RE: Vets losing your own pets??

Julian Earl — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 19:14:59 GMT

Another reply to my own thread... As I look at the images of Wiggo above and watch him amble around the room here,I realise that I can scare myself by worryng about whether anything could/will happen to him? He has bee such an integral partof my convalescence since 2012 and 2013, I cannot bear to think of any serious problem striking him down. We do live on a very isolated country lane in the Lincs Wolds with not much traffic but the thoughts are still unpleasant!! He is, of course, fully vaccinated but physically is well away from most other cats The other risks wouldbe a fox or even a badger, maybe a roaming dog?

He has been so important as a comfort really during my PTSD in the early days and the bonding I experienced with other pets in my life has merely led to these feelings now as well! Sir Wiggo the Maine Coone is no different tomy other pets in an emotional semse for understandable reasons I suggest!

Thank you. y family embarrass me by suggesting he is like a living teddy bear = a comfort? Maybe so I dunno, but something to care for that is for sure!!

Despite my obvious masculine and macho-personality I can still have strong feelings for my own animals can I not?? TIA!

RE: Vets losing your own pets??

Julian Earl — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:21:27 GMT

Thanks Arlo,I shall go through it myself if i may? Since my head injury I have lost much of my ability To concentrate properly, just one of the reasons making me give up work. Plus my left hand does not function properly! i think that those are justifiable as excuses but I shall continue trying to improve! Thank you for not simply deleting the post!!

RE: Vets losing your own pets??

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:34:15 GMT

Julian Earl Lovely story ... but a few spaces are missing in the text, so I am going through it, sub editing for you to make it easier for everyone to read. About half way through ... will keep at it ;)

RE: Ihave been veryopen about this subject myself! Iconfess tobeing as emotional sthe "worst of fussy clients [ if worst is the correct word?? I still dote on a dog, as in he familty talks about Caspar the Lbrador that we rescuedi n my relative youth,

Julian Earl — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:13:53 GMT

I have been very open about this subject myself! I confess to being as emotional as the "worst of fussy clients" (if worst is the correct word??). I still dote on a dog, as in the family talks about Caspar the Labrador that we rescued in my relative youth, in 1975 to be specific!!

I remember that I was revising for my A-levels and my mum came into the room to say that the Bell family, some friends had tried to rescue this Labrador again 2-18 months from two doctors at Adel in Leeds, who had not had the time to look after him properly?

Now we had lost our previous Labrador Honey, named g after the latest Blue Peter Guide Dog at that time. She had multiple subcutaneous tumours, maybe 20 to 25 altogether and the vet had put her on Leukeran daily, Chlorambucil, specifically for leukaemia in people. They had no apparent effect so we/I [or I really !!] increased the dose bit by bit until in spring I know now that chlorambucil was inappropriate and she did not, I believe, have luekaemia at all. No biopsies or blood tests were ever done on Honey!

Eventually she started bruising spontaneously and our vet said that these lumps must have spread to her liver!! Really? Honey did develop exercise intolerance and started collapsing into sternal recumbency out on walks. One day getting home from school, in Leeds as I grew up, my Mum said that she'd called the vet out and he had to hospitalise her so I ought to go and see her.

I had worked at this vets as a weekend job from the age of 13 until 19 then leaving for Liverpool University. Our lovely new neighbours, the Fairmans knew how upset I was and drove me to the practice at 5pm that Friday evening. When I got there. Honey was in her kennel, lying flat out in lateral recumbency but still wagged her tail vigorously and tried to stand when she saw me walk in!

With a lot of bruises under her skin, soon the senior vet partner appeared and sort-of-explained that Honey was in trouble. My Dad came to collect me at about 6-6.30pm and arranged to ring the vet at 7.30pm to make any further decision. At the allotted time I stayed in my own room but could hear my Dad on the phone eventually saying: "Okay, you'd better go ahead! And that was it I knew that Honey was gone."

I still went to work at that vet's the following Saturday morning 8.30 am as usual but had to avoid going into the "dead-body storage garage that was used!" I was not brave enough to risk seeing Honey's body that morning, NO WAY!!

She had been a marvellous typical Labrador. Extremely soft and utterly docile until my Dad pretended to attack me in a tickling attack whilst I was still under ten years? Then she would run at him and give her version of a growl, jump at him but never ever do anything serious. In fact when Honey was aged about 4 or 5 years old my Mum had taken her to obedience classes near Harrogate, eventually winning a gold medal for Honey's obedience! So I was utterly devastated by the loss of Honey and still have her obedience medal in our safe here! When my parents then talked of getting a replacement, I point-blank said NO, it will not be Honey so that was that.

As noted, I personally stopped the family getting a new dog until for some unknown reason the Labrador at Adel I said yes okay we can go and have a look but no promises!

Mum drove us there in her Yellow VW POLO on this very bright warm and sunny Saturday morning in 1975 and it was, no question, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

There was this Labrador sat on the front step bathing in the sunshine, tail-beating hard with his great big floppy grin that Labrador lips can make!! We walked down, he got up to greet us and internally I knew that my decision was made. We spoke to the doctors who said that their work schedule meant he never had walks so he had lived in their garage!!

My Mum agreed to pay them £10, I think, to "buy this pedigree Labrador" and I remember very clearly him sitting on the middle of the back, seat me in the front passenger seat turning to cover him with pats and strokes which of course, he loved!!

With a long pedigree he paid the price. After about six months he slowed down on his very boisterous walks, though he could manage 5 to 8 miles without losing his breath I think.

He was nigh on uncontrollable with other dogs and had, let's just say a strong libido! On some walks he stopped and leant forward onto his front legs before lifting his entire back end from the ground.

Our vet immediately diagnosed, provisional hip dysplasia and x rays were planned; then taken. This confirmed the diagnosis. He had large osteophytes on both hips even at his age of still being just over two years old. I still have those x rays, plus his lead and collar and his pedigree.

For all these years I was convinced that his pedigree name was HoneyPot Firestone but I cannot find this name now??

Because of his excitement with other dogs, although mostly he came when called, when out on his longer walks we could pass another dog on a lead and I would have to keep him on the leash for another few miles. As soon as I let him go again even 10/15/20 minutes later he remembered and raced back the way we had just come to find the other dog!!

I spent a lot of time running after him on those so-called walks, usually all the way around Eccup Reservoir for the interest of any locals on here? I just have to add that following her success with Honey at the Obedience classes it was obviously a good idea to take Caspar. So she did, with very limited success, his excitement eventually getting the better of him.

He did eventually learn basic commands these being "Come Here" "Sit!", "Stay", but most effective was "WAIT", which we used a lot. He seemed to know the difference between the last two? This being the time required.

My Mum persevered at the class until after one particularly bad week, she and Caspar were thrown out and told/asked not to return! Other than our own continuation at training at home we had to make do with what we had achieved so far!

The initial treatment option for his HD chosen by the vet was pectineal myotomy which had seen in an issue of the Veterinary Annual of North-USA. But this proved counter-productive.

Caspar ended up with a worse unsteady gait which I believe is caused by the loss of that one small albeit important medial muscle helping to stabilise the joint. Later on at Liverpool University in fact Professor Derek Lewis did a bilateral Femoral Head amputation, several months apart. These were undertaken in 1977, and after the first one, Derek Lewis said his bones were like concrete!!

That was done in August while I was away on a cycling holiday in Northern Spain so I had to find a phone to follow his progress! On collection that time he hobbled down the corridor to us but as soon than his second op was done, he ran, no bounded down the corridor to greet us!!

I've always thought that in his head was "Hi, I've been through this before, No Problem!!" Who knows? But he was like a different patient this time..! Go figure?

I developed a very, very close bond to Caspar and his antics still amuse the family!! Although extremely boisterous with other dogs he was extremely docile with my sister's two cats...Mork and Mindy!

I have a photograph of him lying on his side in front of her gas fire with one of the two cats lying on top of him! A wonderful picture, it truly is!!

As he got older he later developed progressive lameness in his forelegs with swollen elbows and a lot of medial callus.

I diagnosed OCD but never x-rayed him. We had him on PBZ at first, before he developed recurrent diarrhoea.

About this time there was an In Practice Article about NSAIDs in dogs and the human ibuprofen was described as very efficacious, so I tried this at the recommended dose and I have to say he walked/ ran vastly better! When he started vomiting a bit and drooled a lot, I wondered about gastric irritation.

