another holiday, another sick fur baby [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

bmccasland

11-24-2008, 04:45 PM

So it's another holiday approaching, and one of the furry beasts is sick. What's up with this continuing holiday tradition? This time it's Nala, my 14 yr old Aussie Shepherd. (Branwen and Erin both died around the holidays, last year and the year before). The tiny piece of vagina left after being spayed 13 or so yrs ago is now the host of a very nasty infection. Hopefully the antibiotic will do it's thing, and hopefully it won't upset her stomach too much. And since the Vet told me that she's taking human grade, human dosage, too bad I can't buy it with MY health insurance. So Nala gets pilled twice a day for two weeks.

Meanwhile, Bonnie the cat with hyperthyroid disease had her T4 levels checked, and they're OK, but she continues to drop weight. Dr. R isn't sure if it's a downward trend, or just a fluke. He wants her back for another weigh-in in a couple of months. If she wasn't a long haired cat, she'd look really bad. Pretty much skin and bones. (Bonnie is now on my lap) Tuna, did any one say tuna? We like tuna, feed me tuna!
I did try her on kitten food, but she didn't like it, prefers Herald's diet cat food. Silly skinny cat doesn't need DIET food!

Happy beginning of Thanksgiving. Two fur babies on meds 2x per day. oh happy day.

BleeckerSt_Girl

11-24-2008, 04:59 PM

If she wasn't a long haired cat, she'd look really bad. Pretty much skin and bones. (Bonnie is now on my lap) Tuna, did any one say tuna? We like tuna, feed me tuna!
I did try her on kitten food, but she didn't like it, prefers Herald's diet cat food. Silly skinny cat doesn't need DIET food!

Try buying a can of human-grade jack mackerel fish (next to the canned salmon in the supermarket). It's like tuna but has more fat, liquid, and calcium, and fish skin, etc....all high calorie compared to tuna. My sick cats loved it, and still do now that they are healthy. I give them all one daily meal of mackerel mashed up with 1/2 organic cat food (with no wheat products in it). I add a bit of water too and mash it up like a liquidy paste and they lap it up. Your skeletal kitty needs the fish fat and the liquids.
If she likes tuna, she might like this. :o

pardes

11-24-2008, 05:08 PM

Two fur babies on meds 2x per day. oh happy day.

Oh dear. Sick furbabies is a terrible situation. I'm a great nurse to sick humans and all business and comfort about it but when it comes to my furbabies, I go all weak-kneed and gushy (which they love).

Magdalene is a drama Queen and considers a hangnail a fatal illness. And when she's really sick all she wants is to be wrapped in a blanket next to me on the bed. Come to think of it, so do I.

redrhodie

11-24-2008, 05:19 PM

Oh, poor babies. I have a sick one, too. It's so hard to know they're in pain, not know what it is, or if any of the treatments are helping or making things worse. I go to the vet so much these days I feel like I should be spending Thanksgiving at her house.

I hope everyone feels better soon!

Blueberry

11-24-2008, 05:22 PM

((((Beth)))))

We lost a couple just before Easter 2 years apart. And another just a few weeks ago. It sucks:(

Here's hoping the antibiotics take care of the infection, and the kitty develops an appetite. Mine have also liked canned salmon in the past - just an idea:)

CA

badger

11-24-2008, 05:48 PM

whenever I had to put my dog on antibiotics, I gave him probiotic pills. His last infection (UTI) was really tough on him, he barely ate anything so even getting the probiotic pill in him was hard (not to mention the antibiotic!).

If you go that route, make sure you give him the pill several hours before or after feeding.

Hope he gets better soon!!

OakLeaf

11-24-2008, 06:00 PM

(((((Beth & Nala)))))

Hoping she starts feeling better very soon.

Our worst Thanksgiving ever was the one when we knew we were going to have to call the vet when her office reopened the following Monday, and make The Appointment for our Measle. :( It's so tough around the holidays.

