Pets. How strong is the bond?

[bssc]

I stopped dating one girl because she was allergic to my cats (and other things). The DW is allergic to cats but she gets shots to help her with it.

 

[haha]

The DW is allergic to cats but she gets shots to help her with it.

To me this is weird. If you had allergic children, would you get them shots rather than remove the source of the allergin?

I believe this is a misplacement of priorities. One son got rid of a wife in part at least becaue he is allergic to cats and she wouldn't get rid of hers. I cheered his decision, although it cost him heavy bucks.

IMO, no matter how much we depend on pets, humans come first. (and for me, this includes non-related humans as in the burning building test above).

If I get reincarnated I'll try to remember this as a question for anyone I am considering for childcare, or for letting my kid do a sleepover with-"In case of fire, do you save the kids or pets first?"

Ha

 

[CyclingInvestor]

IMO, no matter how much we depend on pets, humans come first. (and for me, this includes non-related humans as in the burning building test above).

If I get reincarnated I'll try to remember this as a question for anyone I am considering for childcare, or for letting my kid do a sleepover with-"In case of fire, do you save the kids or pets first?"

I suspect those of us who are "pet-first" probably do not have alot
of children sleeping over, do not see running a child-care operation
as a career, and do not have children of our own, so this is really a
self-correcting problem.

 

[mickeyd]

Good topic.

On occasion DW has commented that our dog (Chocolate Lab see left) and rescue cat communicate with her better than I do. She's probably correct because I hate to hear this: "We need to talk"...as I usually come out on the short end of that conversation.

Our pets are not exactly like family members, but they are very important to our lives.

 

[bssc]

To me this is weird. If you had allergic children, would you get them shots rather than remove the source of the allergin?

I believe this is a misplacement of priorities. One son got rid of a wife in part at least becaue he is allergic to cats and she wouldn't get rid of hers. I cheered his decision, although it cost him heavy bucks.

IMO, no matter how much we depend on pets, humans come first. (and for me, this includes non-related humans as in the burning building test above).

If I get reincarnated I'll try to remember this as a question for anyone I am considering for childcare, or for letting my kid do a sleepover with-"In case of fire, do you save the kids or pets first?"

Ha

DW likes cats too and had two before she met me. I would get rid of the kids first, but then that is probably why we don't have any of the two legged kind.

 

[LKH]

Funny...Oprahs vet was on tv the other day (hey...my wife was watching it, I was cooking...errr...nevermind) and his recommended food pecking order was:

- raw meat
- high end canned
- premium canned
- super premium dry
- premium dry

We feed ours the Costco brand, which so far hasnt had any recalls pointed towards it. We were feeding the Innova EVO to all the critters until the local feed store decided to raise the price 2-3 bucks a bag every time I bought it. I quit when it was topping $55 for a medium size bag. At $16 for a bag twice the size, and pretty good ingredients...back to the Costco food.

Raw food is supposed to be the best. It's not just raw meat, though. You have to either make your own, which involves grinding organ meats and various supplements, or buy pre-made frozen foods, which is VERY expensive. This site compares Innova dry food to a raw diet, rather favorably. http://cats.about.com/od/catfood/gr/evo.htm

Oh, and I did a search on dry vs. canned. It seems like there's serious disagreement on which is best.

Here's a quote that sounds very like what my vet told me:

Given their choice, most cats prefer canned diets. The aroma, flavor and palatability of dry diets do not match that of canned. Cats are creatures of habit and quickly get accustomed to a flavor and consistency of diet to the exclusion of all others. Which ever you buy, be sure the label says that the diet meets the National Research Council’s guidelines on feline nutrition and is certified by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Over the years I have found that cats fed dry diets have less tartar build up on their teeth and less gum disease surrounding the teeth. With time, gum inflammation associated with canned diets causes the tissues surrounding the teeth to recede and the teeth to loosen. With time, bacteria moving through the blood stream from infected gums cause damage to the kidneys and liver. Dry cat foods have greater caloric density – that is they are richer. This is because canned food contains about 75% water. I do not suggest semi-moist diets because of the large amount of preservatives they contain.

But I saw an article by another vet that said she didn't find this to be true. Ultimately, though, one of my cats is a nibbler, and needs me to leave food out for her through the day, and canned food isn't probably good after an hour or so out.

