It's been my experience that boarding places for pets are not really designed for an ill pup who doesn't know why this is happening to them, and leaving them at the pet hospital is very expensive, very clinical, and not conducive to the mental healing part of the equation. And you want to go see how things are going every day, pay some attention to the little furball, and get a personal sense of being a part of it.
When one of our cats (Thumper) was going through a major health crisis and had to be in the vets full time for almost a month my wife was there before work, at lunch, and after work every weekday and there for several hours twice a day on the weekend. The vets ultimately said that it was their belief that he survived because of that. We are convinced that our cat got "better care and attention" because they knew how devastating it would be for us if he did not survive.
Yeah, it gets expensive, and our co-workers would say it's just a cat, but he was ours and we loved him like he was a child and in those situations money is a piece of it, but way down the list. I suspect this is the same situation for Steph and family.
Shari, they do boarding for their patients, and we have considered it. The staff is very nice, and their boarding area is nice (they have rooms instead of kennels, and limited patients and lots of staff to check in on the guests), but we've had trouble boarding Alki before. Because we work at home, and she is with us all the time, she gets pretty upset when she is left with someone else. In fact the last place we borded her at for a vacation said they couldn't take her anymore because she gets too upset and makes herself sick. So now she gets to stay home and a petsitter comes to look in on her.
She's very good at riding in the car, so I think right now that going for a two hour ride every day is probably less stressful to her than staying somewhere strange without family around. However, if I change my mind about that, the boarding is always a possibility.
Luckily I work at home so I can make up for lost time in the evenings. I'm already feeling the burn, so to speak. Back to work!
Thanks for the well wishes, all. 1 down, 19 more to go!
We're longtime dog owners/lovers. We've been through scotties and currently have an airedale & a pembroke corgi. Matter of fact I think Susie is in constant shopping mode. Otherwise we'd have a Frenchie, a pug -- anything but one of the designer dogs. Vet care is a constant decision and we tend to work with ours completely. C'mon Alki!
Well, we could always go with the best middle ground between boarding and being at home - find a nice place for the caravel over there and just go camping for a week!
Please keep us all posted on Alki and how she is doing! So sorry you have to go through this, and so sorry she has to as well. But our pets are family too and we just need to do all we can! We are thinking positive and healthy thoughts for you all!
We all survived Alki's first week of radiation. Everything went smoothly except for the first day, when they knocked her out and her heart quit beating properly. Luckily there was a drug for that which got her straightened right out again. However now we have to come in 15 minutes early so she can have a shot of that drug every day before they knock her out. So far so good, no heart trouble since then, but the vet says if it happens again while she's on the drug, they'll have to stop the treatments and go another course. But since this is most effective, she wanted to continue this if we can.
Alki has been fine, but a little tired. She still wants to go to the park for her daily walk, but she's a bit more tired than she knows, and wears out quicker.
She rides in her box to the vet and rides back in the box, usually sleeping the whole way because the anesthetic wears off slowly. She's up and walking when I put her in the box to leave, then she just sort of dreamily watches it all go by, or sleeps, and by the time we get home she's awake and ready for a snack.
It has been interesting talking to the other clients at the vet. Of course they are all there for cancer of one sort or another. The first day we met a nice older lady and her Scottie who has the same cancer as Alki, and was starting his treatment the same day. We have run into each other a couple times this week. It's nice to have someone else to talk to who is going through the exact same thing.
While I was typing this Alki came back and put her paws on my lap and gave me her 'follow me' look. So I follwed her and she eagerly led me out to the dog-cookie jar So some things are just the same as always.
While I was typing this Alki came back and put her paws on my lap and gave me her 'follow me' look. So I follwed her and she eagerly led me out to the dog-cookie jar So some things are just the same as always.
Just wonderful
__________________
Cameron & the Labradors
Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC
Canada
How is that cookie jar doing? Hopefully it's been getting a workout. We've been on the road (3,400 miles in 8 days - sans the Airstream - boo hiss) and I've wondered how she's been doing (and you guys as well).
So glad Alki's doing well...what a little trooper! We are pulling for her...our little animal chargess are so special and dear to us...and we know what it's like when they are sick...we have a chronically ill cocker with a mega-esophagus condition... we'd do anything to keep her happy and as healthy as can be expected... We're wishing you and Alki the best!
Thanks for the well wishes! We've made it to the half-way point today, and so far, so good. Alki's getting a bit tired of being poked at, but still submitting to it like a chmp. The vet says she's never had a dog quite like her - some dogs bark a bit, but Alki comes running back to me barking her head off, as if to say 'you won't believe what they did to me!'. She said she's got a real attitude about it, they all get a laugh out of her. That's Alki, she does seem to want to come back and tell me all about it!
One nice thing about the oncologist is that the people are really nice and the dogs there are all so well behaved. As you can imagine, not one of them is a dog who's ever been ignored or left out in the backyard, they are all members of the family. They are well socialized with dogs and people, well behaved, and the owners are nice to talk to. We're all in the same boat. It's been a real comfort to see the same people from day to day and hear how their pooches are doing.
Quick Links
So some things are just the same as always.
Linear Mode
