KB
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I'm so sorry about your Rufus, Sheryl.
Tough Spending Decision
- Thread starter grumpy
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Sheryl,
This is sad news. Rufus looks like an eager-to-please pup. I'm sure the memories of the good times he brought are bittersweet now, but will ultimately be the thing you remember most about him when the sadness abates.
Best wishes.
This is sad news. Rufus looks like an eager-to-please pup. I'm sure the memories of the good times he brought are bittersweet now, but will ultimately be the thing you remember most about him when the sadness abates.
Best wishes.
haha
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I have a 13 1/2 year old Bouvier who apparently now has epilepsy. It is difficult for me, because I have to give him phenobarb twice a day, which pretty much means I spend nights here. The vet did say that after he gets up to levels missing an occasional morning won't hurt him,
Right now he is staggering all over the place, and whining and barking because he feels so bad. If this were as good as it might get, I would put him down, for him and for me. But he may well recover to be close to his former self, so I am going to hang in there with him until that issue is decided.
I just gave him a bath, to clean the pee off his long hair left from the seizure. Not easy lifting a 90# dog who can't quite stand into and out of a bathtub; but it is so buggy today I was afraid that if I washed him outside the mosquitoes would eat both of us.
I can tell you this for sure- it is no fun being alone with a large dog having grand mal seizures, then afterward staggering and crashing through your house disoriented and frightened. Poor guy kept staggering through my drum kit, until I finally got it dismantled and out of the way. Getting a big dog into a car to visit the vet when he has no body control is a trick too.
Other than this seizure thing, he seems to be in very good health. The vet says he is in double overtime, so I guess I have done ok by him.
My sincere best wishes go to all who are dealing with either a sick pet of one who has recently died.
Ha
Here Bingo is a few months ago playing fetch-
Right now he is staggering all over the place, and whining and barking because he feels so bad. If this were as good as it might get, I would put him down, for him and for me. But he may well recover to be close to his former self, so I am going to hang in there with him until that issue is decided.
I just gave him a bath, to clean the pee off his long hair left from the seizure. Not easy lifting a 90# dog who can't quite stand into and out of a bathtub; but it is so buggy today I was afraid that if I washed him outside the mosquitoes would eat both of us.
I can tell you this for sure- it is no fun being alone with a large dog having grand mal seizures, then afterward staggering and crashing through your house disoriented and frightened. Poor guy kept staggering through my drum kit, until I finally got it dismantled and out of the way. Getting a big dog into a car to visit the vet when he has no body control is a trick too.
Other than this seizure thing, he seems to be in very good health. The vet says he is in double overtime, so I guess I have done ok by him.
My sincere best wishes go to all who are dealing with either a sick pet of one who has recently died.
Ha
Here Bingo is a few months ago playing fetch-
Outtahere
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Ha,
Hang in there, the pheno will make him drunk for a while but it will get better in about a month. It took a month for my lab to get back to normal but since he's been on the meds it's been almost 2 years since a siezure.
Hang in there, the pheno will make him drunk for a while but it will get better in about a month. It took a month for my lab to get back to normal but since he's been on the meds it's been almost 2 years since a siezure.
KB
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Hope things settle down with Bingo, Mikey/Ha. It must be awful to watch him go through seizures.
So sad when our pets age, my cat Comet is 11 and doing well. But I'm preparing myself...
So sad when our pets age, my cat Comet is 11 and doing well. But I'm preparing myself...
Sheryl
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Ha, I hope the medication brings Bingo back around soon. It is so hard watching them when they are hurting and don' t understand why.
Sounds like you have a good chance of getting him back to normal, or at least good enough to enjoy life. Bouvier's are one of my favorite breeds. Anything big and shaggy. My first was an Old English Sheepdog. Rufus was a Portugese Water Dog.
Sounds like you have a good chance of getting him back to normal, or at least good enough to enjoy life. Bouvier's are one of my favorite breeds. Anything big and shaggy. My first was an Old English Sheepdog. Rufus was a Portugese Water Dog.
