Holly & Mabels Toxicity Story

Who doesn’t love a story with a happy ending?

Mabel and Holly certainly have a story to tell, and it does have a happy ending – thanks to a very observant owner who was quick to seek help, and some great work from our team here at Nelson Vets.
It all started last Friday when after a perfectly normal day Mabel started to seem unwell. She was vomiting, weak, trembling and very uncomfortable! Her owner knew this was something that needed immediate attention and rushed Mabel in to see us. Mabel was swiftly hospitalised and the team started investigating the cause of her symptoms. By this time her owner had gone home and found to her horror that their other Labrador Holly was now showing the same symptoms, and rushed her in also.
It quickly became clear they had managed to get their noses into something that wasn’t very good for them, and they did it at lightning speed when no one was watching…. how very Labrador of them! In hospital they had further tremoring which turned into seizures. The vets and nurses worked quickly to stabilise them, control their seizures and treat their other symptoms. Dr Kelly devised a treatment plan for overnight and our very skilled vet nurse Jamie stayed overnight to deliver intensive monitoring and nursing. Mabel and Holly turned the corner in the early hours of the morning. We were all very excited to see them return to their happy bouncy selves and be able to go home to their relieved family later the next day.
We will never know for sure what toxin they managed to ingest, they had been out walking with some doggy friends that day and could have consumed karaka berries or mushrooms, or perhaps found some discarded mouldy food? All of these things are dangerous toxins for dogs and can be fatal. Signs to look out for are vomiting, trembling, weakness, tremoring or seizures. It’s a good reminder to check your backyard from a dog’s point of view – can they access compost piles, decaying food, or poisonous plants? Mabel and Holly couldn’t, so they must have accessed something outside of the home. Karaka trees are common around our region including at the back beach where many dogs love to go.
We are so glad that our team was able to give Mabel and Holly such a happy ending to their story.