I've had a rough afternoon, guys.
BUT...
BUT...
I come bearing raccoon pictures!!
That poor rabbit gets a LOT of affection.Yep, today we returned to the smelly vet, where I'm please to report they'd cleaned up a bit, so the odor in the building wasn't quite so overpowering.
We arrived stressed and - in my case - somewhat hysterical, since I'd inadvertently managed to poison my cat by applying the wrong kind of ointment to a scratch on her arm. I'm only telling you this so none of you make my mistake: normal antibiotic ointment is usually fine for felines, but not those with painkillers added. The painkillers are toxic. We had a new tube of antibiotic, and I'm ashamed to say I just didn't look at it closely enough.
I noticed within an hour that something was wrong; Lily seemed a little lethargic and unfocused. I quickly Googled the medicine I'd used and then proceeded to have the Freak Out to End All Freak Outs. Seriously. I thought I'd killed my cat, screaming for John and...well, it wasn't pretty. You guys should send John supportive cards or something.
The good news is I'd bandaged Lily's arm, so she hadn't been able to lick the ointment. We also cleaned it off immediately and rushed her to the vet. By the time we arrived she already seemed back to normal, but they injected some "sub dermal fluids" to help flush it out anyway.
And, since we were in the same room again - the one across from the baby raccoon - this time I opened the door and took a few lousy photos for you with John's phone:
The raccoon didn't seem much bigger from last time, and was a constant bundle of energy so it was hard to get a clear picture. She was absolutely enthralled with that dog bone.
This one's my favorite:
Too cute. It was nice to have a distraction while pacing and worrying and generally feeling like an accidental murderer.
Blurry blurriness is blurry.To quote Inigo Montoya, I hate waiting.
Sorry for your stress - glad to hear all ended up well - glad you went back to the smelly vet - and thanks for sharing baby raccoon pics!
ReplyDeleteJohn - sorry for your stress, too!
Oh my gosh, how terrifying! Glad to hear that Lily will be OK, and thanks for sharing those adorable raccoon pictures. Best wishes to kitty.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for your kitty! The waiting game is a game that no one likes. Especially when it involves someone you care about. I recommend looking up silly videos on YouTube. Or finding adorable jewelry on Etsy and stuff like that, it always seems to help. And thanks for the cute pictures of the raccoon!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that your Lily is going to be okay.
ReplyDeleteLast night my Lilly (the dog) was hacking quite a bit so I looked up on line what that could mean and of course it said everything from allergies to she's dying. oye! She seems fine now.
It's a good thing you caught it so quickly! If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one with an "oh my gosh we almost killed our pet!" story. My golden retriever is a rescue, so she was super thin when we first got her. We overfed to get her weight to normal, then cut back to the directions on the dog food bag. Several months later we noticed she was getting thin again, and we freaked out and took her to the vet, did the whole blood work thing, etc... turns out she needs more food than what the bag recommends. We were starving our dog! We've since adjusted her food and she's fine now, but yikes, the guilt over mistreating your pet (however unintentional) sucks.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, everything will be fine. And you have more experience with the new vet!
Smelly vet, smelly vet ... what are they feeding you?
ReplyDeleteAs a former vet tech, I really need to let you know again that going to that vet is dangerous for your animals. A vet's office should never smell that way. A bad smell means it's not clean, and that in turn means that his whole place may not be sanitary. This is a breeding ground for diseases that your animals could pick up.
ReplyDeletePlus, if it smells that bad, then he is also violating OSHA state laws for cleanliness in a vet's office.
I truly hope that raccoon doesn't scratch or bite anyone, including the rabbit. If he's a rabies carrier, then that vet has a lawsuit on his hands.
I hope you take this information to heart.
ooh gods, i'm so glad kitty is ok. Yeah Aspirin is lethal to cats, Oh and if you didnt know..lily pollen is too.Which is a bugger as i have 3 cats and love lilies. But they are removed and my neighbours lilies are all planted in ways cats would brush past.
ReplyDeletethat racoon is too damn cute.
