Dog Community

Help! Fish Emulsion

Posted : 6/15/2006 10:39:27 PM

Pofi and Mia were visiting a neighbor dog tonight, and Igby's people do a lot of organic gardening. Mia got ahold of a jug of fish emulsion and got the top off and ingested some. The jug was very old - they've been had it and been using it for about 10 years and so there wasn't much in there and but she did spill some on the grass and lap it up before we could do anything.

I've been all over the net and cannot find a conclusive statement that it is toxic - I know very large quantities could be bad, but fertilizers should not be forced to throw up. One site I found suggested she might need something to calm her stomach. This was about 45 minutes ago - she seems utterly normal. Pofi did not touch the stuff.

Any knowledge/experience out there????

Justine Freeman

Posted : 6/15/2006 11:10:36 PM

I don't know...but I hope someone comes along to help you!![

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pofi_pasquale

Posted : 6/15/2006 11:17:48 PM

Thanks, Marleysmom.

Not even sure if she got as much as a tablespoon of the stuff. She's 43 lbs. It's been nearly 2 hours now and she shows no signs of distress......

loveukaykay

Posted : 6/15/2006 11:50:31 PM

I dont know either, I would just keep close eye and take her in at any sign of something not normal. Hope everythings ok!

jeano

Posted : 6/16/2006 12:58:34 AM

Isn't there a poison control number you can call?

But also, isn't fish emulsion just composted fish? I might be worried about a bacterial infection if that stuff was that old...gawd, she must have ABOMINABLE breath!

AHA!! The answer was in a gardening forum:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg0809391514552.html?9

Harmless, apparently, to animals. At least when fresh.

Sera_J

Posted : 6/16/2006 1:56:33 AM

I don't even know what "fish emulsion" is! ... but it sounds ghastly! I just lived this (not with emulsions of any kind) so I feel for you.

Sounds like she should be fine, though, thank goodness! I'm so glad.

Man these kids are quick, aren't they? Hang in there [

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pofi_pasquale

Posted : 6/16/2006 7:43:01 AM

Jeano - that's awesome, thanks! I feel much better.

And, Lani, I read about the chewing gum adventure - I know how stressed you were and it was the first thing I thought of when she came trotting out from behind their compost bin with the jug in her mouth!

I did look for poison control numbers and it seems like one of the only ones specifically for pets that runs 24/7 is the ASPCA. I would not have hesitated to use it if she started seeming at all ill or altered, but it does (potentially) cost $55 to use (this amount "may be charged to your credit card). Seemed a little stiff when everything I could find indicated it would not be dangerous in the amount she ingested.

BTW -she is showing no signs of duress or illness.

shorthair

Posted : 6/16/2006 8:04:17 AM

I garden organically and have a bottle here.The bottle states ''derived from hydrolyzed fish viscera''. It's the stinkiest stuff you've ever smelled in your life, and if you get the tiniest drop on your hands, that smell sticks with you all day no matter how many times you wash them.Whenever I water plants with it Mattie comes a runnin, it smells pretty good to her!

jeano

Posted : 6/16/2006 1:48:48 PM

Yeah, I bet she would have rolled in it if she could have. Bleah!!
Awesome doggy perfume that you can EAT, boy oh boy!!

Kara

Posted : 6/16/2006 3:04:00 PM

Our fish emulsion we make is just ground up old fish and fish guts. She should be fine, actually the natural fish oils in it are good for her! Just to be on the safe side, keep Mia under observation. She should be fine!

Justine Freeman

Posted : 6/16/2006 10:17:03 PM

How's Mia? Is she doing okay?

pofi_pasquale

Posted : 6/17/2006 10:15:57 AM

Thanks everyone - Mia is just fine - showed no signs of being sick or otherwise discomfitted by the fishy stuff! Rained and stormed torrentially with a lot of lightening last night so both doggies were raring to go this morning and we just got back from dog park where Mia romped, chased balls and barked at Pofi when he played with other dogs! All is well!

Thanks all for the advice and caring!!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 6/17/2006 7:27:02 PM

I guess I'm a smidge late, but I bought a bottle of fish emulsion this year (from Walmart, of all places

and read about it when I got it. It still freaked me out when Emma and Teenie ran and drank a bit of the water, b/c it my brain, fertilizer is BAD.... They're always sniffing around when I water the plants with it, and occasionally lick a bit (that is discouraged, b/c the stuff REEKS) and it hasn't bothered them.... It's just nasty, old fish[

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pofi_pasquale

Posted : 6/17/2006 10:42:08 PM

That's where my head was at at first, Jennie. "It's just fish..." But then I started to worry, thinking of it as a fertilizer, after all, that's what it does. And then all the lists of toxins I could find had fertilizer high on the bad list. And I'd still prefer she never get into any more of it.

So funny as Pofi loves NOTHING more than to roll in a dead fish, but he just observed and sniffed and did nothing else...

BTW, Kara Ann, I love the new siggy. The old one was quite fantastic with multiple pics of the very photogenic Gracie, but I find myself just scrolling to your new one so Casey will wave at me!