STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

lilyann · Dooney & Bourke

Anyone else have disabled pets?

laken1 · Hermes

I wouldn't say disabled, but I have a cat with asthma. He has to take medicine nearly every day & get shots. The funniest thing is that we got an air filter for our own purposes & it has made a WORLD of difference for him. He went from taking medicine daily to about once a week - a little more right now because the cold weather has him all messed up. But he has serious sneezing / wheezing fits when he's stressed (like if we have company or my DH is out of town).

And I've mentioned my little slow kitty, but I don't really consider her disabled, she's just not too bright. And he tail is crooked because it is broken in several places.

Isn't it sweet how your other cats mother the blind one? I think that is awesome.

lilyann · Dooney & Bourke

Laken Wrote:

Isn't it sweet how your other cats mother the blind one? I think that is awesome.

It is sweet and totally unexpected, because my two cats are house cats and before Brittany had diabetes they had a kind of forced truce thing going on- they didnt like that they had to share the same space, but they knew they had to. Sometimes brittany would get angry because they would get to close, or near her food bowl when she was eating- and she would growl, bark and chase them- never bite or hurt though. None of that occurs now though, I think she needs the extra contact now since she cannot see. She has a tendency to lay down as close as she can to me , so that she has contact. Of course cats love to be warm, and she allows them to curl up in her belly so why not take advantage.EH? Its curious to me that she allows them to groom her, but she now seems to enjoy it. Your cat- did she have this as a kitten or was it something that come on as she got older? Did your vet put her on any special diet? Are they steriod shots? I know astma can be both food related as well as enviornmental- kind of tricky to find out all the triggers. Thanks for sharing.

Metric · Gucci

My cat isn't disabled but she has hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) and needs oral medication twice a day. She knows when she needs her medicine and will meow and meow and meow until you give it to her.

Collette · Chanel

I have a cat with early stages of kidney failure. I have to give him an IV in the back once a day and twice a day a liquid medication in the mouth. It was difficult at first giving him the needles but now he just lies there and lets me do it. Unlike your cats who ahve started to mother your dog. My other cat attacks him as soon as he gets his mouth meds because he's a his weekest. She doesn't hurt him just pounces on him and swats him on the butt. she's a stinker.

laken1 · Hermes

lilyann wrote:

Your cat- did she have this as a kitten or was it something that come on as she got older? Did your vet put her on any special diet? Are they steriod shots? I know astma can be both food related as well as enviornmental- kind of tricky to find out all the triggers. Thanks for sharing.

That's really sweet!

I'm really not sure because he was my hubby's cat & was about 4 when I came in to the picture. From what I can tell / vet says it is environmental - we swear he is allergic to cats...

No special diet & they were giving him steroid shots, but my husband started researching the shots because the vet we were going to kept wanting to give him one every single time he had issues - apparently they can cause liver / kidney issues for him, so we switched vets & have him on medication only now (for the past year anyway). They actually switched him from 2 prescription drugs to Claritan if you can believe that! Well, he has the scripts too for when it's really bad, but they are trying to control it because it manifests as allergies? I don't understand it all & to be honest, I don't think the vets to either....what we are doing seems to be working though.

beachgirl · Kenneth Cole

Our chocolate lab has been diagnosed with colon, lymph node, and pancreas cancer. Right now, we are taking her to chemo once/week, and then daily we need to give her medicine every morning & every night (6 pills total), and since it's so cold outside, we have to keep her in a bathroom w/lots of puppy training pads. It's a lot of work, but, she's worth it! My least favorite part is that because it's colon cancer, it can get pretty ugly in the bathroom & it's not fun to clean up & redo all the pads/paper every single day! She's also a real finicky eater now, she will not eat anything other than lunch meat & cheese. We have been putting puppy chow in w/the lunch meat & then folding the meat & can usually get her to eat that, but it's definitely a process to get her to have all of her pills, plus liquid medicine, plus eat enough.

She's such a great dog, and such a trooper. She's adjusted so well & is such a sweetheart. It is easy to take care of her when she's so trusting & loving.