Niki Murray

Xylitol is used as a sugar substitute and can be found in sugar-free gum, candy, foods, and is available in granulated form for baking.  It is now being included in toothpastes and other oral hygiene products due to its anti-cavity properties.  In humans, xylitol is absorbed slowly and has little to no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels.  But in dogs, xylitol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.  It then promotes insulin release, which causes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), liver failure, bleeding and death.  

For those of you that know us, you know that Toby and Blake are our four-legged kids.  Toby is an 8 year old Black Lab and Blake is a 3 year old Chocolate Lab.  We’ve had Toby since he was 7 weeks old, and Blake since he was 5 weeks old.  They are Uncle and Nephew.  They go everywhere with us.  They have their own couch.  We celebrate every birthday with doggie cake and presents.  I make their own Frosty Paws (doggie icecream) and have baked home-made treats for them.  They couldn’t be more loved.  Well, last week we weren’t sure if we’d ever see them again.

I woke up Thursday morning to what would be a complete nightmare for the next few days.  I had left out an unopened pack of Trident gum Wednesday night for Van to take to work with him the next morning.  I left it on the table so he wouldn’t forget it and thought nothing of it.  When I came downstairs Thursday morning, I saw remnants of the outer package on the floor in front of the dogs’ couch and tiny parts of the wrapper on Blake’s side of the couch.  I then noticed it said ”contains Xylitol” and remembered seeing something on the news some time ago about Xylitol being bad for dogs.  So I called the vet.

They advised me that Xylitol is poisonous and instructed me to immediately bring in both dogs as their stomachs will need to be pumped.  I was in tears sitting in the waiting room.  I was so scared about what was about to happen.  They weighed the dogs and took them to the back, then put me in a room to talk to the vet.  As I was telling the story to the vet, I was crying hysterically.  The more she talked to me, the grimmer it got.  I explained that the gum had been eaten in the middle of the night while we were sleeping so I had no idea exactly what time it was consumed; nor could I verify which dog ate it or if they shared it.  Since I could not pinpoint a time, the vet said they would not pump their stomachs because it had already made it’s way into their bloodstream.  Xylitol gets absorbed in the bloodstream in as little as an hour. 

She gave me some information on Xylitol that she had printed out and basically told me they would just monitor the dogs for symptoms.  Within the first 24 hours, they watch for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).  Which can result in seizures.  Within 48 hours, they watch for liver failure.  Once that occurs, it just progressively gets worse until they die.  There is no treatment; nothing that can be done.  They can give them fluids to make them comfortable, but that is it.  Basically, the feeling I got was that Xylitol is a death sentence to dogs.  They would have been better off eating chocolate or anti freeze.  With chocolate, you can give them charcoal to stop the absorption.  With anti-freeze, they give them something similar to Everclear to stop the absorption.  But the absorption is so immediate with Xylitol, by the time we found out what had happened and got them to the vet, it was too late to do anything.

So I left both the boys there for a full blood panel and monitoring.  On the way home with nothing but their leashes, it really hit me.  What if I wouldn’t be picking them up?  What if I would never see them again?  I took the couch apart hoping I would find pieces of gum scattered around or under the recliner where they couldn’t get to it, but nothing was found.  I knew deep down I wouldn’t find it because when Blake wants something (especially food related) he won’t stop until he gets it.  So I had no doubt that he had eaten it.  All of it.  And I’m sure Toby was watching him in the corner, drueling, saying “Don’t do that, man”  “You shouldn’t be eating that!”.  So Van and I researched Xylitol on the internet and could not find a single ray of hope.  Everything we read was pretty final.  No happy endings.  Countless dogs have died because of this stuff.  The scariest part was the amount that was consumed.  2 pieces of gum containing Xylitol is enough to kill a 20 pound dog.  That would equate to 8 pieces of gum for our guys (Toby is 79 lbs., Blake is 85 lbs.).  Well, Blake ate the entire pack which consisted of 18 pieces of gum! 

The hardest part was sitting in this empty, quiet house without them.  The minutes were passing by ever so slowly.  The mail man came, the Fed Ex truck drove by, all without a peep.  Normally the dogs bark at them.  I filled up the dishwasher, without Blake there to help me “clean” the dishes as I put them in.  No one snuck upstairs behind me.  I tried to stay strong for Ashley because I didn’t want her to see me so upset, but it was hard.  Really hard.  I kept telling myself I would never complain about cleaning up their dog hair ever again, I would walk them more, play ball more.  I would do anything to just get my boys back.  I would gladly let Toby lick me all he wanted.  And not yell at Blake for acting like a maniac. 

The vet initally said there was nothing she could do.  She would just monitor them for symptoms and once something came up, all they could do was give them fluids to help keep them stable and comfortable.  So 1:00 p.m. came around and I called again to check on them.  I asked the vet why she couldn’t go ahead and give them fluids anyway, just incase.  I just couldn’t bear waiting around anymore for something to happen.  She said she couldn’t promise that it would help, but she would do that if it was what I wanted.  I told her yes.  At least it was something.  It just didn’t make sense to wait around doing nothing.  Waiting for them to die.  So they hooked up IVs to both of them and put them on fluids for the remainder of the day.  They checked their blood glucose 3 times that day. 

I picked them up Thursday evening and it was such a relief to see them again!   That night I stayed up with them downstairs.  I fed them every 2-3 hours to keep their blood sugars up.  They happily obliged!  I monitored both of them but kept a close eye on Blake because I was 99.9% sure he was the culprit.  I watched his breathing.  Made sure he wasn’t lethargic.  Looked at his eyes and gums for changes that could be a sign of liver failure.  I finally fell asleep around 3:30 a.m. in the reclincer.  And got up at 6:30 a.m. to feed them.  Then off to the vet we went again. 

Toby’s tests came back normal so they let me bring him home for the day.  But Blake had to stay again, hooked up to an IV for more fluids.  When I brought him home Friday night we again monitored him for liver failure (since we were past the point of hypoglycemia).  Took him back Saturday morning for a re-check, and everything came back fine.  In fact, in his initial blood work on Thursday, 2 counts were high and 1 count was low.  But on Saturday, everything fell within the normal range.  At this point, it was unlikely that anything could happen, although there was still a slim chance it could (mainly because Blake is a big dog, so it might take longer to affect him).  But as I am typing this on Monday, he’s doing just fine.  Laying on his couch.  Snoring.  That’s my boy!

I am ever so thankful that there is a happy ending to our story.  But it is really a shame that there are so many out there in which this wasn’t the case.  I am determined to educate people on Xylitol and make sure everyone knows its dangers and how lethal it is for our pets.  I am angered by the companies that do not put warning labels on their products.  As I said before, this isn’t like chocolate or any other poison that can be treated.  This stuff is deadly, almost immediately!  There are warning labels on household products, such as Do Not Consume, Keep Out of Reach of Children, etc.  For something to be this lethal, why isn’t there a warning about Xylitol for dogs?  I understand gum is not for dog consumption, but neither is bleach or any other household cleaner for humans.  Should there have been a warning on the pack of Trident gum about the effects of Xylitol on dogs, I would not have left it out on the table, much less even purchased it in the first place.  In many households, dogs are our children.  And it is not right for a product this deadly to be out there with no warnings at all.  We love our boys so so much and couldn’t imagine life without them.  This nightmare has really opened our eyes to how quickly things can turn around.  Not only will we be more careful with the boys, we will also be mindful of this with Ashley.  Just how quickly she could get a hold of something that could be just as deadly, too. 

Here are some pictures of the boys that were taken in August 2008 by a professional photographer.  Yes, we PAID someone to take pictures of our dogs.  Goes to show you, these aren’t just dogs to us…

I’m getting used to the whole SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) thing.  I do have to say it’s been a bit hard being home with a baby during the winter.  It’s nice to be inside and not have to bundle her up to take her somewhere, but some days I feel like the walls are caving in on me.  It does a soul good just to get out of the house sometimes, ya know?  So we’ve been more active lately.  Ashley is getting older and I feel more comfortable taking her places.  We’ve had a couple of play dates, gone out to lunch with friends, and we went over to a neighbor’s house this morning to visit.  Friday we have our first “Bugs” class at The Little Gym.  It’s a parent/child class, and this particular one is for 4-10 month olds.  I am SO excited to try it out!  I think it will be a lot of fun for both of us.  There are only 6 other children in the class (and 2 of them are twins).  I will let you know how it goes.