OP
OP
grumpy
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Here's an update on the outcome of Pyewacket's radioisotope thyroid treatment:
The two weeks of "precautions" ended today. We can now handle him at will and even let him sleep in our bed. He is on no medication at all and is regaining some of the weight he lost before and during the treatment. He is much calmer also. His basic personality has not changed - he still does not like to be petted much and still does some nutty things but, overall, we are pleased with the outcome. On Monday we head to Las Vegas for a week to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary. Our neighbor will look after him at our house while we are gone. Looks like the cost of the treatment ($1600 total) was money well spent. Thanks to all here who gave me the benefit of their advice and experience.
Grumpy
The two weeks of "precautions" ended today. We can now handle him at will and even let him sleep in our bed. He is on no medication at all and is regaining some of the weight he lost before and during the treatment. He is much calmer also. His basic personality has not changed - he still does not like to be petted much and still does some nutty things but, overall, we are pleased with the outcome. On Monday we head to Las Vegas for a week to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary. Our neighbor will look after him at our house while we are gone. Looks like the cost of the treatment ($1600 total) was money well spent. Thanks to all here who gave me the benefit of their advice and experience.
Grumpy
Rich_by_the_Bay
Moderator Emeritus
Sheryl said:
We have considered adding a Portuguese Water Dog to our household, to keep Sophie company (our 7 y.o. Doberman). Any words of wisdom on the breed?
Sheryl
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grumpy said:
Grumpy, Congrats on the anniversary, and on the success of your kitty's treatment. I'm happy for the good outcome!
Sheryl
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Rich_in_Tampa said:
My experience was wonderful - I would get another except I don't want to buy a purebred when there are so many "rejects" out there needing homes (Rufus was a reject left at the pound). There is definitely a requirement for grooming, either you need to do a lot yourself or commit to taking him/her to a groomer regularly. On the positive side, they have hair, not fur, (like poodles) so they do not shed and are able to be tolerated by people that are allergic to dogs typically.
Rufus was very well behaved, housebroken when I got him, and had a very mellow temperament, except that he hated small children. The child problem was very specific to kids around 3-4 years old, and I think that he was mistreated by children and that's why he ended up in the pound. I have never heard this being a problem with the breed in general.
He also hated the mailman, but what dog doesn't?
Any other questions, I'd be glad to answer.
Grumpy,
Great news on the cat, that's one less thing to worry about on your vacation. Now, figure out how much you paid the vet and put the same amount on the "come" line and roll those bones!! I can hear it now: "Come on, seven!! Kitty needs a thyroid treatment!!"
Hey, it's nearly even odds that you'll get it paid for. If not, just double the bet and try again . . .
Have a great time, and happy 37th anniversary.
Great news on the cat, that's one less thing to worry about on your vacation. Now, figure out how much you paid the vet and put the same amount on the "come" line and roll those bones!! I can hear it now: "Come on, seven!! Kitty needs a thyroid treatment!!"
Hey, it's nearly even odds that you'll get it paid for. If not, just double the bet and try again . . .Have a great time, and happy 37th anniversary.
OP
OP
grumpy
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samclem,
Thanks! As a LBYM type of guy I usually find a $2 minimum bet blackjack table somewhere in Las Vegas. I can play as long as I like and not spend more than $100. We tend to use our $'s in Vegas for good shows and good meals.
Grumpy
Thanks! As a LBYM type of guy I usually find a $2 minimum bet blackjack table somewhere in Las Vegas. I can play as long as I like and not spend more than $100. We tend to use our $'s in Vegas for good shows and good meals.
Grumpy
cute fuzzy bunny
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Sheryl said:
I ordered some biscuit samples from flintriverranch.com and the box was too big to put in the mailbox, so she bought it to the door. They like the mail "man" a lot now. Very disappointed when they dont get biscuits though.
All mutts here. We like 'em. We got Ted because he was the loudest dog at the pound. We heard all 3lbs of him barking for all he was worth when we pulled into the parking lot. Oddly enough, he rarely barks. He lets the other two dogs do all the barking for him.
kcowan
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Grumpy
I spent $2300 on our 6 year old cat to solve a stubborn urinary infection. Although it was totally unplanned, I will never regret the extra expense.
Good luck with Pye!
I spent $2300 on our 6 year old cat to solve a stubborn urinary infection. Although it was totally unplanned, I will never regret the extra expense.
