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Old 07-29-2018, 12:45 PM   #1521
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RB, I can’t believe you are killing the raccoons. Awful! My folks resort had raccoons getting into the garbage at night and it was difficult to deal with but my parents never shot them.
You know how many chickens raccoons can eat? You can tell it was a coon cause they leave the chicken's head as their calling card.

We had some awesome polish chicken's. The one had an entertaining personality. I'd actually go blowdry his head in the winter, otherwise he would have drowned in his water.

https://countrysidenetwork.com/daily...ty-of-poultry/

Raccoon ate much of our flock. Really hard to try and raise 100 meat chickens when a raccoon grabs one every night. Takes a lot of time, work, and money to keep chickens. Plus some people get attached to them.

Eat my pet, I eat you!
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Old 07-29-2018, 01:24 PM   #1522
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Just so ya know, there are .22 (long) rounds that are not much louder than snapping a finger. They go through coons (at close range) like a hot knife through butter. We have the occasional coon or similar varmint going after our chickens. Once we know that we have a problem critter, I take a long nap during the day, and set up a station on the deck (beverage, snack, 22 rifle with spot light). Usually, by midnight all is right in the world. We live in the burbs, so legally the chickens are no-no. But our neighbors love fresh, organic eggs.
You live in the ‘burbs and can’t have chickens but can shoot a rifle?
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Old 07-29-2018, 01:30 PM   #1523
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OK, here are the animals we share our lives with:
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Old 07-29-2018, 03:28 PM   #1524
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You can’t make a chicken coop that is raccoon proof?
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Old 08-01-2018, 09:15 AM   #1525
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Came across this oldie from Riyadh......my late wife and I would take leftovers out into the desert and feed the wild pups.....here's one outside his den:

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Old 10-15-2018, 08:38 AM   #1526
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Not sure you'd say I'm "sharing my life" with these bobcats that come into my backyard periodically, but I am sharing my space. This weekend I actually saw a mother and kitten come up on my lower level deck as I was watching TV. I love seeing the bobcats any time, but the kitten is especially fun to watch. One video is from my smart phone, the other is from a trail camera, which you can see in the phone video at the end as the kitten is playing with the strap.
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Old 10-15-2018, 09:09 AM   #1527
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Live in the northwoods. Its actually a subburb of St. Paul/Minneapolis but I call it "Country living in the city".
Coons, rabbits, frogs, toads, gardner snakes, mice, owls, hawks, falcons, bald eagles, egrets, cardinals, blue jays, crows, muskrats, beavers, turkeys, pheasants, deer, coyotes, wolves, black bear cub, spiders and centipedes are some of the regulars that we 'live' with and see roaming our property.

It's literally the circle of life here.
I'll take a midwest centipede over a Hawaii Centipede anyday. I've literally chopped Hawaii centipedes in half and even threw one in the pool, but they still lived to menace me. Never thought I would see a chopped centipede run in two different directions, but I witnessed that living in Hawaii!



With the bear, coyote and wolf I've seen, I do get a little nervous having a dog. And I don't let the kids out of my sight. The den is over by a grass air strip off the backside of my property. Bunch of wetlands and stuff and I live on the border of three counties...so the hunting in the county that allows it pushes them into my yard that is in the county that doesn't allow hunting.
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Old 06-30-2019, 03:44 PM   #1528
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I had an eventful morning with our poodle today. I gave her breakfast and as I was tending to some other things she started thrashing around on the floor (on her side, but "running" in circles, flipping over, can't stand up, head arched fuly back, etc). As I held her this flailing/movement continued for several minutes, she lost bladder control, etc. She seemed only barely aware of her surroundings, her eye (she has only one left) moving rapidly back and forth.

I bundled her up and drove to the emergency vet, pretty sure that this seizure/stroke was the end for her. She's 18 years old, we got her as a rescue, and she's a tough old girl. My 4 YO grandson loves her, and I was not looking forward to talking to him about this, death, why he wouldn't see her again, etc.

I waited in the little room and about 90 minutes later the vet comes in with the dog walking on a leash. She's a little unsteady, but that's it.

