PET'S CORNER

[Gloria]

It wont be cheap Wendy.
We had to say goodbye to our 12yo gsd two weeks ago, he was going on his back end but had other problems as well. We didn’t want him to suffer and decided the time had come. Our vet who has known him all his life was excellent, she even cried with us.

[Wendyf]

Sorry to hear about your dog Gloria.

[Gloria]

Sorry to hear about your dog Gloria.

He’d has a very good innings, we’d lost his sister suddenly a couple of years ago, sadly we are now completely animal less, never been that in all my life, strange.

[Stanley]

Try it for a while Gloria. Nobody thought more of their dogs but I find that I quite enjoy not having to clean up after, exercise and pay exorbitant prices for health care for Jack. Wendy is right, the mark up on drugs is terrible. Was it £40 for an annual jab? When he was put down it was £146 including cremation.
Mind you, it makes you appreciate the NHS!

[Gloria]

£136.93 for us Stanley.

[Wendyf]

The prescription was £12, I received a text last night asking me to go in and settle up. The receptionist who emailed it out to me failed to notice that I've had an account with them for over 22 years!
Dennis's last moments cost me almost £500, and that didn't include disposal which was £120 cash.
Last week I asked the loan scheme welfare officer from HAPPA to come out and see Sparky so she could give me some advice. Because of his lack of teeth Sparky hasn't been able to eat hay for the last 3 winters and I have fed him a sloppy mash to keep him going but this year he is struggling with grass as well and I'm finding clumps of chewed grass all over the field so he is dropping condition fast despite me feeding him extra daily. We decided that he should be euthanized before winter and I have Happa's full support whenever I think the time is right, they will even organise it for me if that's what I want. Jeanette advises against going down the lethal injection route, we will just get Brent the knackerman to do the job.
I look forward to a time when I'm not constantly worrying about ponies, but my field and stables will seem very empty without them!

[Gloria]

Brent is brilliant, as is his son, we have sadly had to use them a few times. We have only once had one injected, and although my friend swears by that way, I’d have Brent. It’s a bugger having these animals isn’t it?

[Stanley]

Sorry to hear you had to make that decision about Sparky Wendy but it's sensible.... What you need is someone to let you take care of their ponies and pay the expenses!
You both illustrate what an expensive matter it is these days looking after any animal.
My mind Goes back to the day when I accidentally broke Fly's leg right up near the hip joint. John Clark took him, sent him to Edinburgh, got it pinned, removed the pin later and saved his leg. The cost? 10 Guineas. Those days are long gone.

[Wendyf]

I certainly don't want him to suffer like Dennis did because I've left it too long.
Stanley House small animal practice are bringing in a system where you pay a monthly amount to be able to access their out of hours service, it's very costly to maintain and they can't get young vets who are prepared to do their stint on call. If you don't sign up then the service will still be available but with a hefty surcharge. Not sure what to do....

[Gloria]

Ring Brent when you start thinking the time may be coming, your instinct will tell you it’s time then.

[Wendyf]

I will Gloria. I've just signed up for the Emergency Care Plan with the small animal practice, an early bird offer of £10 a month to cover multiple pets, (1 dog and 3 cats in our case) it's £5 a month for a single pet. As emergencies always seem to happen at night or at the weekend it's probably worth the money.

[PanBiker]

Oh dear, only just caught up on this thread with both Gloria and Wendy and their animals, or other members of the family as I am sure they are. Difficult decisions but for the best.

As to ongoing costs we knocked our pet insurance on the head as it was increasing dramatically in price and invariably never covered what treatment was required. We have a situation at the moment with Primrose or last remaining cat. She needs some dental treatment but we are waiting for an appointment to check her thyroid condition via blood test to see if that is another issue that needs to be addressed. If that is a problem it will negate the dental treatment. Our vet has advised us to consider their own pet care plan which gives six monthly checks, all flea and worm treatments and would cover other medication and treatments. We have the literature for the scheme and it does look considerably better than our former insurance.

[Wendyf]

I've only ever taken out insurance for horses and have never bothered for the small pets, we have always had too many! Our dogs have always had their vaccinations kept up to date but we don't bother with the cats because we live in such an isolated spot and rarely see another cat. As for flea and worm treatments I use them if and when I think it's necessary, not on a regular basis as I don't like using chemical treatments when it's not needed.
For any Stanley House customers out there, this explains their out of hours emergency care plan.

https://www.stanleyhousevets.com/small- ... -of-hours/

[Gloria]

We’ve always kept dogs and horses vaccinations up to date, but not the cats, and we’ve never had insurance for any of them.

[PanBiker]

We have had one of our cats with feline leukaemia in the past which eventually led to an early demise. The feline jabs that cover for the main nasties are usually annually unless they need any other treatment. Primrose's teeth are likely to cost upwards of £450 if she can have them done. Not fully diagnosed yet but Thyroid problems could become ongoing costs. The vet deal looks very attractive in comparison. We do flea treatments monthly through summer as Sally is susceptible to flea bites having a compromised immune system and they can soon go bad with her.

[Wendyf]

This morning, with help and support from the HAPPA Loan Scheme welfare officer, Sparky was euthanized while happily grazing on a fresh bit of grass. Becky came to take Minnie back to her yard very soon afterwards. To be honest I'm relieved it's over at last, sad but looking forward to an easier life!

[Tripps]

Sorry to hear the news.

I liked seeing pictures of the horses. They were a credit to you, and very lucky to have you as their owner for such a long time.

[PanBiker]

So sorry to hear of your loss of Sparky Wendy. If treated and respected properly all animals are part of the family. Not unexpected though as I think you have said in the past, a loss nevertheless. As Tripps says a credit to your care but life should be a little easier for you without the responsibility.

[chinatyke]

Sorry to hear about your loss of Sparky, Wendy. A sad time for everyone there.

[Stanley]

You gave him a good life Wendy, many old horses don't get the luxury of a guardian angel. Sorry he's gone but that's a big load off you in terms of work and finances. Like me with Jack you might perhaps enjoy the rest and find that life without pets is quite good!

[Cathy]

Wendy, it’s very sad to hear that dear old Sparky has gone.
One good thing is that Dennis and Sparky are together again, and munching on even sweeter grass.

[Wendyf]

Thanks for your kind words everyone. Sparky was an odd little character who didnt make a personal connection with his humans, he appreciated being provided with food, shelter and protection from his dreaded midges and flies but he didn't show affection like Dennis did. Strangely enough I made more of a connection with Minnie over the last six months despite a doubtful start. I'm missing her more than Sparky but Becky has already sent me photos of her settling back in to life on the yard.

[Wendyf]

Becky sent me these before and after photos of Minnie. The first one is the day she brought her home from Clitheroe Auction Mart less than 2 years ago, she was 9 months pregnant and in a very poor condition. The second is yesterday, greeting her old pals and built like a tank after her lazy holiday with us.

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[Stanley]

As I keep saying, looking after these horses is treasure in heaven. I have nothing but admiration for both of you.
If you hit a bit of a down moment (they will happen!) think of the money that isn't going to be spent on the horses in one way or another....

[Wendyf]

It makes me sad to see my empty field and empty stables but glad that I'm free from the huge responsibility of looking after them. We can think about going away for a holiday!! Mind you there is Bruce the dog to consider...
The last few months I have been really worried about being ill or incapacitated myself because though Col can manage dog, cats and poultry now there was no way he could cope with the ponies. It's a weight lifted.