Alaskan Malamute's question about Gastric Lavage

Question

My beloved Malamute intercepted mail order delivery of her Rimadyl and ate the entire bottle,  roughly 100 times the daily dose.  I was able to deliver her to the emergency clinic within 60-90 minutes of the event.  They said they induced emesis,  but it did not produce much,  they didn't offer of perform Lavage.  Why would they not do that?  Unfortunately it proved fatal after a 5 day struggle.  It seems Lavage would have been more effective early on. (Note to other readers,  be very careful if ordering online medications).

Accepted Answer

Thank you for contacting us about A.  I'm so sorry to hear of this sad story, and sorry for your loss.  I can't comment on why the clinic didn't perform lavage, as I wasn't there, but one reason that we sometimes do not is if the patient isn't stable enough for the anesthesia required for lavage... I'm not sure if that was the case with A, but you can always call the veterinarian that was in charge of her case and ask what the reasoning was.  Again, I am sorry for your loss.

Gastric Lavage in Dogs