popmom Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 (edited) I have a 17lb corgi/basenji/terrier mix (best guess). She is approx 1 1/2 yr old. She was seen at the ER tonight because we determined she was running fever, lethargy, would not eat or drink. Vet discovered a burn on her tongue that could be from chewing an electrical cord. (I had already noticed her 'lips" on that side looked swollen.) I jokingly refer to her as a toddler. She's very mischievous, so I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Anyway, I'm going to be up all night monitoring her for signs of pulmonary edema, so thought I would check here to see if anyone else has been through this. Of course I have all these unanswered questions now that we're home from the ER vet. I plan to follow up with our regular vet tomorrow. I'm just looking for ---what was your experience? I'm reading that these burns take a long time to heal. Tips on how to make her more comfortable would be greatly appreciated. They sent me home with Gabapentin (Neurontin) and an NSAID. I wish they would have given me an opioid to give with the Gabapentin. Anyway, they gave me an acid reducer and Carafate for her stomach, and I'm not even sure why. And an antibiotic which I totally understand. She's so pitiful. They gave her an opioid pain reliever while at the ER, and it really sedated her. They told me I could go ahead and give her the Neurontin tonight, so I did a while ago after reading up on it. I hate seeing her like this. She normally has SO MUCH personality. Also, we have turned the house upside down looking for a plugged in cord with bite marks. Nothing. And we've never ever seen her interested in chewing a cord before. Yesterday I was in the backyard with her. I was picking okra, and she was doing her thing. I noticed her dart back to the door wanting to go in. I knew something "got her". I'm always paranoid about snake bites, so I took her in and checked her legs. I didn't see anything. But something bit or stung or got her some way some how. Maybe it's totally unrelated. She seemed fine after her initial spook, but I did notice that she left drool marks on the sofa later that evening. But there are zero electrical cords in the backyard. It's so frustrating not to know for sure what caused her burn. Maybe it's irrelevant at this point. update: The Neurontin has had time to kick in. Not sure if I can credit the drug or not, but she just drank about 4 ounces of (unseasoned) chicken bone broth! Such a relief. Any tips on how to help her heal are greatly appreciated. Edited October 5, 2020 by popmom 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Poor baby. I hope she's feeling better soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 (edited) FWIW, when our lab was a puppy, he bit DH’s headset cable. There was no marks on the cable, but he gave a yelp, so he must have completed a circuit.... He’s never chewed on one since, and we were very glad he picked one with small consequences to try it out on. I’m sorry about your pupper, hope she feels better soon, and glad to see she’s able to eat. Edited October 5, 2020 by Arctic Bunny Autocorrect gremlins rampant after midnight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I don’t have any experience with this in dogs, but when I was a kid, my brother but a extension cord and got an electrical burn on his mouth. Other that a little plastic surgery, he was fine in a few days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Thankfully, no. I have had a dog bite through phone cords, but not get burned. I hope your pup will be okay and not do it again. I am actually now wondering why it isn’t more common where I would know of many such. Our puppies have been into chewing hats, shoes, and chair legs when there have been accidents during the chewing part of house training. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I wonder if there was a plant outside with noxious sap that caused the burn/irritation? The carafate will coat any ulcers in the esophogus or stomach, in case the one on the tongue isn't the only one. (that would be from chemical ingested, not power cord). It's good stuff, and will also help coat the tongue itself. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Ah, poor babe. 😞 I will say a prayer for her comfort and quick healing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 It's so hard when our pets are hurt or sick. Just like toddlers they can't tell us what hurts or what happened. I'm sorry this happened to your little guy and I hope he has a quick and full recovery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 I'm happy to report that she is much perkier today. She's taking the meds with no problem, and eating drinking some. I am so relieved. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I just saw this thread for the first time — I’m so glad your dog is feeling better!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 45 minutes ago, ktgrok said: I wonder if there was a plant outside with noxious sap that caused the burn/irritation? The carafate will coat any ulcers in the esophogus or stomach, in case the one on the tongue isn't the only one. (that would be from chemical ingested, not power cord). It's good stuff, and will also help coat the tongue itself. That makes sense about the carafate--thank you. We are pretty sure we have located the source of the shock in our backyard. We found wires coming out of the ground attached to the first step of our deck. Pretty sure its an underground dog fence from the previous owners. We knew there was one in the front yard. It had been ruined years before when the previous owners used an aerator on the yard. Also, they removed the head unit in the garage, so it's perplexing where the source of the power is. My husband just went to buy something to check if the newly discovered wires are live. We'll figure it out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 Solved it! The wires were not live, so we continued our search. DH found a AA battery with punctures. It's alkaline--not an acid, so there's no pain initially. The damage shows up over a period of hours which is exactly what we saw in our pup. I'm linking a very interesting article in case this ever comes up in a search. https://www.dvm360.com/view/aa-toxicosis-alkaline-battery-exposure-dog 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 22 hours ago, popmom said: Solved it! The wires were not live, so we continued our search. DH found a AA battery with punctures. It's alkaline--not an acid, so there's no pain initially. The damage shows up over a period of hours which is exactly what we saw in our pup. I'm linking a very interesting article in case this ever comes up in a search. https://www.dvm360.com/view/aa-toxicosis-alkaline-battery-exposure-dog ouch!!! Thank goodness he didn't swallow it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 22 hours ago, popmom said: Solved it! The wires were not live, so we continued our search. DH found a AA battery with punctures. It's alkaline--not an acid, so there's no pain initially. The damage shows up over a period of hours which is exactly what we saw in our pup. I'm linking a very interesting article in case this ever comes up in a search. https://www.dvm360.com/view/aa-toxicosis-alkaline-battery-exposure-dog Yikes! What a crazy thing to happen. Animals are wonderful, but they sure can cause a lot of worry 😞 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Years ago my elderly cat developed a drooling issue. Vet was insistent that she had an electrical or caustic agent burn in her mouth. Treatment did not help. When she went back for followup, he had biopsy done. It was oral cancer. We had vet come to house couple weeks after that to put her down. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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