Who Cares for your Animals, while you are Away?

[summer slope]

My Bailey....also the name of my favorite adult beverage.

[CRUZBUDS]

We just got back from a cruise. A neighbor girl has taken care of our "boys" - Ronnie and Riley several times -- two of the cutest cats you've ever seen.

 

We got home Sunday. The small bathroom door was closed and we could see the light was on. Inside was Riley and his brother Ronnie was in the shower. We have no idea how they closed themselves in the bathroom, and Ronnie closed himself in the glass shower. They were happy to see us.

 

The caretaker said all was normal the day before.

 

We would have loved to have a video camera recording it. :)

Edited November 3, 2015 by CRUZBUDS

[Cruise_More_Often]

What a great thread! We have a dog (Missy) and an old (19) cat, and while they are still with us, we are limiting our cruises to seven days or less. Everyone in our family works (and we have imposed on them too often anyway), and we don't want Missy to get out at night and bark at the local possum, waking up the entire neighborhood. Luckily, we have found a wonderful kennel.

 

During our last cruise, we got a phone call from our vet telling us that the people at kennel had noticed our dog was having problems. After a round of antibiotics and a visit to the vet for x-rays, he discovered that Missy had bladder stones -- lots of them -- and the day after we returned from our cruise, she had surgery. We had not noticed any problems with Missy before we left, and had it not been for such alert and constant supervision at the kennel, who knows how long it would have gone undetected.

 

Here's Missy after her surgery:

 

Edited November 3, 2015 by Cruise_More_Often

[Krazy Kruizers]

Realize this has been discussed before but it has concerned me lately..

 

We leave in 13 days for two weeks & have the same concern about our Pup, Brandy, who is 15 1/2 as others have mentioned before..

 

Kids are out of the house & she is now our Baby.. Doxi's normally don't live past 13 or 14..But the lady who introduced us to Doxi's has one which I care for..

 

Her Pup, Fritz is 16 1/2 & is deaf & blind.. He has to be carried out four times a day to "tinkle" & three times to do his other jobs.. We had him for three weeks while his Mom was away.. Fritz's Mom cares for Brandy, who is deaf, while we are away..

 

I understand what Topsham went through when he mentioned babysitting for Benji, (on another thread) as it's worried me while Fritz was here.. I'm leaving instructions to our Vet for Fritz's Mom who will have "power of attorney" over Brandy while we are away.. She might have to make a decision if Brandy gets sick but we know she is in good hands with her "Aunt Libby" & cousin Fritz.. We already give her heart meds & meds for water on her lungs, but she still is a happy & viable Girl.. Fortunately "Fritz" Mom & DH & I use the same Vet, who is wonderful with our Pups!:)

 

It's so sad when our animals age & become incapacitated..:(

 

Do you worry about your animals when you are cruising?[/size]

 

 

How wonderful you dog is living so long. I can understand why you are worried. But it certainly sounds like you have everything in control in case of an emergency.

We wanted to have a couple of dogs, but we worked long hours and felt that it was not right to leave an animal home alone for 12 + hours a day. Then when we retired we said -- yes -- let's get a couple of dogs. But suddenly we found ourselves traveling more and no one to take care of the animals. So we don't have the worry you do.

Have a great cruise.

[take us away]

My parents gladly cared for our sweet cat of 7 years while we traveled and the cat loved being at their house. My mom was rapidly developing Alzheimer's the last time we took the cat to the parents. Called when we got back and said we would pick up the cat the next day. Dad's comment was - not a good day for that. As they were coming for dinner on Sunday, told him to just wait and bring her then. They drove into the driveway and I went out to help with the stuff (litter box, food, etc) but no stuff, no cat, just the parents.

 

Dad then calmly but with authority informed me that they were keeping the cat! Turned out my mom would talk to the cat, the cat would talk back or just purr at her and she was much happier and more calm. How can 1 argue with that, so lost a cat but gained a more contented mom. which also made my dad's life a lot easier. Sadly I never replaced the cat.

[serendipity1499]

What a great thread! We have a dog (Missy) and an old (19) cat, and while they are still with us, we are limiting our cruises to seven days or less. Everyone in our family works (and we have imposed on them too often anyway), and we don't want Missy to get out at night and bark at the local possum, waking up the entire neighborhood. Luckily, we have found a wonderful kennel.

 

During our last cruise, we got a phone call from our vet telling us that the people at kennel had noticed our dog was having problems. After a round of antibiotics and a visit to the vet for x-rays, he discovered that Missy had bladder stones -- lots of them -- and the day after we returned from our cruise, she had surgery. We had not noticed any problems with Missy before we left, and had it not been for such alert and constant supervision at the kennel, who knows how long it would have gone undetected.

