The Day from Hell

It's just after noon here in Chicago and already so much has happened.

The day started off when I woke up at 6am to find that it was only 60 degrees in the house. The furnace went out.

I left for work and decided to drive (Brian normally drops me off at the train) so that he could go to the store to get the part he needed to fix the furnace.

My car is driving really funny; it was pulling really badly to the right. I called B and he said he'd look at it later so I drove to work.

At 9:15, I get a frantic call from B. He came home from the store to find the dog acting weird. His eyes were half-closed, he was disoriented and when B let him outside he had horrible diarrhea. When he came upstairs, Brian found a brand new bottle of 5 HTP eaten on the floor. (I just bought it yesterday; it's a natural sleep aid supplement that helps achieve greater REM sleep. Lately, I fall asleep but wake up all night with a million thoughts running through my brain).

Sorry for the digression. So I google "5 HTP dog overdose" and find THIS. It can be fatal for a dog, not to mention the neurologic symptoms of seizures, hyperesthesia, tremors and other symptoms including vomiting, hyperthermia and blindness.

Needless to say, B rushed Cooper to the vet. By the time he got there, Coop was walking into walls, his eyes were closed and he was trembling. They immediately pumped his stomach, coated it with charcoal and they are pumping him up with fluids to dilute the amount of 5 HTP in his system. We have to pick him up in a little while to take him to the overnight hospital where he'll be treated for the next 48 hours.

I get back to my car to find the reason my car was pulling; my tire was totally flat. Great. I had driven my car downtown (2.5 miles) and back on a flat. So I admit....I had a bit of an emotional breakdown but I pulled myself together. Brian changed the spare and we went over to Costco to get a new tire. (Yes, I know, 'What kind of idiot drives on a flat tire without knowing?" Well looks like i just answered that question for ya, didn't I?)

That was all before 10:15 am.

The latest on Coop: he's responsive to the fluids, he's more orientated and his eyes are open now. They were coating his stomach with the charcoal when I talked to them at 11:30. They said he was doing much better.

Just say a little prayer for our little red bundle of joy!

I'll keep ya posted.