dsmith Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I love my in-laws, but this is the 4th time (that I'm aware of) that their carelessness with medications has put our dogs at risk. We have both dogs at the vet for observation after their dog got into some ziplocs full of medications, and my dog had to join in the party. There must have been about 60 pills all over the floor, pieces of bag everywhere, and the two dogs right in the middle of it with noses to the ground. I have no idea if they ingested anything or not, but I wasn't willing to take the chance. According to the vet, their dog had enough plastic bag in her stomach to definitely have caused a problem. Dh and I will have to cover the vet bills for both dogs, as my in-laws have no money. We have probably spent over $500 already for previous incidents, and this one will probably be over $200 when we add in the cost of the phone call to poison control. Dh is furious at them for putting the dogs at risk again. It's probably good that they are going away for the night, and dh won't see them until tomorrow. The sad thing is that they will be careful for a week or two, and then things will go back to the usual carelessness. Why don't they get it?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Why don't they get it? Potentially, b/c they don't deal with the consequences. You guys do. You guys get the dogs medical attention, and pay for it. I'd start charging them for the vet bills, even if it's $50/mth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Why are your dogs over there? Do you live with them? I don't mean to be snarky but if your dogs don't have to be there, don't let the dogs be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDweller Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 It wasn't your lapse in judgement. It was theirs. They should be paying the bill. I wouldn't pay for their dog. I would tell the vet that you are paying for yours only and let the inlaws pay for theirs. If they can't, too bad. They will have to deal with the bill and negotiate payment. If they can't afford to take care of a pet (and use some common sense in caring for them) then they shouldn't have any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 We share a house, and they really can’t pay the vet bills, although I could start taking off money each month towards what we pay them to live here. They would not take the dogs to the vet if we weren’t around. An incident happened while dh and I were away, I’m sure of it. As soon as we walked in the door, after being away for 4 weeks, the dog had to be rushed to the vet as soon as possible. We talked to them earlier in the day, and no mention was made of any problems. By the state of the dog when we came home, this happened well before we arrived home. I’m amazed she pulled through. I am constantly reminding them not to leave stuff on the counters, to be careful with the pills, etc. I am constantly finding pills on the floor. Our dog is generally the one who will eat anything off the floor, or at least test it out. Their dog will pull anything off of counters thinking it may be food. She has poorly regulated diabetes, and is basically slowly starving to death as a result. Nothing can be left in her reach. A dog will have to die before they get it! I have never heard my husband this infuriated. Maybe he should scream at them like he wants to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Maybe report them to the SPCA or another animal regulation group (don't know where you are). I also wouldn't allow your kiddos over there unsupervised if they are so lax with pills. That'd be super scary to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 (I'm assuming that your in-laws living with you.) Do you think your in-laws are *unable* to responsibly take care of their medications, due to their medical conditions? In this case, you or dh should take control of all medications. Or maybe the problem is that they can't keep the pills in the original containers, because they are too difficult to open (this happened to my mil.) In that case, I would ask if I could put their pills in one of those days-of-the-week pillboxes for them. That way the dogs would not get into as many pills if there was a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Maybe report them to the SPCA or another animal regulation group (don't know where you are). I also wouldn't allow your kiddos over there unsupervised if they are so lax with pills. That'd be super scary to me :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We share a house, and they really can’t pay the vet bills, although I could start taking off money each month towards what we pay them to live here. They would not take the dogs to the vet if we weren’t around. An incident happened while dh and I were away, I’m sure of it. As soon as we walked in the door, after being away for 4 weeks, the dog had to be rushed to the vet as soon as possible. We talked to them earlier in the day, and no mention was made of any problems. By the state of the dog when we came home, this happened well before we arrived home. I’m amazed she pulled through. I am constantly reminding them not to leave stuff on the counters, to be careful with the pills, etc. I am constantly finding pills on the floor. Our dog is generally the one who will eat anything off the floor, or at least test it out. Their dog will pull anything off of counters thinking it may be food. She has poorly regulated diabetes, and is basically slowly starving to death as a result. Nothing can be left in her reach. A dog will have to die before they get it! I have never heard my husband this infuriated. Maybe he should scream at them like he wants to. So I guess you are renting from them ? There is perhaps not much you can do then. If you intend to take immediate decisive action, take all their pills and put them into a metal toolbox with a good latch. Tell them any pills you find left out of the box will be confiscated. They may kick you out. But if you don't do something decisive, the situation will continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 I’ve tried to get them both to use the pill organizers, but I think we are going to have to insist, with severe consequences if