Minnesota Dog Ends Up In ER On Thanksgiving After Eating Something We All Use
You know how every family has that dog? The one who acts like the kitchen counters were specifically designed as his personal buffet?
Yeah… that’s Snoopy. And last Thanksgiving, he decided to turn the holiday into a full-blown ER adventure.
His mom, Kiana Sutherlin from Minnesota, was in the kitchen the night before Thanksgiving, trying to make some crispy chicken wings, as she shared:
“I was cooking some fried chicken wings, and I added several ounces of both onion and garlic powder. I also used a full bottle of cooking oil, and what was left of a second bottle.”
She finished cooking, pushed the pan of used oil to the back of the stove, covered it, and thought, Okay, Snoopy can’t reach this. We’re fine.
She left the cleanup for her husband, Joe. And this was where the chaos began.
The next morning, Joe walked into the kitchen ready to dump the oil, but life threw him a curveball. His phone rang, he stepped away just for a minute…and Snoopy saw his chance.
Kiana later described the whole chaotic scene, as shared on the Pet Poison Helpline website:
“When he got back, he found the dog had licked up almost all the oil, which of course contained a large amount of the seasoning. I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure how his mood started, but Snoopy began throwing up the oil. I stayed with him the next day, and he was whining and crying while continuing to vomit. I called the emergency veterinarian, and they recommended I call Pet Poison Helpline.”
At this point, things went from uh-oh to real fear.
Onions and garlic aren’t just bad for dogs; they can be fatal, as Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior vet toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline, explained:
“Snoopy consumed used cooking oil that contained large amounts of onion and garlic powder, which is even more concentrated and therefore more dangerous.”
When Kiana got on the phone with Pet Poison Helpline, she gave them every detail: the seasonings, the amounts, and Snoopy’s size.
Once the experts did the math, they told her to get Snoopy to the vet immediately. So they rushed to a pet hospital. Kiana continued:
“We really got into the detail of not just the oil, but the seasoning. Because we had called Pet Poison Helpline in advance, they were able to develop a recommended treatment plan that was ready by the time we got to the hospital.”
The vets had a lot to worry about: pancreatitis from the oil, damage to his GI tract, possible aspiration, and even red blood cell issues from the garlic and onion.
Snoopy was given anti-nausea meds, fluids, GI protectants, and a plan for bloodwork over the next week.
And thankfully, this little troublemaker fought his way back, and soon he was back to his energetic self.
Kiana shared a little more about life with her stubborn sweetheart:
“Snoopy is very sweet, but he’s a bull in a china shop. No matter what we do, it’s his way, so we had to change our habits. We make sure all garbage is secure, and we clean up right after we cook. In fact, now that I think about it, the whole thing was so traumatic that we haven’t fried anything since then.”
The Pet Poison Helpline later shared Snoopy’s ordeal through their Toxin Tails series, stories meant to teach pet parents about all the unexpected things that can put animals in danger.
Snoopy’s Thanksgiving wasn’t picture-perfect…but thanks to quick action and a whole lot of love, this counter-surfing king got his happy ending and hopefully learned that not everything on the stove is a snack.
