My Dog Is Sick: Need Advice

[wofford29]

Labs will eat anything and everything. Just for future reference. My parents Kodiak has vomited up full pairs of socks, underwear, napkins, etc.

 

[BadMoon]

And I profoundly disagree with that attitude with every fiber of my being. I can't imagine going through life with such a callous, cold attitude toward other people. NO ONE can predict what their financial circumstances might be five years from now. But most honestly believe, when they buy a pet, that they will be able to give it proper care. Telling those people they don't deserve a pet, simply because, at some future date, they might not have enough money to afford expensive surgery for that pet is utterly ridiculous. In fact, you are contradicting your own comments to Marc, and are basically saying he had no right to ever acquire his Lab.

And for the record, I have had to have two dogs put down over the years. One was a 15-year-old Black Lab, and there was simply no choice. She had developed several age-related diseases, and there was nothing more that could be done for her.

The other, though, was a fairly young Cairn Terrier (she was around 6, if I remember correctly). She got sick, and the vet believed that what she had was an obstruction. So we paid for the surgery to correct it. Unfortunately, when they opened her up, they found that the problem was actually advanced cancer, and there was nothing they could do. So we ended up with a huge bill for both the surgery and the cost of putting her down, and still ended up with a dead dog.

First my post was not directed at Marc. Second you can profoundly disagree, strongly disagree, or mildly disagree. I really don't give a damn. I also don't think you are reading what I'm trying to get across and maybe I'm not being clear.

I understand things happen in life. People lose jobs, divorce, medical issues, whatever. No doubt. It's a tough world and everyone has hard times at one point.

That said, the animal is your responsibility. If you lose your job are you going to put a kid down when they get sick? Of COURSE your NOT! You are going to try to pull shat together to care for your child using any means necessary. I'm to the point now where I really want children and that's a scary thought. God willing I don't wish that on anyone.

I'm saying rather then tell your vet oh just put him down find other options.

Lets be honest Robo. If you are in a situation where in your example "5 years down the line" something happens financially, hopefully you aren't still feeding Fido and are trying to find a good home for the pet. Correct? If things are THAT bad then NO you do not need an animal you need to worry about your family first then you.

All I'm getting at is use those other options. Does that not make sense?

I have people tell me all the time at work and such especially the girl that sits next to me how bad her son wants a dog. She feels bad because she wants to get one for him but her husband and her couldn't afford it if something happened or vet visits down the line. So they don't have a pet as of now until they are in a position to be able to afford one. SMART WOMAN!

I hope that makes more sense. Believe it or not I'm not a jackass 100% of the time. The one thing I learned growing up was how to be responsible. I'm 30 now and I make sure I am responsible in ALL of the decisions that I make. When I recently got my second dog after buying a house I had to sit down and make sure I could afford it. I also keep a little in savings JUST for the dogs in case something goes wrong.

Now back to your examples. You handled it perfectly. I'm sorry for your losses. However, you made every attempt to help them and had to base your decision off of medically sound advice from your vet. I feel for those situations. However, the reason you are able to look at yourself in the mirror is because you know you did everything you could. I commend you for that.

 

[BadMoon]

Just got a call that my dog is eating and his interest in what is going on around him has increased. He has also had a bowel movement. All great news.

Hopefully he is going to pull through this without surgery.

Fantastic news!

 

[ProgMatinee]

I have people tell me all the time at work and such especially the girl that sits next to me how bad her son wants a dog. She feels bad because she wants to get one for him but her husband and her couldn't afford it if something happened or vet visits down the line. So they don't have a pet as of now until they are in a position to be able to afford one. SMART WOMAN!

I think thats smart for the woman and her family (avoiding any unneccessary heart ache), but if she did adopt I don't think I'd go as far as to say that she did the dog an injustice. The dog possibly would have been put down by the shelter or had a cruddy kenneled life without that adopter. Almost any life for a dog with a loving family is better than a life in the shelter.

Anyway, glad things look better, Marc.

 

[mr.thrifty]

Frankly people like that make me sick. When YOU decide to purchse a pet YOU are responsible for it. Bottom line.

That said, the animal is your responsibility. If you lose your job are you going to put a kid down when they get sick? Of COURSE your NOT! You are going to try to pull shat together to care for your child using any means necessary. I'm to the point now where I really want children and that's a scary thought. God willing I don't wish that on anyone.

