Project- Happily Ever After: Red Chocolate

Lucy & Dusty were dropped off Monday afternoon so their Dad could go to the Shot Show in Vegas this week. They are here several weeks a year while their dad travels, but this week seemed to start off a bit more dramatic than normal.

I started feeling under-the-weather Sunday night. Monday I didn't feel so hot, but not awful. My throat hurt a bit as the day went on...but I figured it was nothing. While I was out, I got a text saying Dusty had already fallen in the pool.

Already?

*sigh*

I came home from running an errand or two while Mike was finishing working on his truck. He came inside and told me Lucy had gotten into the pantry while I was gone...he found an empty bag in the backyard of the meltable chocolate. Red. Meltable. Chocolate.

She was acting pretty dang normal...and I think both Mike and I ~~are~~ were immune to the dangers of dogs eating chocolate after Remington. He ate EVERYTHING. Brownie mix...all of it and parts of the box and bag. Uncooked rice with powdery cheese sauce..all of it and then he wiped his cheesy snout all over the light colored carpet. Chips. Cake. Fruit. You name it. He ate it. And he never got sick...at least not deathly ill.

About four hours after eating 14 ounces of chocolate, Lucy seemed fine, so Mike fed the dogs their dinner while I was making ours. A short time after the dogs ate, Mike went upstairs for something...I heard him say a few choice words. I ran upstairs to find a HUGE pile of RED puke. Luckily for me, I was starting to get stuffed up, so I don't have any details ref: the smell.

I ran downstairs to get the only carpet cleaner we had...and the bottle was almost empty. It was also for cleaning up dog urine (must be over 8 years old...since lucy was a puppy)...so we used what we had, but it didn't do anything. Anything.

*sigh*

Mike cleaned up the mess (love him!) while I worked on dinner. A few minutes later, Lucy puked a second time...downstairs in the family room. It was also RED. Did I mention is was RED chocolate? You can imagine what it would do to your clothes...no shout stick on the plante, or any amount of oxi-clean would work. Imagine our beautiful 1 year old carpet.

I wanted to cry.

Instead I called a friend who works at a Vet's office. I explained the situation and she told me to hang up and call an emergency Vet. She gave me a number and told me good luck. I called and told the Vet's office my sob story. They told me to bring her in. Of course my first thought was that they were trying to make money, but I was pretty nervous about her dying...so I didn't know what to do.

I finally called Rob...I thought I should let him in on our fun-filled night thus far. He told me to do what I thought was best. By this point, I was in tears. What an awful feeling. Mike finally decided to take her, but I wasn't allowed to go because we had a kickball game at 8pm. If I missed the game, we would forfeit and not be allowed to go to playoffs. I was a big cry baby and not feeling 100% was not helping...it was a rough night. Richelle called and scheduled the carpet cleaners for their soonest appointment. (She is not only the best sister and the best friend EVER, but she is also the best {free} personal assistant I could hope for.)

The game went fine and was the quickest game yet....only 40 minutes. Mike told me he was still at the clinic and asked me not to come. He knew I didn't feel well and said I shouldn't waste the gas. (Guess I'm rubbing off on him?)

He got home around 10:30pm and said Lucy should be fine. She was not allowed to eat until 5:30pm the NEXT day. The Vet also said if she puked again to rush her back in. I guess they gave her a shot with anti-nausea meds, so if she puked...it was a BAD thing. Mike gave her her medicine and she puked. Ugh. He called the vet and they said it was probably just the meds...so no more meds until the next day too.

We locked the three of us in our room to sleep...Dusty stays downstairs because...well...she's old and can't make it up the stairs anymore. Sad, but true.

On Tuesday I woke up (is that what it's called if you don't actually sleep?) and felt like death. I am so thankful for sick days...and I hate when sick people come in to work. Mike took his truck to the shop and I went back to bed... For an added bonus, Dusty fell in the pool a second time Tuesday night. She walked in the house dripping wet and shaking. Guess our need for a pool fence is more imminent than we budgeted.

It's now Wednesday night and I don't feel any better. Lucy appears to be fine. No more puking...

The carpet guy was here earlier. He cleaned the carpet in our bedroom, the upstairs landing and hallway, the stairs and the family room. The carpet needed to be cleaned anyway, so I guess the RED puke excuse was as good as any.

The carpet looks great, but the red stain downstairs is not gone. It looks a lot better, but I am still very disappointed. The pictures don't do the stain justice. I am hopeful when we aren't scraping every penny together in a "baby account" that we can get the sectional couch we've been eyeing...maybe it will be big enough to "hide" the spot. Who knows.

I feel like crap. Had my first bloody nose ever...I'm guessing from blowing my nose so much. I can't stop sneezing and several other annoying sickness traits. The couch is in the kitchen. The house is a mess...completely torn apart. Dusty won't stay off the damp carpet...and she's deaf and blind...so yelling at her doesn't do anything but make my throat hurt worse.