Pets MEGA Cats VS Dogs - POLL!

[Samadhi]

I've already sent you a message, however i also wanted to weigh in publicly with the view that you should not do anything yourself. You could do more damage to your dog and cause it more pain than it's already in, and that's the last thing you want to do

Please, at least ring a vet and get a second opinion from them as to what to do - they may be able to offer a solution that doesn't include taking your dog anywhere, or a payment plan to pay off the house call?

All the best.

 

[Arie]

Yea, I was already thinking that I would take a bath and pretty up with some makeup, etc, drop an ativan myself because I hate begging people for stuff and put on my best, most lost-sad-waify face to go out to the local vets in person. Hopefully someone will feel the Christmas spririt and take pity on me and my dog.

I have looked around for a vet in the past who is willing to do payment plans, but they are generally very expensive and seem to be in it mostly for the money. The only one I found that is willing to make some accommodations is the Clinique Taschereau, and they are off the island - even farther than the SPCA, so that is not very realistic atm.

Wish me luck or say a prayer or whatever you personally do, I guess. I am willing to put some bank in superstitions for this one. I will probably update and let you know what happens.

 

[Cyc]

Please do let us know.

I think it's fine to rely on some charity in this case. After all, it's for a dear friend. Vets don't technically take a Hippocratic oath, but one would think that they would be morally obliged to treat an animal who is suffering. I mean, how heartless would you have to be to turn away a dying animal? Even if you don't make money on the procedure, I'm sure your average vet is doing plenty well enough to do some pro bono work.

I've always said that if my animal were to get really sick and I couldn't afford treatment, I'd drop it off at an animal hospital with a note openly appealing to their good will and (presumed) love for animals. I see that as being less irresponsible than letting my animal suffer.

 

[L2R]

i'm sorry to hear of your predicament, but please do right by your friend.

 

[Fawkes]

[...]one would think that they would be morally obliged to treat an animal who is suffering.

exactly. what do you think happens to strays that are critically injured and are brought into a clinic by a thoughtful citizen? i'd call around and explain the situation and i'm sure you'll find a clinic willing to help. you might even try calling an equine or livestock vet since they are used to making house calls. i'll echo the other thoughts that you should NOT give your dog any human medication with the intention of trying to euthanize him yourself. something like that could cause days of suffering.

 

[AmorRoark]

I've known vets who would perform 'charity' for the sake of an animal. I don't know why you haven't called a vet yet. What's the harm in asking if you can either get on a payment plan or perhaps get a free service for your dog? If he's urinating and defecating on himself it's already gone way too far. I think you'd be surprised how generous people will be...

 

[Arie]

I've known vets who would perform 'charity' for the sake of an animal. I don't know why you haven't called a vet yet. What's the harm in asking if you can either get on a payment plan or perhaps get a free service for your dog? If he's urinating and defecating on himself it's already gone way too far. I think you'd be surprised how generous people will be...

Well, I mentioned that I have already called a vet as well as the SPCA. That's where I got the 100$ charity rate - from the local SPCA director. It's usually over 200 for them to put down a dog of his size who is not coming from a borough that they have a contract with.

Maybe I did not repeat it enough times, but yes, I have contacted vets about it. I didn't pit it as a charity case, though. But I have had some experience with that in the past. My dog was hit by a car in the first year that I had him, and his leg was broken in 3 places. I called multiple vets, even brought him to one in person, and no one would reset it for less than 1000$ or agree to a payment plan. The one that I brought him to was such a complete dick, too. I had been given a more reasonable rate on the phone, but when I got him there he said it was "much worse" than he had thought and the fee would be 1200+. I was out 35$ for two ways of cab fare, and he made my dog limp out, untreated and without even pain relief after paying him 65$ for a 10 minute consultation. OMFG, people.... don't even get me started on that topic. Clinique Taschereau was the only one that would help, and they did the surgery, drugs and put him in a cast for 300 and some, plus let me pay it in two installments. But, like I said, Clinique Taschereau is very far to be dragging my dog out to in his current state.

