Love of a dog

[Lloyd Smale]

My dog elmer has had a bad week. He got into some venison bones and hide and ended up having to have an operation to remove them. Its the second time this has happened. when he was young he swallowed a bud beer cap and it got lodged in his stomach. he got the beer cap from the neighbors garbage. I dont know where he got into the deer hide. Im real careful and haul mine about 3 miles away from here. The beer cap cost me 1800 bucks. This time its about 3 grand. He came home from the hospital in bad shape and had to go back. they changed his meds and hes doing well now and eating but for a bit i didnt think he was going to pull through. So far its cost me a glock 26, a colt gold cup and my 475 linebaugh. Its tough to come up with cash on a fixed income so the guns had to go. I guess it sure isnt like i dont have other guns. Good thing is he seems to be ok. Dont know what id do without him at my feet all day. I walked around lost for 3 days! Dont know what it is about this dog. Ive had other dogs and never got this attached to one. Hes truely my other son.

[WILCO]

Sorry to hear of this Lloyd. I've never had the luxury of spending money on family pet healthcare. It's been difficult in the past to put them down when the bill to save them is in the thousands and the cost of death is under $200.00. It's not easy, that's for sure. I've got a few plants now. Not the same, I know, but it's alot cheaper and no heart break. Tell Elmer he's lucky you got him and not me. :p

[twotoescharlie]

Lloyd , been
there donethat . it is amazing how close an animal can get to your heart. had a lot of dogs, but third one back, "Hilda" solid white female pit bull absolutely stole my heart.
at 11 years found out she had a inlarged heart, she hung on for another 6 months, but just couldn't beat it.spent a lot of money on her and don't reget it would have took her place if possible.
this was over 16 years ago but I still miss her.

TTC

[firefly1957]

Sorry to hear of your troubles You may need to keep Elmer a bit closer to you even then it may not help I have a new dog Wally and he gets the darnedest stuff while leashed right next to me!

While in Washington state he picked up food from nowhere (stuff people threw in bushes), stinking seashells, old bones, and more fortunately no problems yet but it is only a matter of time I am guessing.

[mold maker]

All my sick family pets have misterously ran away. When I'm doing without my own meds, I don't spend on them. Some of lifes decissions are extremely hard.

[Bad Water Bill]

A friends 4 yr old lab passed this past weekend. The vet could not understand what someone had fed the dog but her mouth showed severe CHEMICAL burns and her kidneys shut down and could not be restarted.

You never know what a passing car will throw out the window.

I hope your friend sticks around for many more years.

[gandydancer]

I hear you. I just lost one 3 weeks ago. took her in for a check up she died in her sleep vet bill was $678.00 I am glad elmer is going to be alright. I like dogs better then most people.

[fecmech]

Lloyd--I know exactly what you're going through. We had a Sheltie named Aggie (dead ringer for Lassie) that we got through sheltie rescue. When she was only 7 yrs old she came down with Lymphoma. She was my wifes baby and they were really close. The vet said we could keep her going for 12-18 months on chemo and that the type of chemo would only make the dog sick the day she got it. We did the chemo and it seemed the vet was right, Aggie was her usual self except the day after chemo and she lasted a little over a year. The total bill was $3600 and while in the beginning if it hadn't been for my wife I don't think I'd have done the chemo. In the end it was money well spent and I'm happy we did it, dogs give us so much pleasure in this life and ask for so little. The first 2 yrs of Aggies life were pretty rough and we were glad that we could at least give her 1 more good year before she left us. Lloyd, I think as we get older we recognize the value more in the relationship to our dogs. I'm sure you've heard the expression "I wish I was half the man my dog thinks I am". The guns you sold were just "things", you spent your money wisely.

[Moonie]

I've got a 11 year old male Chihuahua that is my constant companion when I'm home. He suffered a leg injury when he was a puppy and every now and then it gives him trouble, he is a wimp and cries if you get near it when it is bothering him. Gave him a baby aspirin and he recovered quickly. My wife is worried about how I will handle it when he leaves me.