It turns out she had a case of "Old Dog Vertigo," or "Canine Vestibular Disease." It's fairly common, cats get something similar, though it can happen to them at any age. It ca be caused by a few things but in the case of my dog it's likely an inflammation of the nerve servicing the inner ear/semicircular canals, and it scrambles their sense of balance. Most dogs recover to nearly 100% after a few days, some retain a constant need to tilt their heads, but that's it. Our pup is already a lot better, I'll just watch her carefully, keep her away from the stairs for awhile, etc.

This malady is something to be aware of if you have a dog or cat. At least for dogs, the thing to watch for is the rapid eye movement--that's one way to tell this from a stroke. This vertigo isn't "I'm feeling a little dizzy, I need to sit down" it's "I'm tumbling over and over, falling, I've got to get my feet under me!"

So, while I'll have to talk to my grandson eventually about mortality, saying goodbye, and all the rest, I'm happy to be able to delay that for awhile. Instead, we'll talk about the importance of friends and appreciating, every day, the people and animals in our life.

One small related comment: I wish the medical system that we have as humans could be as effective and efficient as the veterinary care system. True, when I bring this dog to our vet I seldom leave without a bill for $200 or more. But that covers the exam, usually some blood tests, sometimes an X-ray, they provide medications from a pharmacy right in that office, the doc spends time explaining the situation (far less rushed than when I see the doctor PA), and I can usually get an appointment rapidly. Further, whatever I pay is it, not a small co-pay with the rest of the bill sent to someone else (maybe me, in the form of an insurance premium).

Today (Sunday), our vet's office was closed, so I took the pooch to the animal ER. A nice facility, several vets and vet techs on hand, free coffee for me, etc. Sure, they didn't have to do a lot for the dog, but they knew what they were doing, kept her comfortable, kept her under observation for about 90 minutes, and provided a prescription of anti-nausea pills for the pup. I paid $100. If I'd showed up to the "human ER" with anything, a case of hiccoughs, I'm pretty sure somebody would be paying a lot more than $100.
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Old 06-30-2019, 05:07 PM   #1529
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I have actually heard of that syndrome. Vets in your city are much cheaper than here. You can’t walk into the ER vet for under 500. That’s before any tests, etc.
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Old 06-30-2019, 05:10 PM   #1530
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I had an eventful morning with our poodle today. I gave her breakfast and as I was tending to some other things she started thrashing around on the floor (on her side, but "running" in circles, flipping over, can't stand up, head arched fuly back, etc). As I held her this flailing/movement continued for several minutes, she lost bladder control, etc. She seemed only barely aware of her surroundings, her eye (she has only one left) moving rapidly back and forth.

I bundled her up and drove to the emergency vet, pretty sure that this seizure/stroke was the end for her. She's 18 years old, we got her as a rescue, and she's a tough old girl. My 4 YO grandson loves her, and I was not looking forward to talking to him about this, death, why he wouldn't see her again, etc.

I waited in the little room and about 90 minutes later the vet comes in with the dog walking on a leash. She's a little unsteady, but that's it.

It turns out she had a case of "Old Dog Vertigo," or "Canine Vestibular Disease." It's fairly common, cats get something similar, though it can happen to them at any age. It ca be caused by a few things but in the case of my dog it's likely an inflammation of the nerve servicing the inner ear/semicircular canals, and it scrambles their sense of balance. Most dogs recover to nearly 100% after a few days, some retain a constant need to tilt their heads, but that's it. Our pup is already a lot better, I'll just watch her carefully, keep her away from the stairs for awhile, etc.

This malady is something to be aware of if you have a dog or cat. At least for dogs, the thing to watch for is the rapid eye movement--that's one way to tell this from a stroke. This vertigo isn't "I'm feeling a little dizzy, I need to sit down" it's "I'm tumbling over and over, falling, I've got to get my feet under me!"

So, while I'll have to talk to my grandson eventually about mortality, saying goodbye, and all the rest, I'm happy to be able to delay that for awhile. Instead, we'll talk about the importance of friends and appreciating, every day, the people and animals in our life.

One small related comment: I wish the medical system that we have as humans could be as effective and efficient as the veterinary care system. True, when I bring this dog to our vet I seldom leave without a bill for $200 or more. But that covers the exam, usually some blood tests, sometimes an X-ray, they provide medications from a pharmacy right in that office, the doc spends time explaining the situation (far less rushed than when I see the doctor PA), and I can usually get an appointment rapidly. Further, whatever I pay is it, not a small co-pay with the rest of the bill sent to someone else (maybe me, in the form of an insurance premium).

