Missing Selkie
Wednesday night she became ill, and the vet came in the small hours and confirmed the fear that she had been poisoned. We lost another young Lab the same way when I was thirteen, and we’ve never learned what toxic substance either of them managed to ingest. But this was new information for me, and I hope you’ll spread the word among your friends: a likely culprit in dog toxicity cases is compost. Ours is fenced off in the old garden space; we don’t know what Selkie (or Takla before her) may have gotten into at the neighbors’. But compost is a prime place to grow tremorgenic mycotoxins — mold or fungal poisons that can seriously harm or kill a nosy dog of indiscriminate tastes. Another grave hazard? Old bones or rawhide toys can harbor botulism, especially when dogs bury them and rediscover them later on. So please, keep your pets safe at home, and if you have compost outside, keep it in a closed container or well-fenced area. That’s my public service announcement.
We miss you, dear sweet Selkie. I hope dog heaven is just like this picture.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Oh, how sad 🙁
I had no idea that there were so many dog poisons out there. My childhood dog was also poisoned, and until now, I have not known another poisoned dog.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 9:10 am
My condolences on the loss of a beautiful creature.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 9:25 am
I’m so sorry, Sarah.
Thanks for the “service announcement;” I’d never had reason to consider that before.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I’m so sorry about Selkie. She looked like such a happy, loved dog.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Oh, Sarah, I’m so sorry. Selkie was beautiful. I’m sure it is hard on you and your parents, losing her like that.
*hugs you*
*hugs Lark*
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I’m so sorry for your loss. As a child, we lost our beloved yellow lab in a similar way. We believed she was poisoned, but we always worried that it might have been intentional. I had no idea about the mycotoxins or botulism. I believe doggie heaven is exactly like you’ve pictured. Lots of kibble and tennis balls, too.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I’m sorry for your loss, and your family’s loss, Sarah. Poor pups. I’m glad to know about the compost issue.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Oh no, Sarah, I’m so sorry. It’s so hard to lose a beloved pet. My heart goes out to you and your family.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 11:58 am
oh so sad! poor selkie! please give your parents big hugs from us.
and thank you for posting about the compost! i would never have known.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Hugs to everyone who loved Selkie. Loosing such a devoted and loving friend is hard and very sad. I echo the thanks for the PSA too (who knew?)
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I am really really sorry to hear about that…. I cannot imagine the pain of this huge loss…. My mom has also a Lab (black one) and we keep her at home, and just in our garden, fenced. She doesnt stay in the front of home… Althought it is fenced, we are afraid someone could throw a meet or food with poison… I live in Brazil, so we need to be double careful… really sorry….
Paty
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I am so sorry for your loss and thank you for the tips. We let the dogs chew on bones outside and I will be promptly throwing them away.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I’m sorry to hear about your dog. She looks so happy in the picture.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
So sorry for your loss. I’d never hear that about compost… I’ll be sure to spread the word (we have a few compost lovers in my family, but I don’t think they know about the danger to pets aspect).
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
I’m so sorry about Selkie’s death. Thanks for educating us about the dangers of poisoning from compost, bones, etc for dogs. I’ve never heard about that.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
i am so, so sorry about selkie. i like to think there’s a sunny lakefront beach in doggie heaven populated entirely with labs and retrievers chasing sticks to their hearts’ content.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I’m so sad to hear about Selkie. She was a beautiful dog–you know I have a soft spot for labs. And for it to be so unexpected, too. I’m sorry for your family’s loss. Big hugs!
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Thinking of you & your family. We’re about to face a similar loss in our family with our 12 year old lab & I know it’s hard. Selkie is beautiful – Thanks for the information regarding compost & rawhide bones! Hugs to you…
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
So sorry for your loss. Our four-legged friends provide so much love. Sounds like she was loved.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Oh I am so sorry for your loss of that beautiful sweet puppy. How lonely the other one must feel too. I am glad that you told me about the compost too, I have never heard of that before. Ours is in a plastic container fenced off from the rest of the yard so I am grateful that we did put it there many years ago now. Imagine how many other puppies you are saving by telling us that too.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I’m so sorry for your and your mom and dad’s lost! thank you for the knowledge you passed.
