So I realized today that I forgot to tell you, gentle readers, about an interesting happening a couple of weeks ago. And what better time than now, I ask you? Indeed.

On November 1st, Cheryl, Mariel, and I decided to have dinner together to discuss the California ballot measure that would be up for vote the next day. Nerdiness aside, this ended up being a moot point, since we forgot to bring the pamphlet describing the ballot measures to dinner. Not to be discouraged, we forged ahead and had a nice Japanese dinner.

When I got home, I noticed that one of the boxes on the floor had been nudged open, presumably by Enzo. A little farther away, was an empty chocolate bar wrapper, surrounded by bits of chocolate on the floor. Uh oh. As we all know, boys and girls, chocolate can be toxic to dogs. I called up the animal hospital and after telling the woman on the phone Enzo’s weight, as well as what kind of chocolate it was (Ghiradelli’s semi-sweet baking chocolate), she disappeared for a while to consult the vet. When she came back, she said that the amount of chocolate Enzo consumed was borderline toxic, and that I should try to induce vomiting.

Ummm…

After telling me how I could do it myself (turkey baster and some hydrogen peroxide, for those of you who are curious), or I could bring him in and they would do it for me. Not wanting to take any risks, I brought Enzo in.

After examining him, they gave him a shot and put him in one of the kennels to wait. Well, we didn’t have to wait long, as after about 30 seconds, let’s just say that the chocolate was out. But it didn’t end there, no sir. The vet came in and told me that he needed a warm water enema to help flush things out. Mmm…

When that was done (Enzo was one unhappy little pup), they gave him some IV fluids, and he was ready to go. As I was getting ready to leave, one of the technicians asked if he had a crate in the car for him. I said that he didn’t, and she answered, “Oh. I’m going to give you a towel for your car seat, because it could get messy.” Eww…

Fortunately, he made it home without incident. I hope Enzo at least enjoyed that chocolate bar, because it ended up costing me $183. Dumb dog.