10/01/2026
🐾💙 BRAVE PET OF THE MONTH.......LOKI 💙🐾
Loki was brought to to us after his family noticed him suddenly behaving very unlike himself. He was agitated and hyperactive, had dilated pupils, a racing heart, and was startling at things that weren’t there. His family had noticed that a medication tablet was missing, making suspected medication toxicity our primary concern.
According to this study ➡ https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/257/5/javma.257.5.517.xml exposures to potentially toxic substances are one of the most common reasons for emergency visits in companion animal practice. Cats and dogs can be exposed to medications, plants, pesticides, and other potentially harmful substances in their home environment - sometimes without their families ever seeing the ingestion happen.
🐱 Loki kept our team on their toes for the first few hours! He was so hyperactive that placing and IV catheter was quite the challenge! He required sedation to help control his agitation and rising temperature, followed by hospitalization, IV fluids, activated charcoal, medications to help counteract the toxin’s effects, and close monitoring of his heart rate, temperature, neurologic status, hydration, and appetite.
Over the next couple of days, he continued to improve. He started eating well, his vital signs stabilized, and although he continued to have some dilated pupils and occasional episodes of an elevated heart rate, his personality slowly returned.
By the evening of his second day, he was making biscuits, accepting pets, and acting much more like himself. He is one of the chattiest patients we've cared for ❤️
After three days of hospitalization, and plenty of TLC, Loki was well enough to head home with his family, who thankfully acted quickly the minute they knew something was off.
Loki’s story is an important reminder that curious pets can get into things very quickly. If you ever suspect that your pet has ingested a medication or potentially toxic substance, don’t wait for symptoms to develop. Contact your veterinarian right away so your pet can be assessed and appropriate treatment can be started as quickly as possible.
We are so proud to name this resilient little guy our Brave Pet of the Month! 🏆🐾