I don't know if you heard about the cat food that was poisoning cats about four or five years ago, but my two cats from my childhood were killed from that. They were like 17 years old. My dad said it was the most horrible feeling to think you were trying to just feed your animals, take care of them, and it was killing them. So I'm sure he could relate to what happened to you! I hope everything turns out well with her!!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you (and your cat) had such a scare! Pat on the back to John! I'm glad Lily is on the mend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the cute raccoon photos, too!
You guys are so great for each other, props to john for keeping the cool while you handled the freaking out. I've sorta been in your shoes the time I closed the garage door and watched my cat sliiide out from the top (how she got up there I don't know) but slid down the front of the door, yet not fast enough to avoid getting pinched between the house and the garage door. I had a major car/running/doorpulling freakout...meanwhile once the door was opened she popped out like nothing's wrong! A miracle I tell ya. Hope Lily gets some weight on soon, and super-thanks for posting raccoon photos! Love em!
ReplyDeleteI relate to the freaking-out thing. When we got our two sweet little day-old ducks home (after a 3 hour drive) one of them started choking/drooling/gagging when it ate. I was so worried I called the hatchery we got them from. They said that it would probably die, which would mean the other duckling would also die... of lonliness. So sad. They arranged to send us two replacement ducklings, which was very nice of them, but we were pretty sad about losing these little cuties. Well, the sick duckling had a drink of water and it was fine. Yay! But by then it was too late to cancel the replacement ducks, so now we have four! Twice as many as I meant to have, but double the cute!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, sorry about the ramble there. I just relate to panic.
If anyone is interested, you can see the ducklings at two weeks old here. They are pretty cute.
glad things worked out; sorry your heart got such a strenuous workout
ReplyDeleteZOMG CUTE RACCOON!
ReplyDeleteThat is all.
Oh Jen, I am so sorry you and John went through that! What an awful feeling :-( But I am so glad to hear that your fur baby Lily will be fine! I wouldn't have known that the pain relieving ointment was toxic. Good to know.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the raccoon pictures, too cute!
How old is Lily? Maybe she is hyperthyroid?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your cat is OK.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm pretty sure that would have fallen under the category of catslaughter rahter than murder.
phil
Glad to hear your cat is ok and the raccoon was still cute as ever. On another note, please please please tell me you know about Star Tours coming back to Disney World/Land?! you absolutely must go and tell us if it is cheesy or awesome!!!
ReplyDeletehope the rest of your day is stress free! i made a similar mistake with my kitteh, i STILL fell like a monster, but shes fine now.
ReplyDeleteMe want baby racooooon!!!
ReplyDeleteAhem..
I'm glad Lily is ok. I know that panic when you think your animal has been poisoned all too well. When my dog was about 7 months old she ate a mushroom growing outdoors and I freaked. I ended up making this crazy chain of calls because no one could figure out what to do without knowing what type of mushroom it was. It went from my vet, to poison control, to animal poison control, to a local ER, and finally they gave me the contact information of the closest mycologist at a university that they refer to. His assistant told me to take a picture and email it with a brief description. Bless the man, he looked at it and got back to me within a few hours, and luckily it was a harmless species. By that point my dog hadn't shown any signs of being affected, but I couldn't relax until I knew for sure.
It sounds like YOU are the one in need of supportive cards! Please don't feel bad about the meds, it was an accident.
ReplyDeleteIn another story of "you are not the only one to accidentally poison your pet" I once accidentally left a bar of Dark chocolate on the coffee table which my 10lb dog promptly ate while we were at the movies. On top of that, our old vet had told us to give diluted hydrogen peroxide to dogs to make them throw up... but my dog didn't! When I called the emergency vet they said hydrogen peroxide was toxic. Yes, I managed to poison my dog not once, but twice, in the same night.
Thankfully, my dog is fine and I learned a lot from it (after I was done being guilty enough to jump off a bridge). I am glad your kitty is ok too and I hope they find out the cause of her weight loss soon!
PS - the raccoon is adorable :)
What is the other critter in the crate with the baby racoon?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about the antibiotic ointment! I had no idea that the analgesic was toxic for cats! Great that everything is OK now!
Jen: Take a slow deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth just as slowly.
ReplyDeleteJohn: Take a slow deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth just as slowly.
Too Cute! I'm sure my bunny would love to have a raccoon buddy. She already enjoys cuddling with my kitty.
