They say that love of money is the root of all evil, but did you know that it can be lethal to dogs? One dachshund is very lucky to be alive after swallowing several coins, not because they caused an obstruction, but because the metal caused a severe allergic reaction in the one year old dachshund’s body. The poor little thing was very sick before the vet pinpointed the problem.
Coins sicken dachshund
“See a penny, pick it up, all day long, you’ll have good luck” — an expression that doesn’t apply to dogs.
By Kathy Aney
of the East Oregonian
PENDLETON - Peabody was one sick puppy.
In January, the black-and-tan dachshund got to the threshold of death's door before an astute veterinarian figured out what was wrong and pulled him back from the brink.
The problem? Seventy-eight cents.
Three quarters and three pennies were lodged in Peabody's stomach, sending his tubular body into hemolytic anemia, a condition where the body's own red blood cells are being destroyed. Zinc and copper leaching from the pennies triggered the hemolytic anemia and the dog began to bleed internally.
But nobody realized that at the time. His owners, Dan and Lorie Emert, just knew that Peabody wasn't himself.
"He was lethargic and roasting hot - his skin felt really tight," Lorie said.
She and Dan rushed 1-year-old Peabody to the Pendleton Veterinary Clinic, where veterinarian Fiona Hillenbrand examined him.
"It was a classic case of hemolytic anemia," Hillenbrand said.
Diagnosis was the easy part, however. Finding the cause and treatment would be more difficult. Hemolytic anemia can be triggered by numerous causes: infectious diseases, snake or spider bites, ingestion of onion or garlic and many other causes. Zinc and copper poisoning is quite a ways down the list.
One of Hillenbrand's partners, David Bowman, said most vets wouldn't have zeroed in on the cause as fast as Hillenbrand, if ever. Usually, he said, veterinarians don't X-ray hemolytic dogs as a matter of course.
"It's not all that uncommon to be presented with hemolytic anemia and almost all of those are autoimmune - the animal becomes allergic to its own tissue," Bowman said. "Dr. Hillenbrand came up with the right questions."
Hillenbrand ticked off a list of causes to the Emerts, hoping one would get a reaction. When she asked if Peabody could have eaten any money, Lorie had a sudden memory.
Some coins had fallen out of Dan's suitcase after a trip. Peabody picked them up with his mouth and ran under the bed with them.
"Dan pulled a quarter out of his mouth," she told Hillenbrand.
Hillenbrand quickly did an X-ray. The money lit up like a neon sign.
"There was a stack of coins in his stomach," said Hillenbrand. "They were just stuck in there."
Peabody went into surgery and Hillenbrand removed the six coins. Peabody, however, wasn't out of the woods yet. Blood work showed that his kidneys and pancreas were involved and in danger of shutting down.
A blood transfusion pepped him up and, slowly, he improved. Hillenbrand heaved a sigh of relief.
"This is an incredibly lucky dog," she said of Peabody. "One penny in a 10-pound dog is a lethal toxic dose."
Since the case is somewhat unusual, the Washington State University vet school asked for copies of his file, blood work and X-rays as teaching tools.
Lorie has only praise for Hillenbrand.
"She was absolutely amazing," she said. "It was uncharted territory for everyone - she was incredible."
Lorie said the 78 cents won't go far in paying the hefty vet bill, but she is overjoyed that Peabody beat the odds.
"It's totally a miracle that we have him," she said. "He was so sick."
Read the full story Here.
Elizabeth Casebourn assists veterinarian Fiona Hillenbrand in drawing a blood sample from Peabody during his checkup exam.
