Pet beagle ingests cocaine while on neighbourhood walk, leads to emergency vet care nightmare
Beagle cross Feldman plays in his backyard oasis in London, Ont.’s Old South neighbourhood, and is doing much better on Thursday.
Just a few days earlier, the two-year-old had a brush with death.
“I started calling his name to get him to respond and he just looked terrified,” his owner Stephanie Turnbull says.
What happened is hard to believe.
Turnbull had Feldman out for a walk late Saturday afternoon. The adventure through the neighbourhood and beyond led them along streets, through parks, and to a quick stop at a variety store.
Soon after getting home, however, it was clear something was wrong.
“He was whining, he started kind of licking at the air. He started at a certain point going in circles, he was moving his head back and forth, so it was pretty dramatic,” explains Turnbull.
With the London Regional Veterinary and Emergency Referral Hospital closed, the only quick option was virtual care.
That is when a veterinarian, through an online assessment, was able to determine that Feldman somehow had cocaine in his system.
“When she first mentioned to us that she thought he had drugs in his system, and she specifically said cocaine, wow, it was hard to believe,” says Turnbull.
After virtual appointments and a series of phone calls to triage professionals, Feldman was eventually sent to the closest emergency veterinary care available, located in Mississauga.
Reporter Bryan Bicknell meets Beagle-cross, Feldman, who is recovering after medical scare on Sept. 24, 2022. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
Turnbull was frantic.
“Every minute we think he’s dying. Every minute he’s getting worse. And every minute that this takes could cost him his life,” she says. “And then he had to deal with being on the 401 with all the lights, all the sounds, for a two hour drive to get some help.”
Blood and urine tests confirmed that Feldman did have cocaine in his system. For Turnbull, the thought of it was terrifying for multiple reasons.
“I’m in a neighbourhood with wonderful young families and they’re on the ground playing in parks and if my dog could ingest it or inhale it I don’t see why a toddler couldn’t,” she says.
The ordeal cost approximately $2,300 in emergency vet and virtual care bills, in addition to an overnight stay in a hotel in Mississauga.
According to those in the veterinary profession, a shortage in care has been coming on for several years.
Dr. Daniel Joffe, VP of medical operations at the London Veterinary and Emergency Referral Hospital says the shortage is due in part to the Ontario Veterinary College not producing enough graduates to be able to meet the increasing demands, but also veterinarians new to the profession opting to work fewer hours.
“We have enough staff, both doctors and assistants, and technicians to be open about four days a week,” says Joffre. “If we were to spread it thinner than that, we would not be able to give any service at all.”
As for Feldman, it was a close call, but thankfully he survived it.
Turnbull says she wants other families to realize what they may be up against, and to have a plan in place if they find themselves in need of emergency veterinary care.
“I think on a larger scale we need to start asking our vets, ‘What’s causing this, what can we do?’ I think it needs to be a bigger conversation,” she says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
New analysis of Beethoven's hair reveals possible cause of mysterious ailments, scientists say
High levels of lead detected in authenticated locks of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair suggest that the composer had lead poisoning, which may have contributed to ailments he endured over the course of his life, including deafness, according to new research.
B.C. man used Bobcat as 'weapon' while chasing away homeless people, judge says
A B.C. man has been convicted of assault with a weapon after using a skid-steer Bobcat to chase two homeless people from his lawn, injuring one of them in the process.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.