The past few days have been quite hectic.
On Wednesday we had to take our 10 yr old tabby cat, Cousin Eddie to the vet for a dental. He appeared to have a build up of tartar on his teeth so I dropped him off just after 8 am on the way to my Pilates class.
About 4 pm, Jane, the vet and a very close friend rang me up to say it wasn’t as smooth going as we expected.
Unfortunately he seems to have an undiagnosed auto-immune disorder and it causes the roots of the teeth to dissolve. He had a couple of teeth with holes in them that didn’t get noticed during his yearly examination. It was only under anesthetic they could be found. As a result he had to have both his lower incisors, those big pointy ones, pulled out as well as a molar. Jane was surprised to see there was little root support as the roots had dissolved.
She took blood samples and that was good and x-rays showed a bit of fading like darkness on the film. She referred to the spots as “casts”. So now Jane is getting her head together with a specialist vet and see if anything needs to happen with these “casts” on the x-ray. After I pulled $2000.00 out of my pocket (tongue in cheek) I got to take him home. Thank goodness for pet insurance.
Vets have so much new technology now a days compared to the “olden days” and it costs a lot of money and it is the pet owners who pay for it. Do not think pet insurance isn’t worth it if you don’t have it. I have used it so much over the years.
Cruciate ligaments x 4 or 5 with dogs. Neighbour putting down rat poison and all 5 of our pets were poisoned though cured after weeks of treatment. Snake bite to one of our cats resulted in overnighting in emergency vet office and a week in hospital only to pass away at the end.
Pancreatitis in a dog. The list goes on and on and pet insurance covered so much of it. You just never know what is going to crop up.
We are having to feed Eddie little balls of mince for a week or tuna straight from the can as regular cat food will get stuck in his wounds and stitches. The stitches will dissolve. He can’t have dry food yet either because of the sore molar. So we stand in the kitchen rolling small balls of mince, tuna and chicken pieces, the size of marbles, maybe smaller and he gobbles them down. We laugh that with all there is happening in the world we stand in the kitchen and roll mince balls.
Meanwhile our other cat Grizzy has to eat in a bedroom as he has all the food Eddie can’t have yet. Back to the vet the end of this week for his checkup.
I managed to get to the gym three times last week which really felt good. I also had a lovely coffee with a new friend I’ve made through Fullers book groups. I really enjoy this woman’s company and we met up for a coffee and had the best chat. We have so much in common and she likes cafes and books as much as I do. Another Fullers book shop benefit.
My trainer and I went out too after my session. We were working on balance and both of us ended up in fits of laughter on the floor. Who would think an almost 75 yr old would roll around on the floor laughing.
So all in all it has been a pretty good couple of weeks. This coming week looks to be busy so stay tuned for the next post.
Let me know how your week is looking so far. I really enjoy hearing from everyone and look forward to seeing what you are posting up this week too.
I am posting a book review of an enjoyable French book in a moment so look out for that.
See you there…https://travellinpenguin.com/2024/08/11/a-little-bit-of-paris-but-not-the-olympics/
Travellin' Penguin 
Oh my goodness! Poor Eddie!!! I hope by now he’s feeling better and you no longer have to roll mince balls. lol What a lovely area he had to recuperate in!
As you know, I am very grateful to have pet insurance for Miss Marilyn. It’s funny though because I actually looked at one of my pay stubs this week and didn’t realize that the amount they suck out of my check every two weeks for the pet insurance is more than the amount they suck out for the medical/dental/vision, combined, for me!!!! The things we do for our fur babies.
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Haha that is so true. Eddie is completely recovered now. 🌻
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Spring generally comes in August over here but this winter has been so wet that I think it might be delayed. Still, I expect an expansive carpet of wildflowers when I’m next heading north.
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I would love to see the wildflowers of WA. Hopefully I’ll get there.
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Thank for the photos- lovely space,– and the advice on the pet insurance…..I have never had it, nor have I had too many Vet expenses over the years for all my various dogs and cats– we always had multiple pets at the same time–have been very fortunate although there was one costly cruciate ligament issue about 15 years ago. Now I only have one little dog who is 16 and finally starting to have a few issues–mostly from ‘snacks’ she finds on our walks……lots of antibiotics. I notice that the vet prices have increased a lot over the last few years, so if I ever get another dog, for sure I will invest in pet insurance. It’s so strange to hear you talking about heading into spring when we are heading into fall here in Canada….and I have a couple of “christmas” cactuses…they bloom in winter here too. Usually one around November and again around March…..I think it’s because they need a couple weeks of very long dark nights to set blooms……. Regards Josée
Josée Posen Toronto
647 924 4683 cell
On Sun, Aug 11, 2024 at 5:11 AM Enjoy life with the Penguin and me..books,
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Thank you Josee. I grew up in Michigan but have been here 36 years now. I still can’t get used to the reverse seasons. Lol. Especially Christmas in summer and Easter in autumn. But I don’t miss the large snowfalls of northern North Aerica. Beautiful the first couple of days then a headache when driving in it😄☕️
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Bless him – I hope he’s ok. I don’t have pets but I suspect I would need the insurance as if I got one I would want to get a rescue animal…
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Most of our pets and certainly all the cats were rescued. They have big hearts.
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I finally gave up the pet insurance this year: I took it out because both our previous Silkies had to have cruciate ligaments done, but PetCover don’t cover that once the dog is 8 years old or more.
Plus, they were very shabby when it came to paying out on a claim for a broken tooth. The vet (of course) cleaned her teeth while she was under anaesthetic, and so the insurance people wouldn’t cover the anaesthetic because they said it was for cleaning her teeth.
So after years of paying out an ever-increasing monthly premium, I cancelled it and I’m putting the money in the bank instead. And keeping my fingers crossed!
I love your zygocactus, mine is still thinking about spring, but as of today the jasmine outside my library window has one or two tiny white blossoms so it won’t be long before the entire fence is covered in it!
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Keeping pet $in the bank makes sense but I’d probably withdraw it and go on a trip! 😎🌻. I didn’t know the name zygo for the cactus. Will try and remember it.
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Oh poor Cousin Eddie. Sounds like he’s going well. Glad you have some nice social connections. My zygote cactus – which is what I call it – has just finished flowering.
We have been in Melbourne this week. We’ve looked after grandchildren, been to a concert, seen the pharaohs, socialised with some friends, eaten out with family. It’s been busy but good. Not much reading!
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It sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve not been to Melbourne for ages.
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