I contacted Boots who replied very quickly to say NO!! NEVER use it in dogs, I had been using30-40mg/kg or whatever the IP-rticle stated and Boots quickly replied that they knew that dogs on 50mg/kg could develop acute and irreversible kidney failure within 48 hours.Wth this treatment having been based on an In Practice article I put all of this information into a letter published by the Veterinary Record at that time. But now what?? I still needed effective analgesia for him so re-read the IP:- article and contacted the mnufacturers on Ponstan Forte who sent me dosing regime on which I started Caspar. Although not as dramatically effective as Brufen had been it worked based on his improved exercise tolerance! I had also tried him on soluble aspirin which seemed okay and easy to give just mixing it into his dinner.I still have his food bowl somwewhere as well now that I think of it! **

Evenntually on the 30th August 21987 I made the decision that his joints, especially his elbows were getting too painful so he was euthanased during which I was holding him and swhispering my love into his ears at which he was of course, vigorously wagging his tail as usual, its standard activity!

A new pet can never really be a true replacement for the lost one or so I had thought until reflecting on my life with the most beloved pet I ever owned! Caspar the Wonder-Dog as someone once called him! When we acquired him my parents were in the process of starting a divorce so he may well have provided some emotional comfort tor even stability? in his later life my Mum revealed that although the doctors had asked for £10 for him, she did not pay so he proved to be an even better bargain! I do not think that I could love another dog as much as I did Caspar? For those who have read my books. Caspar is in the photograph sprawled over my lap as I lounge on my Mum's sofa in fact!!

This is all is my response to the question asked above . How Long did it Last? So far, just the matter of 34 years!! After all; I know that I would have risked my life to save Caspar and it was undoubtedly a mutual feeling so half a lifetime almost is understandable I would suggest? If you ask me in another 34 years I expect ,my answer will surely be the same! Thanks to my wife being a cat person the last one (Wiggo, as pictured above, also having a story behind him because we collected him on the day I left hospital after my life-threatening injuries in 2012. The physios were horrified by us getting a new kitten but he has been fine and is one of the things who brings me joy in my current state of depression!! He has hardly ever tripped me up so the physiotherapists fears were unnecessary it seems?* Truly bonded and a joy to be with! His name: WIGGO being a ginger cat with markings like ginger sideburns a la a certain British cyclist,Therefore; what with me being a big fan of the sport of course as well!

We never considered any other name!! We met Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2016 or so and he was slightly/politely amused by our choice of name!!

* The background is that previously I had a gorgeous silver Tbby named Horse after the cartoon cat n New Zealand and Foot-Rot Flats and he was besotted by me, yes really" He ould wait on our window ledge until I arrived home from work and when Imcame in he jumped down, ran over to climb onto my lap! In hospital for four months from August to December 2012 I was going stir crazy, desperate to get home, and thought how pleased Horse would be for me to walk in! But I awoke one night and remembered, Oh No, He had died the previous December 2011 and it was awful like he had just died all over again! So when wife Annika visited the next day I told her about my upsetting realisation and said, quite simply, Ithink I am ready for a new cat but very different from a silver tabby, maybe a ginger? Through the wonders of google she found a cat-breeder about 5-6 miles from home with some ginger kittens! They were Maine Coone crosses and Maine Coones are always friendly IME so she visited; took photographs to show me, we picked one and for the grand sum of £75 we picked up this ginger ball of fluff on the very same day that I arrived home from hospitals! plural because my return home was staged through a total of three other hospitals around here?Wiggo learnt his name fast plus liked the smell of hospitals or something becoming obsessed with licking my hair and head, which he still does to this day! If I develop alopecia, forget age, just blame my affectionate cat!!

Thanks for reading...!

! In fact writing all this has lifted my spirits as I reflect on the fun and love from my pets during my lifetime! The cat is not Sir Wiggo! , he just thinks he is!!

P.S.,

Above image = CUTE OR WHAT??

Wiggo at a few months old! A bit later but otherwise ditto!!

** Very sadly Caspar's lifetime preceded the development of drugs like carprofen and meloxicam that should have been both safer and more effective. But life is not like that...

What he really needed was replacement elbow joints!!

P'S. I hope that opening my heart this way isacceptable to everyone, because as noted it hasproved important and effectivein liftingmy own spirits! Love has way of doing that I guess?