View Full Version : Pets, what happened to being simple
My Vet bill was over the top, I mean way over the top this month and it is not over yet. I love my dogs they are my world. I am also a firm believer they are animals and that is a whole different post. Anyhow here is what I do (times this all by four dogs) and you advise with your way of doing it.
Heartworm test $38 yearly
Heartworm preventative $34 ^6months supply but keep them on it 12 months^ more for three big dogs
Flea/tick preventative $120 ^6months^ more for three big dogs
Nail trim $10 ^1 month^
Bordetella $35 ^1 year^
Distemper/Parvo $36 ^1year^
Rabies $35^3 years^
Toss in grooming bath at $45
Food is so expensive now $$4
License $10 ^yearly^
Then this month spaying, three rechecks, one emergency call (another post the pup is ill from infection from surgery) I understand these events.
My question to myself is, chime in please, For my entire life up till about 6 years ago was Rabies every three years and license. Sometimes a flea collar and Pedigree Dog food . What happened? I started all the extras when I moved to this area as everyone told me fleas and ticks are bad. They have never had a flea. Ticks are spring time early summer, not that bad. Heartworm, gosh same story I felt shamed into this process, because what if. I have not heard of anyone saying they or knew of any that had gotten it. The other shots well the groomer won't see dogs unless they have everything of course. Feed, the marketing is so heavy and I wonder if I am doing the best by the IAMs, mean for years regular off the grocery store shelf worked well back in the day.
What would happen if I went back to the way I survived for 20+ years? DO you treat for everything? yes I have three big dogs and one tiny dog.
goldensmom
3-12-15, 1:14pm
When I was a kid we had farm dogs at no expense beyond supermarket dog food and scraps but now my dogs (3 big dogs) are family. One has health problems and is on medication ($600/yr); twice yearly blood and urine tests ($1000/yr). Recently one of my dogs was lathargic and that resulted in a $400 vet bill only to rule out everything. Bladder surgery for bladder stones $700, uterine infection that required surgery $900. Cancer treatment $2000. Food $80-100/ month (Acana and Origen), shots, and the list goes on. We treat everything and pay big if an after hours visit is needed. I do nail trims myself but have have a jar of styptic powder handy
iris lilies
3-12-15, 1:28pm
Most of the things you name in your original list, OP, are basic necessities. But here are some considerations for trimming:
I do not check yearly for heartworm. My dogs are on preventative year round. Just last month I told the vet "no" to a heartworm check for a 14 year old who has never been off meds. Even if she DOES have heart worms, I will not be treating that.
There is an inoculation that may or may not be cheaper, I don't know. I just give the monthly pill. Some years ago my vets asked if I was interested in it, but I am not.
We trim our own nails, using a dremmel.
Flea treatment--we bring that out when we spot fleas. We've been flea free for 2 years. But 3 years ago--ack. Our tiny blonde Frenchie had them badly, and we could NOT get rid of them. Fortunatley, they were easy to monitor on her pale coat. I am always on the alert for fleas and I jump right in with treatment for all cats and dogs so as to not let it get out of hand. You, in TN, will see more than in your northern climate of MI. Winter is great for killing bugs.
There are inoculation for rabies that last for 3 year--that might be cheaper.
I don't give the parvo/etc to our elderly dogs. And lately we have not been taking them to a kennel, so they do not need bordetella.
But back to heartworm annual blod test: I will do t his probably every 2 -3 years for one dog. For another dog, because she goes to a high end vet, he insists on doing it annually, and ok, I go along with it.
But I will never forget bringing in a bulldog to my vet, just for basic innoculations, and I DID have the heartworm check done because we don't know the background on these dogs. She had just entered our rescue program, a gorgeous well behaved girl, and she had heartworms. Fortunately, she had not had them long. We regularly any more get in rescue dogs with heartworm and the treatment is expensive. Her outcome was good.
We are rich. I mean most of us in the country are "rich".....and can afford to spend so much money on our pets. It's like everything else.......there's always a way to make more money/products in order for someone to get even richer. Should I spend several hundred dollars and have my doggie's teeth cleaned? The vet makes it sound like so much bad can happen if I don't do it. Then again........the way we keep pets now might predispose them to actually needing to have their teeth cleaned. But.......we all think everything should live forever and go at top speed.....and that includes pets.
I'm too overwhelmed by how this society runs. It really bums me out. :(
Teacher Terry
3-12-15, 1:42pm
WE spend a fortune on our 3 small & 1 big dogs. If you want to see the quality of your dog food go to Dog Advisor.com. It rates the food 1-5 stars & they are not affiliated with any food company, etc. I only feed high quality food. The big guy does not need his teeth cleaned but the tiny ones do because teeth decay can cause heart disease & also their teeth get loose & then they can't eat. In the last 10 years we have had anywhere from 2-4 dogs & I figure we have spent about $25,000 just on vet care let alone their other stuff. They are all between 9-16 & as they go we will only have 1 or 2 due to the cost. Dogs are living a lot longer then when I was a kid & think it is because we are taking better care of them medically then previous generations. However, I will not treat cancer because chemo only extends their live for about a year & I know people that have spent $10,000 on it. In Nevada we only need to treat heartworms because there are no fleas/ticks. WE also have to get 3 of them groomed which is not cheap. 2 are on daily meds. I don't want to add up the monthly expense:|(.