it is not done. I don’t know which one of them is worse. My fil goes through all of his pills at the kitchen counter, and the dogs gather around him while he is doing it so that he can give them treats. If he drops one, the dogs dive for it, thinking it is a treat. We thought he had stopped doing this, but he just changed the timing so that we are not around when he does it. My mil has baggies of pills everywhere. Their dog just started getting into everything that is in plastic bags, thinking she will find food. I have found pills from both of them on the floor. If I had a young child, I would be a nervous wreck. When ds was young, I used to do pill sweeps as soon as we walked in the door. Or maybe the problem is that they can't keep the pills in the original containers, because they are too difficult to open (this happened to my mil.) In that case, I would ask if I could put their pills in one of those days-of-the-week pillboxes for them. That way the dogs would not get into as many pills if there was a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 AS a tangent: There is a way of training the dogs to not eat anything without permission. I know of a trainer who's dog was the only dog in the neighborhood that didn't die during a rash of poisonings because it wouldn't eat without a command. Unfortunately, I do not remember how to teach this method. Secondly, 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide will make a dog barf (although I don't know about what it will do with the meds :001_huh:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkpan Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We share a house, and they really can’t pay the vet bills, although I could start taking off money each month towards what we pay them to live here. They would not take the dogs to the vet if we weren’t around. An incident happened while dh and I were away, I’m sure of it. As soon as we walked in the door, after being away for 4 weeks, the dog had to be rushed to the vet as soon as possible. We talked to them earlier in the day, and no mention was made of any problems. By the state of the dog when we came home, this happened well before we arrived home. I’m amazed she pulled through. I am constantly reminding them not to leave stuff on the counters, to be careful with the pills, etc. I am constantly finding pills on the floor. Our dog is generally the one who will eat anything off the floor, or at least test it out. Their dog will pull anything off of counters thinking it may be food. She has poorly regulated diabetes, and is basically slowly starving to death as a result. Nothing can be left in her reach. A dog will have to die before they get it! I have never heard my husband this infuriated. Maybe he should scream at them like he wants to. Well, do I understand that you are living in THEIR home? I can see being frustrated that my dog got into their meds, but you both sound livid. All I can say is that if my son and dil lived in my home and tried to behave with that level of control, it would be a very temporary set-up, kwim? Seriously, I am not trying to be rude as I am sure that you are upset over the concern for your dog, but it you CHOOSE to live in their home then you should be willing to live with the consequences. They sound fairly old and perhaps a little feeble. Somehow their dog has managed to survive. Would you really confiscate their meds???? Scream at them??!!?? Honestly, for the sake of family harmony, perhaps your family should consider finding their own accommodations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Training would probably work well with the younger dog. Thanks for the suggestion! The older dog would probably not respond well to training. All of her training has flown out the window with the diabetes, and her hunger signals seems to override everything. My husband is looking for some kind of alarm that would go off if she jumps up on the counters, even if we have to watch and do it manually. She is terrified of sounds similar to a smoke detector. The only other thing I can think of is some kind of aversion training to eating anything off the floor, if that’s possible. I’m not a fan of that kind of training, but I think it may be warranted here. I may need to find a dog trainer to deal with this... AS a tangent: There is a way of training the dogs to not eat anything without permission. I know of a trainer who's dog was the only dog in the neighborhood that didn't die during a rash of poisonings because it wouldn't eat without a command. Unfortunately, I do not remember how to teach this method. Secondly, 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide will make a dog barf (although I don't know about what it will do with the meds :001_huh:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I haven't done it, but my understanding is there are ways to poison proof dogs so that they will only eat what you give them or what is in their bowls. You might seriously consider trying to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Well, do I understand that you are living in THEIR home? I can see being frustrated that my dog got into their meds, but you both sound livid. All I can say is that if my son and dil lived in my home and tried to behave with that level of control, it would be a very temporary set-up, kwim? Seriously, I am not trying to be rude as I am sure that you are upset over the concern for your dog, but it you CHOOSE to live in their home then you should be willing to live with the consequences. They sound fairly old and perhaps a little feeble. Somehow their dog has managed to survive. Would you really confiscate their meds???? Scream at them??!!?? Honestly, for the sake of family harmony, perhaps your family should consider finding their own accommodations? Honestly, we are not controlling of them at all, nor are they of us. (Dh really won’t scream at them, and I want nothing to do with their meds.:001_smile:) We really do have a great relationship, but this has been happening too often. We make sure that our son doesn’t leave his stuff laying around where they could trip on it. I don’t see this as much different. And our living situation was decided on by all of us as a way to help us all. We all benefit from