I do hope your friend recovers quickly. I can't sleep without mine in bed with me.

[Reg]

I am sure you all have heard it but the only thing wrong with dogs is that they just don't last long enough.

[Hamish]

It's good to hear Lloyd, some may not understand how bonded we can get to our animals. If someone has a problem with that, I would be more than happy to "explain" it to them.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Lloyd, our arrogant little cockapoo, Bo, developed a hitch in his getalong on his tenth birthday. We had just refinanced the house for improvements. The vet said that he needed a laminectomy, so the kitchen part of the improvements got deleted. Best $5,000 we ever spent. Bo lived another five years and moved with us to Nevada right after we sold the old house for an insane amount of money at the top of the California real estate bubble. Karma?

[blackthorn]

My last dog lasted 16+ years and then he got so stove up he couldnt even get himself out of the rain. It is hard to make the decision to let them go, even when you know it needs to be done. I never replaced him cause at my age another dog would likely outlast me and I would not want to leave someone else stuck to take over. Not fair to them or to the dog.

[smokeywolf]

Lloyd,
Awfully glad to hear your best friend is doing better. We also are attached to our wolfdogs the same way you are attached to your best buddy.
Even if it seems restrictive, your going to have to keep him on a tighter leash; for his health and your bank account.
Nice to hear that others practice the same commitment to their pets that we do.

Just like people child proof their house, you may have to dog proof the house and yard. Some dogs, like some children will put absolutely anything and everything in their mouths.

smokeywolf

[gray wolf]

Lloyd, My heart is with you.
We have two and they are family, no two ways about it.
I think I understand how you feel. Julie and I have very little family,
basically just each other. The dogs go with us everyplace, I guess it's the pack thing.
I hope you guys are OK and get through this little event.

Sam

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Glad they were able to save him! Amazing how often all the stuff dogs used to live on puts them in the ER.

[Lonegun1894]

Glad he made it through. I know i would do anything for mine, so I understand how you feel.

[Harter66]

Had an old dog like that probably the best friend I ever had. 14 yr I had her, hunted her every day we could for 12 yr . The last season it was really pretty funny, I got up and ready to go stoked up the fire gave her, her aspirin, said let's go. She just looked up at me w/that are you really that stupid look and stretched toward the fire while she laid down. That was that, she retired right there. Lost her just a yr later. Got a black cat that adopted me under a full moon on Halloween 5yr ago now. Hunting isn't the same but it all works out I guess.

Good luck w/him. Maybe this will "turn on the light" for him.

[FISH4BUGS]

I have lost too many dogs in my lifetime and each time it broke my heart. After losing my last one, I finally decided that cats might be a better option. They aren't.
My office cat, Fradie Cat, was hit by a car and instantly killed this morning just outside my office window. At least she didn't suffer. The inconsiderate ***** never even stopped.
I still cried like a baby and so did my other half. It broke our hearts just as much as losing any of my dogs. She loved to sleep on the desk or in the window next to me.
She is now buried in the back yard near her favorite pine tree.
RIP Fradie Cat.
Jeez....what is it about our pets that hurts so much when they go?

[R.M.]

Max, my Anatolian Shepard lost his battle with cancer yesterday. 12 days from diagnosis.
Yes, they all break our hearts when they leave us. He was the child I never had.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp324/cobutch/Max2.jpg

[spotsboss]

"It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take of piece of my heart with them,
and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart.

If I live long enough, all of the components of my heart will be dog,
and I will become as generous and loving as they are."

(Anon.)

[flounderman]

I have had hounds eat deer hide and the hair stops them up. Had one that got lost the last day of the season and found a dead deer. He bloated up like a drum from the deer hair. wife told me afterwards she had given him some soap and it worked. some codliver oil or even cooking oil might have cured your dog. the deer hair doesn't digest and plugs them up.

[dagger dog]

It's really hard to watch them live their short lives, seems like it was only yesterday that they were pups, doing all the funny things young dogs do.

I think they really try to make you happy, they seem to enjoy your smile and the fact that that they can make you laugh.