This all is on my mind due to the over the top visits this month. Just back from Vet with one and the last dog to need shots and blood work. I just switched Vets this week due to the pup having complications from spaying last week. She returns in the morning her temp is 103.5 after 24 hours of meds being in her. Poor baby. She will probably need to have surgery to see what is happening. I have been to three Vets now in the last few years, all have required Heartworm tests yearly if not on year round treatment, two years if year around. We don't have transmitting mosquitos in MI in the winter, so this bothers me.
I saw the Blue Buffalo commercial and was feeling guilty that maybe they deserved this food, maybe IAMS was not good enough? I checked out the cost and decided the pack of hungry girls were just fine with IAMS! OH whoas me:doh:
I am a quality of life not quantity of life with animals. So yes I know my bills are less then many others. My neighbor for example, this is hard to say without shaking my head. Her averaged out cost last year and this is normal for her three little dogs and stray cats she feed, drum roll....$900 a month.
We love our pets and take great care of them. We have three cats, and we've always had cats. They get their yearly checkups and shots and one's had his teeth cleaned. That's it. They're in-and-out cats who don't get sick, get in accidents, get fleas, etc. Cat food, both dry and canned, is mid-range quality. We've had dogs before, when our boys were young and at home, but as they died off (the dogs, not the boys) we didn't replace them. We're cat magnets, so our neighbor's cat is always in our yard, and I think he'd love to live here. As our cats come in and out he tries to sneak in whenever he thinks he can get away with it. We don't have a cat door because then he would be in all the time. Our cats are Cinda (F), Oscar (M), Albie (M; Maine Coon) ... and Oliver (M), the neighbor cat. I've never figured out what we spend on food, but it's nowhere $900 a month!! And yes, we feed Oliver too, since Albie prefers to eat outside, so can't feed one without feeding the other. They don't like each other much, they growl and hiss at each other a lot, but they don't fight. Cats are wonderful! And I just got, today, an order from Amazon of Crazy Cat Lady and Six Cats figurines! Joy! :D
I feel the same way about animal docs as I do people docs - far too many tests and medications so I am often the outlier on this topic. I only take mine for required rabies shots and of course would do so in an emergency. My weiner dog is now 15 and except for some missing teeth, she is in very good health and rarely misses her daily walk. My two Siamese cats are equally healthy. They are mostly indoors but I let them lay in the sun on the back deck on occasion. I don't do flea or heartworm stuff and have never had any issues - and I live in TX where all that is recommended. A few fleas in early spring and then they're gone when the high heat comes. I do spend money on high quality food (grain-free, ie no rice or corn) and feed them some table scraps for variety. When they get to the end of their lives, I won't be doing anything costly or stressful to extend their days - as hard as it will be.
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I can explain it, what has happened with Vettanarryans. It all started around 25 years back, around here. There was one vet that initially shared space with two other vets, in a littlebittybuilding in a poor part of town. Then, he went on his own, & built an enormous show place clinic, multistory,with those fancy gold glass windows, right next to a freeway to nowhere, here. Then, another vet became one of those--what's that Hollywood Religion that has Tom Cruise?,Scatologicalists? . Okay---that Vet used his "McClinic" Business model to establish Vet Clinics all over town. His scheme evidently didn't work, so the satellite McClinics all closed, & he now operates out of an awe-inspiring "Taj Mahal" clinic in the high-rent retail district. The two vets I mentioned probably would charge you big bucks to even take a look at a dog & tell you what breed it is. They led the advent of The Yuppie Vet. Veterinarians have seen how grossly overblown and dripping with gravy the human "HealthCare System" has become; They have also seen how Attorneys just talk on the phone, give "advice", let their paralegals process paperwork, soaking clients while their cases resolve themselves--people run out of money, get fed up with delays, and drop their cases or plead guilty. See? And it's: Why Not Mee? Vets want to be like the other "Professionals". Live Large, and become wealthy to boot. See? Why settle for a $250,000 house, when that proctologist at the Country Club has a $850,000 house, a lake home AND an apartment complex or two as an investment? Plus, his daughter MUST continue her studies at Oxford or Cambridge. After all, SHE is very intelligent, like Chelsea Clinton. So, what they do is get one of those 'putters that keeps track of services rendered in real time(Ka-Ching!)and a girl Friday in the office to run it and collect the money(Visa/MC) and take the flak. See? Again: The Vet business has undergone Yuppification, and that is why you can't afford to do fido justice, without financial stress, with respect to health care. Kind of like the Human Health Care System. Hope that helps you some. Not trying to be funny or less-than-kind. I was never an "A" student, so don't expect brilliance from litttlebittymee. You'll have to settle for stupid. Thank Mee.