I can see how easy it would be for the 2 of us to get so very attached to each other being home all of the time.  I already have a hard time leaving her, even if it’s for a few hours.  There are only 3 instances when I’ve been away from her all day.  One of those was when Van and I went to a baby shower in Greenville about a month ago, and I cried like a baby on the way home because I missed Ashley so much.  My parents were babysitting, so deep down I knew she would be fine.  But I still worried about her.  She’s my little buddy.  It’s such a wierd feeling going somewhere without her; like a part of me is left behind.  And it’s funny because whenever Van and I do get away for a nice dinner out, just the 2 of us, we spend most of the time talking about Ashley anyway.  She is definitely our “world” now.

One of my goals is to make sure I get Ashley out and about, socialized with other children and adults.  I want her to experience the world. I am really looking forward to springtime (which couldn’t come soon enough!).  This has been a dreadfully long winter.  Once the weather is warmer,we will get out more, go for strolls, and maybe more playdates.  She can’t really do much yet with other children, but I think it’s good for her to be around them and socialize.  After all, much to her surprise, there’s more to the world than just Mommy, Daddy, Toby, Blake and Jimmy.

Oh, and speaking of Daddy.  Let me just tell you how cool it is to witness the father/daughter bond!  Van doesn’t like me sharing stories to the whole world about him.  Guess he’s afraid it might impact his “mach-o-ness”.  So I’ll just tell you this one quick story .  I overheard him singing to her Sunday morning.  It melted my heart!  Van was watching Ashley downstairs while I took a shower upstairs.  When I got out of the shower, I heard him singing “When the Sun Goes Down” and Ashley was squeeling with glee.  You can’t tell me he’s not wrapped around her lil’ finger!

We celebrated Van’s birthday today.  He turned the big 3-0!  And yes, I am a whole 3 months older than him   We went to The Pit for lunch and then had cake and ice cream at the house.  If you haven’t been to The Pit downtown, I highly recommend it.  They have yummy barbecue and fried chicken!  We celebrated with friends and family (and of course dummy me forgot to take a picture of everyone even though I did remember to bring my camera!).  I’m bummed that I forgot to take a picture and 6 hours later, I’m still kicking myself for not doing that.  Guess I’ll have to get over it.  It was just so neat because we had Van’s parents, his sister and her husband, and 6 of our friends (3 couples) there.  We’ve never had all of those people together at the same time so it made for a special celebration.  And what’s even more cool is that each couple came into our lives at different times.  It was neat to have 3 different groups of friends there.  And I know it made Van happy.  He’s just that kind of guy though.  He keeps friends for a long time because he is such a good friend to others.  I wish I could be more like him in that aspect.  He doesn’t keep grudges, doesn’t keep count of who did what, and isn’t an “eye for an eye” type like I am.  Plus he genuinely likes to help people out.  He’s the guy that will be there for you no matter what.  So I really wish I had remembered to take a picture of all of his friends and family that gathered in one place, just for him.  But I forgot.  Story of my life, right?

I made a yummy cake and surprised him with a movie that I made.  I put together pictures that I’ve had since I’ve known him (all 14 years worth) and created a movie.  It was really good, if I do say so myself!  Starts out in high school, and goes through all our friends, his hobbies (4 wheeling, fishing, flying), graduations, vacations, weddings, honeymoon, and of course Miss Ashley.  Kind of like a collage from past to present.  And it ends with me and Ashley singing Happy Birthday to him.  I have to admit it made me a bit teary eyed seeing all of our history and memories.  And Van REALLY liked it!

So here’s to Van – my best friend, husband, and daddy to our sweet little girl!!  You’re the best Dude!  I hope you enjoyed your birthday

…is the first smile of the morning! As I walk into the nursery, I see Ashley laying in her crib, patiently waiting to be picked up, wearing a big ole’ smile. She is always so happy to see me and start her day. It makes every morning worth waking up for!

Ashley had her 4 month check-up this week.  She is now 13 pounds and 24 inches long.  She got 2 booster shots in her little leg, and the third was in a liquid form that she drank.   Poor thing screamed at the top of her lungs during the shots.  However, she did calm down by the time we checked-out and fell asleep on the way home.  Oh, and the doctor gave us some information on solid foods.  He said we can start introducing rice cereal between 4 and 6 months.  Just another sign that she is growing up!

