Intervention

I came home yesterday to find (after reconstructing the scene of the crime) that Tucker had eaten, not 10, not 50, not 100, but roughly 200 Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules. We’ve been putting 1 or 2 capsules per day in with their food to help with arthritis, inflammation and coat health, but I had no idea until yesterday just how much Tucker enjoyed them! At least I know for the next few days he’ll have good cholesterol, and be at less risk of developing acute macular degeneration. At this moment in time he could quite possibly have one of the smoothest running circulatory systems the canine world has ever seen. Thank god Tucker weighs almost 100 pounds and apparently has a stomach of steel.

On the serious side, 24 hours since he ate his “snack” of 200 Fish Oil pills. Other than a tiny bit of runny stool and stinky farts accompanied by fish breath – he doesn’t seem any worse for the wear. (The fish breath was what actually incriminated him during my investigation. Guapo tested negative for fish breath, but Tucker was positive.) I did about an hour of research after finding out he had overdosed on Omega-3 fatty acids, and I felt comforted o see that many other dog owners have equally naughty dogs. I saw one owner post that their dog not only ate 100 fish oil pills, but also the bottle the pills were packaged in. Another had a dog that actually opened a locked cabinet full of medications and selected the fish oil to chow down on. I even saw one frantic message from a Poodle owner, thinking their dog was good as dead because they dropped a single Fish Oil pill on the ground and their dog ate it.

All the responses were the same – there is no lethal dose of Omega 3 or other fish oils. The best thing you can do for your dog if they get into your fish oil supply is to provide supportive care by making sure they stay hydrated, and watching for any adverse symptoms like dehydration, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and pancreatitis. Another thing worthy of mentioning is that some Fish Oil supplements also contain Vitamin A or Vitamin E, which can be toxic in large doses. Both Vitamins A and E are fat soluble, meaning excesses are stored in the body, instead of being excreted in the urine. A build up of A, E or any of the other fat soluble vitamins can be deadly. I made sure to check our bottle of fish oil, and it does not contain anything other than fish oil, gelatin and trace amounts of preservatives, but if you’ve somehow reached this post for help because your dog ate fish oil pills, be sure to check for Vitamins A and E.

Now, back to the intervention. As you may recall, this is Tucker’s second supplement overdose in less than a year. His last pill popping adventure bought him an overnight stay in the doggy ER when he thought it would be a good idea to get all hopped up on Yohimbe. Before this dog’s addiction gets much more out of control, I really think we all need to get together and let Tucker know that enough is enough. Perhaps we could draw charts with peanut butter showing him the dangers of his reckless behavior. Acting out a skit demonstrating the dangers of supplement abuse while holding hot dogs in our hands is also sure to get his attention. I’ll talk to Guapo and see if maybe he can have a heart to heart with him the next time they’re alone. This lummox needs to know we are tired of him sneaking lethal doses of nutritional supplements when no one is looking.

Just in case you’re curious… If you wanted to get the same amount of Omega 3 fatty acids that Tucker ingested (roughly 200,000 mg) you’d have to eat approximately 37.5 pounds of salmon.