Good luck with Pye!
tangomonster
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KCowan, we're up to $1000 with urinary issues with our 11 year old male cat---and we're not sure they are totally resolved. It seems like your cat wasn't cured instantly---can you post or private message me about what was done for your cat, how many trips to the vet it took, what pills were prescribed, and if your cat was/is finally okay. We are ERing at the same time as Tang's problems and it's totally stressing us out!
kcowan
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
He was on an antibiotic daily pill (Zenequin) for 3 weeks to treat cystitis. He seemed to be fine. Then had a serious recurrence about five days later. This required a 1.5 day stay as he was totally stopped up and needed some radical action. Then another 3 week bout of pills and a final checkup.
No lingering problems so far (it was over a year ago).
No lingering problems so far (it was over a year ago).
spideyrdpd
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Did you guys look into the pet health plans. I forget if this was mentioned in the post.
Was it the medication that was expensive or the visits?
My cats head in the other direction whenever they are on medications. Although they sometimes just like to head in the other direction anyway .
Glad to here Pyewacket's doing good. Maybe he can get a few new toy mice so your not the only one having fun
Was it the medication that was expensive or the visits?
My cats head in the other direction whenever they are on medications. Although they sometimes just like to head in the other direction anyway .
Glad to here Pyewacket's doing good. Maybe he can get a few new toy mice so your not the only one having fun
kcowan
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Both cats are only outdoor on the patio of our penthouse. After being fixed and declawed, there have been zero expenses until this big event. So it averages about $165/yr per cat. I can handle that as an unplanned self-insurance cost.spideyrdpd said:
Just defer the new car for a year...
cute fuzzy bunny
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
If someone finds a pet health insurance plan thats worth it, let me know.
I looked at a bunch of them a few years back. On the best of the bunch, I had to pay something like $200 to start and $100 a year, plus bring them in twice a year for "checkups" and all the shots. In return I got office visits for a reduced rate, meds at a reduced rate, and a limited per-pets-life $3000 for unexpected medical needs. Injuries didnt count, just illness.
After I ran the numbers, if I was bringing my dogs and cats in twice a year already it'd come out to a slightly bad deal unless one of them became very ill. Since I wasnt bringing them in twice a year, it turned out to be an awful deal.
I looked at a bunch of them a few years back. On the best of the bunch, I had to pay something like $200 to start and $100 a year, plus bring them in twice a year for "checkups" and all the shots. In return I got office visits for a reduced rate, meds at a reduced rate, and a limited per-pets-life $3000 for unexpected medical needs. Injuries didnt count, just illness.
After I ran the numbers, if I was bringing my dogs and cats in twice a year already it'd come out to a slightly bad deal unless one of them became very ill. Since I wasnt bringing them in twice a year, it turned out to be an awful deal.
haha
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
yelnad said:
One way I knew that I was getting ahead in life is when I stopped pulling out the porky quills from my dogs' muzzles. What a job! It was bliss to just drop them off at the vets and come back later.
A had a Lab who was wild about porky meat. But he was a very good dog, and he let me work on him without much protest.
Ha
Pyewacket sounds like my cat's long lost sibling!
And at 13 years, what a difficult decision.... That's not all that old for an indoor cat these days.
My husband and I feel that if our cat were able to verbalize his wishes, he would have a living will and would refuse medical treatment.
But if he were in a similar situation and a treatment would restore his quality of life, I would be strongly tempted to do it, even at his age of 17.5. Because he is excellent health otherwise; he could easily make it to 20. That's a lot for a few more years, but in the early years, we spent so little on him. Overall he's been a "good investment" and a very big pleasure in our lives. Spend on pleasure!
And at 13 years, what a difficult decision.... That's not all that old for an indoor cat these days.
My husband and I feel that if our cat were able to verbalize his wishes, he would have a living will and would refuse medical treatment.
But if he were in a similar situation and a treatment would restore his quality of life, I would be strongly tempted to do it, even at his age of 17.5. Because he is excellent health otherwise; he could easily make it to 20. That's a lot for a few more years, but in the early years, we spent so little on him. Overall he's been a "good investment" and a very big pleasure in our lives. Spend on pleasure!