the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Because my worry would be that, anything your (or their dog) ate, they did NOT get to take, and if it's a medication prescribed by a doctor, they may need all they have. With the way insurance works, I often can't keep "extra" prescription medications on hand. Are your inlaws taking their meds as prescribed? Are they taking too little and "saving up?" Is this a situation in which they are obsessing over their medications, and that's why they are rebagging it, counting it out at the table, etc? The whole thing makes my skin crawl, and not just for the dogs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Some things people will just not change, even if the dogs die and they get new ones. I feel for you. My dad loves his dogs like his own life, but they keep dying after eating poisoned ground squirrels. Yes, this had been happening all 40 years that I have been alive and he keeps poisoning the ground squirrels and getting upset when his dogs die. Many people have tried to get him to see the correlation, but alas, he will not. Personally, I would not have a dog in this environment unless I could train it not to dive for the pills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 They must realize there is a problem and that you are paying hundreds of dollars to care for the dogs due to their carelessness. Would they be willing to keep all of the meds in the kitchen? Then you could just gate the kitchen off with a baby gate. This is what my in-laws have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 a. If you don't have one, get a crate for your dog. b. Start a new routine - your dog is crated unless you are able to supervise him. This means you are aware of your mom's baggies and any loose pills and do a sweep for them before you let your dog out of his crate. c. Crate you dog when your FIL is taking care of his medicines. d. Crate the dog when you are gone. e. If you are gone longer than a few hours (ie. overnight) get someone else to watch your dog. If at all possible, try to get them to do the same for their dog. But - strictly speaking, you are only responsible for your dog. Right now you are not taking care of him adequately and you are putting his life in danger. Obviously their dog is a living creature too and deserves better care but you are limited somewhat in what you can do. You could make a case that if you are going to be paying his vet bills, that you have some say in his care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Thankfully the dogs are back home and seem ok. This incident cost $465.00. Dh is going to sit with his parents when they get home and try to work out a solution to this. My fil seems to be taking this more seriously, so hopefully he will he will stick with whatever they come up with. What a stressful day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 oh man....living with inlaws is horribly hard.....I would start taking so much out of what you give them for "rent" as payback for taking care of the vet bill....oh my Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I'm glad the dogs are okay. :grouphug: I’ve tried to get them both to use the pill organizers, but I think we are going to have to insist, with severe consequences if it is not done. My fil goes through all of his pills at the kitchen counter. My mil has baggies of pills everywhere. I have found pills from both of them on the floor. :confused: What kind of consequences? They definitely need help with their medications. Carrying it around in a plastic baggie can degrade the medications and losing them... well that's not so good either. I do think they should get the daily pill boxes (go for a two week one, less pills left in bottles that way). However, those things can seem really complicated (I don't know why, but I've seen people look at them like they're some unsolvable puzzle). It could be that you or dh need to fill the boxes for them. Either way, pill boxes and dogs in crates would save you a lot of money, time, and stress. a. If you don't have one, get a crate for your dog. b. Start a new routine - your dog is crated unless you are able to supervise him. This means you are aware of your mom's baggies and any loose pills and do a sweep for them before you let your dog out of his crate. c. Crate you dog when your FIL is taking care of his medicines. d. Crate the dog when you are gone. e. If you are gone longer than a few hours (ie. overnight) get someone else to watch your dog. If at all possible, try to get them to do the same for their dog. But - strictly speaking, you are only responsible for your dog. Right now you are not taking care of him adequately and you are putting his life in danger. Obviously their dog is a living creature too and deserves better care but you are limited somewhat in what you can do. You could make a case that if you are going to be paying his vet bills, that you have some say in his care. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Do they need help with their meds? Would they accept it? I disagree with reducing rent payments to get back the vet money. You made the decision to bring their dog to the vet. You can't make decisions for other people and then expect them to pay for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 a. If you don't have one, get a crate for your dog. b. Start a new routine - your dog is crated unless you are able to supervise him. This means you are aware of your mom's baggies and any loose pills and do a sweep for them before you let your dog out of his crate. c. Crate you dog when your FIL is taking care of his medicines. d. Crate the dog when you are gone. e. If you are gone longer than a few hours (ie. overnight) get someone else to watch your dog. If at all possible, try to get them to do the same for their dog. But - strictly speaking, you are only responsible for your dog. Right now you are not taking care of him adequately and you are putting his life in danger. Obviously their dog is a living creature too and deserves better care but you are limited somewhat in what you can do. You could make a case that if you are going to be paying his vet bills, that you have some say in his care. :iagree::iagree::iagree: This is the only way you can really