ReplyDeleteI hope Lily feels better soon.
Aw, what a bummer. I hate the feeling that I've just harmed my pet. Thanks for thinking of us and snapping those pics, that little raccoon sure is cute!
ReplyDeletePoor John, as one who frequently has to endure someone elses panic attacks, I would like to say, "Good Job" for not losing it. (:
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the kitty!
Oy Vay! So glad Lily's going to be fine and that the worst part was the freak out. My neighbor did something similar a couple of weeks ago; She put dog flea meds on her cat, not recognizing she was using the dog stuff. They were on for about 12 hours when he started clearly not acting like himself (dragging one leg, eyes not focusing). She immediately realized what happened and rushed to the vet, who did more or less the same thing and kept him overnight, and the little cuss recovered. Accidents happen. Try not to beat yourself up too much.
ReplyDeleteI work at a veterinary office, and one home remedy that is safe for cuts/wounds (and also one my veterinarian employer recommends) is aloe vera (the gel or the plant itself) and sugar. Yes, the sugar part sounds weird, but it has really great anti-bacterial/anti-fungal properties. You might consider that for the future.
ReplyDeleteIf it was an accident you're not a "murderer" per se. You've just almost committed homicide. See, doesn't that sound better? Murder. Homicide. Two completely different things. ;)
ReplyDeletebeen there, done that! only with flea drops. My shy kitty (fruitopia) started having convultions and I couldn't find a vet in town who would come to the ofice on a late saturday night. many phone calls later I found one. a week later I had my boy back, healthy and mad at me. but he made it. Mistakes happen, don't dwell.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your rough day and I hope Lily is feeling better soon. I was hoping you had picked the smelly vet's office since he really seemed to care about your cat before. I wonder though if he saw your last post and that's why they spruced up. You are an agent for change for good in your community.:-)
ReplyDeleteHugs to Lily, but gently.
So glad Lily's going to be fine. The hysteria is perfectly understandable. When we have cat emergencies, I have to exert firm self control so I don't turn into Shirley MacLain in "Terms of Endearment" ("JUST GIVE MY TABBY HIS MEDICINE!!!!!)
ReplyDeleteAlso, good luck identifying the cause of the weight loss. Our tabby, Inigo, has lost 4 pounds in the last 2 years and they can't figure out why, so we can relate.
So sorry about your kitty girl! Glad she is okay. I probably would have freaked out, too.
ReplyDeleteJohn, sorry for your stress...
I am glad you went back to the "smelly vet", regardless of their smell. It sounds like a great vet office.
Hope Lily's tests clear things up, so she can be as healthy as possible.
I hate to be a bummer again...but that cage is not acceptable for a rabbit that size, much less with a roommate. And honestly, a raccoon is not a good partner for a rabbit, regardless of how lonely the baby raccoon is...sheesh.
ReplyDeleteThat said, good thoughts heading your kitty's direction.
Frightening, but good to hear she's alright now. I'm on catsitting duty for a friend this week so I get to play with a kitten when I go feed them (so cute!) and one of the other cats decided to leave them a "present" in the livingroom (a bird)0.o.... Raccoons are cute but unfortunately the ones in our neighborhood are not so nice. They like to attack the cats here, in gangs.
ReplyDeleteCrap! I'm glad things have returned to status quo =( Sounds like a stress filled day. I hope you figure out her weight loss soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you had a scare like that. It could have been loads worse.
ReplyDeleteI once was given the wrong de-worming medication for a kitten I was fostering, and it turned into a neurotoxin, needless to say, it didn't end as well as your story.
I'm glad your furry baby is ok though. =)
@katphoti - I appreciate the warnings, and will absolutely take them to heart. To be honest, I was considering calling one of the vets in the area some readers have recommended, but this emergency caught us off guard. And since we were there anyway we decided to get the other testing done, too. We'll be thinking hard (and probably trying other vets) before deciding if this is the place for us long-term.
ReplyDelete@ Lisa - They checked her thyroid at our last vet, since that's apparently the most common culprit. It came back normal. We also got clean X-rays back today, so there are no masses. That should all be good news, of course, but we were hoping for an answer! :)
ReplyDeleteAww Jen! I feel so bad for you! As an animal mommy I totally feel your pain. Take some deep breaths, you did the right thing. And you owe John big time, you know that right?