 

Here's Missy after her surgery:

 

 

POOR BABY! Fortunately you too had a good Kennel & Vet who was excellent!

 

My parents gladly cared for our sweet cat of 7 years while we traveled and the cat loved being at their house. My mom was rapidly developing Alzheimer's the last time we took the cat to the parents. Called when we got back and said we would pick up the cat the next day. Dad's comment was - not a good day for that. As they were coming for dinner on Sunday, told him to just wait and bring her then. They drove into the driveway and I went out to help with the stuff (litter box, food, etc) but no stuff, no cat, just the parents.

 

Dad then calmly but with authority informed me that they were keeping the cat! Turned out my mom would talk to the cat, the cat would talk back or just purr at her and she was much happier and more calm. How can 1 argue with that, so lost a cat but gained a more contented mom. which also made my dad's life a lot easier. Sadly I never replaced the cat.

I cried when I read your post! But so happy that your Baby helped your Mom & made it easier on your Dad..Thank you for sharing your story..

 

Thanks KK for your lovely post.. We are blessed to have such wonderful caring Friends & a good VET.. Believe it or not our Vet was once Pres. of The Emergency Vet Group in our County & an Avian Specialist.. Many years ago, he actually operated on a neck growth on "Holly" our Pet Cockatiel.. She survived for many years.. Now he takes care of Brandy..

[serendipity1499]

We just got back from a cruise. A neighbor girl has taken care of our "boys" - Ronnie and Riley several times -- two of the cutest cats you've ever seen.

 

We got home Sunday. The small bathroom door was closed and we could see the light was on. Inside was Riley and his brother Ronnie was in the shower. We have no idea how they closed themselves in the bathroom, and Ronnie closed himself in the glass shower. They were happy to see us.

 

The caretaker said all was normal the day before.

 

We would have loved to have a video camera recording it. :)

 

Cat's are amazing..I had three of them before DH.. Twin Reds "Sutton" & "Surrey" & a talking Siamese "Rembrandt".. I could leave them for a long weekend as long as there were several clean litter boxes enough food, water & of course toys for them to play with.. Would often be amazed at what they got into. & couldn't figure out how they did it...

Edited November 3, 2015 by serendipity1499

[LindaM]

What a great thread! We have a dog (Missy) and an old (19) cat, and while they are still with us, we are limiting our cruises to seven days or less. Everyone in our family works (and we have imposed on them too often anyway), and we don't want Missy to get out at night and bark at the local possum, waking up the entire neighborhood. Luckily, we have found a wonderful kennel.

 

During our last cruise, we got a phone call from our vet telling us that the people at kennel had noticed our dog was having problems. After a round of antibiotics and a visit to the vet for x-rays, he discovered that Missy had bladder stones -- lots of them -- and the day after we returned from our cruise, she had surgery. We had not noticed any problems with Missy before we left, and had it not been for such alert and constant supervision at the kennel, who knows how long it would have gone undetected.

 

Here's Missy after her surgery:

 

 

We discovered our Westie also has bladder stones. They took an xray of her bladder a week ago and didn't see any in there. Just crystals in her urine. But, she is on special food....the Vet seemed to think this is managable. It cost $200 for the visit, but at least now we can leave her and not worry as much.

[Cruise_More_Often]

We discovered our Westie also has bladder stones. They took an xray of her bladder a week ago and didn't see any in there. Just crystals in her urine. But, she is on special food....the Vet seemed to think this is managable. It cost $200 for the visit, but at least now we can leave her and not worry as much.

That food is supposed to work beautifully. We have Missy on it now, hoping to prevent future problems.

 

These are some really great stories. Thanks to all who are sharing.

[RocketMan275]

I'm the poster on the other thread that started a discussion of pet care.

 

We have two dogs we rescued.

 

Doc is about 100# mix. People ask what breed he is and I tell them he's a "Showed Up" and then explained he just "Showed Up" one day. Probably Chow, Pyrenees, maybe some shephard. Gentle, easy going guy who's just glad he's getting fed and no one is throwing rocks at him.

 

Ginger is a 160# Great Dane who we found at the dog pound in terrible shape. Vet said if we hadn't gotten her on Saturday, she'd been dead on Monday. Emaciated, bladder infections, lung infections. She's on multiple medications. A very gentle and wonderful girl who is extremely affectionate. She's somewhere between 5 and 7 which is approaching old age for Dane. She had a tumor removed last week from her ear. Haven't got the biopsy back yet. We may not have her much longer.