She has had some new milestones lately, too.  She can roll onto her side (when laying on her back) and is grabbing toys/objects put in front of her.  If you hold a toy in front of her face, she will reach up and grab it with both hands.  So cute!  She is also drooling more, which can be a sign of teething.  Her eyes are turning brown.  She likes standing up and bearing weight on her legs.  She LOVES to sing and dance.  I’ll turn some music on and sing and dance around the house while holding her.  She loves the eye contact and dancing around.  Her favorite artists are Beyonce and Lady Gaga!  And she is big enough now to sit in the Baby Bjorn and face out, instead of inward.

With all of this growth and development, I can’t help but think of what the future holds for us.  I plan on teaching her sign language so she can communicate.  I may start this in the next few weeks.  She already seems to soak up the environment around her and I can see the interest in her eyes.  She is starting to really focus on people, objects and movements.  And with all her “cooing” and eye contact, you can tell she is trying to communicate.  I’m also going to try and make her own baby food when the time comes.  I really want to take advantage of being home with her.  Once spring comes and we can get out more, I’d love to find a play group to join.  Or maybe go to The Little Gym for a class.  I have so much to look forward to and I find myself dreaming of things we are going to do together as she gets older.  Swimming in the pool, playing in the sand, “riding” the boys (her, not me ).  But I really need to slow down and enjoy this stage she is in now.  She is going to grow so fast and those days will come soon enough.  Right now I will soak up her immobile, non-talking little self, and enjoy our dancing sessions in the living room! 

Ashley and I had our first play date this morning!  Boy, was it fun!   We were running late on our way there because I had to change clothes at the last minute.   Ashley decided to spit up all over me right before we were going to leave.  This was another “first” by the way.  She’s never spit up before.  She usually just lets out a burp when I burp her.  Not this morning.   I was burping her like normal, when all of a sudden I hear a Blacch and felt a warm sensation on my neck.  She had spit milk out all over me!  So now I know what it feels like to be spit up on.  Thanks Ashley, for that official induction into the Mommy club!

The ladies we met for our play date were actually some old friends from middle school.  We hadn’t seen each other since then so it was great reuniting with them.  It’s so neat that we all have kids now!  We met at Starbucks, had coffee, and strolled down to the kids play area at the mall.  It was fun walking and talking with them.  I’ve never done things with other Mommies before, so it was new and exciting.  We talked baby stuff and I got lots of advice because their children are all older than Ashley.  I also got to see what I have to look forward to, as their kids were running around and playing.  I held Ashley in my lap so she could watch the children play.  And to think that will be her one day, running around.  Sigh…

This afternoon I put her in her pack-n-play for a bit.  She was talking and entertaining herself.  I don’t know how long it had been.  Maybe 20-30 minutes.  I look over there to check on her and she is laying there without any pants on!  At first I thought to myself, maybe I forgot to put her pants back on after I changed her diaper.  But then I could have sworn I did.  I mean, how could I forget to put her pants on?   And if I did, how could she have taken them off?  She’s not even 4 months old yet; surely she couldn’t have taken her own pants off.  She can’t even sit up by herself .  After some investigation, I found her pants balled up in the blanket that she had also kicked off.  Sure enough, that little stinker had kicked off the blanket AND her pants!  She was just laying there smiling, with her diaper on and shirt pulled up, obviously trying to get that off, too!  She is so funny!!   I just stared at her laughing.  And of course had to take some pictures of her vanishing pants trick.  She was mighty proud of her accomplishment…my little comedian

• Stacking this month’s unread magazine on top of last month’s unread magazine.
• Eating dinner like we’re trying to break a world record for the most pasta swallowed in the shortest amount of time. All while standing up.
• Letting your husband choose between poop and laundry as a topic of conversation.
• Figuring out how to go to the restroom without putting the baby down.
• Wearing undergarments that look like something from a 1930s catalog.
• Spending two hours getting the baby to sleep and then waking her up two minutes later to make sure she’s still breathing.
• Having to plan trips to the grocery store in great detail. Then looking forward to going just to get out of the house.
• Forgetting what you were…