My old gal is very feeble and nearly sightless, the wife and I have to take her outside to do her business, I know it won't be long and I'll have to make that decision. But she still trys to play when she can "find" one of her toys.

Her life has been a hard luck story, starting with glaucoma, then Addisons disease, arthritis, but it was worth every penny spent on vet bills.

[wallenba]

You do things for them, that you would never think of doing when you first get them. I spent $1800 on surgury bills for my dog Bud. He had chronic anal gland infections, so we removed them. He lived another 9 years to the age of 16, so it was well worth it. My dog Lola, at age 8 was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the mammary glands. Outlook was grim, but I tried anyway. Two surguries totaling $3300 and 5 chemo sessions at $525 each. She was doing well for a while, but we still lost her. She died on my birthday, which really hurts. It really dented my money market account, but I would do it again.

[GLL]

Keeper was my very best friend in the world. She passed away last year and I cried like a baby ! I still tear up when I look at the old girl's photos.

http://www.fototime.com/A2485EC10F75E4D/large.jpg

Jerry

[snuffy]

Oh how we love them;

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/PA300001.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/PC250108.JPG

This is the current resident in my life. I hesitate to call him a dog. He's more like a person. Arrow is a golden retriever, a BIG dog for the breed, currently @ 116 #. He's the most loving dog I've ever had. Golden's are renowned for their even temperament, he certainly lives up to his breed's reputation. I can leave a full meal, or anything else he'd love to eat, unattended to come back and find it still there.

Mostly, I've always had hunting dogs. But a little gem we were given, back when I was living with my parents), was a dog that looked just like benji. He looked like a stack of rags, hence his name! He was simply the smartest dog I've ever seen. Understood exactly what you were saying. Rags, get your ball would result in him finding exactly were the ball came to rest the last time he played with it. Unfortunately, he was killed on the road in front of the house, he was only 3 YO.

The last dog I had before arrow was this one;

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/assortedpics/websize/ziggy.jpg

Ziggy was a rescue dog, I probably saved him from euth. at the local pound. The former owner had to move to an apartment, had to give him up. A friend said he'd take him for her, he ended up keeping him while he found a home for him.

Zigger loved to hunt wabbits! I found out early why they call them SPRINGERS! He's run through the brush jumping so he could see over the weeds. If he had a snoot full of wabbit scent, there's be a few yaps as he ran. I wasn't sure just when he was born, but the sad day came when he had to be put down.

I feel it's our duty to be with them when we have to do the right thing at the end. The trust and love we shared meant I went into to "THAT ROOM" with him. I'm not ashamed to say I wept. Arthritis had made it so he could hardly walk, I really waited too long. But his faithfulness kept his devotion right to the end.

I said I'd never let another animal hurt me like that again. I live alone, so the house was like a tomb. My son knew of arrow, that he needed a new home, so he brought him over. We bonded almost immediately. He wasn't being abused, just ignored. That in itself is abuse! He was hungry for love, I had plenty of that! He's curled up around my feet under the computer desk as I type, he treats it like his den. If I went back to the loading room, it would only be a couple of minutes before he'd come looking for me.

[10-x]

Lloyd,
Hope all goes well, Dogs have a special place in our lives, I expect God made it that way. We have another Greyhound now as our 1st had to be put down. This one is more spoiled than any other Dog we've had. Don't know how that happened.:smile:

[Olevern]

Lloyd,
I feel your pain; lost my companion of 12 years (85 lbs of white boxer with a small brown patch over one eye) about ten years ago and will never have another dog.

Oh that people could have the unwavering, unconditional love of a dog.

[white eagle]

its a terrible thing this heart we all have
but the joy our pets bring is a wonderful thing

[popper]

Lloyd Smale Hope things go well for him. I now what you mean, on my 3rd now, I'm really a cat fan myself, she grew up with labs, I lose. Spent most of yesterday taking a blind friend & her dog to a couple of vets. An 8 yr old Aussie that is her companion and watch dog, she lives alone in a declining neighborhood and is really attached to him. Vet said it is IBS, she said he's doing a lot better this morning, eating and drinking again, he got down to ~ 35#,mostly a bag of bones. 1st Vet took xrays and said he had been shot with BBs. Second specialist said he had a lot of BBs. He came from her son's farm so I suspect he got hit by some bird shot. She's on food stamps and disability and the bill was ~$800. If predlesone doesn't fix him she can't afford the $1600 for the next round of tests, decisions are tough. Life is tough, she's tough too, lost her sight in an auto accident in '80.

