Francesca Eats Anything... And Survives!

Well, last night Francesca did it again. Our owner went to the store and Francesca went hunting. Hunting through the house looking for anything that even resembles food. She does this over and over, eats things she shouldn't and SURVIVES!

Let me tell you about some of her little hunting trips.

Don't worry. She's not dead... YET!

Clean Inside and Out
When Francesca came to live with us she was fascinated with the smell of "scentless" Dove soap that was in the bathroom. She'd lick the soap dish and try to steal the soap. The door was usually closed. But one day, our owner went to.... you've got it... the dog food store. It was just a quick trip so she left us in the house. Francesca checked the bathroom door. It was just slightly ajar. She pushed her nose in. Then her body and made for the soap dish. She took the bar of soap and went to her bed and slurped it and licked it and ate it all. Then she carefully licked every bit of soap from the soap dish.

Well, when our owner got back she was concerned and went to the Internet for advice. She found out that the soap might not be too harmful but might cause vomiting and diarrhea. So she watched Francesca. In one article she read that a dog might get an obstruction if they swallowed a large chunk of soap. Oh no! Here's the full story.

It turned out that Francesca didn't have any ill effects. Well, her poop was kind of white the next day. But that's it!

Caffeinated Hound
This was a scary one. Our owner left us loose in the house and took a bath. She took a long bath. She should know better!

When she came out, she smelled coffee. She really thought it was weird because she doesn't even drink coffee.

Then she spied Francesca, lying on her dog bed, chomping on some coffee beans. There was a small gift bag of coffee torn open and coffee beans were all over the place! The coffee had been sitting on a shelf for at least a month and Francesca never touched it. I was also sitting on my own dog bed watching the whole scene unfold. I had no interest in even tasting one bean!

So, in a panic, knowing caffeine can be poisonous to dogs, our owner scooped up all the beans and the paper sack and checked Francesca's heart rate. Seemed normal. She called the vet and he was concerned because these were dark beans but since she didn't eat too many (or maybe she just chewed them up and spit them out) he suggested we watch Francesca carefully for signs of caffeine poisoning.... or even pacing, being jittery, etc. He also said, if we could, to make Francesca throw up the beans.

The only one pacing was our owner. Francesca went to sleep and was just fine the next morning. Here's more on caffeine poisoning in dogs.

Thanksgiving Leftovers
Francesca's last hunting escapade was this week. After Thanksgiving our owner had a big bag of bread cubes for stuffing left over. It was in a shopping bag and you couldn't smell it. It sat there for several days and no one bothered to even sniff the bag.

So, our owner decided, since we were lazing around, that she could safely run to the grocery store and leave us as we were. WRONG! As soon as the garage door shut, Francesca was on the hunt. She checked the sink. She checked the counter and then she spied the bag. It was a Trader Joe's bag. And they have FOOD at Trader Joe's. So Francesca got up on her tippy toes and pulled the bag down.

And there it was.. a sealed bag of bread cubes. She licked the bag and finally tore it open. She ate about 3/4 of the bread cubes. There were crumbs all over the family room floor. Maybe I tasted just a few of them... but not many.

Our owner came home and told Francesca she was naughty. Francesca drank a whole lot of water and then slinked back to our room and laid down. When it was dinner time, Francesca came out and hopped around excited like usual. But she didn't get any dinner. Her tummy was full of bread cubes. SHE WAS STUFFED!

Well, we didn't worry about poison this time. At least Francesca skipped the seasoning packet and stuck to plain bread. She missed a nutritious dinner. All in the name of illegal hunting!

More Information
Pet Poisoning Hotline: Pet Poison Helpline is a 24-hour animal poison control service available throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance with treating a potentially poisoned pet. They have the ability to help every poisoned pet, with all types of poisonings, 24 hours a day. They do charge.

I'd recommend calling your vet or your local 24 hour emergency hospital if you are really worried. The Pet Poisoning Hotline Website has some great articles on pet poisoning.

I think Francesca should read some of the articles before she starts hunting!

Love, Cinnamon