Note to Self

Perhaps rethink any future dinner RSVPs to the Laramie household.

An Ottawa woman is recovering after eating dog food and then becoming violently ill, in a case possibly related to the rat-poison-laced pet food that has killed 14 dogs and cats and sickened dozens more across North America.

Elaine Larabie said yesterday she ate some dog food last week in an effort to convince her terrier, Missy, to do the same.

Soon afterward, both Larabie and Missy found themselves in the hospital - Larabie at an after-hours emergency room, and Missy at Ottawa's Alta Vista Animal Hospital.

Initially, the devoted dog owner did not think dog food made her sick. "I thought I caught a virus, but then I realized I ate the food, and put two and two together," she said.

For three days, she suffered a range of "confusing" and "embarrassing" symptoms, including loss of appetite, vomiting and foaming of the mouth. She also had problems urinating.