be sure you are protecting your dog. Obviously the parents have a pattern of laxness followed by a disaster and then followed by some improvement that doesn't last. This is predictable and isn't likely to change so you need to make changes that take into account that they will leave the pills out and that your dog will eat them. Knowing this, you must crate and supervise at all times. Because you know this, you also have to accept that lack of supervision will be on you and your dh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Could you talk with a trainer and train your dog (and theirs) not to eat pills off the floor? Ill bet it can be done. It would be a backstop to trying to get them to change. I would not assume that your ILs are just being irresponsible. There may be some of that, but it may be combined with being disorganized and forgetful. You will probably need to do the work for them to help them change. If they keep pills in baggies, get some medication containers and help them dole out their pills for the week in those. I would get daily ones so that you limit the pills available at any one time, but for convenience sake, I would get several of these (one color for her, one color for him) and one day a week, dispense the pills. Have a designated place for the medication container for that day to be kept. (they may need to keep them within eyesight to remember to take them. But you can probably figure out a designated place that is safe and within eye sight.) Help them develop the skills and routine needed to keep the dogs safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Thanks for all the responses! My in-laws will be home later today. My mil mentioned on her own that they have to start using the pill organizers that they have, and must be more careful. She feels awful. The vet tech suggested crating the older dog when my in-laws go out, because that is when she gets into stuff she shouldn’t. I don’t know if that will fly with my fil, but I think it is a good idea after what they found in her stomach contents. No medicines that they could find, but she did have grape skins and a lot of plastic, and maybe a toy of some sort in her gut. I’m going to search for some info on training our dog not to eat anything without our permission. The older dog generally will not eat a pill off the floor, but anything in a plastic bag is fair game. I’m not going to worry about training her. I don’t have the time or will power to butt heads with her - she is one stubborn dog! Now I have to sit down and refigure our finances. This is a really bad time for this to have happened. We haven’t been able to pay ourselves for the last 4 weeks, and between this and the inhalers ($250!!!) my son needed while sick, it’s getting a bit tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 :grouphug: I hope it all goes well. Does the vet have any idea why the dog eats so much plastic? It almost seems like she's targeting it. Could some raw hide help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 :grouphug: I hope it all goes well. Does the vet have any idea why the dog eats so much plastic? It almost seems like she's targeting it. Could some raw hide help? We think that she can smell the plastic, and she equates plastic with food. Sometimes my in-laws will leave bags of bread or rolls on the counter or table, and she always manages to get them. She is completely blind, so her sense of smell is very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 We think that she can smell the plastic, and she equates plastic with food. Sometimes my in-laws will leave bags of bread or rolls on the counter or table, and she always manages to get them. She is completely blind, so her sense of smell is very good. OH! That is a problem. We have a blind cat and now I understand your situation a lot better. You could always set her up, but if she's old... hyper vigilance might be easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhschool Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Crate the dogs. If they are outside the crates, they must be outside or supervised inside. Also, you could make a room "dog free." Put a gate up. The dogs are not allowed in the dog free room. Put a door up if you need to. We put two doors up, one from the entrance to the living room and one from the kitchen to the dining room (it was all connected before). Now our living room and dining room are PET FREE. Which means I can have plants, flowers and other things without having to worry about the dumb pets (I love them, but they are bad little pets!) You could decide "dogs are only allowed in the family room or outside." And stick to it. Then your in-laws are not allowed to bring any pills to the family room at all, and the dogs are not allowed in any other room at all, at any time. Pick which room works best for you. Right now we are redoing the floor of the hall upstairs. The cats have been exiled to the basement until it is finished. The jumping dogs are crated. They go outside and they get crated again. The non-jumping dog has two gates at the bottom of the stairs. All this until the floor is finished. No pets can go upstairs. I am saying all this to show it is possible to keep your pets away from certain living spaces. If you make a couple of rooms completely dog free or a couple of rooms the dog areas, then your in laws could do whatever in the dog free rooms and there would be no danger. There is *no* reason animals should have access to the whole house. Mine are really spoiled and get really upset when we restrict them to outside or to the kitchen. But humans' needs trump animals' wants in our house. Be creative with your solutions! Be firm with your dogs! Anyway, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Maybe report them to the SPCA or another animal regulation group (don't know where you are). I also wouldn't allow your kiddos over there unsupervised if they are so lax with pills. That'd be super scary to me :iagree: It is extremely dangerous to have children around medications that are not secure. Maybe they will be more careful if they realize that they are also jeopordizing their grandchild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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