Pup nearly died from pill poisoning

06 December 2018

‘Monkey’ made miraculous recovery after potentially lethal dose.

Mischievous puppy, Monkey, had only been with her owners for a few weeks when a terrible misadventure left her at death’s door.

The four-month-old crossbreed managed to get out of her sleeping pen one night and ate over 100 capsules of her owner’s medication. Bev Morgan, from Cheltenham, is currently fighting breast cancer and had left her 5-HTP medication (to aid sleep) out of reach – or so she thought.

However, overnight cheeky Monkey managed to get her paws on the pills and chewed right through the child-proof lid. Next morning, Bev found the beloved family pooch collapsed on the floor. She’d lost all voluntary motor and bowel function and Bev knew she desperately needed urgent help.

Bev rang her emergency vet and then she and husband Carl jumped straight in the car with Monkey, who by this point had started fitting. Bev was terrified that her new puppy was going to die in her arms. Arriving at Stow Vets, Monkey was immediately put on a drip and the staff there had called the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) - a professional service that handles toxicity cases and provides specialist poisoning treatment advice for vets. Following their guidance, Monkey was given medication to treat her seizures and received intensive nursing support.

Even so, Monkey was still in a critical condition and her owners were warned that the chances of her surviving such a high dose were slim. Bev said: “The vets warned us that even though they were doing everything they could, we should prepare ourselves for the worst. And even if she did survive, it was likely that she could suffer permanent damage to her internal organs, or maybe even brain damage.”

Monkey was at the vets all day receiving intensive care and support, and was then transferred to Willows in Birmingham – a specialist veterinary referral centre – for emergency for overnight care. It was a very difficult time for the Morgan family who didn’t know if their puppy would survive the night.

It was 9.30am the next day when they got the call they had been waiting for – Monkey was alive and had survived the most critical period.

Bev continued: “The vet staff at Willows were phenomenal, and we were able to bring Monkey home with us later that day. It was still several days before she was back to anything like her usual self though. Thankfully we had pet insurance with PDSA too and it was really easy to do the claims, which was a relief with all the worry at the time.”

Incredibly, Monkey seemed to suffer no lasting damage from her ordeal and is now fully recovered and enjoying life back home with her family. Nicola Robinson, Head of Service at VPIS, said: “To survive ingesting that amount of 5-HTP is remarkable. The quick actions of the owners and the vets gave Monkey the best chance – she’s incredibly lucky to be alive and have no permanent side effects.”

Bev is also now very careful to keep all medication locked away and well out of paw’s reach. Sadly, vets frequently see this type of accident, and medication is one of the top causes of poisoning in pets.*

VPIS, the UK’s only animal poison centre, also now runs a public-facing service for pet owners to contact them directly. Animal PoisonLine (APL) was started in 2017 and it is a 24-hour triage service for owners who need advice if they believe their pet has been in contact with something harmful. The owner will be told whether to expect any symptoms and if a visit to the vet is needed. From the calls received so far, three out of four owners have been able to stay at home after calling APL, saving time and stress for owners needing reassurance.

Calls cost £30 per case, payable by credit card at the time of the call. If an animal does require treatment and the vet subsequently calls the professional line (VPIS) for detailed treatment advice, Animal PoisonLine will refund the £30 to the owner.

Thankfully, Bev had pet insurance to cover the costs of Monkey’s veterinary treatment and care. PDSA Petsurance has a range of cover levels with different features and benefits – find out more at pdsa.org.uk/petinsurance.