The Kat House » Animals

Staying Up Late to Make a Difference!

Tish — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:42:10 +0000

You may recall that I participated in Blogathon 2007, blogging for 24 straight hours to benefit The Glaucoma Foundation. I am excited to say that I will be participating in Blogathon 2009 as well, and I’ll be posting right here on The Kat House! The big event will begin at 9 AM EDT on Saturday, July 25 and will continue through 9 AM EDT on Sunday, July 26. I have chosen a charity very near and dear to my heart – The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

The UT College of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1974 and is one of only 28 veterinary colleges in the nation. In addition to educating tomorrow’s veterinarians, the college also provides specialized medical services to the public, conducts research to help pets live longer and healthier lives, protects public health, and performs a number of services to the community. For more information on the specific services offered by the college, be sure to check out their website.

My dogs have both been patients at UT, so I can testify to the outstanding level of care the college provides. They cured Molly of her recurring ear infections and developed a treatment plan to effectively manage her Cushing’s Disease. Cruella was diagnosed with cancer more than two years ago. She is now cancer free and visits UT’s oncology department every few months to ensure that she stays that way. UT also saved Cruella from near fatal bouts with peritonitis and Addison’s Disease. I can say without a doubt that my dogs wouldn’t be with me right now if it weren’t for the amazing doctors and students at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine.

I do hope that you all will choose to hang out with me during Blogathon 2009. I will be posting at least once every 30 minutes for the full 24 hours. I urge you to support my efforts by making a pledge to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. In appreciation for your donation, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card from Books-A-Million. The drawing will be held during the final hour of Blogathon. Thanks for your support!

Saving Big Bucks on Pet Meds

Tish — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:13:00 +0000

I’ve been seeing commercials for online pet pharmacies for several years now, and I wish I had taken them seriously a long time ago. I never realized until recently just how much you money could save by using them.

I transferred a few prescriptions to Doctors Foster and Smith late last year, and I saved a bundle when I did. I later transferred the others.

You may recall that Cruella requires an injection of Percorten every 25 days. I was paying $133 per injection at the vet’s office. By ordering the medication from Doctors Foster and Smith, I was able to save $18 per injection. Now I’m saving even more.

I belong to a Yahoo Group for owners of dogs with Addison’s Disease. The other members informed me that they are paying even less for their injections by ordering from 1-800-PetMeds. I checked into it, and sure enough. The cost of Cruella’s injection has now gone from $115 to $89!

My online pharmacy experience is limited to Doctors Foster and Smith and 1-800-PetMeds. The service has been great with both, but there are some pretty big differences between the pharmacies.

Doctors Foster and Smith has free shipping on all prescription items, no matter how small the order. My orders usually arrive within 3-4 days. Every order includes a fact sheet about each medication. Doctors Foster and Smith will not price match another pharmacy.

1-800-PetMeds offers free shipping for all orders over $39. I’ve ordered from them three times already, and each order arrived in only 2 days. They do not send a fact sheet with each medication, but they do include some sort of freebie with every order. Two of my orders included a huge dog biscuit, and the other included a sample of Greenies Pill Pockets. 1-800-PetMeds will price match any other online pharmacy. They offer automatic discounts upon checkout, and they send very generous coupon codes to you by email.

As I mentioned, my experience with both companies has been fantastic, but I’ve been relying more on 1-800-PetMeds lately due to the price match feature. I am saving $616 per year on just the Percorten! When you add the other medications, it’s probably $1,000 or more!

If you have pets and are purchasing their meds through a local veterinarian, you owe it to yourself and your pocketbook to look at the alternatives.

I Killed a Squirrel…

Tish — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:38:59 +0000

…and unlike most Tennesseans, I’m not proud of it. Not in the least. In fact, I’m pretty devastated. Being the animal lover I am, this is one of the most tragic events that could have happened to me.

I was on my way home from running errands this morning, and as I rounded a turn on a very long and winding road, the squirrel was sitting right there in my path. It all happened so quickly. I didn’t have time to brake or swerve, and right before I passed over the little fella, I saw him look right at me. I don’t think I’ll ever get that image out of my head.

I looked in my rear view mirror, just praying that he had survived. I was pretty sure the car had straddled him, so there was a small chance he could made it. But then I saw his lifeless body laying there with his little legs up in the air. I went back, just to be sure. And I made it there just in time to see two other cars crush him. I feel just awful.

