Pets - venting

[Claire]

Haven't brought this one up in awhile. I was looking at my aging JR and realized ... she's deaf. Went and grabbed a whistle and hubby and I tested her. She never was the brightest bulb on the tree, we put her mom down a couple of months ago, and she's losing her house training. Her mom was given a couple of months to live, and lasted 19 months after that, and we lived with her kidney disease. Now Keiki is senile and could live for years. She's been a wonderful companion and we'll provide a good home for her until she is in some kind of pain. I swore I'd never live with a pet that wasn't house-trained, and here I am, mopping and scooping. Oh, well, at least I only feed her dry dog food so it's easy to scoop.

 

[Half Baked]

Oh Claire, it is so hard for us softies. I really feel for you.

When I was taking care of Skeeter (the 16 yo dog that we just had to put down), it could get very challenging. Skeeter was deaf and almost blind. He'd go stand in front of a wall...just staring. I'd carry him upstairs and downstairs, to his water bowl and food dish and outside to 'go'. I kept him until he couldn't stand up anymore. I know exactly what you are going through. I kept him a month longer (at least) than I should have.

I'm hoping Karma kicks in and my family takes the same wonderful care of me that I gave to Skeeter. Somehow I doubt it.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Clare - you have absolutely no idea how I can relate to what you're going through, many many times over.

I currently have 4 large dogs (all adopted), 3 of which are in their teens & going through various degrees of decline. The Husky & Doberman in particular have incontinence problems (& sometimes "the other"), & before we had them we had 2 Dobermans who were the same way for several years before their passing.

Is it enjoyable? Of course not. But we do what we have to do. I love them all so dearly, & frankly can tell from the looks on their faces when "something" happens that they know it's not right. The only things that help at this point are 1) I have a selection of terrific veterinarians, 2) all the older dogs are crate-trained, so accidents when I'm out & they're crated aren't a big deal, & 3) when we bought our current home, one of the decisive points was solid wood floors throughout - NO CARPETING ANYWHERE - so cleanups are easy, thorough, & I don't have any lasting unpleasant odors.

And Half-Baked - your last comment made me laugh because it's so true. Several of my vets (I try to spread the wealth around, what with 4 dogs, 6 cats, 7 horses, & a cockatoo - lol!!) have told me that they hope when they come back it's as one of my animals - lol!!

 

[Constance]

At least JR isn't doing it on purpose, to be spiteful.
My female Siamese is just beautiful, and has a very sweet, loving personality.

But...If she's mad about something, she lets me know by urinating in places she shouldn't...like on top of a laundry basket full of clean, folded clothes. She used to do it at the head of my bed, right between Kim's and my pillows, but I rubbed her face in it a spanked her with a rolled-up newspapers enough times that I think she's finally broken of that one.

I get so disgusted that I'm ready to take her to the pound, and then here she comes, talking to me in those little "prt...prts", snuggling her soft little nose up against me, and I realize there's no way I could get rid of her.

 

[ChefJune]

At least JR isn't doing it on purpose, to be spiteful.
My female Siamese is just beautiful, and has a very sweet, loving personality.

But...If she's mad about something, she lets me know by urinating in places she shouldn't...like on top of a laundry basket full of clean, folded clothes. She used to do it at the head of my bed, right between Kim's and my pillows, but I rubbed her face in it a spanked her with a rolled-up newspapers enough times that I think she's finally broken of that one.

I get so disgusted that I'm ready to take her to the pound, and then here she comes, talking to me in those little "prt...prts", snuggling her soft little nose up against me, and I realize there's no way I could get rid of her.

OMG, Constance! I thought I was the only one who put up with that "stuff!" Julia Child Kitty does that too! And don't let me leave a black plastic bag on a flat surface, she is CERTAIN to pee on it!

Several years ago I consulted an animal behaviorist at the urging of Julia's vet... We changed her litter and litter box, and that does help, for the most part, BUT! she hasn't ruined the bed for a long time, and I do hope that is over, but you never know.

She's almost 12 now, and is not quite as frisky as she was, and sometimes I'm curious if some of her "errant pees" are natural accidents -- until they happen again in exactly the same spot!!!!! Oi vay! I love her too much to get rid of her, tho....

 

[Constance]

Yup...I know about the plastic bags. Mei Yu has pulled that one too. She is only about 8 yrs old, which is still young for a Siamese, so it's not old age. And we let her have a litter of kittens before we had her spayed, so that's not the problem either.
She just gets spiteful if I close the bedroom door so she can't get in, or pay more attention to Chang (the male) than her.

 

[Claire]

As I said with her mother, I'll put her down when she's in pain, but not for being a pain. At least, unlike her mother, she doesn't wake me up at all hours of the night crying to be put out. She holds it all night for the most part. We're trying to retrain OURSELVES not to step in it and make a greater mess. She's pretty good when we're here, but she cannot hold it when we are not. If you point it out to her, she ducks her head and slinks away very guiltily, so no, it isn't on purpose. And, yes, no wall-to-wall helps. You know what they say -- if Martians hit the world today, they'd know who the bsses are. Those four-footed animals who drag humans around by the leash, who carry plastic bags around to pick up poop, and give them treats.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Bless you Claire. It's not a fun row to tow, but the enjoyment we get or have gotten is worth it.

My biggest problem with these large dogs with bladder (& other) problems is that I have a weak stomach at times - especially first thing in the morning. The only way I've found to defeat it is just to repeat over & over in my mind as to how upset the dog feels. I know that sounds stupid - but at least it keeps me from yakking - LOL!!!!

 

[Half Baked]

What is it with cats and plastic?

