Our Pets- Consolers (Four Legged, Two Legged, Fur, Finned)

[shalady]

I'm glad he is walking on it. That is a good sign. Your keeping him in quiet mode will be good. I am sure you will have a good birthday for him. Hope he continues to improve.

Shalady

[kayc]

I was finally able to examine his paw more closely, I saw nothing. I felt around each one. He pulled back when I touched the large back one, so I'm sure that's the one that hurts, but I didn't find anything in or around it, so I think it's just bruised (hoping). He's having a quiet day today, reminding him to walk slow, he's limping a bit. Thanks for your concern!

[shalady]

That's great you know where it is. He may have just been running and hit a stone or something. You probably would see if it had a cut on it. Quiet days can be good, even for dogs. Feel better soon Arlie.

Shalady

[Wifflesnook]

Just an update on Kelbi. I haven't been to the vet yet because my lovely friend Sandra hasn't been available. Kelbi isn't a bit bothered by the lump and now it's half term so our daughter and her two littlies are coming to stay. So it won't be until,the following week that I take her to the vet and I think he/she will take a sample and I'm hoping it will just be a lipoma. It's big but no bigger I think. I will let you know and thanks so much for concern.

[kayc]

Arlie has had a tumor ever since I got him, they've never tested it, they just said to keep an eye on it, if it grows to let them know. I don't think it's gotten much bigger and it's been six years. He has a new one that I am keeping an eye on and hoping it doesn't get any bigger.

I hope Kelbi's turns out to be nothing. I know how it is to worry about our fur babies!

[feralfae]

Jan,

I hope Kelbi's lump is nothing to worry about, and in most cases, they are.

Kay, I am glad you found what is wrong with Arlie. They bruise so easily, I think. I know that is a relief.

[shalady]

Hope Kelbi does well at vet. I too have had dogs, not cats, with tumors. They never amounted to any problem and hope this is the case here.

Hope Arlie is feeling better today. Happy birthday Arlie.

Shalimar

[Wifflesnook]

Thanks to everyone. I'm not worrying too much now

[KarenK]

No more little paws padding silently around the house. No more welcoming meows as I fill his food dish.

At 3 AM this morning, I took our sweet cat to the 24 hr. vet. His health had been gradually failing and our vet said it was just signs of his nearing his time. He was 15+ years old. He had all but stopped eating, drinking, etc & preferred to just lay quietly in a dark place & until last night showed no signs of being in distress. After a couple of hours of raspy mewing, I noticed he was having difficulty breathing & was suffering. The vet said the humane thing to do was to let him go, so that is what I did.

He was Ron's little buddy. In fact, the last picture I have of Ron taken 3 months before he left is of him & the cat together. So, if there is a Heaven, I know they will find each other.

RIP Batman

[enna]

Oh my dear Karen,

I am so sorry about your Batman. I am sure that Batman has found Ron and that they are together once again.

Anne

[kayc]

Oh Karen, I am so sorry. (My daughter had a cat named Batman too.) I'm sure Ron is taking care of him until you can all be together again. It's going to feel strange for a while as you miss the nuances and routines the two of you had together. It does no good to tell you you've had way too much, more than your share, it seems unfair because it is unfair. I am just so sorry. Sending you big hugs tonight and prayers for you.

[Queeniemary]

So very sorry about Batman, Karen. It is so hard to lose one of our furry family members. Such a hard thing to do, but so wise, and the best thing for Batman to stop the suffering. Thinking of you today.

QMary

[Queeniemary]

Jan and Kay, thinking of you both, with your concerns for your fur babies. Hope both are all right.

QMary

[Queeniemary]

Had an unusual thing happen this morning. I have a large fenced back yard. After Sassy came in (rather quickly) after her business, I was looking out the French doors, and for a minute thought I saw little Faith. On the other side of the fence, a neighbor who has several dogs was walking the dogs, and two of them were right by my fence, almost looking like they were inside. The small dog looked a little like Faith,(tri colored) though not a corgi, I had to look twice. Then the other dog came near the fence....and it was a big black shepherd type of dog with a white patch....reminded me very much of Sheba. Sheba was our big rescued dog that I had to have put down the day after Mike died. Kind of made me feel they were visiting. It was not sad, kind of a good feeling. I knew they were not Faith and Sheba, but for a brief moment, time went backwards, and I enjoyed it. Here is a picture of Mike with all three.

QMary

[shalady]

So sorry Karen. I know firsthand how hard that is. You did the best for your little one so there is no suffering. You are all in my prayers.

Shalady

[shalady]

QMary, I am glad you had a good memory. I love the picture. Our animals mean so much to us, and the picture says it all.

Shalady

[MartyT]

Oh Karen, I just now saw your post above about your fur baby. I am so very sorry for your (yet another) loss. I do hope it brings you comfort to think of Ron and Batman finding one another in Heaven, across that Rainbow Bridge. When your time comes, just think of the welcoming committee you'll have there to greet you, too! You are in my heart today. ♥

[KarenK]

Funny how you get used to having a little pet around. Every time I go in the kitchen, I expect this little black body at my feet begging for some of whatever it is. He could never figure out that he was not human & thus thought he should eat whatever I did.

Off to the dentist to get my bad tooth pulled(finally). Have been putting it off for a long time.

Karen

[kayc]

I think God's greatest gift to us was our furbabies, they are so guileless and loving! We never do stop missing them, and my heart goes out to you.

Karen, good luck with your tooth, I hope you don't feel too bad tonight.

[kayc]

I have a HUGE POSITIVE to share: I was too upset and too tired to come here last night.

As soon as I got home from the senior site yesterday, I got a message that I needed to go back down to the church and sign and mail a check that someone hadn't gotten to me the day before when I was working there, so I had to make a special trip (24 miles) down there. I decided to take Arlie with me and take him to the park to walk. We got done and stopped in to my his "Aunt Peggy" who lives across from the park, just off the highway. She mentioned that the birds were upset because she didn't have food out and she'd have to have Bert fill it that night. I told her I could do it, and I was preparing to take it outside when she got in front of me, blocking me from the front door, and she flung the door wide open, letting Arlie escape. After I got around her, I hurried to shut the front gate...that's when I heard her say it wouldn't help, that the fence is completely down in the back yard. He was gone. This is right next to a busy highway that constantly has big semis barreling down it...coming downhill, going too fast, unable to stop...

I wanted to freak out! I was so scared for my baby! I called him and called him, nothing. I asked my sister if she had anything to help me get him back, she brought out some cheese. Although Arlie likes cheese, I knew he wouldn't give up his freedom for it. He did finally come back, just out of arm's reach, and if I tried to grab him, he'd back up further or run off. I told her we'd never get him back with cheese, didn't she have anything with a stronger scent, some meat, pizza, something? She said she had one hotdog left in the refrigerator, I told her that would do it. I got it out of the refrigerator and told her to let me handle it (I've got experience getting him back). I tossed him a bite for tasters, and then turned and went to the house and sure enough he followed as I threw it on the floor. He lunged for the hot dog and I got the door shut!

All night last night, I couldn't help thinking what could have happened. It scared me to death, the thought that I might not have had another day with him. I felt very grateful indeed for answered prayer (I was praying plenty when he was out!).

[Froggie4635]

Dear Kay,

I had the same feeling one day. My friend came over to see me just after Mark passed. She seemed to unexpectedly be receiving a lot of phone calls. Well she went out on the front porch to talk and my Max was circling the door. Well, my friend wasn't paying attention and Max ran out the front door. I had another friend visiting at the same time and we ALL went running out the front to try and corral him back into the house. He is a little 14 pound terrier who moves VERY fast. We got him up into the house before any cars came down the street. Max once gave Mark and I a scare. He crawled through our back fence into the neighbors yard (must have heard something that intrigued him). Before we knew that was where he went, both Mark and I were calling and calling...Mark went out the front door calling. Finally Mark went and got a ladder to peek over the fence, and there was Max. He didn't move near the fence until Mark climbed over it. Then he darted into the yard and into the house. I remember seeing the color drained from Mark's face...he was SO scared and so angry. He picked up Max and scolded him and then held him so close. I have many pictures around now with Mark and the dogs. I can see the love he had for each one of them and it makes me feel all the love I have for him. I am truly thankful to have my fur babies. I know they understand the hurt I have right now. They sleep close to me at night. I am in my studio typing, and they are all laying on the floor surrounding my chair. I'm glad you had a good outcome, Kay.

[MartyT]

Oh Kay ~ I'm so glad to know that you got Arlie back safely, and I know from my own experience how frightening it can be when your dog escapes and will not come to you, especially when you know there is danger all around. Your story reminds me of my cockapoo Muffin, who was an incredible escape artist and would go through the fires of hell to get out of our yard. I wrote about it in my book, The Final Farewell: Preparing for and Mourning the Death of Your Pet. Here is an excerpt:

. . . But there was a part of him I knew I’d never own. He loved to hunt rabbits, and he would go through any obstacle on earth to chase them. Our two-acre yard was surrounded by fence embedded in concrete eight inches beneath the ground. Despite all our best efforts, when he wanted out, there was no stopping him. He’d spend days excavating a tunnel, just a few inches each day, in those stolen moments when no one was watching him. He’d wait until the coast was clear — then he’d be off. He’d be gone for hours, sometimes past sunset, finally appearing at the patio doors like some pathetic stray: ears matted with burrs, stuck into themselves at crazy angles atop his head; eyes bloodshot, lids drooping; paw pads cut and bleeding; body and tail covered with tics and briars and mud. One of the family would always be stationed there, ready to receive him. Tenderly he’d be delivered to the laundry tub in the basement, where I’d set about the long and arduous task of cleaning him up. I’d hold his weary head in my two hands, so grateful that he was home and safe, yet so angry at him for leaving us again — for causing me so much work — for putting himself through the agony that lay ahead for both of us, as one by one I pulled hundreds of tics and thorns from his bruised and bleeding flesh.

“Was it worth it?” I’d ask — but all I had to do was look into his hunter’s eyes, and hear the “thump, thump, THUMP!” of his tail which said, of course, “You bet!”

One Christmas Eve he went off hunting and was gone for four days. It was the saddest and most painful holiday I had ever known. I was inconsolable. How does one resolve that kind of grief? Was he dead? Was he hurt and lying in some cold, dark ditch somewhere? Had someone picked him up and stolen him? Would I ever find out what had happened to him? How could I go on with celebrations with family and friends when my heart was breaking? Shouldn’t we search for him one more time? How could I be so upset over a dog?

But, wonder of wonders, he did come home. A lovely grandmother had found him and taken him in. Although he’d lost his collar and tags, when her grandson visited and saw him three days later, he recognized him as our dog. When the phone call came, I was overcome with joy. In an instant, it had become the happiest and most wonderful Christmas of all . . .

[kayc]

Thank you for sharing that, Marty...it reminds me of the story shared over in Loss of Pet section, the person whose dog disappeared, only she still hasn't found her dog. Normally, if Arlie escapes, I don't worry unduly as we're on a quiet dead end street...he's never made it all the way to the end that connects with the busy trafficked street/ He stays close to home, enjoying his freedom, taunting me, it's like it's a game to him. But he's naive, not street savvy, and no match for the busy fast highway with 18 wheelers that can't stop for a dog in the way. My heart was literally clutched way within me and even now I don't think I'm over it yet. He has no idea of the danger...nor how much I love him and how devastated I'd be if he were hurt or killed.

[MartyT]

I imagine part of this wander-lust has to do with the breed of the dog, too, Kay. One of the things I loved about our Tibetan terrier Beringer is that he stuck to us like glue, whether he was on a leash or not. And he came when he was called. Muffin, on the other hand, took advantage of any opportunity to escape ~ and it had nothing to do with how much he was loved by us. I understand completely the anxiety you endured over this incident!

[enna]

Oh Kay, I am still breathing heavy over Arlie’s brief episode of freedom. I am so relieved that he is all right. It brought back memories of my Benji who found ways to escape whether it was when the front door was opened or when we were out walking around our Circle (no fence and all dogs had to be on leash). Benji was able to work his way out of three different leashes and took off after imaginary birds or rabbits. My heart stopped more than once and my Benji reminded me of Marty’s Muffin. I’m shaking just thinking about it. Thank goodness he returned to me each time.