ReplyDeleteI did previously say to go with your instinct on the vet and if you're comfortable with smelly vet then stick with him. However I share the concerns of whoever here mentioned the size of the rabbit cage... Also there seems a lack of toys/stimulants or bedding for the rabbit which would worry me a little...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about how well rabbits and raccoons but I suppose it depends (other than the biting concerns).
Still, glad your cat is okay now and was taken care of! I think everyone's guilty of accidentally harming their pets sometimes! I once stood on my cat's paw - but i was wearing stiletto heels at the time. And I could hear her yowl but due to the position she was in, couldn't see her for a few seconds so didn't move off her paw! No real damage done but she wow was she angry with me!!
Many years ago, I had a black kitty who, like all cats, got into anything and everything. I'd been trying to re-learn cross stitching, and stuck a threaded needle through the arm of the chair one evening when someone called me. I got up, tended to whatever it was, and returned... to find the last few inches of bright yellow thread disappearing into the cat's mouth.
ReplyDeleteThe needle was nowhere to be found. O_____O
I flipped. Took the kitty to the vet, where they were forced to sedate him, as he absolutely freaked out in a carrier. The subsequent X-ray showed that not only did he swallow the needle, but the sedation had relaxed his throat and it had slipped even further in.
To operate would have cost over 700$. There was no way I had that kind of money on hand. So they told me I could take him home, and observe him for a few days. Check his litterbox to see if he passed the needle. If, after a few days, he didn't -- well, it was safe to say kitty wouldn't have had much of a chance at that point.
In tears, I boxed kitty back up in his carrier, and was checking out at the counter, when the drugs they gave him caused him to start puking in his carrier.
He hawked out the needle, then proceeded to look at me as though I'd put him through all of that on purpose.
It's way easier than we think to accidentally attempt to kill our pets. XD
I think you BOTH of you need supportive cards! Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear about your cat(now, don't start blaming yourself Jen, it's not your fault). DO you have an address for fan mail? Hehe! It sounds a bit weird saying it like that. C:
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your concerns about the bunny and the raccoon but I have to feel for the vet a bit. He told us that people are constantly dropping off unwanted animals to him when they get bored and, rather than killing them, he pretty much adopts them all. So, is it stinky in his office because there is a huge tank full of abandoned turtles? Yup. Does that make him a bad doctor? I don't think so. But I do know that, as a guy who would adopt every needy animal if I had a chance, the doc has a huge heart.
Plus Lily loves him and who am I to question her?
john
@living in song - heh, yes, we actually DO have a P.O. Box, if you'd like the address. Just e-mail me if so. :)
ReplyDeleteHeh - I've got a raccoon hanging upside down from the bird feeder right at this momrnt. Glad everything is ok with the cat!
ReplyDeleteThe thing about pets is that most keepers aren't given a proper education about them -- with human babies, there are all kinds of resources, but with pets like cats and dogs you basically have to watch a lot of Animal Planet or check out a lot of books from the library or be paranoid enough to Google every little thing. And you know what? Most vets understand this. Animals are not intuitive, and IT IS OK for humans to make mistakes for them. The best we can do is care for them in the best way we know how!
ReplyDeleteJen- so many stories, so little time! My sister's cat dies after he accidentally swallowed some of her medicine that she had on a bed side table- and then she administered hydrogen peroxide to him (as per the vets instructions) to make him vomit. SO terrible!
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to say is this-- you are obviously an AWESOME Mommy to your pets- and love them tons1 Don't be too hard on yourself- and be super happy that you noticed in time to save her from serious illness or even death. I know my sister wishes she had--
Have a great day- snuggle your kitties, and your hubby!
Been there, done that.
ReplyDeletelove to john since i put jason thru the same. ;)
The baby raccoon is awesome. my in-laws had a skunk, it was so cute.
One of my dogs had a sore on his leg that he wouldn't stop licking, so of course it wouldn't heal. We were told to put Neosporin on it and bandage it. Well, the next morning, that whole paw was very swollen! Will was sure he had wrapped the bandage too tightly, the dog would lose his paw, and it was ALL HIS FAULT. Nope, turns out we have one of the few dogs who is allergic to Neosporin. He's fine, and now we use Iodine if he needs anything.