Well, MrBob, you're pretty much right on there.
One of our new neighbors is a specialty vet, dog dermatology, and must make a lot of money if appearances hold true. Large luxury house, Range Rover, wife doesn't work, kids in private school.
Blackdog Lin
3-12-15, 9:34pm
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GREAT answer! LOL.
My Simple Living pet philosophy: no more than one pet at a time, because that's all we can afford to care for. So that I can do the best with the one I have. Which equals a middle-of-the-road good food (Blue Buffalo), rabies shots only, and flea treatment every month (we have gotten fleas in the house before - it's cheaper and so much easier just to use the oral flea treatment than to try to treat for fleas in the house afterwards).
She's elderly, has Parkinson's (no official vet diagnosis that we had to pay for, we just see the signs) but still seems to be in no pain and her bodily functions seem normal enough. Please God that there are no further health issues that I would have to decide about spending the money on.....
iris lilies
3-12-15, 10:07pm
One of our new neighbors is a specialty vet, dog dermatology, and must make a lot of money if appearances hold true. Large luxury house, Range Rover, wife doesn't work, kids in private school.
haha, yup. My board-certified veterinary dermatologist does not work weekends. He does not have evening hours, but his office is open 1 night a week to pick up food and meds. Anyone who wants an audience with the Doc must take off work M- F for that.
My bulldog Theodore A. Bear (aka Teddy Bear) will be going to this dermatologist for the rest of his life. His skin problems are extreme. The place is a racket, a pill and specialty-food pushing racket.
But here's the thing: when your baby is miserable, you will do anything to make him feel better. In our case, money really isn't an issue. I will not allow Theodore Bear to live with swollen red skin, interdigital cysts, puffy ear canals, and constant scratching and with infections from same. He is on expensive meds and that is fine. They allow him to enjoy his life. They may even shorten his life and we are all ok with that.
My friend, a newly graduated veterinarian, is concerned that T. Bear has not been diagnosed for what exactly is wrong with him. She said "umm, this is a board certified vet he is going to???!!!!" in the way of new and idealistic graduates. I think it's likely that he is allergic to the universe, so why bother to do skin test? He came into rescue with severe skin allergies, deep skin infections. Give him the drugs! Make us all happy! His vet never did allergy tests, we never discussed it. He pushed the meds and I took them and found that they work to control this problem.
It's funny that every time I am in this office to pick up medications, there are clients my age, granny-age women with jobs who probably have no children at home, and have these pets ridden with disease. ka-ching, ka-ching.They are my tribe.
I'm willing to spend money for routine exams and diagnostics, dental care (within reason. we will not be having kitty root canals done on Chris as was suggested at his appointment last week. He will have to build up calluses on his gums or learn to appreciate the wet food more than the dry if regular dental work can't keep his teeth in his mouth. Considering how little he actually chews his food I suspect that this won't be an issue...) and basic treatments that promise a high likelihood of curing/resolving the issue. We might even agree to lifetime maintenance meds if they are likely to resolve the problem long term. We will not spend money on something that will only extend life but ultimately stop working after a year or whatever. We adore both boys but will not hold their lives to the same standard as we do ourselves or other human family members.
mschrisgo2
3-13-15, 12:20am
Well, I have 2 dogs: American cocker spaniels, high maintenance dogs, both in vet care and grooming. Cockers have tons of "genetic" medical issues, and they must be groomed every 4-6 weeks.
I do my own grooming, so I "save" $140-200/month there, though I do have one who is a brat for me for nail trimming, so if she's at the vet anyway, or she's in town with me, someone else will be cutting her nails for $10. About 20 years ago I invested in a grooming table, good clippers with lots of blades, high velocity dryer, perfect scissors and combs and brushes, nail clippers; figured it all paid for itself in about 6 months! I buy concentrated dog shampoo on Amazon, and it lasts for years. And though it does take a lot of time, about 7 hours for 2 dogs, I do enjoy grooming them.
Then there's food. Right now I am feeding one Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato from Costco, 35# for $32.99. The bag lasts her about 4 months. Including the membership fee, that's an average of $10/month/year for food. We don't really do treats, because they get too fat on extras. All was good when the other dog was on the same food.
Now she has liver cancer, and she's eating canned I/D, at $2.50 per day- EEEKKKK! $80/month.
