It’s never a dull day with Lou!
OC Life received an email last week regarding a Labrador named Lou, who had defied all odds of survival after helping herself to a box of snail and slug bait.
It was a Friday night and at Mulberry Lane Vets, Judith Carney was on call. She had received a distressing call from owners Zac and Rosie Marr, worried after Lou began to suffer severe seizures and they didn’t know why. It so happened they would learn what Lou’s latest meal had been after some evaluation and an explanation by Judith – her words said it all ‘a bucket full of green stuff’.
“Once we knew what had happened it was all hands-on deck. We worked on her until 3am in the morning trying to save her life, for three days straight, it wasn’t until Tuesday that she woke again,” Judith explained.
“My low point was Sunday night; I was reduced to tears with my husband because we were getting low on certain drugs. He actually went to Bathurst, Stuart Street Vets that night where Belinda helped us get what we needed.” Judith began to tear up, “It makes me emotional having that support from everyone, it wasn’t just us, it was a huge team effort.”
After four nights on three hours sleep, Judith was getting the rest she deserved when she received a video of Lou waking up to her owners’ voices. “I just cried my eyes out, and all of the nurses were in tears because we just didn’t know if she would pull through. It’s just so beautiful seeing something like that, it makes your job worthwhile, something where you know that without a vet, she would have died, it’s why I do the job, you use all of your skills that you’ve learnt, and you use them to pull her through and save her life and Lou is so lucky to have such dedicated and beautiful owners.”
Lou’s appeal doesn’t end there. I’ve not known a dog that barges into the Vets front doors and seeks out the Veterinarian. I was speaking with Judith when all of a sudden, the gorgeous Lou barrelled through to find Judith, running straight up to her and sitting at her feet, those gorgeous brown eyes looking straight up at her. “Oh, here is the star of the show,” Judith laughed, “Trouble with a capital T.”
With her little mate by her side receiving a pat, Judith continued, “You have to be persistent, you can’t give up, the fact she was still alive through the four day process, I thought.. there is hope, she is fighting, she is a very tough dog.”
“it was unbearable to think about not having Lou in our lives.
Owner, Rosie continued, “That was the thing, we thought there was always hope there. Judith and the team were upfront with us, but they also never gave up. She has made a full recovery which is just miraculous, we are so lucky, and we are so grateful to the team at Mulberry Lane, they put everything into saving her, it was unbearable to think about not having Lou in our lives.”
“We had no idea how dangerous snail bait was, it was just horrific what it did to her and It was a reminder for us, that if you’re going to have things like that, they that they are properly stored.”
It seems she’s had a lifetime of keeping her owners, Zac and Rosie on their toes and she is what can only be described as a frequent flyer at the vets, Zac said, “It’s never a dull day with Lou, everyone who knows her knows just how mischievous and cheeky she is, and she knows how to play the cute card. We have probably had 10 visits throughout her life, from two knee replacements at different times, to now this, and in true Labrador style, she never lost her appetite,” Zac laughed.
“She’s getting close to her nine lives that’s for sure,” Rosie added, “Zac and I are just so grateful to Mulberry Lane and Judith, Hayley, Lucy, the whole team, they put their lives on hold for a whole week trying to save Lou’s life and we are so grateful.”
Judith added, “This is not the first case we have seen regarding snail bait, although it was the worst case I’ve seen, It’s an extremely toxic poison and a timely reminder that one, there are other options out there, and two, if you do choose to use it, make sure it is stored where no paws, or even tiny fingers can reach it.”