Back in the late 60s, early 70s, we all had beanbag chairs in our college apts. Someone would sit down and lean back on the bag and jump up yelling.

We couldn't keep the cat from wetting on that! She had clean litter so that was no excuse. At least it was easy to wash off.

 

[Half Baked]

Lol, Breezy...we have rescues too and wouldn't have it any other way. They are so good and so happy to have a home to call their own.

 

[Loprraine]

"As I said with her mother, I'll put her down when she's in pain, but not for being a pain."

Well said. A few years ago I inherited an 18 year old Siamese cat. ( Call me crazy) She peed in our shoes every chance she got. Never could figure that one out.

 

[Dina]

We took our daughter and youngest boy to the human society today to look at puppies. We found a gorgeous young Chow but realize they're not good with kids. We saw a Lab puppy online which is only 2 hours from here (don't know the price on him yet). But the kids just fell in love with Noah (that's his name). My husband got them all stirred up about getting them a Lab for free from one of his co-workers sometime this month or next. Now, he's saying that the lawn and plants will get all messed up and this will only end up being an extra expense and duty for us. The kids assure they will take full responsibility for it but hubby is not willing to budge. I see him iffy about this whole thing. Argh! The kids are up and down with their feelings on whether or not they are going to get this puppy. Sigh!

 

[Claire]

Dina, I'm a big believer in making sure the pets you aquire are pets you can handle. Never, ever believe your children or husband are going to follow through on the care of pets you take in. If you can't do it yourself, don't let it happen if you can help it. Because there is always some excuse why they cannot do it after the first blush of pet-love wears off.

 

[Claire]

Pet Lovers' Question

I was playing with a friend's collie the other day, and noticed that her collar was too tight (I guess you'd call the collie a teen-ager -- not a pup, but not fully grown, either). I mentioned it to another friend, and was just going to adust it myself. But then I noticed the collar was locked on, with some kind of box on it (they don't have a shock system in their yard, so I don't know what it was). Anyway, we went home and I forgot about it. The friend said she told them "Claire said this collar is too tight." When we got together tonight, the collar was correctly adjusted.

BUT I've known people who would get upset at such suggestions. Would you have said something or not (I didn't out of sheer forgetfulness).

 

[marmalady]

I was playing with a friend's collie the other day, and noticed that her collar was too tight (I guess you'd call the collie a teen-ager -- not a pup, but not fully grown, either). I mentioned it to another friend, and was just going to adust it myself. But then I noticed the collar was locked on, with some kind of box on it (they don't have a shock system in their yard, so I don't know what it was). Anyway, we went home and I forgot about it. The friend said she told them "Claire said this collar is too tight." When we got together tonight, the collar was correctly adjusted.

BUT I've known people who would get upset at such suggestions. Would you have said something or not (I didn't out of sheer forgetfulness).

Yes, Claire, I absolutely would have said something!! The e-collar, unfortunately is used for lots of 'behavioral' issues, like barking, jumping, etc., mostly by people I consider lazy owners who just don't want to take the time to be a real 'pack leader' to their dogs.

And to jump on another soap-box here, if you're considering buying a purebred puppy, please, please do some research; there are a lot of pups available from 'puppy mills' which are just disgusting breeding mills where dogs are bred indiscriminately. Also be wary of the 'pet breeder' who has a dog, and just wants it bred -to make some quick money - to let the kids have the experience of 'seeing a birth', or whatever. There are so many genetic faults coming up in virtually all the purebred dogs now because of this very reason. People don't do research into the sire's and dam's background and temperament; as a result, you have more dogs with hip dysplasia, fear-biting, and a whole host of other genetic deficits that just cause pain to the dog and heartbreak for owners. You need to know the health background, not just of your future pup's parents, but back 3 and even 5 generations.

Dina, right now, labs are a 'hot' breed; they're being bred indiscriminately just like the cocker spaniel was in the '50's; look at how they wrecked that breed. Labs are getting a rep for being fear biters; so that great reputation they used to have for being a 'family dog' is no longer true.

If anyone wants more info, let me know and I can point you to some websites for further reading.

 

[texasgirl]

My 15 year old Whippet mix, Sheba is a carpet wetter these days. Makes me so mad, but, there isn't anything I can do. It's always in the same area, so, my carpet is stained, no matter what I do. I will wait until she is gone before I get a carpet cleaner again or I would be tearing up my carpet cleaning it all the time.

 

[shpj4]

I get so mad at my Toy Poodle Jolie. She is young a year last June 10th of this year. I was told that she will still will be a puppy until she is 2 years old. She is a terror but I love her anyway. They say that a dog is man's best friend because you can talk to them and they don't talk back.

 

[bjcotton]

I have an 8 yo Golden Retriever named Buddy. He is a real joy. It almost breaks my heart when I go somewhere and he can't go and he's looking at me with those big brown eyes. I always use a training collar with him because if I don't he won't mind when on leash. I seldom have to pull on the collar, just its presence is enough. He's very well mannered about everything except going to strangers. He's my best friend!

 

[Dina]

Dina, right now, labs are a 'hot' breed; they're being bred indiscriminately just like the cocker spaniel was in the '50's; look at how they wrecked that breed. Labs are getting a rep for being fear biters; so that great reputation they used to have for being a 'family dog' is no longer true.

If anyone wants more info, let me know and I can point you to some websites for further reading.

Absolutely. I want to make sure the dog we get is kid friendly. Can I get the website?

 

[marmalady]

Here's one for you, Dina -

http://www.thelabradorclub.com/library/selectpuppy.html

and another -

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/buying_a_puppy/

and one more:

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding/