When my brother returned from a trip out to the family farm up in eastern Nebraska, it came as no surprise that their one-year-old black lab was tired and not himself. A week of constant running and playing with his canine companions would do that to the little guy. It was when he stopped eating that they figured something might be up. With a veterinarian in our family, they did not have to wait until the next day to try to figure out what was wrong with Loki.
She came over to their house and conducted a quick exam. He was running a bit of a fever, but nothing at a level that would cause this behavior. After her initial examination, she was fairly certain he had a stomach bug, assuming he ate something he shouldn’t have, and they just had to wait it out. The next day, however, he wouldn’t even leave his bed and could hardly lift his head, but was panting as though he had been running. Something was seriously wrong.
The next step was to consult a doctor at the university that specialized in canine veterinary care. After several tests, including one that showed a large fluid buildup in the cavity surrounding the lungs, he concluded the abnormal behavior was due to a grass awn infection. Apparently, there are some very ruthless, barbed grass seeds out there that can penetrate any part of an animals body and wreak havoc as it migrates throughout the body, often landing in or near the lungs or heart, usually proven to be fatal due to the infection if not detected early enough.
The doctor explained to my brother that, not only is the treatment extremely expensive, but the odds of survival are not great. Two years prior, they had to put down their previous family pet, a pup named Jake. So, they were not ready to do the same with their one-year-old and decided to take a chance. The procedure first involved draining the fluid from the chest cavity to allow for normal breathing, as well as the hopefully finding the grass awn. After being unable to find it, they went on to a more invasive procedure that included cracking and opening the rib cage to scrape out additional fluid and, again, search for the culprit.
Once again, they were unable to locate it, but apparently, that did not mean it was still in the Loki’s body. So, it was just time to wait and see. Initially, they had to keep Loki onsite as even the slightest excitement could prove fatal given the extreme nature of the procedure he had undergone. A few days had passed, and it looked like they were going to be able to bring him home. Definitely not out of the woods, but reason to hope. Sadly, the next day when my sister-in-law was letting him out, he simply fell over and died. There was nothing she or anyone did wrong. It all was just more than his tired body could handle. Needless to say, their family was devastated. Losing two dogs in two years is beyond comprehensible: especially for children.
They have since found a new family friend (another lab, of course), but I do know they are still very concerned about this ever happening again and take every precaution possible. They also exam him on a regular basis and watch for signs. They just wouldn’t be able to handle losing another pup before his time.
Please take this as a warning, whether you have pets of your own or know someone else that does. Do some research to, not only look for the symptoms, but also to see what these evil seeds look like. Chances are, they’re in your area too.
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