26/04/2026
My dog Kenya got sick, and I felt completely lostā¦
As part of her service dog training, Kenya is being trained to ignore food and things on the floor.
However, stress due to life changes and grieving a family member has made her start frenetically grabbing anything on the floor and swallowing it: rocks, dirt, pieces of plastic, p**p, pieces of wood, all kinds of plantsā¦
A few days ago, she started losing quite a bit of weight, vomited bile, then vomited her meals in the following days, and developed red, painful, itchy spots on her skin.
It turns out she had swallowed something that made her sick, and it was pretty scary. I felt so useless, because despite having helped over 3,800 dog patients, it was my dog getting sick this time and I felt so terrified and stressed.
Sheās one of the healthiest dogs Iāve seen, and she receives the best fresh, anti-inflammatory nutrition, but even that cannot protect her from a poisonous or dangerous ingestion.
What I did immediately to help her:
1. Made her drink activated charcoal powder ā a must-have for any dog parent as part of first-aid supplies
2. Ensured she drank plenty of fresh, filtered water
3. No food for 24h ā fasting is one of the most efficient ways the body can detoxify any undesirable substances
4. Slowly reintroduced fresh, whole food after 2 days and one night of fasting, while observing for any symptoms or discomfort
If thereās any lesson from this, itās to be super careful and aware of what our dogs are swallowing, at home and in public, even if theyāre being trained to ignore food and things.
And of course, if your dog swallows something toxic, dangerous, sharp, or unknown, or if they keep vomiting, become weak, painful, or unwell, please contact a vet or poison helpline immediately.
