[Sookie]

SORRY so long.

Yesterday was probably the scariest day of my life. Everyone on here knows already how much our babies mean to us, so my telling you that Kalina is my life is superfluous.

I ran some errands yesterday and Kalina went with me. I stopped at PetSmart to see if there was something interesting there for my GE buddy and bought Kalina some 100% chicken jerky made by Smokehouse, picture attached. She was being such a good girl I decided to give her one as a treat. In retrospect, I feel like an idiot. I don't know what I was thinking. When I look at those treats now I can't believe I thought they would be ok. Anyway, I gave her the treat and almost instantly she went limp and fell to her side (I was driving at this point) and her eyes rolled up in her head. I stopped the car and grabbed her, people beeping at me but I didn't even hear them. I can't believe how calm I was. I opened her mouth and I stuck my finger down her throat to see if I could fill the treat and I could, but it was as if it were adhered to her esophagus like glue. I couldn't bring it up but I moved it enough that she was getting air now.

Scared and confused, she started biting me, knowing only that there was something big in her throat (my finger). Knowing she was breathing now, I managed to pull my car into a Dunkin Donuts parking lot. I tried again to get the wafer out of her throat, but it wouldn't come up and she was breathing funny, panting. I decided to try and push it down. I know I probably did everything wrong, but I managed to push it down her throat and she was breathing better now. It's amazing how acute my sense of touch was.

There was an older couple in Dunkin Donuts watching me. I could see them with jaws agape as I shook my dog, pried her mouth open, stuck my finger in her throat, but they were barely on the fringe of my awareness. They must have thought I was nuts.

After I pushed the treat down her throat, I pulled into an Estate where there was a Gardener working. Turns out he is a dog lover and owns three Great Danes. He just said "Give her to me" and he breathed in her face and listened to her lungs and heart, etc. He seemed to know what he was doing and I will be forever grateful for his help. At this point she seemed much, much better.

All day yesterday, afterward, she just sat in my lap (something Kalina NEVER does) with her head on my chest. She even did this while I was eating dinner without begging for my food or anything. All evening she sat on my lap as I watched TV. It's as if she were apologizing for biting me. Can you imagine that? This morning she is wild and crazy and running around like a nut again.

PLEASE do not buy these treats. I went back to PetSmart this morning and told them not to sell them to people with small breed dogs. I tried calling Smokehouse this morning but no answer. I'll keep trying.

Pic 1. The dreaded "treat".
Pic 2. My bitten finger.
Pic 3. Kalina resting up after her ordeal.