Vet Fees

[Steve]

Hope everything works out Pam. Lucky you having such wealthy son's.....!!

[Maywalk]

Aaaaaawwww SO sorry to hear the dog has not been well Pam.
Its quite a sum of money to have to find. Its good of the lads to pitch in and help.
Is your dog insured : If so cant you claim :

[Pam]

Thank you Steve and Maisie for your concern. I have had her for 2 years now. A friend told me of a couple that were getting divorced and neither of them wanted responsibility of their dog....well I had to take her in didn't I?! Silly of me I know but I never took out insurance. My sons love her as much as I do so they didn't hesitate in helping.

As she had not been eating well, the vet said to tempt her with chicken and tuna. Now I have the task of trying to get her back onto 'normal' dog food. I put some in front of her yesterday and she looked into the dog bowl, looked up at me as if to say ..."You expect me to eat that?!!" She wouldn't eat it so I had to cook some chicken for her. She has lost such a lot of weight that I will carry on with small meals of chicken and tuna until she gets back to normal weight then I will wean her back onto dog food!

She has had me worried though, I thought I had lost her last weekend!

[Maywalk]

Aaaaawwww Pam it was lovely of you to take her in.
What a pity that you did not insure her though because I dont think any pet insurer would take her on now. Especially with Addinsons.

Why dont you try mixing her food Pam with perhaps some Bakers moist chicken or beef cubes and just a smearing of chicken or tuna stirred in. Just so that she can smell it on her food.
That way her stomach will build up and be able to take her normal food.

You have two wonderful lads and I applaud their generosity. Tell them WELL DONE from me.
I hope the dog gets as well as she can because like you I dont like to see them suffer and they become part of the family.

Cheers Maisie.

[Pam]

She is a lovely dog and good company for me as I live alone. I'll try mixing her food and see if it works! At the moment though I am just glad that she is eating something.

The other problem at the moment is that she is wanting me to play with her and throw the ball but that isn't allowed. She has to be kept fairly quiet until she is stabilised. She goes for her check up on Friday and we'll take it from there but the vet said that once she is stable then she will be able to live a 'normal' life as long as she keeps taking the tablets!! Fortunately the cost of the tablets works out at under two pounds a week.

[Emm]

You must be proud of your sons, Pam.
Well done them.

Try your dog on uncured tripe from a pet shop. It comes frozen. It has the most dreadful smell you could possibly imagine, but the majority of dogs love it - and it is the best thing you can give them.
You don't cook it.

A lot of vets recommend Chappie for dogs with eating problems.
You could also try mixing rice in with what you are giving her - that should help to build her up.

[Monsy]

Poor wee doggie!

I'm glad you have such nice sons, it saves you worrying about finding the money. I hope she continues to improve!

[Rowan]

I think in humans Addisons can cause all sorts of problems, including diabetes. I don't know if dogs are the same Pam. I hope your wee dog stabilises soon and starts building up again. What a huge amount for the vet but you do it don't you, for them. I'm glad your sons are able to help with the vet's bills.

When any of my dogs are unwell I always do the chicken and rice meals for them - better fed than me sometimes!!It's a diet Maxc is needing to go on just now - he would eat till he burst!!

I got pills today at the Mypet store which have glucosamin in them, so hopefully this will help his arthritis.

[Pam]

Thank you all for your kind wishes and for the advice on feeding her. Will certainly look into it.

Yes my sons are not too bad!! Like me, they are animal lovers. Number two son will here on Monday night for his dinner and no doubt get his feet licked by Bonnie! Number one son lives about an hour away and will be through next weekend, probably to see the dog more than me!!

I will know more about the disease next week when I go back to the vets.

[Monsy]

Just had a thought Pam..could you not try a wee tin of sardines?

The strong taste and smell might tempt her.

I know if you put a drop of gin on a cat's nose, it can stimulate their appetite. I wonder if it would work on a dog?

[Pam]

I know if you put a drop of gin on a cat's nose, it can stimulate their appetite. I wonder if it would work on a dog?

Don't know about the dog....but it would work for me!!

Thanks Monsy, I will try anything to get her built up again. She is quite lively today, but I am not allowed to let her run, she has to be kept fairly quiet. Definitely a big improvement on last weekend!

[Emm]

Be careful with sardines - they are too rich for Cassie - give her the runs!!!!!