really hate that. So there have been times I couldn't stop throwing up and was dehydrated but refused to go to the ER for the longest time because I didn't want people to see me vomiting. One time I was there for nonstop vomiting around 4 am, and they had a new person at the registration desk.. I had refused an emesis basin from the triage nurse; luckily the bathroom was 2 feet from the registration desk because I ran in 4 times to throw up while the guy took his time figuring out how to register me. After that I accepted basin.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

LOL Lin sounds pretty familiar. I was in a car accident and they didn't want me to move so gave me a bed pan (soooooo not happening) Sending PM on the ER cause


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

Shower or not.... depends on the situation. First I'll assess the critter, then depending on how urgent it is, I'll assess my armpits & such. If I smell worse than the back end of a dog, I'll shower.

When I found the cat paralyzed under the house a few years ago, I smelled pretty rank after crawling around in mud & who knows what else in a crawl space that was more like a slither space for a very skinny snake. I rushed my cat to the vet without even _thinking_ of changing my clothes. (Amazingly, she survived & is fine.)

Last time I got hauled off to ER, I was drifting in & out of consciousness but refused to leave the house until my friend (I was staying at her house) brought me a wet washcloth so I could clean up a bit first. She chewed me out for that a few days later when I got out of ICU.


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

Lin said:


> I first popped my dislocated finger back into place (this is normal for me though, I have a condition that causes frequent dislocations)


BTDT!! The most recent time was when I dislocated my wrist sometime between going to bed at night & getting up in the morning, apparently while taking a little stroll in my sleep. I iced it for a few minutes, then popped it back into place. (Aren't loose joints awesome?? Being able to hyperextend nearly every joint in my body seemed really cool when I was a kid in gymnastics, but hoo boy, am I paying for that now!!) 

Sometimes I joke about being BYB because I have dysplastic hips & luxating patellas. The dang hips are the worst; always popping out when I'm just walking along minding my own business, usually someplace where I can really make a public spectacle of myself.  My elbows are almost normal, though.


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

After giving this particular topic a great deal of thought, my conclusion is this: None of us can pass judgment on Selzer for taking a shower, as we don't know how seriously she stunk.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Dogaroo said:


> After giving this particular topic a great deal of thought, my conclusion is this: None of us can pass judgment on Selzer for taking a shower, as we don't know how seriously she stunk.


What are you, new to the Internet?  
You can pass judgments on everything without knowing anything, all day long!


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Jax's Mom said:


> What are you, new to the Internet?
> You can pass judgments on everything without knowing anything, all day long!


 
So true! :thumbup:


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm glad everything worked out. I'd at least bird bathed depending on the situation.

Two or three nights a week I'm home with the dogs (only 2) and I usually sleep on the couch during the winter as it's warmer in the living room.
One night about 2:00 AM Alice starts screaming...not barking, screaming and I popped up not even awake and check on her and she had caught a toenail in the open door for her crate. Fortunately, I was able to pin her down with one hand and stablize her and work the other hand to release the toe from the wire. (Yes, I need a larger crate...working on it) That could have gone in a whole different direction. Plus Alice is a big girl who was panicking...I needed to be calm if anything for her sake.

I also had the little weasel terrier reacting to the high pitch of the big dog. 

My dog isn't allowed on the bed...should have been a leadership issue, but it became a saftey issue. One night she went into a seizure, flipped off the bed (pretty high bed) and her head got stuck between the rails of a wooden chair next to the bed. So, no more human bed for Alice.

Stuff happens.
As far as the ER conversation goes...boy it must be nice to live in such a depopulated area to only wait for twenty minutes for ER care. *grin*
Where I live, there is only one County Hospital (Santa Clara Co. CA) Google the pop. stats and figure the wait. It also is the only burn unit left in Northern CA, maybe one of two. If you are waiting and the inmates at the Jail or "Elmwood" (kinda an honor farm low security county jail) come in, they get treated first. You just wait.

As far as insurance companies go....there is a special place in the lower regions for those rat-faced, schmucks. 

I love the "internet" land statement. I got a picture of Homer Simpson's land of desserts. Or Spongebob's "ImaginationLand"


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## valreegrl (Nov 11, 2009)

I have to agree with Selzer and how she handled the situation.

Mornings can be very loud here, the dogs each taking their turn whining to go out and my husband and I waiting each other out as to who is going to get up first! 
I think most people who are disagreeing may not understand exactly what is entailed with a higher multiple count of dogs in the home. Sure if I had one or two I may get up right away, potty and be done. But when you are talking about 5+ it is a long process to get everyone situated. 

Glad she is OK and everything worked out. As for bones in the crate, my dogs have them as well unsupervised. I feel that my choice in bones is a safe one but anything can happen I suppose.


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