Ruby Goes Camping

And to think I thought she was dying

Ruby after eating and vmoiting up two rocks, about the size pictured

Ruby is a 13 (or maybe 14) year old miniature poodle who came to live with me here in New Mexico at the end of May. Ruby has diabetes and needs insulin injections twice a day. Ruby was doing just fine when she first moved here. Then one day she threw up and out came a couple of rocks. Yes, Ruby somehow swallowed some rocks. Although the rocks were a decent size she seemed OK and was actinv normal. Then about a week later she woke me up at 2:30 am after she made a mess all over the house, throwing up in random places and pooping in my bathroom (unfortunately not in the toilet, but near the toilet). I tried feeding her, but she was not interested in food, which is quite unlike Ruby, who normally eats like she’s going to the electric chair. A few minutes later, she vomited and up came two rocks. Obviously, she swallowed more rocks, which is really mind-blowing. I had so many questions: Why in the world would this dog be swallowing rocks? How is she able to swallow them? She’s a small dog, weighs maybe 12 pounds, how are the rocks even getting down her throat?

On Day 1 she threw up several more times (thank goodness no more rocks), she wouldn’t eat, and wouldn’t drink any water. I was concerned, but I told myself I’d monitor her. She could hardly stand up and was lethargic all day. On Day 2 she was still not eating or drinking, still sleeping and unresponsive to my voice. I was convinced that Ruby was on her last leg. I monitored her breathing, counting her breaths to make sure that it was normal and that she was still alive (fyi…15-35 breaths per minute is normal for a resting dog; her breathing rate was 16). Being more concerned about the lack of water intake, I tried using a dropper to squeeze water into her mouth but she rejected it. Since her tongue was haning out of her mouth, I tried putting water on it - she rejected that as well. That’s when I seriously began thinking she was a goner, that she would be dead within the next 24 hours. I started researching places where I could take her to put her out of her misery. I also researched pet cremation services. I even went so far to begin digging a hole in the backyard thinking, “I don’t wanna take Ruby somewhere, so I’ll put her in the backyard so she’ll always be with us”¹. Yes, I was fearing the worst, but since her breathing was normal I decided to wait one more day to see if she improved. So rather than take her to a vet to be poked and prodded, I went to Trader Joe’s and got her a package of ground turkey, one of her favorites. She didn’t want any that night but on the morning of Day 3 of her ordeal Ruby finally started coming around. She ate a little turkey and drank a little water. She was still sleeping a lot, but she appeared to be getting better. She ate and drank several more times that day, was responding to my calls, and eagerly got up to go outside.

Ruby is ready for an adventure

By Day 4, Ruby was almost back to her normal self. She was eating and drinking as much as I would give her and taking short walks round the neighborhood. So that’s when I decided to go ahead with an overnight trip in the van down to Hatch, New Mexico that I had planned several weeks back. On Friday morning Ruby and I began our day with a visit to a ghost town, then we camped out for the night.

Abandoned cars and building in the ghost town of Monticello, NM; relaxing in the van; sunset near Truth or Consequences, NM (yes, that's really the name of the town)

On Saturday morning we stopped in Hatch for fresh chili peppers. (Hatch is the chili pepper capital of the world. The fertile Rio Grande River valley in southern New Mexico is an ideal place for growing large, thick chili peppers. You can get them in a variety of heat, from mild to extra hot. I prefer the mild ones, friends of mine go to the other end of the spectrum and eat only the extra hot peppers.)

Chilies get roasted for flavor and to easily remove the skins

Since our trip this past weekend was such a success I’ve decided to take Ruby on two more camping trips in September. I’ll continue to monitor her time outside to make sure she doesn’t swallow any more rocks. It’s no fun being on death watch or waking up to a mess all over the house. Camping and exploring New Mexico is a much better way to spend my time. And I’ll be writing about our adventures and sharing pictures in coming posts.

On the way home, we stopped for a selfie (the phone was leaned against a fence post and the timer was used ‘cause there ain’t another human in site for many miles to take the picture for us!)

1. So I did my research, and yes, it is legal to bury a pet on the yard in the city of Albuquerque. There are requirements though - you have to own the property, bury the pet severaal feet deep, and put the gravesite a safe distance from aany water source.