ReplyDeleteA raccoon living with a rabbit? WTF kind of vet is that? If I were you I would call it in as a concern to the state animal control. Possessing raccoons is illegal in most states and they definitely shouldn't be living with a rabbit!
ReplyDeleteHas the vet tested Lily for Irriatated Bowel Disease yet? This can be a tricky problem with cats. Hard to diagnose and treat. Steriods and sticking to 1 brand of cat food presented in the same manner at the same time every day is the cure. And you are NOT a Feline Murderer. YOu are a Cat Mom who wanted her baby well.
ReplyDeleteThe racoon is adorable and John is a Saint.
Wow yesterday must have been a bad day for pets and tubes of medicine! I left a tube of preparation H (that I was using to treat a bee sting) out on the counter and my cat somehow managed to get the cap off and eat the whole tube! My husband sends and endless amount of sympathy to John! I completely freaked out and rushed the cat to the vet! it all turned out okay and the vet was very impressed with my cat's ingenuity. (He stood on the tube and squeezed all the stuff out.)
ReplyDelete*hugs* I'm so glad Lily is ok and you got to take pics of the cutest baby racoon ever! Repeat after me...I am not a bad mommy, I am not a bad mommy!
ReplyDeleteHow you doin', John? Hanging in there? Here is hug for you ((John)) (strictly platonic you understand - one arm around the shoulders thing).
ReplyDeleteI would totally freak out if I did that Jen so don't feel bad. I'm glad to hear Lily is feeling better, and thanks for the pics!
How about we have an epic sword fight while you wait?
ReplyDeleteGlad Lily's OK!
We have a cat who's losing weight too. He also started drinking lots of water. Spike's about 13 years old and was very overweight. We took him to our vet (which doesn't smell thanfully) and they did tests. The creatinine levels in his urine are higher than normal but they say that could be because of his food. (He had bladder stones and is on food to prevent that)
ReplyDeleteSo far though the vet says he's not diabetic, no kidney disease and no thyroid problems. We were told to just keep an eye on him and bring him back in six months unless something changes drastically.
Of course he wants fresh water all the time and sits in the tub until I turn the faucet to a trickle for him. Spike, the spoiled tub sitting water guzzling cat.
We all make careless mistakes with our pets, and learn from them :) I don't think I'll ever forget the absolute hysteria I dropped into when I found Samantha, my pet snake (who I alone have looked after from being age 11, so we're talking a long time here) writhing and bleeding on my desk because I'd foolishly left one of those sticky tape dispensers lying around. She managed to rip so many of her scales off, and I ended up doubling that in my blind panic to free her. I felt sick for weeks afterwards until she next shed and everything started healing up. But, she is fine and happy now and you just have to remember that no-one is perfect! We all do our informed best to love for and care for our pets: even to a greater degree than we care for ourselves. Just think how many times you've accidentally poisoned yourself (think: alcohol binge) or injured yourself by being a little bit clumsy. Then look back at your pet and be glad your better at caring for them than yourself :D
ReplyDeleteHope the waiting passes quickly, and fingers crossed for good news at the end. We're all anxious with you x
I had a similar thing happen to me, except it was the vet tech who gave me the wrong flea medication for my cat, Jack. I didn't read the package before applying it to him, not thinking that the vet tech would give me the wrong stuff. But when I got a call at 2:30 in the morning from my grandmother (where my cats currently live) saying, "I think Jack is dying!" I freaked out. And since I live in the middle of NowhereLand, Iowa, our tiny vet office does not have an emergency number, and we had to stick it out until morning when I could get Mr. Skellington in. Then we found out that the vet tech had given us DOG medicine. Why it didn't affect Jack's sister, Sally, is beyond us, but now both kitties are safe and flea-free.
ReplyDeleteI would have totally freaked out myself! So glad that Lily is ok. Wow. ((HUGS)) <--this is as close to a real hug as I usually give as I am not the hugging kind! ;)
ReplyDeleteWe lost our beloved cat Garry to lilies. They are one of the most toxic plants to cats. It only takes a little to shut their kidneys down. They could even just brush up against them and get pollen on their fur and be affected.
ReplyDeleteEvery part of the plant is poisonous to them. If ingested almost always insures a slow and painful death.
Sorry, not to go all serious on Epbot. I just don't want to have someone else loose their kitteh.
Glad yours is gonna be OK. :)
So glad Lily is OK! Sorry about all the stress. Hope you can find the weight-loss reason soon! And thanks for the cute raccoon pictures. Very cute!
ReplyDeleteJessie--I know exactly how you feel. Only difference? We did it with our NEWBORN. The kid wouldn't nurse, and he would barely eat in the hospital, so we were all proud of ourselves because we were getting him to eat an ounce or two several times a day--but boy, was he one pissed-off baby! After a few days, my husband went on-line and it turned out he was supposed to be getting two or three times more than we were giving him. Gah! (It was at that point that we got a new pediatrician...one who actually asked how much he was eating before sticking him in the MRI machine...)
ReplyDeleteAnd, John? I totally get your affection for the stinky vet. It might be hectic over there, but it sounds like he's doing his job well. Perhaps you could reward him with a gift certificate for a tank-cleaning service. : ) Or...oooh, oooh! You could build him a larger, totally-cool steampunk cabinet for the rabbicoon couple! (You know, in your fictional free time.)
I think that bunny is much better off there than in some of the outdoor hutches I've seen, even in a smaller cage with a roomie. But I have to wonder about bayliscaris (sp?)--racoons can pass it on in their droppings and it's fatal to rabbits. It's hard for me as a bunny person not to worry over the bunny and the racoon, but I feel like from your description the vet is a kindly soul. And as a cat person, I know how important it is that your cat not unleash flying-ninja-claws on the vet ;) Glad your kitty is OK and I hope you guys solve the weight issue!
ReplyDeleteYikes! So, stressful and scary. Glad to hear things are looking up, and hope that Lily is back to fighting weight asap.
ReplyDeleteSQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad Lily is OK!
Hugs (or manly back thumps) to John for being a great husband!
Scary! So glad your cat (and John) survived the experience. The racocon is a cutie.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jen, for appreciating the warning. And I forgot to say that I am really glad that Lily is okay. And any port in a storm, of course!
ReplyDeleteIronically, I once used neosporin that had the pain killer in it on my cat and she licked it and it didn't bother her. But after your story, I'm certainly not going to take that chance again and will buy some of the plain stuff for my pets!
@John-Jen's-Husband, and I mean this in the nicest way and I am not trying to lecture you. I am very worried for the welfare of your animals, the animals in the office, and the vet himself. I have a lot of experience with this and have seen the consequences. The smart thing that vet could have done was give the raccoon to a wildlife sanctuary. They have the resources and knowledge to help it. Tossing him in a cage with a rabbit is not sanitary nor is it wise. And a person who keeps every single animal that's dumped on them can be considered a hoarder. While this vet has a good heart, a messy office and unsanitary cages tells me he doesn't have enough time or resources to take good care of the animals. All one has to do is watch a few episodes of Animal Hoarding on APL and see really fast how bad it can get. And it happens to the nicest people who truly have the animals at heart, but they just get overwhelmed. Heck, I had six horses at one time and realized holy crap, what am I doing? I can't take care of or ride all these horses. So I sold some.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a vets office and animals got dumped on us a lot. So we set up an adoption system for them. Some of us would foster the animals, or if one was really good they could live in the office. It worked really well and we got homes for several animals that way. I'm not saying that's what this vet should do, but if he wants to make sure every single animal is not unnecessarily euthanized or hurt in the wild, then finding other homes for them is a better option.
Anyway, all of this comes from experience. I've volunteered and rescued animals, and I've discovered that even the people with the best intentions can get overwhelmed or lose sight of the reason why they're keeping the animals to begin with. I was shocked to discover after he died my farrier (horse shoer) had neglected is own herd of nearly 30 horses for many years. It was awful, and I helped with the afermath and finding new homes for the horses. But it taught me that even people who love their animals can still make major mistakes and not even realize it.
Okay, enough of that. :) May more animal owners have the same compassion you and Jen have for yours!
We all panic, you can't help it. When my saluki was a pup he managed to get hold of, open and eat a whole tub of Kalms (herbal de-stressers). I ran him up to the vet thinking the dog would die from eating what he shouldn't in such quantities. When the vet had finished laughing, he told me I'd just have the most laid-back dog in existence for a while....which I didn't!Half a pound of whiskey chocolate filched at Christmas didn't kill him either, neither did a pound of grapes...which came out the other end pretty much the same as they went in - gah!
ReplyDeleteBut after losing our previous saluki due to him picking up and eating some sort of drug in the woods on a walk, I panic easily - better that than losing your pet.
Someone else mentioned it, but how old is Lily? If she's still eating, but losing weight and is an older cat, hyperthyroidism sounds like a possibility. As far as kitty issues go, it's one of the most manageable with a number of options for treatment. Our cat was hyperthyroid and we managed his condition for four years with medication. There was also the option for surgery or iodine treatments, both of which are, naturally, on the pricier side.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I would've had a huge heart attack....I've felt responsible for pet emergencies before, it's absolutely horrendous. I'm glad she seems okay!! Best wishes to her!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to join in as a bit of a bummer though.
I do a lot of work in rabbit rescue and that rabbit must be MISERABLE. The flooring of the cage is not appropriate for her feet, and there are no toys for mental stimulation. It's too small. There doesn't seem to be any hay, and rabbits need a supply of fresh hay 24/7 in order to maintain a healthy digestive tract. Living with a raccoon in such a small space, no matter how well they seem to get along, has to stress that bunny out. Plus, they can pass disease to each other.
That situation is not humane for the rabbit, OR the raccoon, who also needs a more appropriate environment to grow up in. If he grows up in a small cage with a rabbit, being handled by humans, he can't be released into the wild. He's illegal as a pet. What are they going to do with him?
If the vet can't find a more appropriate way to handle both the rabbit and the raccoon, that's completely irresponsible. He may have started out trying to do right by them both, but I would consider that living situation actually cruel for the bunny.
Sorry to be such a downer - the raccoon IS adorable, he just shouldn't be there! I agree with continuing to look at other options for your long-term vet.
But to end on a positive note - yay for Lily being okay! Fingers crossed that the blood tests turn out all right.
As a wildlife rehabilitation specialist, I agree that the raccoon should be with a rehabber AND other raccoons, so that he knows he's a coon and not a rabbit. However, I do applaud the vet for not calling Orange County Animal Services, which euthanizes all raccoons, regardless of health or age. I do not agree with him allowing others to handle it, because if it scratches or bites someone, it must be euthanized to be checked for rabies. I would never risk the life of a raccoon in my care by letting someone pet it. As for the raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris, as far as I know, we haven't seen it in Florida yet.
ReplyDeleteAs for the smelly clinic, it could be a simple as a cat that won't use the litter box. One of my cats came to us because she was peeing in the clinic. I know of several very caring vets in the Orlando area that I could recommend if you'd like. I can also recommend several very caring wildlife rehabbers that would probably be willing to help with the raccoon. You sound like wonderful, caring owners, and I think your pets are lucky to have you! P.S. If anyone in the entral Florida area is interested in helping to raise wildlife babies (to be released in the wild), please let me know. It is really rewarding.
When my kitty, Burrito, lost a lot of weight (2.5 lbs) and was peeing more, he went in to the vet and it was confirmed that he was diabetic. If your vet checked for thyroid I'm sure they checked for this too but wanted to throw it out there just in case.
ReplyDeleteGlad your kitty is ok! If it's any consolation, we have done much worse-- we put the frontline meant for our 70+ lb dog on our 8 lb cat. I noticed he was shaking a few minutes later and we rushed him to the ER vet. He is fine :)
ReplyDeleteWe moved to North Carolina where the cockroaches are big enough to ride. I bought the big ole' roach traps and on New Years eve went partying with my hubby. We came home tipsy but happy to find my dog had eaten every single trap. HYSTERICAL me (keep in mind I'm a nurse and I am always the calm one in a crisis) thankfully said hubby remained calm and called the company.. lucky for me the roach killers are safe for dogs (and humans) to eat. What? Seriously? Yes, only kill bugs.
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