I spent almost $2K getting her an accurate diagnosis, including a bunch of meds along the way to keep her comfortable. Then I spent another $500 for what will amount to 7 months of chemo that is predicted to send her cancer into remission for about 3 years. She's not a young dog, but has no other health problems, and she has a really strong will to live, so I'm willing to give it a go. (But I passed up the $1K/week treatment)
As for routine vet care... cockers are prone to IMHA, which is usually a quickly fatal autoimmune disease; it's thought to be triggered by vaccines, etc. So I titer for vaccines; it costs more initially, but now I have proof that neither of my dogs, 8 years old, will need any more immunizations, ever. Except of course they have to have rabies vaccines, as required by law.
I also do not do heartworm preventive any more; I test for heartworm twice a year. It is not common where we live, so in the off chance that they got it, we'd pick it up with the $15 test, and in less than 6 months, it wouldn't be far enough advanced to be life threatening or a problem to treat. They're far more likely to get erhlichiosis from a deer tick and the same test checks for that also.
I don't do the flea/tick spot-on or edibles any more either; I just can't see putting poison in my dog every month. In the last 3 years, I had one dog come home from the park with fleas. I keep Capstar on hand (very inexpensive on Amazon), kills all fleas in a couple of hours, vacuum, done.
My dogs do see the vet every 6 months, and both had "senior blood panels" done at 8 years. That was very helpful when the one got sick; we had a comparison, and it was easy to see where to start looking for the problem. It would not have cost me so much to diagnose her, but I wasted $800 on a vet who didn't know what he was looking at, then wanted to send me to a very high cost specialist. Instead, I fired him and took my baby across town to a very experienced vet who consults with the high priced specialist, at no extra cost to me.
So, yes, I'm currently spending a lot of money on my dogs.
But as a routine, I averaged about $40/month/dog, until we had to deal with cancer.
I am sitting here, up since 3am with the little dog. If she can make it till 8:30 am I know the Vet will save her. Gosh this is the most unbelievable situation ever with a dog. 103.5 temp, she stopped eating last night, but drank a good amount when I got her up. ALL from Spaying and getting some sort of infection inside. Today the New Vet is doing surgery to see what is going on????
I can see that most today are in the web of not much simple about pet care. So I am not feeling alone.
Years ago I got a horse that came with everything, was how it was stated. The horse that needed nothing, the $ spent monthly was a good amount. That was my joke for a long time how she came with everything. There is a phrase Horse Poor. When I see little farms with a few horses I make that comment.
goldensmom
3-13-15, 6:15am
I also do not do heartworm preventive any more; I test for heartworm twice a year. It is not common where we live, so in the off chance that they got it, we'd pick it up with the $15 test, and in less than 6 months, it wouldn't be far enough advanced to be life threatening or a problem to treat. They're far more likely to get erhlichiosis from a deer tick and the same test checks for that also.
I don't do the flea/tick spot-on or edibles any more either; I just can't see putting poison in my dog every month. In the last 3 years, I had one dog come home from the park with fleas. I keep Capstar on hand (very inexpensive on Amazon), kills all fleas in a couple of hours, vacuum, done.
I didn't say what I don't do with my dogs in my previous post. My big dogs are indoor dogs. I don't do heartworm/flea/tick mostly because of the research I've done about them and I don't want to put that in my dogs bodies. I do use Adam's Flea and Tick control spray during mosquito season and I've never found a flea or tick on my dogs. My one dog has a compromised immune system and has reactions to shots so she gets no shots other than the 3 year rabies shot required for her license. I give a 7-way vaccination to my other 2 dogs and I get the shots from the local grain elevator.
We live outside of town so no license required and I don't even do the rabies shot anymore because the old dog mostly just lays in the living room, lumbers outside for a quick bathroom and is back to his spot. The chance of him getting rabies or heartworm is almost nil. I do treat him for fleas but always trying to find something natural that works better than the drops.
The cat is feral and the only thing I did to her was get her spayed. Trying to put a feral cat in a small carrier for vet trips isn't worth the effort. I tried flea drops on her one year and she had seizures. I give her food, she keeps mice and field rats away from our property. She will probably never die.
The price of keeping a dog was a huge surprise when we got our rescue Bichon a few months ago. Good food costs how much? And I find it almost comical how much treats can cost. They definitely are marketing more to the humans than the dogs. The adoption agreement specified a vet visit within a month of adoption, so there was that cost. Fortunately, aside from the issues many 10-year-old dogs face (like deteriorating vision), she's in good shape physically (now, mentally, that's another issue, but treating that costs mostly time). Since it's just now warming up here, we haven't had to think about flea treatment and such; there's lots of interesting advice here.
There is no doubt that pets are expensive these days. We actually waited a couple of years after I left work to make sure we had room in our budget for vet visits and medicine and groomers. Pets don't make life simpler. But they do make it better. That's the way we look at it, anyway.
