S’pore Dog Owner Shares Health Scare After Shiba Inu Fell Gravely Ill Hours After Receiving Free Treat

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A Singapore dog owner is sharing her family's frightening experience after her beloved five-year-old Shiba Inu was rushed to the vet with acute pancreatitis, in hopes of raising awareness among fellow pet owners.

According to a Shiba Inu Club - Singapore Facebook post by Felicia Seet on June 1, what began as a routine outing with her dog Ocha quickly turned into one of the most terrifying moments of her life.

Felicia shared that she had attended a pet blessing event before taking Ocha to NEX for a walk on May 28.

While visiting a pet store, a staff member reportedly offered complimentary treats in exchange for following the store's Instagram account.

In an interview with 8days.sg, she described the treat, saying, “It looked like candy, shaped like a lollipop.”

However, she declined to share where the treat was from, saying, “I need to emphasise that this (the treat) may only be the ultimate trigger, and might not be the cause. It isn’t fair to blame the company.”

According to Felicia, the symptoms appeared about 10 hours after she was woken up around 5.30am by Ocha whining and crying, before vomiting moments later.

And not just ordinary vomit. Felicia said Ocha suddenly "merlioned" blood.

The frightening episode was then followed by bloody diarrhoea.

“I will say the blood loss was substantial, thick, and bright red,” she tells us, adding that Ocha was not known to have a sensitive stomach.

Immediately realising something was seriously wrong, Felicia and her family scrambled to decide which veterinary clinic to visit.

The timing could not have been worse as she also had to attend a parent-teacher conference at her children's school that morning.

At the clinic, veterinarians conducted a series of assessments, and told Felicia that according to Ocha’s vitals, she was dehydrated, and asked whether she had recently eaten anything different.

At first, Felicia couldn't think of anything unusual before remembering the complimentary treat.

A comprehensive blood test was ordered, and Ocha was admitted for observation and treatment.

“That moment broke me. Because I was so afraid that once we left, we might lose her forever,” she wrote.

The family even took a photograph with Ocha before leaving the clinic.

“I was worried Ocha would die. My logical self would be to tick “do not resuscitate” on the form, but that day I refused to. Instead, I opted for her to be resuscitated, should the need arise. Ocha is very precious and important to us, and I felt we cannot let her go without trying,” she tells us.

Felicia also tells us her kids were extremely worried.

She is a mother of three. A 20-year-old son and 11-year-old twin daughters.

According to Felicia, one of the twins was especially distraught because she had been the one who gave Ocha the complimentary treat.

“Guilt overwhelmed one of my twins who fed Ocha the treat, as she thinks its her fault. I had to console her and tell her it wasn’t,” she tells us.

The blood test results later revealed that Ocha was suffering from acute pancreatitis and was subsequently hospitalised for two days and a night.

Felicia tells us that the veterinary hospital bill came up to approximately S$2K.

According to veterinary sources, pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed, potentially causing symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and lethargy.

For now, Ocha is recuperating at home, and Felicia hopes she will soon return to being her usual “bubbly and nonsense” self.

According to Felicia, Ocha must now remain on a strict prescription diet for life, and understandably, no treats.

“It breaks my heart when she looks at me and I can't give her anything she likes,” she wrote on Facebook, comparing it to someone being told they could never have bubble tea again.

Though most pet owners will be more hesitant to give free treats to their furkids after hearing Felicia’s story, she notes treats can still serve useful purposes and are not inherently bad.

Photos: Felicia Seet/Facebook