Pet stories: sometimes happy, sometimes sad

[TheMix]

I like it. But I'd go with "Pets. Can we talk?"

You don't want it to seem like you are actually addressing "Pets". Also, you shouldn't need to include the Joan reference. Those that get it will get it without the reference. Those that don't won't regardless.

If you have to, maybe "<Joan>Pets. Can we talk?</Joan>".

[hitbyambulance]

what's the standard dog adoption fee from a shelter? i'm used to seeing cats for $35-60 (and sometimes free). looking at a 11-year-old toothless yorkie mix with arthritis and the shelter wants a $500 fee for her... that seems steep. (the fee was only revealed after the initial 30 minute interview. here's the dog: https://www.emeraldcitypetrescue.org/ou ... gs/violet/ still have a 45 minute _second_ interview tomorrow, and only after that am i allowed to go see the dog with the foster family)

[Anonymous Bosch]

what's the standard dog adoption fee from a shelter? i'm used to seeing cats for $35-60 (and sometimes free). looking at a 11-year-old toothless yorkie mix with arthritis and the shelter wants a $500 fee for her... that seems steep. (the fee was only revealed after the initial 30 minute interview. here's the dog: https://www.emeraldcitypetrescue.org/ou ... gs/violet/ still have a 45 minute _second_ interview tomorrow, and only after that am i allowed to go see the dog with the foster family)

It tends to vary depending on various factors, such as the shelter's location, the dog's age, breed, special needs, and the services included in the adoption fee.

For example, here are the adoption fees from the Animal Humane Society:

Adoption fees

Thousands of animals in need of homes come through Animal Humane Society’s doors every year. Each has a different story to tell. Some are found as strays, while others are surrendered by owners who can no longer care for them. Many are rescued from animal cruelty cases, and even more have traveled hundreds of miles from under-resourced shelters for a second chance.

No matter how they got here or where they came from, they’re provided with basic needs, individualized medical treatment, behavioral rehabilitation when necessary, protection, and most importantly love.

The total cost of caring for and rehoming animals amounted to more than $9 million last year. Adoption fees help offset these costs, covering less than one third of the total. We rely on private donations and our own fundraising abilities to fill in the gap.

How adoption fees are set
We use a variable fee schedule to assign adoption fees. This fee schedule takes into account the animal’s age, breed, and size.

Some types of dogs and cats are less common and have a higher demand, so their fee might be higher. Other types of dogs and cats are more common, are older, or have special needs. A variable fee structure that assigns higher fees to certain high-demand animals ensures we have the funds to provide for other animals that have special needs and/or a more difficult time finding a new home.

An administrative fee — ranging between $5 and $22 — is applied to all adoptions. This fee covers some of the cost associated with processing adoptions and provides revenue that supports the animal adoption program and new initiatives at AHS.

If you need more time to complete an adoption, you can place an animal on hold for 24 hours for a fee of $30 for dogs and cats, or $10 for all other animals (note: puppies and kittens under six months of age cannot be placed on adoption hold). This taxable fee helps support the extra day of housing, staffing, and care needed for the animal.

Minnesota sales tax applies to all adoption, administrative, and hold fees.

What your adoption fee includes

Dog and cat adoption fees include:

• A general physical examination and behavioral evaluation by our veterinary services staff
• Canine or feline distemper combination vaccination and bordetella (canines only); age-appropriate canines and felines also receive a rabies vaccination whenever possible
• Deworming medication
• Flea/tick treatment, if needed
• Canine heartworm test or feline leukemia test (if age appropriate and meets testing guidelines)
• Spay/neuter surgery, if needed
• 30 days of pet insurance through MetLife
• Free follow-up examination by a participating veterinarian
• 60-day return period
• Free medications for the first 14 days (if needed)
• Free collar and ID tag (and replacement tags for life!)

Animals at AHS are treated with Frontline or NexGard for fleas and ticks, and HeartGard for heartworms. These preventative treatments are a key part of maintaining the health of your new pet. Sign up now to receive discounts on Frontline, NexGard, and HeartGard products.


Click to enlarge

…

Standard adoption fees
Dogs and puppies:
$129‒$767

Cats and kittens:
$39‒$317

Birds, rabbits, and other small mammals:
$9‒$199

[Daehawk]

As with human medicine Im finding these new higher vet prices to be bad too. I mean to look at a pet , take an xray, do blood work, give meds ...this runs over $200 In my eyes that same visit should be like see pet $20, xray $20, blood work with in vet lab $15, meds maybe $20. Thats $75.

[Anonymous Bosch]

As with human medicine Im finding these new higher vet prices to be bad too. I mean to look at a pet , take an xray, do blood work, give meds ...this runs over $200 In my eyes that same visit should be like see pet $20, xray $20, blood work with in vet lab $15, meds maybe $20. Thats $75.

[Sudy]

Pet stories ...good/bad/happy/sad They cant all be good or bad.

We'll, that's why I waited to post until we got the new kitten. I thought it was against the rules unless I had a sad one and a good one at the same time. But now I feel stupid.

[Daehawk]

Thanks Krak.

[Kraken]

Veterinary prices soared when veterinary medicine started to catch up to human medicine. Pets used to be second-class beings who received second-class care, until we started thinking of them as family and proved willing to spare no expense. Back in the day, we never would've spent big bucks to prolong a cat's life by a year or two. I used to joke about "The $27.50 Solution" because that was what euthanasia cost. Spending $1,000 on vet bills was just nuts. Sure we loved our pets, but they were just cats (or dogs).

Times changed, and veterinary medicine changed with them. The $27.50 Solution isn't the default anymore (and it costs considerably more than $27.50 now anyway).

[Daehawk]

yes and just like human medicine, insurance has inserted itself into the mix.

[Zarathud]

As with human medicine Im finding these new higher vet prices to be bad too. I mean to look at a pet , take an xray, do blood work, give meds ...this runs over $200 In my eyes that same visit should be like see pet $20, xray $20, blood work with in vet lab $15, meds maybe $20. Thats $75.

You are completely unreasonable about what goes into medical care, even for animals. All of that requires training, overhead and equipment that someone needs to pay for.

Vets love their job, but they run an expensive business that depends on training and knowledge. You might not value it, but it has worth and nobody should be expected to serve your pet for free.

[Blackhawk]

Not to mention paying off $200,000+ in debt.

There are things that could reduce vet bills, but those things are societal, not something the vet has any control over.

[Blackhawk]

So, Pippin has decided that we're married. He no longer tries to murder me. He courts me constantly. If I leave the room, he paces and coos. When I'm in the room, he hums until I pay attention (meaning hold or pet) him (at which point he purs.) It's nice to have that again, but I'd forgotten how much you have to take it into account to make sure they get the attention that they need.

[YellowKing]

My pup Mia has been afflicted with kennel cough for the past week and a half. A vet friend of ours said this summer has been the worst kennel cough season she's ever seen in all her years of being a vet. There's apparently a dangerous strain going around that can develop quickly into pneumonia.

Fortunately Mia's seems to not be too serious, just persistent. She's run through her full run of antibiotics but still gets coughing fits if she exerts herself too hard (ever try to keep an Australian Shepherd mix puppy from *not* exerting herself? It ain't easy!) We're not too terribly concerned because she's not had any signs of it worsening (loss of appetite, diarrhea, lethargy, etc.).

Coming from years of cat ownership, this has been like going from living with teenagers to living with a toddler.

[Daehawk]

Few more weeks and she will be clear of it.

[dbt1949]

Got me a corgi last night. Female 4 months old. She's going to be a lapdog as that's where she wants to stay. Slept with her last night, She got 6-8 hours of sleep I got none.

[Unagi]

Got me a corgi last night. Female 4 months old. She's going to be a lapdog as that's where she wants to stay. Slept with her last night, She got 6-8 hours of sleep I got none.

That's wonderful news.
Name?

I assume the rest of the family is going to help with some of the Puppy 'issues', cause they can be quite a lot of work.

[Kraken]

I like corgis. Sawed-off collies, I call 'em.

[Zaxxon]

My kids love Corgis, as well. Awesome, dbt!

I have a sad pet story today, unfortunately. I was out of town the past 5 days, and sometime in that window, the heater on one of my fish tanks died. Which would not be good, but wouldn't be the end of the world--except it failed and went permanently to the 'on' position. Fried all my fish.

[dbt1949]

I name her SusieQ. She's supposed to be potty trained. We'll see.
Went away this morning for a few hours. I guess she cried so much my daughter in laws son had to babysit. She sure was happy to see me.

[Daehawk]

Susie Quattro was a cool singer in the 70s.

[Blackhawk]

I name her SusieQ. She's supposed to be potty trained. We'll see.

Good choice!! That was the name of my first dog, clear back in the mid-70s.

[Jaymon]

For while , maybe 2 or 3 months, we have been feeding a stray cat on our porch. He came occasionally, and then consistantly, and then stayed on our porch. Then he chased off the othr strays, and eventually we were able to pet him, we got him a littl house which he refused to use, a heting pad which he really liked, and a toy.

he was sick, we knew that becuase of sniffling and difficulty breathing, so I took him to the vet a coupeweeks back for a general anti-viral. We had him inside overnight for that, and he tore up the bathroom deperate to get out, and pissed all over the mattress despite the presece of a fresh litter box.

So we decided that if we were to adopt him, he would be an outside cat, despite the fat we don't really agree with that philosophy.

Last week, we scooped him upagain, and took him in for neutering and other basic vet service.

The doctor called soetime later, bloodwork says he has FIV, feline imunodeficiency virus.
Its uncurble, and if left outside he proably will get sick and die. The breathing issues we are seeing is becuase his "stage" is advanced, despite him being (guess) maybe 2 years old.

Although there re supposedly shelters that will take in FIV cats we mde the decision to adopt him as an inside cat, and see if we can give hi a comfortable life. So our house is topsy turvy, because we were not ready fr another cat right at this moment.


We had had some introductions to the other cats but they are wary, they can tell he is sick, we think. He acts sik, not just becuase he has trouble breathing, but becuase he is very low energy. Not once has he gotton the zoomies. He will play with the string but he gets tired quickly. He prefers to just lay next to you and cuddle, which is the same thing our 17 year old asthma cat does.


Previously, I had built a contraption out of baby gates to quarantine half the house, but it was somewhat of a pain. Now there is an actual product I can use. That makes me quite happy.

[Zaxxon]

That stinks--kudos to you for doing what you can for him.

[Daehawk]

Kraken has a cure for FIV but its very expensive.

[hitbyambulance]

We had had some introductions to the other cats but they are wary, they can tell he is sick, we think. He acts sik, not just becuase he has trouble breathing, but becuase he is very low energy. Not once has he gotton the zoomies. He will play with the string but he gets tired quickly. He prefers to just lay next to you and cuddle, which is the same thing our 17 year old asthma cat does.


Previously, I had built a contraption out of baby gates to quarantine half the house, but it was somewhat of a pain. Now there is an actual product I can use. That makes me quite happy.

you are quarantining him from the other cats, right? FIV is highly transmissible to other cats through blood (bites especially) https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments ... -virus-fiv

Kraken has a cure for FIV but its very expensive.

that's FIP.

https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2020-01 ... ack-market


FIV has no cure.

[Daehawk]

Oh shit my bad Im sorry.

[Kraken]

Kraken has a cure for FIV but its very expensive.

FIP is Kitty Covid; FIV is Kitty AIDS. Some cats can live with it for quite a few years if you can protect them from other infections. This doesn't sound like one of those cases. Kudos for wanting to give him a comfortable life.

[Jaymon]

correct, its infectious through bites. Real bites, not play bites. We are being careful with integration to make sure there is no fighting.
And if there is some cats that won't get along with him, well, we don't really want to divide the house in half, but if we have to, then we have to.

[Alefroth]

For the pigeon fans.

Often overlooked as a nuisance, pigeons are actually highly intelligent animals that can remember faces, see the world in vivid colors, navigate complex routes, deliver news and even save lives.

[dfs]

FIV is Kitty AIDS. Some cats can live with it for quite a few years if you can protect them from other infections. This doesn't sound like one of those cases. Kudos for wanting to give him a comfortable life.

yeah, I lost a cat to FIV. He was a 2 year old male and we had no clue he was sick till his lungs started filling with fluid. We had to do the humane thing and put him down. That was a very sad day. Kudos to you Jaymon.

[Blackhawk]

For the pigeon fans.

Often overlooked as a nuisance, pigeons are actually highly intelligent animals that can remember faces, see the world in vivid colors, navigate complex routes, deliver news and even save lives.

We have pigeon fans?



They're the result of ~10,000 years of human domestication and breeding. They're extremely smart birds, as anyone who's spent much time with them can tell you. Mine can absolutely recognize everyone in the household by face, by voice, and by routine. They know where they're allowed to go and where they're not. They know their names. They can tell when a five-hour span is over to within 15 minutes. And their vocalizations are way more complex than most people realize.

[Alefroth]

For the pigeon fans.

Often overlooked as a nuisance, pigeons are actually highly intelligent animals that can remember faces, see the world in vivid colors, navigate complex routes, deliver news and even save lives.

We have pigeon fans?

Well, you and me, and I thought Smoove was because of his love for Hatoful Boyfriend.

[Smoove_B]

It's been like 9 years and I still think of the story I experienced in that game.

[Alefroth]

[naednek]

Toby, our yorkie poodle is at the vet getting checked out. He threw up between 3 and 5am. 1 time was barely anything, 2nd time some black thing came out, 3rd one was holy crap that was a lot. It looked like poop. We cleaned it up and threw it in a bag, stuck it in the garage and went back to bed. Toby wouldn't eat this morning and was laying around, stomach gurgling. I went to inspect what he dished out and saw that he ate and swallowed one of my daughter's hair ties (3rd time this has happened now) and some other foreign object we can't identify.

So far, $1k. Thank God for insurance.

I'm taking my daughter with me today to pick up Toby and hoping I can get the Dr to give my daughter the riot act because none of my talks seem to sink in.

[dbt1949]

Damn sorry to hear that. My first thought was the black thing was blood. Hope I'm wrong. Been a long time since I went to the vet (they said I needed to be neutered) But 1K seems high. I'd of paid it too.

[YellowKing]

Here's a happy story - I got a longboard for Christmas to cruise around the neighborhood, which I figured at my age would either be super fun or a complete disaster.

After figuring out not only could I ride it without breaking my neck, but I was fairly adept at it, I decided one day to see if my dog Mia would pull me on it. I was very nervous as Mia (like most dogs) likes to stop and sniff a lot, which doesn't combine well with rolling on a skateboard. But I figured what the heck, let's try it.

Not only was our first excursion relatively successful, she seemed to absolutely love it. She's an Australian Shepherd/Catahoula mix, so she has a ton of energy and loves to run. Me being on the skateboard suddenly freed her from my plodding pace to total freedom to stretch her legs.

We've now been on dozens of rides, pretty much daily, and she's learned how to keep a reasonable pace. If she gets too fast I have commands to slow her down, and she's learned "cross over" if we're crossing to the other side of the street. She also responds very well to the leash so I can guide her to either side of the board quickly.

For safety reasons we both stop when a car is approaching, but that's something I've taught her since we first got her so she's automatic with it. If she sees a car she stops and sits and waits for it to pass. Fortunately our neighborhood is not high traffic, so most of the time we have full run of the road.

It's now to the point where if I take her for a normal walk she looks at the skateboard like "Why aren't you bringing that?"

[Daehawk]

Never had a long board or a dog to pull me but sounds fun. i used to ride a normal board across town and in my area. I loosened the trucks so when i turned the board sides would almost scrape the ground. i could turn tight. But it increased the chance of a death wobble. I couldn't even stand on one these days without it flying out from under me and me breaking something.

[em2nought]

We've now been on dozens of rides, pretty much daily, and she's learned how to keep a reasonable pace. If she gets too fast I have commands to slow her down, and she's learned "cross over" if we're crossing to the other side of the street. She also responds very well to the leash so I can guide her to either side of the board quickly.

Neat! I'm going to keep this in mind if I ever get a dog. I've thought about both those breeds before along with Border Collies. Giving them enough exercise did seem like it might be a problem, but this or something similar seems a great solution.

[YellowKing]

I did some research on it beforehand to make sure I didn't hurt the dog or anything, but it seems to be a great form of exercise for medium to large dogs (I saw 35 pounds as the recommended minimum). You just need to make sure you have a good harness so they're pulling with their chest and not their throat.

My longboard rolls really smoothly and the neighborhood is very flat, so she doesn't really have to pull hard at all. She just provides enough tension on the leash to keep me coasting. If we do hit the occasional uphill grade where I feel she's having to actually pull, I kick off and ease the tension. It's kind of a neat symbiotic thing where we're both working with each other to maintain an ideal pace.