Teacher Terry
3-13-15, 12:42pm
Dog Advisor .com is a great place to look at the ratings of food so you can decide which food is the best quality & how much it will cost you. Some expensive food is low quality & the reverse is also true. When I read the post about a kitty root canal I could not believe it. Even our pricey vet just pulls the teeth when they are bad. My tiniest Maltese lost all her teeth at age 8. Genetically they have bad teeth & the smaller they are the worse the teeth.
update: My pup was at the Vet's all day on IV and then transferred to a Critical Care Facility in Toledo tonight. She should be better tomorrow. I guess what else are we suppose to do since we love our pets.
mschrisgo2
3-14-15, 3:02am
ctg492, I hope your pup is doing much better by the time you read this.
mschrisgo2 and everyone, thank you I hope she stays on the road to recovery. I can pick her up after 24 hours if all stays stable. WHY she fell so deathly ill is something I want to know, but perhaps never will.
TeacherTerry, The dogadvisor.com site on dog foods very interesting thanks for sharing. Kinda left me confused, IAMS I thought was super a super choice, now I am not so sure. From there I linked to the homemade dog food site, treat site listed on forums. Everyone puts much effort into their pets. I am making treats today with the new recipes. I am good with treat making, food I have tried before and I feel the companies know more then me on making food and nutrition.
Teacher Terry
3-14-15, 2:54pm
I always feed either a 4 or 5 star food. Sometimes the 5 stars have had a lot of recalls. Right now I am feeding Earthborn which has 4 stars. It is a small family owned facility that has never had a recall. YOu can order most brands on Chewy.com & shipping is free if you spend $55.00. Also on the DogAv site you can sign up to get automatic notification of dog food recalls. HOpe your pup is much better today!
What happened, Why, Overwhelmed. Little pup was improving in Critical Care yesterday morning, planned to pick her up in afternoon. When I got there things had taken a very bad turn for worse. No idea what or why she is ill. I was given a few very bad possible reasons and a new bill through Monday. I stayed for three hours thinking this was so not me. I am a quality of life with pets person. But she is only 6 months, husband is save at all cost type. Ok I agree with bill and try what is needed till monday. At that time I was told (I know Doctor can not see the future) that we would know if the treatments worked by then.
We went from some sort of terrible infection, to autoimmune disease, to now a kidney issue, to exploratory surgery......
At 8pm Doctor calls with more and differing reasons, then says this pup needs to go to MI State with a referral as they are at a loss for what is going on. I gasped and told her I was overwhelmed with all the assorted info I have been given.
I feel at this point I am causing this puppy pain, I am at fault for extending her days. The little dog I held yesterday and for the last many days home is suffering. Yesterday she was like nothing was there. No recognizing me, no movement, just there. I have been assured she is medicated and not in pain. I am suffering from the issue pet owners face:IS it time? The cost is over the top and now a MI State transfer? Is it about he dog and her life and quality? Is it about the money? Is it about my and all those professionals playing GOD?
If it was me alone I would bring her home to the local Vet and say good bye. I feel like I got on a fast moving freight train and can't get off. I am the only one that feels this way.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Hardest decision ever. Understand. My hubby cannot emotionally deal with it so leaves it up to me.
I have come to terms that our pets need to have good quality of life. When the specialty vet told us it would be $3,000 to just diagnose a sinus condition (after years of issues) with a big maybe, we decided to try one more vet and some up with a medical plan for Fredfred for as long as it kept him comfortable and happy. We would not do CAT scans, exploratory surgery, etc. He got one more year.
I will medicate and use pain relief and use veterinarians. However, will not do exploratory surgery, use hugely expensive human interventions, or try experimental treatments. Have had cats for over 40 years. Have experienced a variety of cancer and sudden kidney disease. Theo got bone cancer. We could have amputated and then done chemo but he was over 15 years old. How do you explain pain to a cat? We give them a great life but will not try everything to extend life.
This is a very personal decision. Know that I believe in human assisted suicide which also plays into the whole issue for us.
SteveinMN
3-15-15, 10:53am
ctg, it is a very difficult question, and would be even if money were not an issue. You can only make the best decision you can with the information you have at the time. I wish you the best.
Your situation (or one like it) was one DW and I discussed before bringing our rescue dog into the house. We knew we were going to adopt an older dog and that (s)he might come with health issues or develop them shortly. We've agreed on getting veterinary and palliative care for those issues, but neither one of us will go for the likes of exploratory surgery or experimental treatments. Our dog is 10 and has the potential to live another 5+ years easily, but we're not of a mind to keep her going as long as physically possible to have an 18-year-old pet that cannot do what dogs do.
Would that we accorded such dignity to humans.....
iris lilies
3-15-15, 11:34am
What happened, Why, Overwhelmed. Little pup was improving in Critical Care yesterday morning, planned to pick her up in afternoon. When I got there things had taken a very bad turn for worse.....
I completely support you in letting this little dog go to Doggie heaven. It is very much on a Train of Diagnosis and Treatment once you get into the medical community. And once you step foot into the specialists, you are on the Expert Train of "We won't stop until you tell us to." At least, with veterinary care, you (the generic you) can slow it down and talk about cost even if that's not the real issue.
The real issue is exactly as you say: her pain and quality of life.
You are her mom. No one else is her mom. You know what is best for her.
Teacher Terry
3-15-15, 5:50pm
I am so sorry that this is happening. When faced with these types of situations I get very quiet & try to focus on the dog's best & highest good. Often the answer will come to me. My hubby is also save at all costs so usually it is me saying no more & making the decision. I hate to see animals suffer. Steve, I am so happy you adopted an older dog because they have a tough time getting homes. Some of the
little ones live till 20. We have one now that is 16. Pretty healthy. Always has been deaf & is now in process of losing vision & has developed anxiety. We had to put her on doggy xanax so she could sleep at nite & we had to stop crating her at nite & let her sleep with us. The vet said with the double disability she was getting anxious at bedtime because she can't see in the dark. The meds & letting her sleep with us worked. She cuddles tight against me & when I get in or out of bed I need to touch her first to let her know. Right now she still has a great quality of life. Virtual hug:)
What a ride, last diagnosis and hopefully the right one, a form of Canine Meningitis. Treatments started today and I went to see her. She is a totally different dog looking like recovering though all those tubes and needles in her. Far from out of the woods but so much better after so long ill. I had gone to say good bye, but now we will hope for the best and see tomorrow. thank you for all your concern.
Teacher Terry
3-18-15, 6:08pm
Hope your sweet baby continues to get better:))
The diagnosis changed so many times I was at a loss, but She is home now and perhaps, but not sure, it may be a form of Polyarthritis, time will tell. Her meds and there are too many will be slowly reduced to see if she stays stable and it is over, if not well we will cross that bridge then. Unbelievable to me the entire event. thank you all
Gardenarian
3-19-15, 1:39am
Sorry, didn't read all the posts, but I do feel that pets are a difficult area to simplify. My dog recently died of cancer and we were really torn about treatment.
Now we have only one dog and that is much easier; I feel that pets get exponentially more complicated the more you have.
We do our own nail trimming, take her for shots at the clinic once a year. She eats dry food that we just leave out. She has very thin fur so no ticks or fleas.
We will need to find a house-sitter when we travel this summer, but I don't foresee any problems there.
I am going to stick with just one dog from now on.
(Soory for typos; using my phone.)
SO back to the original topic of simple pet care.
I am done with anything but Rabies vaccinations every three years. I only started everything else for the groomer. I will go back to my own bathing, vet does nails.
Heartworm preventative, I guess I have no choice as it is now responsible ownership too me.
Flea and tick, we have never had fleas. TICKS make my skin crawl thinking of them. If my dogs stayed in the yard they would be ok. But we walk and run through the weeds and ticks are just part of that. SO I am on mission for the best choice. currently NexGuard since chewable. Frontline plus, the drops I think about the contamination to me. I would Love a natural product and have been all over the net reading all sorts of homemade and ready made, none really come with good ratings sadly.
If you have one. please post.
I never planned this many dogs, they just happened. 6 year old Retriever mix, went looking for and adopted. 3 1/2 year old Beagle mix, same. Life was dog perfect in the house. One month later the Rott Mix was found after living in a park for a week and needing surgery. I tried and tried to find owners. 3 years later can not imagine life without her she is the most wonderful dog. Then the Jack Russell, well we all know the postings of the the gift puppy. I suppose after all her health issues she came to me for a reason.
Blackdog Lin
3-19-15, 9:07pm
ctg, I join in the wishes that your "baby" continues to improve. We love them so much, yes?
Re: flea and tick treatment, we've been through them all, and just love the NexGuard. Of course it's not a natural answer, but I tried 2 seasons of "natural" treatments when the Frontline quit working, and all I got for my efforts was a bunch of fleas and more hassle and expense in the long run (trying to treat the house for fleas ourselves. NEVER. AGAIN.)
Our elderly baby tolerates the NexGuard very well and she thinks they're treats. I hope to never have to use anything else. The stuff is flat-out easy and works and in our case little-to-no side effects.
(and sweetie, I see and understand the reasons for your dog-heavy household. You are a compassionate animal-lover and sh*% happened. You may need to think about the future and work on steeling your heart re: more household expenses vs. taking the chance that a dog might not get the loving life it deserves.)
On the other hand, I'm thinking now that for me anyway, a life of rice-n-beans along with a house full of loving dogs.....it very well might be a very fair trade-off.
I like Nexguard for the fact that I personally feel it is safer for me, not being topical and me touching it. I doubt if is better for the dog though. Thanks for the natural flea tip. I have read every mixer of essential oils, lemon or orange rubbed, the list goes on. I never read any one satisfied with the results.
Teacher Terry
3-20-15, 11:42am
We never set out to have 4 dogs either. People would tell people I love Maltese & I would get strangers calling me to take their old, sick Maltese they no longer wanted. WE have had 4 off &on for past 7 years. My hair dresser once gave someone my #. I stopped going to him & I have told everyone I know we are downsizing & don't give people my #-I can't solve the worlds problems. All 4 of our dogs are between 9-16 so as they go we will have 1 or 2 at the most. We are planning on alot of travel. HOwever, I can never imagine being without a dog at all. Also if something happens to us I don't want to leave the burden of what to do with 4 dogs to my kids.
Gardenarian
3-21-15, 8:36pm
Yeah, I say I'm going to stick with one dog. Time will tell.
We go the preventive route, 3 old dogs, 1 middle-aged. 3 have had leg surgery due to congenital and car accidents. Those 3 get glucosamine with chondroitin (not just any brand we learned the hard way) plus coated aspirin. All our dogs run on hikes 1 hour per day, sometimes more. We make their food from organic ingredients, 1/2 ground beef, 1/2 mix of vegetables plus gluten-free oats. We cook that in crock pot once a week and give it 1/2 that to 1/3 kibble (Taste of the Wild). On dog gets a shot of Adequan once a month to keep joint pain at bay and allow her to walk normally. Rabies every 3 years usually, some years have done none--we get it only because it's the law. Nothing else. No baths. We brush (the three who like it) most days. No flea or tick stuff--but we live in a high altitude and our dogs are so healthy never get them, though some people's do. They sleep indoors and have a dogdoor to go out of when they want. They are in MUCH better health (improvements happened since we started cooking for them) physically and happier. Like younger dogs. Making their food is labor-intensive and not cheap but keeps other doggie expenses way down or nonexistent. Vet visits, except for the Adequan, maybe one every two or three years.
Well, this morning I got the cat carrier(retail $60/pawn shop:$20)out, and loaded up the 4 kittens. They were all crying mew-mew-mew wee want our mommy!!! when I put them in the car, and headed out on the highway. Poor little babies--they've never been away from home, and I'm the only person they've ever known. Anyway, I've got to go out and mow & mow, now. It's a Zurra Tradition. Will continue on about the kittens, tomorrow, later on. Meanwhile, does anyone care to guess what I did with em?:confused:
Packy, knowing you, I'm betting you took them for a vet check that included worming and vaccinations. Or possibly to a new home. I know you didn't leave them by the side of the highway! ;)
The pup recovered. She has been off all meds since last sunday. What really happened to her, why, no one seems to know. But she is wild and happy and a Jack Russell all the way. I guess that is all that matters.
For flea/tick treatments this season I switched to Seresto Collars from Bayer. They were costly up front, but last 8 months, no monthly drops or pills. With coupon they were less then all other options. I am hoping for success as I hate TICKS. Anyone tried these? My biggest problem with them is the look.
So glad your pup recovered!!! :)
Teacher Terry
4-24-15, 3:28pm
Great news about your pup!
We have been without a pet for the past six months. It's hard not to get another, but we've agreed that, unless we find or rescue an orphaned animal we probably won't. My allergies have gotten worse each year, so it's probably a smart decision, but not one that I easily maintain.
Packy, knowing you, I'm betting you took them for a vet check that included worming and vaccinations. Or possibly to a new home. I know you didn't leave them by the side of the highway! ;)Well, that was a good guess. Contrary to what "they" would think, I did NOT put them in a gunnysack, and throw 'em off a bridge. What I did was take 'em to the vettanarian I have used for 28 years, and dump 'em off on Thursday to be spaded & fixed, as they say. But, she didn't get to them until this weekend, due to emergency cases, I guess. At the outset, I hammered her down on price, and I was scheduled in a month in advance. All the while hoping they did not come in heat, because they are 9 months old. I already had the mom done last fall. See, it was one of those deals---adopt a homeless cat, okay? And then, as a bonus---three days later--get 4 more at no extra charge! Pretty good deal, huh? It was very noticeably different around here, without the 4, this weekend. They prolly thought--he dumped us off at the "Shelter", and it's "Put to sleep" for us! But, they're back, again. I do worry that they'll pick up some bug at the clinic, being there 4 days; though I did give them the DIY vaccinations from the farm supply place, a month or so ago.
rosarugosa
4-27-15, 8:47pm
Hey Packy, that sounds like the deal of the century! I remember a few cats ago when we adopted two cats from the local humane society. This was in 1992, and the adoption fee was $35.00 per cat. I couldn't believe what a crazy world it was, that we could get these incredible guys for so little money. It seems like cats should cost thousands of dollars, because they are so wonderful. Adoption fees were up to about $125.00 the last time we adopted (2013), which is still amazingly inexpensive to me. We do adopt adult cats, so the fee tends to be less, but still.