Posted: June 20th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
My heart is breaking for your family. We are a family of dog lovers, and have lost FOUR in the past three years. Ours were all old, and as we’d gotten them all about the same time, we began losing them near each other. I love and trust God, but one thing I plan to ask Him when I get to Heaven is why He didn’t give dogs longer lives, since we develop such a love toward them.
Selkie bears an amazing resemblance to our Bailey, a Golden Retriever Lab mix, to the point that I did a double take when I saw your photo.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing about the possible areas a dog can be poisoned, none of which I knew to watch out for. Another manner dogs and cats get poisoned (and children!) is by drinking anti-freeze found in open containers in garages. It has a sweet taste which attracts the animal.
Posted: June 21st, 2008 at 5:36 am
I’m so sorry to hear about Selkie. She looks like such a beautiful dog. Thanks for sharing the information about toxins and compost; I had no idea about that.
Posted: June 21st, 2008 at 5:39 am
I’m so sorry to hear about Selkie. She was such a beautiful dog, and I know she will be greatly missed.
Posted: June 21st, 2008 at 5:52 am
Oh such sweetness! Nothing breaks my heart like the passing of a family pet. I so sorry to hear about it.
Posted: June 21st, 2008 at 8:20 am
How terrible–I had no idea that could happen. I am so very sorry for your, and your parents’, loss.
Posted: June 21st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Selkie was a beautiful dog. I’m so so very sorry for your family’s loss, Sarah. I had never heard about the dangers of compost or old bones, so thank you for explaining.
Selkie sounds like a wonderful dog. I’m glad she had a life with a family who loved her so much.
Posted: June 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 am
Oh Sarah. I’m so sorry. How truly, truly awful for you all! And poor, poor Selkie. I had no idea the humble compost pile could be so toxic. I’m so shocked!
Big hugs.
Posted: June 22nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
Losing a loved pet is horrible.
I’m so sorry.
xx
Posted: June 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I am so sorry. I love animals,and hate to see that this happened to you.
You’ve taught me some things about the dangers of compost that I didn’t even know.
Posted: June 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Oh, Sarah, I am so sorry! How awful for you and your family to lose her in such an unexpected and sudden way. You’re all in my thoughts, as is Selkie.
Posted: June 23rd, 2008 at 4:28 am
That is so sad for you and your family Sarah. My thoughts are with you.
Posted: June 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 am
thank you for sharing that. i am sorry for the loss of your sweet dog.
Posted: June 23rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
wow. such a glum sad post. what a weird and perilous world it can be. But you know what, doggie heaven IS awesome, I just know it. They all get along with one another, and everyone has their favorite chew toy and there are endless belly scratchers and warm fires for stretching in front of. And Selkie is there, with Diva…
Posted: June 24th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I’m so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful dog.
Posted: June 24th, 2008 at 7:23 am
I am sorry to hear about Selkie. I had no idea about compost or buried bones either. I have just done through a round of vet visits with my own dog, and we had been thinking he had possibly been poisoned (it was pneumonia). In any case, I know losing the family dog touches us deeply – another part of childhood lost. I am sorry.
Posted: June 24th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Rest in peace, Selkie. You were a beautiful dog. I’m so sorry, Sarah.
Posted: June 25th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I am so sorry to hear about Selkie. But what a fantastic photograph to remember her by – incredibly happy, retrieving, in the water. A lovely way to remember a yellow lab!
Posted: June 25th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Oh I’m so very sorry to hear about this and so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing your memories of Selkie with us. May she rest in peace. *Big hug*
Posted: June 27th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I’m so sorry about your dog. I have a yellow lab of my own, so I know how awesome they are and how hard it must be to lose a member of your family. Y’all are definitely in my thoughts and prayers.
Posted: July 7th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I am so sorry to read about Selkie. I’ve been behind on my blog reading and just discovered you lost a furry loved one. I hope she and Charlie have had a chance to meet.