No offense, but I have often been suprised how generous people will NOT be, most especially when it comes to animals. Honestly, it's enough to seriously erode your faith in human decency and basic goodness. But anyway, as I said in the last post, I am going to try and find someone who will do it for less than an arm and a leg tomorrow.

 

[muvolution]

Do you know anyone who lives in the country and owns a gun? I know it sounds callous, but if you are even remotely considering doing this yourself, do it correctly.

in conclusion, just get a vet to do it.

 

[AmorRoark]

I do not think $100 is an 'arm and a leg' for euthanizing a dog. Can't you hock ANYTHING? You still remember spending $65 for a vet consultation? You need to get a job, no offense. If you still remember that cost and think $100 is too much to make your pet die peacefully you really are not in a position to own a pet. Sorry to be blunt.

 

[Arie]

No offense, but I have often been suprised how generous people will NOT be, most especially when it comes to animals. Honestly, it's enough to seriously erode your faith in human decency and basic goodness. But anyway, as I said in the last post, I am going to try and find someone who will do it for less than an arm and a leg tomorrow.

I do not think $100 is an 'arm and a leg' for euthanizing a dog. Can't you hock ANYTHING? You still remember spending $65 for a vet consultation? You need to get a job, no offense. If you still remember that cost and think $100 is too much to make your pet die peacefully you really are not in a position to own a pet. Sorry to be blunt.

Case in point.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

This will probably come across as harsh like Amor's post (which I completely agree with for the record), but why have a dog if you can't afford to treat it if it gets ill and needs attention? To me, it's just ludicrous.. I would give it to a friend or family who could at least care for it the way any animal deserves.

You always have the option of letting the pound take your dog and at least putting it out of its misery. I understand it will be hard on you emotionally as your dog is much loved, but you have to think of what's best for him and not yourself.

 

[Arie]

This will probably come across as harsh like Amor's post (which I completely agree with for the record), but why have a dog if you can't afford to treat it if it gets ill and needs attention? To me, it's just ludicrous.. I would give it to a friend or family who could at least care for it the way any animal deserves.

You always have the option of letting the pound take your dog and at least putting it out of its misery. I understand it will be hard on you emotionally as your dog is much loved, but you have to think of what's best for him and not yourself.

Wow... Since you did not seem to read my earlier post about the local pound, I will repeat myself, and this time here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmw-j7F31bE

Despite months of citizens, including myself, lobbying city hall, they have yet to rescind their contract with this for-profit pound and shut it the hell down. The city of Montreal should really be charged for animal cruelty, as a matter of fact.

I'm disappointed about how some of you have pretty much taken the opportunity to shit on me for wanting to do what's right for my dog. Maybe it offends your sense of justice that a decent, and in fact, animal rescuing person (not just this dog, but a lot of other animals who were abandoned and are now in caring homes) could find herself in such a position as to be facing some pretty unpleasant circumstances for the lack of a few hundred dollars. Maybe it makes you want to blame someone... like me? I really don't know. I'm sure that most of the people on this board are fine people, some of you have posted in this thread, even. But you just went from giving some sensible cautionary advice to dumping on me for the apparently unforgivable fault of being broke and still having the gall to care about animals.

I wonder if you feel good about that? It's my first time here, and I was looking around and thinking this might be a nice community, but I suspect it is not so much, after all.

 

[Samadhi]

I'm pretty sure that the OP realises the situation and how incredibly shit it is I'd like to ask that everyone be considerate to how horrible the OP might be feeling right now, thanks The last thing we want to do is to push someone away who has just started posting.

To the OP - i really hope you find a solution to this - to be honest, i don't know how much help we can offer you... I do know someone who works in the animal welfare industry, but it's in Australia. I'll leave the thread open though, and maybe someone with some vet experience in Canada catches sight of it.

 

[Arie]

Also, on a personal note, I have gone from having a really, really sad day to feeling actually nauseous for having read all this judgemental stuff. Yea, it would be really nice if no one was ever in a position where they had to be going through something like this for the want of a few hundred dollars. But that is just not how the shit goes, and if you don't know that, then you just haven't gotten outside your neighbourhood a whole lot.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

Of course I appreciate the depth of love between pet and owner, but to me that just further lends weight to my point. It would be a horrible thing to watch another creature die - especially in pain like your dog.