 

[thefed]

my bond-strneght was broguht to light a few months ago, when my dog was really sick form that tainted food that went around ( we didnt know the cause)


well, she had to goto the ER for an undetermined amount of time....and no guarantees. she is 3 yrs old. it was 250-300/day, and she needed to stay a minimum of 3 days.

As much as I didnt want to, i set a 1500 dollar limit with my fiance. beyond that, i couldnt see throwing money at her as being worth it. my orginal $$ limit was 1000, but she made me feel guilty


well, 1100 later, shes okay. and the food company has done nothign to help pay

 

[Celany]

unless they're like the person I overheard at the Humane Society dropping off their dog because its coat didn't match the new upholstery in their living room.

people like that shouldn't be allowed to have pets in the first place.

I read an article not too long ago about some guy that convicted of torturing a dog. So he's not allowed to own one for 3 years. 3 years?!?!? hello, how about NEVER AGAIN?!?!?!?

do all of you pet-lovers know about the rainbow bridge, btw?

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

in case you haven't read it before, well, be careful. I can't read it without bawling...

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I'm not condemning 20-somethings or new parents, unless they're like the person I overheard at the Humane Society dropping off their dog because its coat didn't match the new upholstery in their living room.

If their dog was anything like mine, they should have just waited
a few months, and the couch would have exactly matched the color
of the dogs coat.

 

[HFWR]

people like that shouldn't be allowed to have pets in the first place.

I think they should be "put to sleep"...

 

[Sarah in SC]

You know, CFB, there is one great solution you haven't thought of yet...just get more pets! Then, even as you lose them, there will always be another one left to comfort you in your loss. This is why I need a new dog! Mine are 8, 9, 12, & 14. The cats are good for now--9, 7, 5, 3 & 3. And the sheep are ancient (and lambs are only $65)!

I experienced all the losses of pets as a child, and continue in adulthood. I think the hardest one ever was my show horse, Rocky. And I lost him when I was 25. What Gabe can learn is how compassionate care works (and having a nurse for a Mom will help) and how much quality of life matters. I would not have wanted to be there in person for each and every death of a pet during my childhood, but I had a clear understanding of what was happening.

I think there is a big difference in knowing what is going to happen (having the chance to say goodbye), and standing there when they are euthanized. (It seems that very few pets die so-called natural deaths anymore--going back to that quality of life thing). I have a depressingly large cemetary here that will only get bigger. <sigh> But what I gained from these losses in childhood and hope the littlest Bunny does too, is that the life shared is "worth" the loss.
Sarah

 

[bssc]

I think they should be "put to sleep"...

A little extreme, but they could be "fixed"

 

[HFWR]

A little extreme, but they could be "fixed"

 

[kaudrey]

I love my two cats. They are part of my family.

Although I am not happy about it, one cat has an occasional litter box problem and likes to use the stairs instead, so the carpet on the stairs is pretty shot - I'll replace it eventually. I've already replaced the carpet downstairs (with beautiful tile, so I'm not too upset about it). My last boyfriend couldn't understand why I'd want to keep a pet that was destroying my floor.

The other cat had an eye problem and needed surgery, twice. About $1500 for the two surgeries. Oh, and he has a heart murmur, $300 for a cardiogram...for...a...cat. It's a good thing they are REALLY, REALLY cute and loving!

Karen

 

[citrine]

I lost the love of my life (19 pound cat named Micro) earlier this year and I don't think my heart will ever heal from that. I just recently adopted two kittens and they are just absolutely awesome....my heart melts every time I think about them.
For me, my pets are the only ones that break through all of the barriers and facades that I have for other people. Because I am able to just be....my bond with them is greater than with any other human being.

 

[happy2bretired]

We had to put down our two older dogs last year - that was very hard - same year I lost my husband.

A couple of months after we put the first one down, we got Maddie. The other older dog and Maddie would play like crazy together. We didn't know the older dog had that much life left in her. We had Maddie two months before we had to put down the other older dog. All of us, my daughter, Maddie and I just lost it when that happened. It was very hard.

My daughter and I feel like we raised a child over the last year with Maddie...she is precious. She was hard work...just like a baby.

 

[yelnad]

Our bond with our two dogs is very strong. I had my lab before I met my husband, and I often remind him that she was here first. And I mean it. She got me through a really rough time in my life.

