Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[BullChick]

Did you know Wal Mart sells dog aspirin? It is only for dogs over 20 lbs (which we only discovered at home when reading the inside label). I know our grocery stores do too. Sturgis injures his hind legs all the time. he is a jumper!
Anyone else hate how you have to pull that tab on medicine anymore? I hate doing it in the store, but sometimes you just have to know more info before buying!
One egg today. I gave pie.
On a side note, I have the quarantine pen torn apart, and someone was barking! I must figure out who. I can keep them in a small dog carrier. IDK what else to do. I don't have a large cardboard box.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Soooo, the story with Belle is a ruptured ACL (ligament in back leg knee). Just about keeled over when I saw the bill for the diagnosis, and the surgery the vet was describing sounded astronomical, so I was fairly distressed yesterday. I don't believe in putting an animal through extensive treatments and taking heroic measures on their behalf. You get them knowing that you will most likely outlive them, and their death is something you will inevitably have to face, and even shorten. I have been through putting an animal down more times than I care to remember, and many of them were not even my pets, but I was there to support my mom or sis with their dogs. I was even the one my parents chose to make their health care decisions (should it be necessary) because I was voted "most likely to pull the plug."

That being said, I turn into a blubbering sack of mush over the loss of anyone (person or pet) and hate making the decision unless I am sure it is the right time.

I wish we had the more practical kind of vets around here. Everything is about the latest ($$$$) treatment and most advanced procedures ($$$$). I became highly suspicious when the vet wanted to do a root canal on Belle's dead tooth! "Oh, we don't just pull them any more." Sheesh! Three years later the untreated dead tooth is still in her mouth and not causing any problems, and she's had it for over 7 years (I remember when it got injured). I should have been more skeptical of his surgery-is-the-only-option opinion for her knee. Going to start looking looking for a different vet.

Anyhoo, I am following my instincts and am going to try letting Belle's leg heal on its own. Found some good info about how to do this by carefully restricting activity, and then building the strength back slowly. Same thing my hubby did for his torn PCL. It's a slow process and the result is about the same as doing the surgery (!), but no guarantees. Good thing it's wintertime when she's naturally less active. We'll give it a try, and if there's no improvement, then we will have reconsider our options.

So for the time being, Belle's skunk chasing days are over. Oh, her new nicknames are Tripoddog and Gimpy.

I had a cat that was 16 years old and a vet told me that she had cancer so bad that she needed to be put down. I took her back home. I wanted one more day since the problem was her throwing up but I was convinced she wasn't suffering. He gave me a perscription to "Make her comfortable" because she would pass in just a matter of days. She threw that up too so I saw no need in forcing that down her throat. Next day she started eating and keeping it down. She lived four more normal happy years and died at 20 years old. RIP Little Bity

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hey MC, ya lost me on the barking and keeping them in a dog carrier... Them who? Is a stray after your chickens? I must have missed something (not unusual for me!

).

Thanks for the aspirin tip. Belle's not getting any anti inflammatories right now because it will impede the body's efforts to heal the problem. And I want her to feel the pain so she won't put weight on the leg until it's ready. She's not in any pain otherwise, only when she tries to walk on it. Apparently ACL problems in dogs are quite common. Surgeons are making a bundle!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I had a cat that was 16 years old and a vet told me that she had cancer so bad that she needed to be put down. I took her back home. I wanted one more day since the problem was her throwing up but I was convinced she wasn't suffering. He gave me a perscription to "Make her comfortable" because she would pass in just a matter of days. She threw that up too so I saw no need in forcing that down her throat. Next day she started eating and keeping it down. She lived four more normal happy years and died at 20 years old. RIP Little Bity

Good story, OK. A perfect example of why it's called practicing medicine! My sister has a cat that was supposed to die of some monstrous abdominal tumor. Been over 12 years now, and she is a champion mouser too (the cat, not my sis!). I'm usually pretty good about understanding medical problems, and know when something doesn't sound right. I trust a doctor who answers my questions, provides options, and has the courage to admit when they don't know something. Don't know how I started getting flim-flammed by the vet.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I saw you post this in What is this chicken thinking? and I realized I hadn't even seen the cat claw in the top picture! Ahhgggh! The Claw!

 

[cheeka]

he couldn't reach the chick so he came around the other side, wicked boy!

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Hey MC, ya lost me on the barking and keeping them in a dog carrier... Them who? Is a stray after your chickens? I must have missed something (not unusual for me!

).

Thanks for the aspirin tip. Belle's not getting any anti inflammatories right now because it will impede the body's efforts to heal the problem. And I want her to feel the pain so she won't put weight on the leg until it's ready. She's not in any pain otherwise, only when she tries to walk on it. Apparently ACL problems in dogs are quite common. Surgeons are making a bundle!

If it hurts her she will carry that leg and probably do just fine.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

SIX

SIX....Today We Laid SIX Eggs. Two eggs laid on the floor because the light went out.

I woke them up too early

 

[cheeka]

If it hurts her she will carry that leg and probably do just fine.

x 2. I think you have a good plan started for Belle.

 

[BullChick]

Well, it made sense to meeee! LOL. I think it was a BR. I need to pull her out tomorrow ... If she does it again. I am not even sure It was her. When I looked up barking, I mostly saw that a hen will do that when broody, laying in the beginning, or is acting like a rooster. Like I said. I will have to keep an ear out for it tomorrow. Then hurry up, and fix the brooder back up. I was tearing it down to make a small coop.