Today (Sunday), our vet's office was closed, so I took the pooch to the animal ER. A nice facility, several vets and vet techs on hand, free coffee for me, etc. Sure, they didn't have to do a lot for the dog, but they knew what they were doing, kept her comfortable, kept her under observation for about 90 minutes, and provided a prescription of anti-nausea pills for the pup. I paid $100. If I'd showed up to the "human ER" with anything, a case of hiccoughs, I'm pretty sure somebody would be paying a lot more than $100.

Thanks for the helpful information. I hope never to experience this with any of my cats, but it is good to have the knowledge if it happens.

I'm very glad to hear she has already improved so much. Here's to a 100% recovery for her.
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Old 06-30-2019, 05:14 PM   #1531
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I have actually heard of that syndrome. Vets in your city are much cheaper than here. You can’t walk into the ER vet for under 500. That’s before any tests, etc.
Same here. Kitty had vomiting issues and was referred to the specialist/ER vet by her regular vet...$2K for an overnighter (observation) which included fluids and x-rays in am. We gladly paid.
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Old 06-30-2019, 05:22 PM   #1532
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The vet bills and medication costs are one reason we are downsizing pets from 4 to 2 by natural attrition. We did a lot of rescue work and at one point 4 old dogs were costing us 450/month for medications.
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Old 06-30-2019, 11:38 PM   #1533
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We spend around $500/month on our dog. He’s worth it! But once he passes, we will be pet-less for a while so we can travel more flexibly.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:49 PM   #1534
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Since we moved back north from Florida, I've kept in touch with a lady from our Lake Griffin Harbor over 55 community. We have exchanged notes on the animals in our lives... there, gators, bears, turtles, raccoons etc., and here from our Liberty Village community and Woodhaven Lakes...
The last note I sent prompted a reply from her husband who told me she had passed away. Instead of just erasing the email, I'm posting it here... We don't have house pets, but enjoy the animal world.
.................................................. ..................................................

For the past few years, bunnies have been running back and forth in the fly way behind our Liberty Village Homes. I've made personal friends with them, despite the neighbors who overprotect their petunias. I go out back and sit, listening to cowboy music on the radio, and watching the birds.
Bunny #1 comes to within 7 or 8 feet and sits, watching me. I talk with him/her, and he/she seems to enjoy the conversation.
Twenty minutes ago, jeanie called me... "Quick, quick!!!" "A baby bunny..." . Sure enough...not one, but two... and the mother sitting a few feet from our deck, watching over the babies. She is still there... showing off her new kids. Licking them, and nestling them to feed. Really neat.
We still have our bird feeders, and the sparrows are eating about 12lbs./week in feed. Flocks that we've kept healthy through the worst winter in memory.
Now there are about 7 or 8 different kinds of summer birds, like finches and cardinals, and... exciting... a little late this year, but our hummers are back from Panama.

We have just one resident squirrel...who lives in neighbor's maple tree. For the first time in years, we also have a bald eagle that we spot once in a while. The geese are back in the nearby pond. That completes our menage.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:54 PM   #1535
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Very, nice....but there is always more than ONE squirrel.
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Old 07-08-2019, 02:16 PM   #1536
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We have just one resident squirrel...who lives in neighbor's maple tree.
Like you, we enjoy the critters. Grey squirrels are a constant here, we had one that got badly injured on her back leg (cat?) two years ago, and she pulled through and has raised two litters. She is a tough gal. This year we have one regular young rabbit and a groundhog. And last week I saw a red squirrel again for the first time in 2 years. They are smaller and faster than grey squirrels.
When we lived in FL we had a flying squirrel nest in a backyard tree. I didn't vknowca outvitvuntil a lump of Spanish moss got blown down during s storm. I was cleaning it up and it felt a bit heavy--there were two baby flying squirrels in there. We waited and watched and eventually the mom came, picked up one in her mouth, climbed a tree and glided over the fence with h the little guy in her mouth. Then, with us still out there, she came back and did the same thing with the other one.
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Old 03-07-2020, 01:50 PM   #1537
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Here's a trick DD taught our granddog, Bacon:

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