We spend over $500 a year on meds for the lab.
Vet bills probably run about $1000 a year for the 2, in a normal year. Throw in an occasional emergency after hours porcupine quill removal for $250 or more.
The Invisible Fence was the best $1300 I ever spent.
I used to spend $2 a pound for dry dog food, but we got away from that.

I don't board them because most kennels consider the lab "special needs" and charge more to distribute her meds. We used to board at the vets in extreme cases, but they don't board anymore. That cost about $60 a night for the 2. Now when we travel, my father comes to stay with them in our home. I don't spend the night at my in-laws because it's not a safe place for the dogs (the lab is blind and deaf). I put up with mud and bugs in the house so my dogs can run in and out on their own (they can open the sliding screen doors, but refuse to shut them!).

I would spend anything on them, as long as their quality of life was good and they weren't in any pain. The lab is blind, deaf, arthritic and incontinent. Many people would have put her down by now, but she still gets around just fine with help from her meds. I knows she's living a good life because she still gets into trouble on an almost daily basis.

It'll be interesting to see how things change with the arrive of a baby in September.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Our baby arrival worked out great with the dogs. They were super parental and remain so.

My bond was re-tested today. Our oldest dog tore the ACL in her OTHER knee. We had the left one fixed three years ago, now the right one needs surgery. The repaired left one is still pretty weak and has a lot of arthritis in it and we're hosing her down with NSAID's on a daily basis to keep her ambulatory.

This surgery will be about 5k. And she'll have to sleep downstairs from now on instead of hopping up three flights of stairs to sleep on our bed. And the stress on that other repaired knee while she recovers might be too much for it to bear.

And, and, and.

The hits just keep on coming.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Our oldest dog tore the ACL in her OTHER knee. We had the left one fixed three years ago, now the right one needs surgery. The repaired left one is still pretty weak and has a lot of arthritis in it and we're hosing her down with NSAID's on a daily basis to keep her ambulatory.

Bummer.

How old is she? That's a big part of the decision, no?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

She's about 7, and if she was 107 we'd still do anything and everything to make her as well as we can.

Theres too much pain to leave the leg as-is, and neither of us has the heart to put her down. So we'll do the surgery, knowing she'll probably struggle to recover on one bad and one iffy leg, and hope for the best.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Theres too much pain to leave the leg as-is, and neither of us has the heart to put her down.

I know.

Good luck - I hope the pooch does great. They can be amazingly resilient.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I hope so. Our new vet, a nice old country doc who has probably looked at more horses and goats than dogs told me a story about a dog who had to have two legs amputated yet lived many more years and got around just fine.

She's restricted to first floor access from now on. Cant say she was a happy dog about it last night.

Thursday she visits the orthopedic surgeon, supposedly one of the best in the area. Our regular vet said he'd try to talk the guy into doing a little work on humans and working on his knee if he ever needed an operation.

We had the ligament replaced in the first surgery. In this one we're getting the super deluxe surgery where they remove the top of the leg bone, rotate it and refit it to the upper leg bone to eliminate the need for a ligament altogether. Usually reserved for expensive hunting dogs and fancy breeds. Almost good enough for our old farm dog.

My checkbooks unhappy this month. Between the Cobra payments, this operation and gosh, the check engine light just flipped on in the rav4 yesterday...its been a nice month of unexpected high expenses...

 

[MikeD]

My dog Emily has been restricted to the first floor for about 18 months now due to her horrible hip dysplasia finally just about crippling her. For about 5 years we helped her up the steps at night so she could continue to sleep in the bed with us. She has slept in our bed since the first night that we got her at 7 weeks and 6 days old.

She wasn't happy about staying downstairs at first but I think she doesn't mind now.

Today was a vet-tech appt for yearly shots and titres and a nail trimming. I couldn't get her into the truck (crew cab back seat set up expressly for the dog) so I had to cancel. We will go tomorrow when my wife can help lift her into the truck.

When she was first diagnosed with hip dysplasia her orthopedic vet looked at her x-rays and asked "This dog can walk?" Em still dances at breakfast and dinnertime.

Mike D.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Jazz is hopping around today and in good spirits, probably from the doggie morphine we have her on.

And the check engine light in our rav turned out to be solved by a recall to reprogram the engine control computer.

Later I'll be checking the dog for any terminal ports and looking around for any firmware upgrades.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Wonderful news, CFB! Anyone who takes care of their pets like y'all do are stellar folks, that's all I can say!
I hope the surgery provides for many more pain free years for Jazz!

Sarah