Golden Retriever in Coma After Massive Phenobarbital Overdose

Immediate Action and Medical Teamwork Saved Her Life

MINNEAPOLIS, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine coming home and finding your dog comatose in the cold back yard. For Allison White, that nightmare became reality after her dog Lucy ingested 80-90 phenobarbital tablets while the family was away from the house.

Phenobarbital is a barbiturate medication primarily used to treat and prevent seizures in humans and animals with epilepsy. It works by slowing down the activity of the brain and nervous system, minimizing seizure activity.

"We were watching my Dad's dog, who has seizures that are controlled with phenobarbital tablets," explained White, who lives with her family in Knoxville, Tenn. "We had just refilled the 90-day prescription, and we thought we had put the pills away, but they were accidentally left on the counter. While we were out, our Golden Retriever Lucy jumped up on the counter, chewed open the container and ate all of the pills. When we got home, she didn't greet us inside. We have a dog door, and when my son checked outside for Lucy, he found her unresponsive on the back porch in 50-degree (Fahrenheit) weather. He pulled her inside, and we immediately took her to the emergency veterinarian. Because we knew she had ingested something toxic, our next call was to Pet Poison Helpline."

"Lucy ingested a massive overdose of phenobarbital, and she was physically on the brink of death when she arrived at the hospital," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. "Many of our calls involve pets who have either been given other household pet's medications by accident or have gotten into human and pet medications that the pet owner thought was secure. In Lucy's case, she ingested medication that belonged to a visiting pet, which unfortunately happens regularly."

Lucy was taken to Animal Emergency and Specialty Center in Knoxville, where she was unresponsive. Her heartbeat was low, her temperature was too low to read, and they could not read her blood pressure. She was immediately intubated and placed on supportive heat. She was given a rapid administration of intravenous fluids to help with her low blood pressure. The medial team performed a gastric lavage (often referred to in human medicine as pumping the stomach) but no pills were seen in the stomach contents, which indicated that the medication was consumed several hours before she arrived at the hospital and had likely already absorbed.

"If the Whites had not started the medical treatment process immediately after finding Lucy unresponsive, and just waited to see what would happen, she would have surely died from such a massive amount of phenobarbital," added Dr. Schmid. "Their quick action was definitely the first critical step in this lifesaving process."

Over the next four days, the hospital medical team and Pet Poison Helpline worked together on a medical plan and supportive care that was continually updated as Lucy responded to treatment. The ability of the veterinarians and nursing staff at Animal Emergency and Specialty Center of Knoxville to provide the treatment recommended by Pet Poison Helpline was nothing short of heroic. It takes tremendous diligence and knowledge to care for a comatose patient along with Lucy's other medical concerns. After getting her temperature, blood pressure and heart rate back to normal, she then developed an infection or inflammatory reaction that dangerously raised her body temperature, requiring cooling procedures. Additional therapy was started to help return her body temperature to normal.

"Lucy's case is a perfect reminder that all medications and other potentially toxic items should be stored out of reach of pets and children," Dr. Schmid advised. "Pick a specific place in your home to store medications and keep human medication separate from your pet's medication. You don't want to accidentally give your pet the wrong medication, or vice versa, as your pet's medication can be equally dangerous to you and your family. We truly have seen it all."

"It was truly miraculous," White explained. "I did not think she would survive. Everyone involved in the process of saving Lucy was amazing, and now she's back to her normal hungry self. In critical situations like this, it is important to have that expertise and coordination with her care team at the hospital. Everyone involved was a lifesaver."

"This happens to be National Poison Prevention Week," Dr. Schmid added. "It is a perfect opportunity to search your home and surroundings for potentially dangerous medications, food items, cleaning supplies, plants and other items you can find on our website's Poison List. Keep these and all dangerous materials away from your pets and children."

Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

About Pet Poison Helpline

Pet Poison Helpline®, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Per incident and subscription service options are available. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $89 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. The company also offers pethelpline^(℠) and pethelplinePRO^(℠) subscription services directly to pet lovers. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information, including a chat feature for pet owners, can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Contact: Curtis Steinhoff 
Pet Poison Helpline®
(602) 300-8466
[email protected]

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SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline