Dog Lover Lament

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John Evans
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Dog Lover Lament

Post by John Evans »

A bit off topic but need to vent! I'm a big canine lover usually have at least 5-6 or more around ,leader of the pack ? EH ! Anyway been down to 4 for the last few years and a few months ago my much loved German Shepherd boy died suddenly for no apparent cause. This boy was very loving and gentle unlike a lot of GSD's . After a few months I decided I wanted to get another GSD so started looking a the local rescues and county animal control . I have a female Vizsla mix that is very picky about her dog friends so she gets to interview also. Finally found a male that seemed to fit and Ginger also approved. Adopted him and he needed to be neutered ,picked him and got him home . Had no appetite and a bit of a cough ,normal after surgery.
Now to the point ! Second day still no appetite and worse cough ,got him to eat a piece of ham . Next day worse cough and would not eat anything. Rushed him first thing to the Vet and PNEUMONIA !! 4 days at the Vet and $1200 later now home and seems to be recovering nicely.
My luck sometimes is not so good,but at least he survived .
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BadDog
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by BadDog »

Glad to hear he's on the mend. Good looking fellow, good luck.
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NP317
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by NP317 »

Thanks for taking care of that dog.
He's fortunate, and will likely return the favor many times over.
~RN
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warmstrong1955
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by warmstrong1955 »

Your luck....maybe not so good.
The dog's....pretty darned good don't ya think?
Lucky dog. Will make for a lucky guy that took care him!

:)
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liveaboard
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by liveaboard »

$1,200! Ouch.
Some years ago I rented a place to a couple who were both American veterinarians.
One of them told me about how it works as a business, so nasty that he just didn't want to be part of it anymore, even though he loved the part where he got to take care of animals.

Can you get animal health insurance?
Otherwise, I would recommend asking around for a vet clinic with better pricing.

Here in Portugal, we pay much much less for good professional veterinary care, and the clinic still makes profit. We have some experience in this.
So; sorry to hear about the crippling bill, but good to hear your new friend is doing well.
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Harold_V
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by Harold_V »

America! ---the land of instant millionaires.
Precious few work for reasonable fees here these days. It's the American way! Most everyone wants to be rich, but they don't want to do anything that might lead them to the riches.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
John Hasler
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by John Hasler »

liveaboard writes:
Some years ago I rented a place to a couple who were both American veterinarians.
One of them told me about how it works as a business, so nasty that he just didn't
want to be part of it anymore, even though he loved the part where he got to take care of animals.

We get good service at fair prices from our large animal vets. He should have moved to the country and become a large animal vet.
John Hasler
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by John Hasler »

Harold_V wrote: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:11 am America! ---the land of instant millionaires.
Precious few work for reasonable fees here these days. It's the American way! Most everyone wants to be rich, but they don't want to do anything that might lead them to the riches.

H
Almost everyone works for the largest fee they can get and then thinks of a reason why it's reasonable. Some are willing to work hard, some aren't. There is a correlation with success, but it isn't strong. It's always been that way.

The veterinary business is quite competitive. Shop around. Some clinics cater to "you get what you pay for" yuppies who figure that an expensive location, high prices, and lots of advertising equal good care. However, $1200 doesn't seem all that high for examination, diagnoses. treatment. and four days of care (in the cities: it would have been cheaper out here.) Did you consider taking the dog home and caring for him yourself?
John Evans
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by John Evans »

I have been using this Vet for 25 years and she is still cheaper than most and MOST important she is Damm good !! Lab work however has gone out of sight ! Complex blood work up was $250 ! Care for at home ? Not a chance as he would throw up oral meds, IV was needed. Also nebulizer treatments X 6 . She has saved 4 or 5 dogs for me over the years that otherwise would have died or would have been put down by most Vets. Rex the second seems well on the recovery road wagging tail all the time and stuck like glue to me. Had one Dalmation with severe seizures ,she worked with different meds until we found one that worked. He never had another seizure for the rest of the 5 years of his life!
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Kenng
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by Kenng »

Machine shop rates (here) $80/ hr 1200/80=15 hrs
Vet rate $1200/96hrs=$12.50/hr
I think this is one of the problems with rescue animals and puppy mill operations you can never be sure of the health problems. I for one have to commend you for being responsible and stepping up to your commitment.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by SteveHGraham »

I gave up on dogs because their poop is a horror to deal with and they have very short lifespans. If I were going to get another dog, though, I would avoid the rescue route. It exacerbates the lifespan issue because rescue dogs tend to be older, and then there are the problems that caused the dogs to be abandoned to begin with.

A friend of mine is a big rescuer. She saw a dog being thrown out of a car, and instead of merely taking it to the pound, she kept it. It has pus coming out of its eyes all the time, and it keeps trying to kill her mother. It has to live in a box because of its neurotic disposition.

A friend of mine has a son who adopted a rescue dog right after getting married. The dog is crazy, so in order to make sure it was feeling secure and comfy during the honeymoon, the new couple dumped it on their dad and forced him to babysit. My response to this was, "Maybe this is an indication that this is not the right dog."

I had a shepherd I loved. His hips went bad, of course. I don't trust purebreds. Anything popular will end up with inbreeding issues.

I have two parrots now. The youngest is 22. They're both in the prime of life. Can't catch a frisbee, though.
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John Hasler
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Re: Dog Lover Lament

Post by John Hasler »

John Evans wrote: Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:22 pm I have been using this Vet for 25 years and she is still cheaper than most and MOST important she is Damm good !! Lab work however has gone out of sight ! Complex blood work up was $250 ! Care for at home ? Not a chance as he would throw up oral meds, IV was needed. Also nebulizer treatments X 6 .
Sounds like $1200 was a pretty good deal for that.
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