Enjoy your new family :)
I agree, R/R; cats are nice. Except when they puke on the furniture. Ha. The mother was "at large" in an area outside the city. I happened across her when I was out biking; she was in the road meowing, plaintively. I said: Look out kitty--you're gonna get run over! There was a guy out in his yard, by the road and he said "take her with you!". So, I stopped and asked him whose cat she was. He said he didn't know but that she'd been hanging around for several weeks, out in the road and in a vacant lot next to a church. I could see she was expecting. Well, I went baack a couple times in the next two days, and it was the 3rd trip that she was wandering around. I was trying to catch her, and some kids at another house nearby were watching me. Pretty soon their mom is out to see what is going on. So, I backed my car down to their driveway, and asked her about the kitty. She said it seemed to be homeless & wandering around for several weeks, and that she had fed her. I said, well, I'd take her, but can't catch her, and the neighbor lady volunteered to catch her, since it had approached her when she fed it. So, She walked down & helped me out by catching kitty. I took her bck to the ranch, and set her up in her own private room, in a carrier with an open top. It was not quite 3 full days later, and she had the 4 kittens. Anyway my vet costs, so far: Spay mom--$65; package deal on the 4 kittens 3f/1m: $200. I bought vaccinations for $6.50 each, and administered them myself. One of the kittens is her "mini me"; gray w/cream flecks; The male and one fem are marble brown tabbies, and one girl is black with white paws and a white "mustache".
rosarugosa
4-28-15, 4:44am
Will you keep all the kittens, Packy? Pictures would be nice. :)
My Shiba Inu has been a cheap round most of his life. Rabies, parvo, heartworm. One back injury, one poisoning when my spouse gave him a cookie containing macadamias. But that was then! Last summer, our now 13 year old chappie got leptospirosis. The lab mixed up blood samples, so we were told he had liver cancer, not lepto. Ultrasound showed nothing on the liver but a big mass in the stomach and kidney stones. The lab admitted its error, he did have lepto. On a side note, I still feel horrible when I remember my relief and think of the shock to the people whose dog was being treated for lepto and who found out he really did have liver cancer. A form of survivors' guilt? Back to my dog. Three rounds of antibiotics cleared the lepto. The biopsy was indeterminate, so we went ahead with full surgery. The mass was removed and turned out to be benign, the kidney stones were removed, and he was castrated. Just as well, as he had the earliest stages of testicular cancer. By this time we had a very thin dog with little fur. This tornado cost us $15,000. Would we have done all this had we known the costs in advance? I think so. My husband is besotted with our canine companion and I'm not far behind!
So, the dog is now obese, 8 months later. His thyroid gave out, likely because of a combination of age, multiple anasthesias, the shock of major surgery, and stress. He needs thyroxin, omeprazole, and potassium citrate for the rest of his life. That's a piddly cost! it's the food! He's now on a special diet for old dogs with a tendency to kidney stones; it costs us $3/can and a can lasts 2 days. Because his calories are so restricted, he's allowed ad lib chicken broth, which I make for him by the vat, again a piddly cost. His eyes are bright, he's as frisky as a puppy, his fur is extra-thick and glossy, and he laughs a lot. He could live another 10 years. So yes, it was worth it. However, if he gets cancer or his heart gives out, we'll give palliative treatment only till it's time to take his paw and hold it while the vet sends him over the Rainbow Bridge.
The takehome: we should have gotten pet medical insurance while he was young and healthy.
That is quite a journey through the halls of veterinary medicine, Suzanne. Hope dog can hold on for another 10. I've had dogs that I got when they were 9 weeks old, and lived until they were 12-14, and they are unforgettable. Rosarugosa, I took a vote on the issue of stay/rehome the kittens. We are VERY democratic, around here. I voted "keep", and the 4 kittens voted "keep", with the mom abstaining. So, it was 5-0 in favor of "keep". I know that sounds like a lot o' cats, but I am an old hermit batchelor, and instead of having 4 sons and 3 fecund daughters and 37 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, like many of the local, Proud Zurra People typically do, I just have a few cats. It is funny--they have their spots-- cardboard boxes and a shelf with wicker baskets and an old recliner covered with a blanket to sleep on, but on their first night home after their adventure o' terror at the clinic, they all chose to jump in bed with littlebittymee and curl up for the evening.
That's a lot of cats...food...litter in your future, good luck =^..^=
Suzanne,
I did a quick review of Pet Insurance and so many things were not covered. Perhaps it was just the company I was reviewing?
Teacher Terry
5-1-15, 5:57pm
Packy, so glad that you are keeping all the kitties. we have 4 dogs so five kitties are not to much.
I turned the Seresto collar in today for one of the dogs. The dog that sleeps right next to me. I could not get over the thought of the product touching me for that long each day. The other dogs I left on them, however I don't think I will buy it again next year. Anyhow the Vet office gave me my money back for the collar with no questions asked. I took the refund and bought the Nexguard.
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