What's crazy is that analogy... "pets" are not "kids" ...

I think thats smart for the woman and her family (avoiding any unneccessary heart ache), but if she did adopt I don't think I'd go as far as to say that she did the dog an injustice. The dog possibly would have been put down by the shelter or had a cruddy kenneled life without that adopter. Almost any life for a dog with a loving family is better than a life in the shelter.

Anyway, glad things look better, Marc.

That's how I see it...

 

[pixletwin]

I was taken off guard when the vet referred to Zeus as my "child". In the Philippines that would be hugely insulting.

 

[Fives]

good to hear your dog is doing better Pix!

 

[ProgMatinee]

my wife and I joke that the dogs are our kids...but they aren't human children. Not even remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely remotely close.

 

[GrueSam]

Glad to hear your dog is getting better, Marc!

 

[BadMoon]

What's crazy is that analogy... "pets" are not "kids" ...



That's how I see it...

Maybe you should look up the word analogy. I never said pets were kids. However, the responsibilities between having a kid and owning a pet are similar. Hence the analogy.

 

[RoboDad]

Maybe you should look up the word analogy. I never said pets were kids. However, the responsibilities between having a kid and owning a pet are similar. Hence the analogy.

I think this may be the heart of this disagreement. You see them as similar, but I do not. I see the responsibilities of pet ownership as a subset of the responsibilities of parenting, but it is an incredibly small subset. Represented as a Venn diagram, it would appear as a circle with a diameter of about an inch (pet ownership) fully contained within a larger circle (parental responsibility), with a diameter of about 100 feet.

Here is a perfect example of this difference. One of the dogs we owned about 20 years ago escaped from our yard while we were out shopping. We spent several hours searching for her, and put up signs offering a reward for her return, but never found her. We mourned her loss for a while, but then moved on.

If one of my children had gotten lost at that same time, I would still be out looking for them.

 

[mr.thrifty]

Maybe you should look up the word analogy. I never said pets were kids. However, the responsibilities between having a kid and owning a pet are similar. Hence the analogy.

You never "said" it but your posts speak to the point that to you they are on the same level....

Maybe you should look up the word yourself...

 

[ProgMatinee]

ypu said it better than i did in drunkness. humans mean so much more than animals its not even worth comparing.

animals, goodness i love my dogs. but if i had a child as well, i wouldn't spend $1000 that could othewise benifit my HUMAN child on a dog. thats just plain the difinition of lunacy, in my opinion.

not to say cruelty to animals is ok........................just spending a fortune to save a dog? come on...perspective. its not a human being. its just not. a dog will never impact the earth. a dog will never impact more than a select few peoples life. i respect what wofford did for his dog, but perspective...perspective....perspective.

 

[BadMoon]

You never "said" it but your posts speak to the point that to you they are on the same level....

Maybe you should look up the word yourself...

Nice retort. Next time use your brain when responding or at least attempt to form a rational thought. I do want to respond to Robo however. I will be back tomorrow. Night everyone!

 

[mr.thrifty]

Nice retort. Next time use your brain when responding or at least attempt to form a rational thought. I do want to respond to Robo however. I will be back tomorrow. Night everyone!

.......

 

[devilof76]

All this conflict...over puppies.

Puppies=war

We should ban them.

 

[Bamboota]

Ah ddeeerrr....

 

[nash]

Frankly people like that make me sick. When YOU decide to purchse a pet YOU are responsible for it. Bottom line.

I agree. Why would you own a large pet if you don't have the finances to care for it completely? Sure pets are great and good companions but you should have known that the reality of it is that taking a pet to the vet is probably just as expensive or more so than taking a human to the hospital. And all dogs or pets need to go to the vet eventually, multiple times during its life.

 

[FQRizzo]

Many people that have them don't need these big dogs, anyway. I live in a townhouse community and one of my neighbors owns a Great Dane. A Great freakin Dane. It's more a horse than a dog.

Unless you're driving around in a van solving mysteries, you shouldn't own a Great Dane if you live in a townhouse.

 

[BadMoon]

Many people that have them don't need these big dogs, anyway. I live in a townhouse community and one of my neighbors owns a Great Dane. A Great freakin Dane. It's more a horse than a dog.

Unless you're driving around in a van solving mysteries, you shouldn't own a Great Dane if you live in a townhouse.

A townhouse is bigger than a van.