I had soooooooooooo much fun today!!!  As you may know, it never snows here so I was quite excited when the forecast called for it this week.  It started last night about 7:00 p.m. and continued through the night.  I woke up to a winter wonderland!  I started the morning by getting chili together in the crockpot.  I wanted to get it going early so it would be ready for lunch.  After I fed Ashley and got her settled, I took the boys out for some fun in the snow.  They had a ball!  They loved running around in it, kicking the snow up.  Toby would drop the tennis ball and stick his face in the snow to retreive it.  Sometimes he would even dig for it in the snow.  It makes me so happy to watch them have fun. 

Then we ate chili for lunch and I went out with the boys again this afternoon.  Except this time we went out armed with a sled and 2 leashes.  I sat on the sled and had them pull me.  That’s right, I had my own dogsledding team!  It took a few times for them to get the hang of it.  When I first sat on the sled, Toby got in my lap and sat with me.  But once they figured out it WAS okay to pull me, I went for a ride!  The neighborhood kids were out sledding too, which just added to the fun.  The boys would run and chase after them.  I don’t know what it is about snow that brings the kid out in me.  I just had a ball being outdoors today!  And not that I’m rushing things, but I can’t wait to play with Ashley in the snow.  She’s going to love it!  We did take her out on the porch for a quick picture to showcase her first snow.

And tonight I made my first batch of snow cream.  I know I’m probably one of the few that’s never had it before.  I’ve heard so much about it that I wanted to make some myself.  So I did, and boy was it scrumptious!  Me, Van, Toby and Blake all had a bowl.  I used about a gallon of snow, so I have a lot leftover.  I’m hoping it’ll freeze well.  It’ll be fun to make snow cream with Ashley when she gets older, too.  If only she knew about all of this fun stuff she has to look forward to!

Here are some pictures that chronicle our wonderful day in the snow.  Oh, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be melting anytime soon, so I might head out tomorrow for Round 2.  Or I’ll just sit by the fire.  Guess it depends on how sore I am in the morning

I am so thankful to have a healthy and happy baby.  I just cannot get over how perfect she is!  My little girl is the cutest, sweetest, most charming, adorable, delightful, endearing baby I’ve ever known!!  Am I a proud Mama?  Nah

This post is for all those who think you have to get rid of your pet(s) when you have a baby; those who are afraid of their pets being around their baby or those who give their pets away thinking they don’t have time to care for them AND a baby.  Well, I beg to differ. 

Pre-baby, the dogs were our kids.  I spoiled them rotten, took them places with me, made ice cream and treats for them.  My spare time was spent with our dogs.  One thing that really bothered me while I was pregnant was when someone would come up to me and say “What about the dogs?”  “What are you going to do with the dogs?”.  What do you mean what am I going to DO with the dogs?  The same things I have always done with them – play with them, feed them, provide a loving home for them.  It just boggles my mind how people, with or without kids, don’t think babies and dogs can get along. 

I’m not here to tell you it’s all a bed of roses.  Yes, there was an adjustment period.  Toby didn’t take to Ashley right away.  He even barked at her the first night we brought her home.  And it can be stressful trying to make everyone happy.  It seems that everytime I sit down to feed Ashley, Toby goes to the door and wants to go outside.  He doesn’t just sit there.  He whines and paces until I let him out.  Then as soon as he is out, he’s barking to come back in.  This is his way of getting my attention.  And yes, Blake sometimes gets too close to Ashley and will lick her way too much.  Any skin exposed, be it her face, hands, feet, are all there for the licking.  They do drive me crazy somedays because they just want to play and I don’t always have time to play with them.  But I do the best I can.  It NEVER crossed my mine to give them away or find a new home for them.  After all, they were here first and I love them just the same.  I understand there are some circumstances when it may not work out after everything you try.  But please, please try.  Give them a chance to adjust.  Just be cautious, supervise them and use common sense. 

There is always dog hair all over the floor (despite how much I clean it up) and Ashley gets slobbery kisses from time to time, but in the end I think she will benefit from living with “the boys”.  We all have things to learn from each other and we are here to prove that it IS possible to live as one big happy family, whether you have two legs or four.