RIP, little buddy. I’ll put a squirrel feeder in the back yard to honor your memory.

It Doesn’t Get More Distasteful Than This!

Tish — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:23:22 +0000

As I mentioned a while back, I love Doctors Foster and Smith. When I heard about their Doctor’s Choice Sale recently, I decided to browse the dog products that are up to 20% off. That’s when I ran across this item.

I have never understood why dogs eat their own feces, or even worse – another dog’s feces! Still, I couldn’t resist clicking the photo for more information. That’s when I found this.

I’ll admit that I had to laugh. By their very nature, shouldn’t feces already taste awful to dogs?

If you have the misfortune of owning a pup that prefers turds à la carte to filet mignon, you may want to pick up a bottle of Dis-Taste while it’s on sale. Be sure to also check out Stool Eating: How to Break the Habit by the Doctors Foster and Smith Educational Staff.

ChattieKat, DVM

Tish — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:46:01 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Cruella was squinting her left eye. I looked closely at it a number of times but never could see anything. When I took her to UT for surgery last week, I mentioned it to them. They looked at it, couldn’t see anything wrong, and didn’t want to further stress her by staining the eye. They told me that if she continued to have problems with it after the surgery, that I should bring her back in.

Last night, I noticed the squinting again. I moved Cruella into a better lit room and held her head so that the light directly hit her eye. And as she moved it around, I saw a small round hole in the cornea! I remembered reading about corneal ulcers, and this seemed to fit the bill. I quickly Googled the affliction, looked at a few photos, and felt pretty sure that I had diagnosed the problem correctly. Oftentimes the ulcers are not a serious problem, they can be extremely serious – resulting in a perforated cornea and even loss of the affected eye. I quickly called Cruella’s regular veterinarian, who told me that this should be treated as an emergency situation.

By this time, it was about 7:30 and the regular vet hospitals was closed, so I took Cruella to the Pet ER. They stained her eye and quickly confirmed the corneal ulcer. The doctor exclaimed, “Wow. You’re good! I have no idea how you diagnosed that, but you were right!” Fortunately, the ulcer was shallow and should heal relatively quickly. I have two ointments to put in the eye several times each day.

Cruella’s abdomen is healing quite well, and the stitches can come out on Wednesday. Guess who will be removing them? That’s right – me! Right in the comfort of my very home. Wish me luck!

When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a veterinarian. At age 15, I even got a summer job at the UT Vet School and joined a group of like-minded high school students who met several times each month and learned about the veterinary field. Somewhere along the line, I changed my mind and didn’t pursue the profession. I don’t regret the decisions that I made, but sometimes I do ponder how fulfilling it would be to be making a positive difference in the lives of so many animals. But then I remember, and take comfort in the fact that I am making a difference in the lives of two.

Overheard at the Vet’s Office #4

Tish — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:47:40 +0000

While waiting to pick Cruella up at UT today, I overheard a client talking to a doctor.

“He has terrible gas. I hope you won’t have to experience it.”

I tuned the rest of the conversation out.

Friday Freebies #2

Tish — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:00:24 +0000

You and your furry friends will love these freebies!

Bell Rock Growers is offering free samples of Pet Greens Treats, jerky style cat and dog treats made with organic Wheat Grass.
Senequoi is offering a free sample of Purina One. You can choose between dog, cat, puppy, or kitten food.
Be sure to sign up for a free subscription to Dog’s Life magazine from Beneful.
Show the world how much you love your dogs with a free Life’s a Dog bumper sticker.

Enjoy! I’ll try to round up some free promotional pens for next Friday!

Overheard at the Vet’s Office #3

Tish — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:34:46 +0000

What did one vet tech say to the other while taking Cruella for a walk on the grassy strip behind the clinic?

“Watch out for the landmines!”

Overheard at the Vet’s Office #2

Tish — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:13:46 +0000

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t get a stool sample for the cat. My dog likes to eat them.”

Overheard at the Vet’s Office #1

Tish — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:18:50 +0000

When you spend as much time as I do in the vet’s office, you’re bound to overhear a few funnies. I’ve decided to start sharing some of the ones that have really made me chuckle.

Client: Can you tell me about this dog food?

Tech: Well, it’s specially formulated for dogs with allergies. It doesn’t contain chicken, corn, or any of the other regular ingredients that a lot of dogs are sensitive to.

Client: Does it have meat in it?

Tech: Yes, it has herring in it. It’s a bird.