Photos courtesy DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital Pets can have interesting dietary choices—toys, shoes, and other non-food items, you name it. Most of the time, they pass those just fine, but sometimes, their curiosity lands them in the emergency room. Take, for example, Mae, a three-year-old Australian Shepherd mix that accidentally ingested an entire bottle of -Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) last year. The drug, a human supplement often used for mood support, increases serotonin levels in the brain. Mae reportedly ingested more than three times the lethal dose for a dog, which caused serotonin syndrome. Mae was reportedly “acting strangely,” and so the family brought the dog to a local clinic in Hood River, Oreg., where it was sedated to manage seizure activity before seeking further treatment at DoveLewis Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Portland. A three-year-old Australian Shepherd accidentally ingested a lethal dose of a human supplement for mood support, which caused life-threatening symptoms, including seizures, difficulty in breathing, and blindness. Photo courtesy DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital Mae was in critical condition upon arriving at DoveLewis. The dog was reportedly unresponsive, unable to breathe on its own, was experiencing seizures, blindness, and other signs of serotonin syndrome. The veterinary team initiated continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a dialysis-like treatment that runs continuously to offer “gradual, gentle filtration.” The dog was on CRRT for seven hours. The veterinary team treated Mae with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a dialysis-like treatment to help remove the toxins from her blood and support her failing organs. Photo courtesy DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital Photos courtesy DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital “We started the treatment with a very poor prognosis,” says Lindsey McGuire, DVM, DoveLewis staff veterinarian. “We didn’t expect her to survive, but her recovery was nothing short of miraculous. I still can’t believe we were able to send her home.” Mae reportedly regained her eyesight and recovered from the overdose. Mae reportedly recovered from the overdose and was released from the hospital after 48 hours. The dog also regained its eyesight. Photo courtesy DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital
