Cat advise-urgent-

[MisterEnigma]

Good to read your cat's doing better. My dog is going through something similar with eating, he refuses to eat his dog food, so we have to prepare equal parts of chicken, carrot, and rice for him. He had congestive heart failure recently and fluid build up. He's otherwise healthy except for the random fluid build-up. The bills have been astronomical, so I understand the fund issue, and I encourage everyone who is considering a pet- please do not get one if you cannot afford medical attention for it, especially in emergency situations. You always have to be prepared. Also look into pet insurance, some people at work were telling me it's helped them tremendously.

 

[Watchingthetreetops]

Good to read your cat's doing better. My dog is going through something similar with eating, he refuses to eat his dog food, so we have to prepare equal parts of chicken, carrot, and rice for him. He had congestive heart failure recently and fluid build up. He's otherwise healthy except for the random fluid build-up. The bills have been astronomical, so I understand the fund issue, and I encourage everyone who is considering a pet- please do not get one if you cannot afford medical attention for it, especially in emergency situations. You always have to be prepared. Also look into pet insurance, some people at work were telling me it's helped them tremendously.

I agree with this completely. I got Merlin when I was a bit younger, more naiive. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have gotten a pet until I could afford vet bills. I would love to have a dog, but with as much of a panic I was in for Merlin and not being able to take him to the vet, I would feel terrible getting a dog right now. I'm just glad I was able to figure out what I could do for him.

If you're moving out on your own and considering a pet-it's just as expensive as keeping a person, and the hospital bills for them are about the same. Please-please listen to MisterEnigma's advice.

I'll keep your dog in my thoughts. I do truly hope he gets better.

 

[Jarrad]

I'd be stressed for my cat too.

One thing that you should do is (temporarily) try giving him a deli meat slice. If he doesn't eat that, cook up some chicken with no seasonings and give him some. If that doesn't work, he needs to go to the vet immediately, regardless of being lethargic or not. I really wish you luck!

This.

 

[Dustmop]

-snip-

Merlin is doing better. That's all that's important to me.

Dude, don't apologize. You couldn't take him to the vet so you asked others for their advice to help your baby; there's no shame in that, and there's nothing to apologize for. Kitty is happy and healthy and eating again, and that's all that matters.

I'm glad he's taken to the bathroom so well, and I'm glad he's feeling better. :3

And I do agree with investing in pet health insurance. We have our kitties on CareCredit, and it's just nice having the peace of mind that even if something comes up and I can't afford the vet bills RIGHT NOW, I could still take them in if something happens to either of them.

Good to read your cat's doing better. My dog is going through something similar with eating, he refuses to eat his dog food, so we have to prepare equal parts of chicken, carrot, and rice for him. He had congestive heart failure recently and fluid build up. He's otherwise healthy except for the random fluid build-up.

....I just can't help myself.
Rice and carrots won't do anything for dogs. It may make you feel better that it's balanced like people food would be, but as a carnivore, they can't properly digest and utilize plant matter like we can. tl;dr it's only putting further strain on his body to try to digest something so unnatural to them.

I truly am sorry for your pup's situation, though. I hope he gets better - sounds like a stressful time for everyone involved. :c

 

[Eldin]

Glad to hear he's eating and doing well! c:

 

[MisterEnigma]

I agree with this completely. I got Merlin when I was a bit younger, more naiive. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have gotten a pet until I could afford vet bills. I would love to have a dog, but with as much of a panic I was in for Merlin and not being able to take him to the vet, I would feel terrible getting a dog right now. I'm just glad I was able to figure out what I could do for him.

If you're moving out on your own and considering a pet-it's just as expensive as keeping a person, and the hospital bills for them are about the same. Please-please listen to MisterEnigma's advice.

I'll keep your dog in my thoughts. I do truly hope he gets better.

Yeah, when they're little, you don't realize what's ahead- they get old, they get sick, complications arise, they could get hurt later on down the road, and the expenses are just insane. I feel bad because I know people don't always think of this going into getting a pet, but it's sad when it happens, and can take you off guard.

Thank you, I hope so too.

- - - Post Merge - - -

Dude, don't apologize. You couldn't take him to the vet so you asked others for their advice to help your baby; there's no shame in that, and there's nothing to apologize for. Kitty is happy and healthy and eating again, and that's all that matters.