Eden

11-24-2008, 06:01 PM

Flur

11-24-2008, 07:38 PM

+1 for Tiki Cat. My finicky kitty loves it!

I hope your furries feel better soon.

aka_kim

11-24-2008, 08:39 PM

Tell those fur babies this isn't a tradition you want to maintain!

A few years ago two of my kitties got sick at almost the same time. One needed twice daily insulin injections, the other twice daily subcutaneous fluids. It felt like all I did for months was stick a needle in someone.

Tuna, human baby food and Hill's A/D worked for me in the past. Hang in there, hope everyone's well soon.

smilingcat

11-24-2008, 08:47 PM

I'm sorry to hear of your fur babies being sick.

For the kitty, you may want to warm the food just a bit so it has stronger smell. If the cat smells the food, the cat will more likely to eat. If it can't smell or doesn't smell the food, then its less appealing to them and less likely to eat. Sometimes, we heat up Gerber baby food. 10-15 second in microwave just warm to the touch. Purried chicken then turkey.

Healing thoughts for your furbabies.
Smilingcat

Pax

11-25-2008, 03:08 AM

Poor little furbabies, here's hoping they're all better asap!

NoNo

11-25-2008, 03:53 AM

Oh, that's so hard to read. I can't imagine my little baby being sick and not knowing how to help. Big hugs and I hope they bounce back quickly!

bmccasland

11-25-2008, 04:16 AM

Thanks for the good juju. I'll look for people grade Mackerel, or Tiki food. I've tried Bonnie on some organic foods - can't think of their names at the moment - but we're back to Science Diet, cause she'll at least eat that.

Now if I can get her to eat, but not so much her brother and sister (Herald and Calypso), who have weight issues.

Back to the grocery store, hmmm, I'm passing Whole Foods while running errands this afternoon....

andtckrtoo

11-25-2008, 04:52 AM

Jimmy the Aussie sends licks and wiggles to Nala and Bonnie. It's so hard when our furbabies are sick!!

I have a sick American Eskimo, Kimo who has Cushings and Diabetes and a huge liver tumor that is pressing on her nerves and she can barely walk. But she's a fighter. The vet prescribed Science Diet RD, but I looked at the ingredients and say no way. I now make her home cooked food (she can't digest raw). There are many cooked and raw food diets on the net - maybe Bonnie would like one of those.

7rider

11-25-2008, 04:55 AM

sorry to hear about your sick furkids. I hope they get better soon.
DH and I just spent last night tending to Tasha, who's going through her worst bout of stasis ever. I'm hoping to hear from the vet soon, so I can bring her in. :(
It stinks when the pets are sick.

tulip

11-25-2008, 06:32 AM

I'm in the process of getting a dog, but I gotta tell you, this thread is pretty off-putting of the whole idea! :eek:

Blueberry

11-25-2008, 06:34 AM

andtckrtoo

11-25-2008, 08:53 AM

You're getting a dog?!?!?!?! How exciting!!!

For all of the pain and all of the anguish I've been through (particularly with losing Buffett), I wouldn't trade one minute of my time with her. Yes, with the joy comes pain - but for me, at least, it's totally worth it!

CA

I completely agree with this. I would not trade one moment with my furbuddies, even with the pain of losing Tucker so early, and the issues we're going through with Kimo. They have brought me so much joy. Yesterday when Jimmy tried to climb into my lap (all 60 pounds of him) just because he wanted some love or when Kimo got to her feet (a tough thing for her to do) and came over just to say hi and let me know she missed me - oh yeah, it's worth it...

bmccasland

11-25-2008, 10:14 AM

I second or third about getting a dog or cat, or both, or two or three. I've had my fur kids since they were little, so now we're just dealing with senior citizen issues. Can't beat the fact that humans in general do live longer than small mammals. Every animal has their own personality, and shows love in their own way. I know that Nala and Bonnie are in the winter years of their lives, but that doesn't mean they'll miss the next spring. Just in general, we're dealing with aging issues, that with good vet care, we can deal with.

Besides, you can't beat coming home to an old dog who still does the happy dance when I get ready for our afternoon walks. She's quite silly, races down the hall, comes back to me, races ahead, checks to see if I'm coming... And now that its cool, I don't have to worry so much about her (or me) getting over heated.

ASammy1

11-25-2008, 10:20 AM

Hey Tulip,

Go get that baby. I've only had Nigel since April, but I could not imagine my life without him.

bmccasland- Nigel sends his love and well wishes to your clan!

tulip

11-25-2008, 12:58 PM

You're getting a dog?!?!?!?! How exciting!!! CA

Yeah, you guys are rubbing off on me! Yes, the dog will join my household of one in a couple of weeks for a trial run. He's a rescue and very cool. More on him later.

I hope everyone's pets avoid eating bad things over the holidays! I read just today how important it is to keep medicines out of reach, so if you have guests, make sure they put their medicines up high or zipped away and not just lying in their suitcases or on the bed where the dogs (and sometimes cats) can get them.

oxysback

11-25-2008, 01:10 PM

Our sick and skinny cats at the shelter usually cannot resist eating Tiki Cat... If you can find it locally (it tends to be carried at more boutique stores), it might be worth it. It's high protein, most flavors are grain free (a few have rice??) and most flavors are quite fishily appealing to cats.

Our old male cat loves Tiki Cat!! A month or so ago we noticed that he was skin and bones. I guess he decided to go on strike from the normal kibble we free feed our cats. We decided to get some moist food for him and the gal at our local pet store suggested Tiki Cat. I opened one of the cans that night for his dinner and was surprised to find nice fish chunks and a decent aroma.

The tough part is keeping our other two fat cats away from his bowl while he eats!

Zen

11-25-2008, 08:29 PM

Roxina, upon hearing of the illness of both Nala and Bonnie
8009

She's also a bit upset about that flooring

LBTC

11-26-2008, 06:23 AM

Beth (and all of you with sick fur-babes), Diva, 'Cuda and Otto send licks and cuddles on butterfly wings. You furkids will be alright and your holidays will be a time of love and joy.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

gnGracie

11-26-2008, 05:38 PM

Aww, I hope Nala starts feeling better soon.

We just lost our oldest dog (Rocky) the day after Thanksgiving last year, and my pomeranian's (Harley, now 15) health is failing. Their short life spans are the only thing I hate about animals! They should live as long as we do!

You're getting a dog?!?!?!?! How exciting!!!

For all of the pain and all of the anguish I've been through (particularly with losing Buffett), I wouldn't trade one minute of my time with her. Yes, with the joy comes pain - but for me, at least, it's totally worth it!

CA

I totally second that!! The pain is unbelievable, but then so is the joy!!

Anyway, hugs to Nala from Harley (my little old man), Lacey (our little lab/retriever) and Cosmo (our cockatiel).

PamNY

11-26-2008, 05:48 PM

Best wishes to Nala and any other ailing animals around. I love Aussies; wish I could have one. They are soooo smart.

Tulip, there is certainly pain when we lose a pet, but it is soooo worth it. Hope all goes well with your rescue.

Pam

smurfalicious

11-26-2008, 09:07 PM

Awh, the holidays are tough enough without sick furkids. Hank sends his love and highly recommends Tiki Cat, Weruva (especially Mack and Jack), Merrick 5 Star and Evo. He would also like to advise against any icky nasty prescription diet. They're not natural and are full of garbage. Read the ingredients and run screaming. The store I work at part time also has an online end and all those canned foods can be found there. We also have a great range of supplements at www.onlynaturalpet.com if you can't find the stuff locally.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g50/hillbillary/hanklookup.jpg
Hank wants you to see his concerned face.