That’s not a very expensive thing to have treated. There is some cost, for occasional testing to make sure the dose is right and for the pills, but not generally very high as vet costs go. Maybe they were really broke; or maybe they didn’t think they’d be able to pill her? I’ve found that usually gets easier over time.
That is so kind of you! I didn’t go completely rogue with this one- I’m fostering, but she’s still a shelter cat, so they’re covering her veterinary expenses. However, if you (or anyone) want to donate to a shelter local to you in Europa’s name, I would appreciate that! It’s kitten season everywhere and shelters need lots of boring cleaning supplies (mop heads, bleach, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.) and some kitten-specific stuff like these microwaveable heating discs, this heartbeat snuggle puppy, miracle nipples, and kitten formula.
Things here never stay steady for long. My foster dog was adopted on Saturday (a very nice family) and I thought it would be best to just stick to my one (high-needs) dog for a few weeks. After all, I’ve got the kittens and they’re going to be more work as they become more independent from their mom, so I’ve got my hands full!
… But the shelter got a call from a local police department who had just arrested a guy who had been living in his car with his dog for a long time. The guy was going to be locked up for quite a while and the dog needed somewhere to go. This time, the shelter actually had a spot for him. But when he arrived, it was evident that he’s blind and deaf. A kennel isn’t the right environment for a deafblind dog. So… he had to come home with me. Obviously. Meet Bobby!
Hi Bobby! you look pretty relaxed for a dog in what must be a really confusing situation. I guess SurrenderDorothy must smell right, no?
I hope the locked up person has been told that Bobby’s being taken care of, and in a home not a crowded kennel. Whatever they’re being locked up for (I hope not for just living in their car!), they seem to have cared about the dog.
Heck, my 10 year old adoptee Freddie Mercury (Merc or Mr. Cat) is on thyroid pills, a quarter pill twice a day, and after a few times popping his mouth open to drop it in, he got paranoid about coming near me at mealtimes, so now I crush the quarter pill in his dish and mix it into a packet of Friskies Lil Gravies, which he laps right up.
Previous thyroid cats who were defiant about taking pills got a compounded salve rubbed into the inner surface of their ears, usually while they were busy eating. Pricier than the pills but easy peasy.
What a beautiful pup!
There’s so much sadness in some of these latest posts in Pet Pictures, but I bet that Bobby is nevertheless somehow a happy doggie, because dogs are just like that.
Do you have any idea how he came to be deaf and blind? Is there anything that could be done about it?
As we’ve said here many times before, we don’t deserve them.
I didn’t think it was a good reason. I’ve managed to get thyroid pills into several cats in my life, including one who was next to impossible to pill.
I’m going to do better. Next month, I plan to adopt a stray queen after the kittens have been weened. I haven’t found her yet, but I know she is out there.
Welcome Bobby!
I am so sorry. I hope your handsome Spyder is able to help fill that hole in your heart.
My mother and I had Sydney treated with radioactive iodine. She had hot pee and poop for about a month, and then she was fine and no more treatment was necessary.
And thanks to all for your comments on Mikko. When my Mom and I got him, he was already named Mikko (a Finnish name). When Mom was born some 95 years previously in Finland, her mom had a cat named Mikko and so it seemed like a good omen to adopt Mikko number 2.
The more Bobby’s the merrier.
Also … not my pet, but an awesome Masai Giraffe at the Oregon Zoo today:
Oh, I agree with you completely, that would be a totally worthless, despicable reason to jettison the pet. About the only good thing about it is getting the cat to a home where it’s loved and cared for enough to deal with a relatively minor issue.
When I adopted Buster and Stache, brother and sister tuxies with multiple medical issues, from a rescue organization, I was told they’d been surrendered by a person living in their car. That’s a respectable reason for letting pets go. “Oh, he’s too hard to pill”? Not.
ETA: I did go the lotion route for thyroid medicine with two of my cats because the pilling stressed them out so much, and their other health issues made keeping stress reduced important. The lotion was quite a bit more expensive but so much better for their mental health, it was worth it.
Yeah. “I genuinely can’t manage to find/afford a place to live where I can have them with me” or “circumstances have changed and I genuinely can’t afford to feed them” is a respectable reason. So is “my health no longer allows me to take proper care of them, and there’s nobody else in my household or among my caretakers who can/will do it.” So is “I’m marrying a person who’s so allergic to cats that they can’t come into a house/apartment that has cats in it” (I know an actual case of that, though the cats were rehomed without needing a rescue organization involved IIRC; it was some thirty years ago. The marriage is still going strong.)
And “I can’t manage a $5000 vet bill, can we do palliative care?” is sometimes necessary – the cat/dog/whatever may still be better off staying with the human.
But “no, I’m not going to be bothered to learn how to put pills in the cat”, if that actually was the reason, is not a good reason.
This past weekend Kizzy (& my gf) competed in an agility trial. Kizzy absolutely loves the whole thing. I served as pit crew and am exhausted today.
Here she is proudly displaying her three first place ribbons. She had qualifying times in all three, and has moved up a level.
Zoom!
The height of jumps is determined by the dog’s height. Kizzy clears her jumps easily. So far in competitions she’s never faulted on a jump.
She came out of the tunnel and turned so tight to attack her next obstacle!
Good for her!!
Agility competitions are a lot of fun to watch.
Wow. Special dog!
Congratulations to Kizzy and to you and your gf. That is one happy dog! Just as with people, dogs need challenges and a sense of purpose, and Kizzy is clearly putting her heart and soul into these competitions and enjoying them immensely! That she’s winning ribbons is much less important than the fact that she’s having so much fun! 
She looks proud.
Wicked cool! Go, Kizzy! Clearly she’s having a wonderful time.