Take a pill and...not THAT one!!!

A few years ago our Border Collie had a seizure in our kitchen. We didn’t know what to do, so I draped a towel over his body and held him still until it passed. The vet prescribed an anti-seizure medication and Bandit has been fine ever since. He loves getting the pills because they are always embedded in something tasty. He runs to the kitchen when he hears the pill bottle rattle.

One morning in January my wife was up really early and decided to give Bandit his medicine. Usually our son handles that job. She sliced a little hunk of cheese, pushed the pill into it, and then…SHE ate it!

She was still half-asleep and a little chunk of cheese is one of her favorite snacks. She didn’t realize what she’d done until she wondered by Bandit was looking her that way (“where’s mine?”). Fortunately, an anti-seizure pill for a 35 pound dog doesn’t cause a human any real problem. The good folks at Poison Control said she might feel a little tired, but it was nothing to worry about—they also said this happens fairly often.

They were right.

Last week my wife was again up early and again decided to give Bandit his pill. She stuck it into a small piece of hot dog and actually gave it to him. The problem this time was that she put HER prescription into the treat, not Bandit’s. This was a BIG problem!

We had to get a little peroxide into his stomach to get him to “give back” the pill. That was followed by doses of Gaviscon and Pepto Bismal (seriously) and more guilt than I’ve ever seen—and I was raised Catholic!!! The family was all over Bandit. It was one of his happiest days. My wife even cooked a special chicken and rice dish for him to make sure his tummy was okay. Many of you know I was sick last week and you can bet I was pampered too--I was offered a burger from McD's (yuck). LOL!

The messages of this post are:
1) Vow that you will never take or dispense medication unless you are fully awake;
2) Never take prescription medicine that’s not yours; and
3) Don’t look for any pampering if an adorable pet is sick the same time you are. ;P


PS - This reminds me of an old line about not sharing a stage with a dog act or a child (because you'll be upstaged), but I don't remember how it goes.