I just can't see keeping it around will be any more humane than letting it be put down by the pound?

And yes, I read your initial post. I just don't see any other option unless you come into some money you didn't know you had access to.

FWIW I'm sorry you're in this position. And I think you'll find Bluelight as a whole is a fantastic community - please don't judge on this one experience alone.

I won't sugar-coat my responses just because you're new and don't agree with my POV. This is a very serious situation, and I believe it has to be handled correctly.

Best of luck whichever way this ends up.

 

[Arie]

I'm pretty sure that the OP realises the situation and how incredibly shit it is I'd like to ask that everyone be considerate to how horrible the OP might be feeling right now, thanks

COTB makes a good point, though - if your dog is so ill, then it might be too late to be thinking that you need to wait to make calls, etc, to find a vet that will make a house call.

I feel horrible for you, and hope you can find a solution to this

Thanks Samadhi... I wrote that last bit while you were posting, actually. I am feeling pretty tearful and need to take some time away from thinking about this. I'll work something out. I put in a call through the network via a friend who rescues alley cats, sterilises and places them in homes. I've helped her out with that, actually. I am pretty good at taming feral kittens so they can be placed with people. It's very time consuming, but pretty rewarding when you know they will have a much better life. She has a friend who has has some vet contacts that do cheap or pro bono work for the cats, so I am hoping that will pan out. I will work something out, anyway.

 

[Samadhi]

No worries at all, Arie - i'm actually going to go ahead and close this thread as i can't see any good coming out of it - but if you'd like to talk, i'll send you a PM to reply to You might also want to take a look at The Dark Side, which is a wonderful forum - it allows a safe space for people to post about any kind of distress they are in - it's a very gentle forum, and you'll be very well received there.

 

[Arie]

Ha, I am just thinking back to the reality of having a young dog. You might want a puppy, but if you are leaving him alone so much, you will definitely regret it. You will hate yourself for inflicting such boredom and misery on him, and then you will hate the puppy.

They can be hell on wheels in the best circumstances, and your circumstances really guarantee that they will be. At least he would have the old guy, yea, but if he does not take to the puppy - really like a surrogate parent, you are going to have problems. All your stuff is going to get chewed on and otherwise destroyed or knocked over, then peed and pooped on. To top it off, you are probably going to create a neurotic and poorly socialised dog with life long behaviour problems. And that will be your fault. And then no one will want him after you don't want him anymore. I've been around animals all my life, really... Puppies need a lot of socialisation. Why not get a young adult, rescue dog? A female will have a better chance of getting along with the male you already have. Adult dogs are so much easier. Plus you get the good feeling of saving the critter from a cold and boring cage followed by a premature death.

 

[euphoria]

Pet care advice...

Hello Second Opinion! I don't think we have a general thread for sharing advice regarding caring for your pets, so I thought Id start one. My apologies if there's already one in existence...


My kitty cat has chin acne. I took him to the vet a couple days ago cuz he also has an eye infection and I wanted to get him some medicine for it. I asked the vet wtf all this black stuff was on his chin, and she gave me some cleanser and some antibiotic gel to put on it daily.

Well I scrub the crap out of it at night with a wet washcloth and the cleanser, and the shit just will NOT come out. I mean there's like a ton of black dirt on his chin, and I want him to be pretty! I am gentle with him, I hold him still but don't squeeze him too hard, I just rub really fast in circular motions to try and loosen some of it.

Anyone have any experience in treating your cats 'acne'? Lmao it sounds so ridiculous but apparently its pretty common. I just want his adorable little white chin to be free of infection 8(

 

[badandwicked]

I don't think the vet intended for you to 'scrub the crap out of it'. It's not like its dirt, its an infection his skin. When the vet said clean it, s/he mean gentle cleaning not scrubbing like its a piece of fabric - you'll make it worse or possibly cause a secondary infection.