[Finster101]

Lloyd, I'm like you, I have had several dogs over the years, but one was special and sometimes I still get choked up thinking or talking about her. Best of luck to you and your friend.

James

[Lloyd Smale]

popper i cant believe that the vet is holding your friend to even paying those bills. I asked my vet what would have happened to elmer if i couldnt afford to pay. She is kind of attached to him too and said that shed pay the bill out of her own pocket if nessisary but the office factors in a buget for cases just like yours. I told her a while back that if i ever got seriously hurt or sick i think id rather see her then a people doctor. I think the average vet cares a hell of alot more for there paitents then the average doctor. Vets dont have to worry about gasing up there Porche. Most are animal lovers to the bone and if they were they sure wouldnt have went to college as long as they did to learn about the same as a doctor has to know (if not more because theres little specialization) just to make 1/4 the income. It sure makes me feel better having to leave him there when i see the way hes greated. Just about everyone in the office is running up to hug him every time he comes in there.
Lloyd Smale Hope things go well for him. I now what you mean, on my 3rd now, I'm really a cat fan myself, she grew up with labs, I lose. Spent most of yesterday taking a blind friend & her dog to a couple of vets. An 8 yr old Aussie that is her companion and watch dog, she lives alone in a declining neighborhood and is really attached to him. Vet said it is IBS, she said he's doing a lot better this morning, eating and drinking again, he got down to ~ 35#,mostly a bag of bones. 1st Vet took xrays and said he had been shot with BBs. Second specialist said he had a lot of BBs. He came from her son's farm so I suspect he got hit by some bird shot. She's on food stamps and disability and the bill was ~$800. If predlesone doesn't fix him she can't afford the $1600 for the next round of tests, decisions are tough. Life is tough, she's tough too, lost her sight in an auto accident in '80.

[popper]

Lloyd - sorry to have vented so much in my post. She said Owen is stating to pick up and has a healthy appetite. The second specialist vet gave her a break. What really ticked me off was her food stamps got cut in half cause she transferred the balance of her mortgage to a credit card and 'no longer' has that expense. Blind since '80, I won't go into detail, but she keeps chugging along even though she really got the short end of the stick. Hope yours is doing well.

[GRid.1569]

I am sure you all have heard it but the only thing wrong with dogs is that they just don't last long enough.

:goodpost: with you on that....

[Lloyd Smale]

I will say a prayer for the gal this sunday. Shes lucky to have you in her life!
Lloyd - sorry to have vented so much in my post. She said Owen is stating to pick up and has a healthy appetite. The second specialist vet gave her a break. What really ticked me off was her food stamps got cut in half cause she transferred the balance of her mortgage to a credit card and 'no longer' has that expense. Blind since '80, I won't go into detail, but she keeps chugging along even though she really got the short end of the stick. Hope yours is doing well.

[pdawg_shooter]

Me, I happen to like most dogs better than I like most people!

[DCP]

Dogs leave paw prints in our home and in our HEARTS

[Crash_Corrigan]

We just got back from a week long scouting trip to Portland Oregon (great city) but we were both worried sick about our pets we left behind.

They about turned themselves inside out when we returned. Everyboy is happy now.

When I lose my Sgt. Rambo I know I will be a very sad fella.

[JeffinNZ]

We easily spent that much on Murphy the cat prior to his final demise. The bottom line is that you get a pet, you care for it regardless of the cost. But, yes, the money is hard to find.

In fairness, with a name like Elmer he may be trying to take his OWN life.

[mroliver77]

My Zeus has cost me a couple guns so far. That's him over there <------------ He is an American Bulldog that my ex drug home when he was a pup. He likes to be in physical contact with his people. His hair is everywhere! He steals the blankets! He has to pee at 3:30 AM almost every night! He thinks he is a lap dog! He annoys woman because he is still a stud (and it is all hanging right out in public!) He thinks his food is his and my food is half his! He quickly destroys every "indestructible" toy I buy him! He snores very loud! When he dreams it looks like he is having convulsions(Usually shortly after I get back to sleep after the 3:30 AM potty call) His farts really stink! I think I will keep him!
Jay

[R.M.]

Sounds like a "Guy's Dog"to me.

[jaydub in wi]

Lloyd,
I know what you mean about vet bills. A few years ago ,our cocker tore the ligament off the bone in his knee. Surgery was $900. Our lab had a $2200 bill when he had his intestines plugged w/ sand when he was 12 weeks old. Last spring, the lab needed knee surgery too, his was $1300. All of this was money well spent. Btw, these dogs love to come to Michigan's UP. We come up a couple times a year. The cocker starts howling when we leave the blacktop. May need to schedule one more visit this year.

[bensonwe]

Wife & I received a cockerspanial as a wedding gift. We had her for 15 year with one battle of some kind of bacteria that almost took her. (the vet called during this and said she wasn't going to make it and we should prepare) Some how she pulled threw and we took her home a week later. Then she broke her hip and we had that surgectly repaired. Then she got a lung parracite that almost took her. Then she broke her other hip. The vet said she wasn't strong enough to have the surgery so she just set it. She recovered. Then she had a heart muscle, (a muscle that holds the heart in place) fail. This happened while she was at the vet and he did emergecy surgery on her. she recovered. Then in the 15 year she got what the vet thought was cancer and her health went within a week. I had to put her down and I held her while she passed. this was the MOST difficult thing I ever had to do. It took me a month to feel better. The cost for medical over the years was over $15000.00. would I do it again, you bet I would. She was the best dog ever, period. Her name was Sterling Crystal Brooke. Or Brookee for short.

[Lloyd Smale]

the vette was talking about people getting dogs that shouldnt and said that she was taught in school that the average dog will cost its owner 30k over its lifetime. In food, vet bills ect.

[Bad Water Bill]

My folks and I have had more than 10 dogs that I can remember. Most of them stayed their whole life of an average of 12-15 years. I am quite sure the total bill for ALL of them did not come any where near that amount. There were a couple of shelter and wandering dogs but most had their papers. No they were not big dogs so the food bill was less but there were very few vet visits till the very end of their life.

One sad note here in Chicago land is that when you take your pet to the vet for their final visit you will NOT be allowed to take your loved ones remains home for burial. By law here the vet is to have them cremated. This is done on a batch run so you can NOT get your pets ashes back as they will have been mixed with others that were cremated at the same time. [smilie=b:

[popper]

Around here, people buy pets like they buy toys. Dump or get rid of them when they are 'broken'. When our last passed, wife tried to get one from the '****zu society', they wanted a credit check, home visit adn adoption papers. Wanted to tell them the last one lived 14 yrs and take a hike. Ended up getting a 'trailer trash ****zu', now 10 yrs and doing fine. Friend's dog seems to be holding his own. She said there was a drug bust on the corner, teenager was selling from his bedroom window ( a real drive thru), carried the entire family to the pokey - hope they stay there for a long time.

[wildwilly]

A small tray terrier wandered our neighborhood for several days before she slid under our fence to take up residence with us and our three dogs.
Shortly after she adopted our family, my wife called me at work, sobbing that The Scruff had broken her front leg after roughing it up with our Dalmatian. Well, after $3000 in vet bills, resulting in Scruff losing her front leg up to the scapula, she gave us seventeen years of joy and devotion until she passed. My wife claims that she was the best dog she ever had. We took her to a reputable pet crematorium in San Diego and her urn sits on our dresser in the bedroom.

[popper]

Took my friend and her dog Owen to the vet for the last time. He couldn't stand anymore and was down to ~30#, for an 8 yr old Aussie. Doc said his red blood count was way down from his last visit.