I'm glad he's taken to the bathroom so well, and I'm glad he's feeling better. :3

And I do agree with investing in pet health insurance. We have our kitties on CareCredit, and it's just nice having the peace of mind that even if something comes up and I can't afford the vet bills RIGHT NOW, I could still take them in if something happens to either of them.



....I just can't help myself.
Rice and carrots won't do anything for dogs. It may make you feel better that it's balanced like people food would be, but as a carnivore, they can't properly digest and utilize plant matter like we can. tl;dr it's only putting further strain on his body to try to digest something so unnatural to them.

I truly am sorry for your pup's situation, though. I hope he gets better - sounds like a stressful time for everyone involved. :c

I understand your concerns, but I wouldn't do anything for my dog that wasn't told to me to be safe by his vet first. He has been to the hospital and his vet, he encourages us to continue feeding him as we have. I understand it's not his natural diet, but it is all he will eat, and I would not feed it to him if it wasn't a last resort. He is very old, but we are doing our best for him. Thank you for your concern though, we're all just trying the best we can for him.

 

[Dustmop]

I understand your concerns, but I wouldn't do anything for my dog that wasn't told to me to be safe by his vet first. He has been to the hospital and his vet, he encourages us to continue feeding him as we have. I understand it's not his natural diet, but it is all he will eat, and I would not feed it to him if it wasn't a last resort. He is very old, but we are doing our best for him. Thank you for your concern though, we're all just trying the best we can for him.

I understand -- but most vets aren't well-trained in nutrition, and most vets are taught that dogs are omnivores, which isn't true. Not like it'd make a difference - they're taught that cats are obligate carnivores, and then tell you to buy Hill's Science diet, which is essentially an 8-pound bag of corn + "vitamins" that will cost you $40.
But that cut they get from Hill's is too good for most of 'em to pass up. Either way, point is that most GP vets are rarely a good place to ask about nutrition. I mean, you wouldn't ask about your diet when you're in the ER for a broken leg; can't expect any one doctor to know everything, and you already need to know A LOT more than the average human doc to be a vet.

I'm derailing. I do understand just sticking with what he'll eat when he's old and ill, I do. But animal nutrition is important to me - diet is a key component in anyone's health, and too many "common" diseases in pets are really our fault when you think about it - so I also know there are a lot of misconceptions about pet food, in particular. I just like helping/educating others when I can. c:

Glad to know you're aware that it's not his natural diet. Not enough people understand that.

 

[MisterEnigma]

I understand -- but most vets aren't well-trained in nutrition, and most vets are taught that dogs are omnivores, which isn't true. Not like it'd make a difference - they're taught that cats are obligate carnivores, and then tell you to buy Hill's Science diet, which is essentially an 8-pound bag of corn + "vitamins" that will cost you $40.
But that cut they get from Hill's is too good for most of 'em to pass up. Either way, point is that most GP vets are rarely a good place to ask about nutrition. I mean, you wouldn't ask about your diet when you're in the ER for a broken leg; can't expect any one doctor to know everything, and you already need to know A LOT more than the average human doc to be a vet.

I'm derailing. I do understand just sticking with what he'll eat when he's old and ill, I do. But animal nutrition is important to me - diet is a key component in anyone's health, and too many "common" diseases in pets are really our fault when you think about it - so I also know there are a lot of misconceptions about pet food, in particular. I just like helping/educating others when I can. c:

Glad to know you're aware that it's not his natural diet. Not enough people understand that.

It's obvious you're very passionate about animals, and I'm glad you want to spread awareness, but I can only do what I can for him in his last years of life, of what has been told to me by his vet. For twelve years of his life, he had been on the appropriate dog food and has had checkups regularly. Feeding him in this manner has not been an intended, prolonged risk, and so I don't think a bit of rice now will do any more harm to him then his other issues. But again, I appreciate the concern.

 

[Dustmop]

It's obvious you're very passionate about animals, and I'm glad you want to spread awareness, but I can only do what I can for him in his last years of life, of what has been told to me by his vet. For twelve years of his life, he had been on the appropriate dog food and has had checkups regularly. Feeding him in this manner has not been an intended, prolonged risk, and so I don't think a bit of rice now will do any more harm to him then his other issues. But again, I appreciate the concern.

Man, I was trying to drop it, what are you doing, lol.

Like I said -- I understand why you're giving it to him. I do, lol. I was only poking my nose in to be sure you were aware that it wouldn't be a healthy, lifelong diet for a younger dog. But I get it - he's old, he's ill, and you just want to keep his belly full and make him comfortable.

I understand