tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post6601195245664023503..comments2023-06-30T05:06:42.335-04:00Comments on My Life, at 24 Frames Per Second: No Country for Old DogsKenji Fujishimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-26416200062693050222008-05-12T19:19:00.000-04:002008-05-12T19:19:00.000-04:00If Dusty's condition is getting really bad, it mak...If Dusty's condition is getting really bad, it makes no sense at all to wait until May 15 because then you might have insurance but no dog left. My suggestion is for you to just take the dog yourself to a vet, foot the bill and then the speculation will end as to the severity of the problem. One visit to a good vet will give you the diagnosis along with the prognosis including treatment options and then you will have the information on how to proceed. You can use the insurance for the followup visits. This might be a life threatening condition or not and speculating is not helping nor is waiting--particularly if the dog is suffering. Your mother is not acting rationally and this would be a good time for you to take the lead and act, instead of being sorry you didn't should the dog not make it, and then reacting in anger.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-47029481871354382862008-05-11T22:16:00.000-04:002008-05-11T22:16:00.000-04:00futurefree:...in my own experience, a lot of peopl...futurefree:<BR/><BR/><I>...in my own experience, a lot of people who should know better seem to give themselves a ridiculous amount of credit for knowing what's treatable and untreatable with their own pets, how much pain they're in, etc. A case of indigestion could send them to the ER thinking they're having a heart attack, but with a mute animal suddenly they're medical experts!</I><BR/><BR/>Well, if you're my mother and are bent on saving time and money at all costs---and if, in addition to that, you're also as distrustful of most doctors in general as my mother seems to be---then that explains why she suddenly believes she knows better than a veterinarian what is wrong with a dog. (I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though; she's always thought she was better than doctors, even though, when it comes to herself or other family members, she's perfectly willing to see one for what she considers "serious" problems.) So I definitely know what you're talking about, futurefree!<BR/><BR/>And, believe it or not, even after receiving a harsh reality check with recent developments in Dusty's health, my mother is still trying to cut corners: pet insurance is supposed to kick in on May 15; meanwhile, Dusty has now started to throw up, and he barely seems to be moving at all anymore. Who knows if the poor thing has or doesn't have some kind of stomach virus? Either way, my mother says she isn't taking him to a vet until sometime after May 15, even though both my father and I keep telling her she should do so, pet insurance or no pet insurance. <BR/><BR/>Weeks ago, when I argued with my mother about her refusal to get Dusty's incontinence problem checked out by a doctor, she claimed that Dusty was just fine and that he otherwise seemed just as active as ever---still begging for table scraps from us with as much as vigor as usual, for instance. Now Dusty's showing real signs of sickness---and what's my mother's attitude? "We can wait a few more days, because animals and human beings are different."<BR/><BR/>If somehow our dog up and dies before May 15 because of her sheer arrogance, I'm not sure if I'll be willing to so easily forgive her for it. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, thanks, futurefree. I really hope our dog gets the help he needs, too.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-62101954780671117772008-05-11T17:00:00.000-04:002008-05-11T17:00:00.000-04:00It's possible, though I don't know how likely, tha...It's possible, though I don't know how likely, that the dog's eye problems aren't as bad as you think. My older brother had a dog that was cloudy-eyed and blind for several years; the assumption was that he had cataracts or something along those lines, and fixing them would be prohibitively expensive. When he was finally brought to a vet for an unrelated problem, he was given a eyedrop prescription that cleared up the cloudiness and had him seeing normally within a few weeks. Years spent in a blur and all he needed was eyedrops! (Since he wasn't my dog, I never found out what exactly had been causing his blindness, and I didn't think to ask.)<BR/><BR/>I don't mean to get your hopes up only to have them potentially dashed again; I'm just saying that, in my own experience, a lot of people who should know better seem to give themselves a ridiculous amount of credit for knowing what's treatable and untreatable with their own pets, how much pain they're in, etc. A case of indigestion could send them to the ER thinking they're having a heart attack, but with a mute animal suddenly they're medical experts!<BR/><BR/>So prepare for the worst, but don't jump to conclusions until the dog's been examined by a professional. Even incontinence is sometimes treatable - this article is worth a look: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle_pf.cfm?id=394<BR/><BR/>Good luck to Dusty; I hope he gets whatever help he needs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-37738480668671793882008-05-10T08:33:00.000-04:002008-05-10T08:33:00.000-04:00If the vet tells you that Dusty has no quality of ...If the vet tells you that Dusty has no quality of life, he will offer to put him to sleep himself. The shelter is not going to assess the quality of life factor. They will automatically put him to sleep because at this point he is not adoptable. If you bring him to a vet you are going to have to pay anyway, so just let him do the whole job and save yourself the trip (and trauma) of going to the shelter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-14387818182321289432008-05-10T01:17:00.000-04:002008-05-10T01:17:00.000-04:00One thing for sure, do NOT bring him back to the a...<I>One thing for sure, do NOT bring him back to the animal shelter as I guarantee what they will do--immediately put him to sleep.</I><BR/><BR/>Well...if a vet tells us that very little, or nothing, can be done about the incontinence problem, especially, at this point---I love Dusty, sure, but I'm not sure I want to deal with him and his problems anymore if that turns out to be the case. He's trying my patience as it is. So I wonder if maybe, in that case, sending him back to the shelter isn't the best thing to do...whatever the shelter decides to do when they receive him again. And if that means they put him to sleep---well, maybe this sounds cruel on my part, but maybe that's just the way it's gotta be.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-6236143835318001852008-05-09T16:52:00.000-04:002008-05-09T16:52:00.000-04:00Well, its me again--the mysterously anonymous read...Well, its me again--the mysterously anonymous reader,LOL. Anyway, I have been through several pets (cats actually) that have aged and had to be put to sleep. It does not sound as if your dog is at that stage yet. Is he losing weight? Not eating? In pain or distress? The eyes probably are cataracts and No I would not pay $5,000 either to operate on them. As for the pissing, that might be a behavior that can be changed by controlling his liquids or taking him outside more. A visit to a vet is in order and yes you should have done it; but its no biggie. He did not get worse because you did not take him to the vet. Just take him now or whenever the insurance kicks in. Animals age faster than we do and it gives us the chance to experience death often. Think of the good times you had with the dog and the nice life you gave him. Focus on the positive. He might have a ways to go yet. One thing for sure, do NOT bring him back to the animal shelter as I guarantee what they will do--immediately put him to sleep. Also, its normal to worry and obsess about animals; when my last cat died I grieved as if he was a family member (well, that might be an exageration but you get the idea). Animals are an important part of our lives; Just keep in mind to savor the good times and the fact that you did the good deed of taking an animal from the shelter and making a life for him. That's something, isn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com