 

We kennel both at our vets. We know the vet understands Ginger's issues and we know she will do the best for her. There is a young man there who wants to become a vet and he's practically adopted Ginger. We would probably use a sitter but we think the vet is best for Ginger.

[Barrheadlass]

Our cats, Sophie and Duncan, are cared for by a pet sitter who comes in daily. They seem to do fine, both will be 13 this month. When we get home, Duncan races around the house in apparent joy 😄. We board Stewart, our chocolate lab, at a kennel. They love him there, take him out to swim, etc. My husband always tells Stew that he's going to "doggie prison" but he doesn't seem to mind. My husband has lost interest in much travel. So now he often stays home while I go. It saves us a bundle, in both travel costs and pet care!

[kazu]

I'm the poster on the other thread that started a discussion of pet care.

 

We have two dogs we rescued.

 

Doc is about 100# mix. People ask what breed he is and I tell them he's a "Showed Up" and then explained he just "Showed Up" one day. Probably Chow, Pyrenees, maybe some shephard. Gentle, easy going guy who's just glad he's getting fed and no one is throwing rocks at him.

 

Ginger is a 160# Great Dane who we found at the dog pound in terrible shape. Vet said if we hadn't gotten her on Saturday, she'd been dead on Monday. Emaciated, bladder infections, lung infections. She's on multiple medications. A very gentle and wonderful girl who is extremely affectionate. She's somewhere between 5 and 7 which is approaching old age for Dane. She had a tumor removed last week from her ear. Haven't got the biopsy back yet. We may not have her much longer.

 

We kennel both at our vets. We know the vet understands Ginger's issues and we know she will do the best for her. There is a young man there who wants to become a vet and he's practically adopted Ginger. We would probably use a sitter but we think the vet is best for Ginger.

 

 

If it brightens your day at all, Kazu had one of those tumours on his ear and it grew at an alarming rate in less than 4 hours (discovered at 6 a.m., vet at 10:00 a.m.). It was removed and the biopsy was clear, but because it was growing so fast, we were told if we had not have caught it as quickly as we did it probably would have turned malignant.

 

I hope you get the same good news.

[Cruise_More_Often]

. . . My husband has lost interest in much travel. So now he often stays home while I go. It saves us a bundle, in both travel costs and pet care!

Hmmm, my husband hasn't lost interest in travel yet, but I like the idea of saving on travel costs and pet care. Wonder what he'd say if I told him how much we could save if he'd just stay home. :D

[Rowsby]

DH doesn't like to fly.....so we often take separate vacations...

 

But the biggest reason is having one of us at home for these two big boys....and we are lucky....we have family close by who will stay here whenever we need them....

 

[scm1848]

We are lucky to have a 48 year old nephew who lives nearby with his mom, and he is on disability. We have 3 cats and he loves cats. He moves into our house while we're gone. They get love, and he gets some "spare change" and a place of his own for a few weeks.

 

2 of our cats are 14 and showing their age. Please don't laugh, but my request to any of my past and current house sitters is that if one of them dies, don't tell me while I'm gone. Secondly, please just put him or her in the freezer in a plastic bag, so I can say my goodbyes and grieve and bury him or her myself when I get home. Weird? Works for me, although thankfully, I haven't ever had that happen while we were gone.

[summer slope]

Love all the pictures of the furbabies.

[serendipity1499]

Love all the pictures of the furbabies.

 

Me Too! I Love all the pictures & the stories, please keep them coming..

 

Never realized that so many of us also have aging Fur Babies..

 

Thank you all! :)

[CowPrincess]

We discovered our Westie also has bladder stones. They took an xray of her bladder a week ago and didn't see any in there. Just crystals in her urine. But, she is on special food....the Vet seemed to think this is managable. It cost $200 for the visit, but at least now we can leave her and not worry as much.

 

That food is supposed to work beautifully. We have Missy on it now, hoping to prevent future problems.

 

These are some really great stories. Thanks to all who are sharing.

 

Our current cat-in-charge had bladder issues and has been on the urinary diet for 6 or 7 years. It has helped a lot! (Just posting to add to the reassurance)

 

BTW we were at $1000s of dollars with her trying to get her bladder problems diagnosed and solved. When the vets more or less said "we don't know what is causing it, but let's see if urinary diet helps" it was a godsend.

[Cruise_More_Often]

Our current cat-in-charge had bladder issues and has been on the urinary diet for 6 or 7 years. It has helped a lot! (Just posting to add to the reassurance)

 

BTW we were at $1000s of dollars with her trying to get her bladder problems diagnosed and solved. When the vets more or less said "we don't know what is causing it, but let's see if urinary diet helps" it was a godsend.

Oh, my goodness. You must have been out of your mind not knowing what it was! It's good that you found the diet works.

[serendipity1499]

We just got back from a cruise. A neighbor girl has taken care of our "boys" - Ronnie and Riley several times -- two of the cutest cats you've ever seen.

 

We got home Sunday. The small bathroom door was closed and we could see the light was on. Inside was Riley and his brother Ronnie was in the shower. We have no idea how they closed themselves in the bathroom, and Ronnie closed himself in the glass shower. They were happy to see us.

 

The caretaker said all was normal the day before.

 

We would have loved to have a video camera recording it. :)

 

Your story made me think of the story Hammybee told way back in 2003 about her two dogs getting out of her garage & into a neighbors house.. Perhaps she will read this thread & come back to tell us again.. IMO it's one of the funniest stories I've ever read.. I downloaded her post & sent it to our Kids.

 

LindaM, Cruise More Often, & Cow Princess are you talking about the Hills ID Repair Diet by any chance?

 

Brandy had a bout last year of the runs & our Vet put her on that.. We give her some of the dry Hills ID & a little of the canned ID Digestive Care each meal with two tablespoons of yogurt which seems to work..

 

Since so many of us are animal lovers, does anyone ever think we could have a special cruise & take some of them along? Of course we would have to stop each day in order to give them walks & down time..

 

We used to take Brandy out on our boat for a week or two at a time.. Even bought her a special lifejacket.. Our Friends, who we cruised with, also took their dog on their boat...One day she saw my Friend, who she adores, on the dock & tried to jump out of the boat to get to her & fell in..Thank goodness she had her life jacket on! We just reached in & grabbed her jacket to bring her back on the boat.. That scared us so much that when she was in the cockpit we always kept her life jacket & a leash on her..

 

Love all your pictures!

Edited November 3, 2015 by serendipity1499

[Cruise_More_Often]

LindaM, Cruise More Often, & Cow Princess are you talking about the Hills ID Repair Diet by any chance?

Missy is on Hill's Science Diet Urinary Care c/d, both wet and dry. We were worried that she wouldn't like it, but our vet said dogs usually like it too much.

 

Betty, I've often wondered what others did with pets while they were on cruise, Thank you for starting this thread.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Cruise_More_Often

[chefestelle]

I used to put my dog in a kennel. It was a pet resort with 30 acres of off leash fun. She's too old for those changes now and so I keep her home. For short trips of a week or less, I have my dog walker or a friend do morning and evening duty which includes the keeping company part. The old girl is getting up there so mostly sleeps. For longer trips, I pay for a sitter to stay with her. We also have a hedgehog who couldn't care less if we were there and could go any day. He will be fed and changed as well but I don't worry about him. We leave the appropriate instructions. It can add up but it's all part of the cost of a holiday!

[CowPrincess]

Oh, my goodness. You must have been out of your mind not knowing what it was! It's good that you found the diet works.

 

We adopted her sight unseen from an online ad. Her owner knew she had a bladder problem, and couldn't afford a vet. She was a "free to good home" cat. I did offer to loan the original owner the money to get the cat treated, and we could work out a repayment plan. But her comment "My husband doesn't want her around any longer" told me that the cat had more problems than just a peeing problem.

 

Final diagnosis is "ideopathic cystitis" .... urinary problems of undetermined cause. She had crystals, but no cause was every determined.

 

She is on Hill's Prescription C/D urinary care.

[Cruising-along]

We are lucky to have a 48 year old nephew who lives nearby with his mom, and he is on disability. We have 3 cats and he loves cats. He moves into our house while we're gone. They get love, and he gets some "spare change" and a place of his own for a few weeks.

 

2 of our cats are 14 and showing their age. Please don't laugh, but my request to any of my past and current house sitters is that if one of them dies, don't tell me while I'm gone. Secondly, please just put him or her in the freezer in a plastic bag, so I can say my goodbyes and grieve and bury him or her myself when I get home. Weird? Works for me, although thankfully, I haven't ever had that happen while we were gone.

 

I'm not laughing. :) In fact that thought crossed my mind too, and thankfully never had it happen either.

 

Our last cat was abandoned at only 10 days old, I raised her with a bottle. For all of her 17 years she thought I was her "Mommy" and I miss her still.

[RocketMan275]

Anyone with any experience with dogs with incontinence? Ginger is a five to seven year old Dane. She's had issues since we got her three years ago. She's on Proin and that worked until the last few days. We're kenneling her with the vet on Thursday while we're on Oasis. See what she has to say.