Lindzey

I would love to thank (and reply to) each and every one of you that has taken their time to post on this thread... but there are SOOO many, I'll have to limit it to a few key points. I really, totally appreciate everyone putting up their opinions, and doing so kindly. I am currently 16 (17 in over a month), and I understand that there are MANY things I need to learn. I always go with my mom to the vets office, with the exception of the last checkup. She was out of town for a workshop, and I should have waited one more day for the appointment - or at least called her and discussed this with her. She was a vet tech for awhile at a clinic where we used to live, and she understands many of the medication expenses, and the procedures that go on. I'm sure we would have ended up with most of the same costs, but it would have been nice to have my mom with me to ask questions. That being said, I now definitely know to ask the vet for expenses. I have wanted to be a vet since I was old enough to speak - have since changed plans since then, but still looking into it - but the clinic as a whole still makes me a tad anxious. I forget to think things through, obviously proven here, and forget to ask questions. (Last time we were at the clinic for something other than a check-up, my beloved Not Yet - 13 y/o - had to be put down due to a tumor on her spine... she was an INCREIDIBLE border collie. Possibly why I am still a bit shy around the vet??) My mom scheduled an appointment with our vet this morning to talk about the bill and what we can do about it. We are keeping the meds - obviously - but waiting to send out the tests for another week. Our vet told us that the samples could hold up to about a month before they are no longer accurate. If 'Bout improves this week, we will not send the samples off to get tested... however, if nothing improves and/or he gets worse, we will definitely send the tests in. My dad is a bit of a penny-pincher, so we have to be careful about budget around him. Most of the money will end up coming from my pocket, which is a bit difficult seeing as how I leave for college in two years, and I will need a car. I have to budget things out, but I will give almost anything for Just About. We understand this is taking a bit of a risk, here. The vet's words, "let's hope we get lucky" and Just About improves. This morning, after taking his first doses, his eyes have improved and aren't as swollen and enflamed. We are a religious family and rely heavily on God... Instead of taking it in payments, we decided to pay it all at once. It is easier to have the money GONE and realize what we have to work with, rather than to have to set it aside each week/month. Our family greatly appreciates the support and advice (and honesty!) from all of the members here on the boards. I've definitely learned the things to do from now on - asking questions, looking into Pet insurance, setting aside a certain amount of money each month for emergencies, taking mom with me from now on (haha) - and I owe a lot of it to you guys. Just About goes back in about a week to get his sutures out, at which point the vet will re-exam (at no cost... he really is an incredible man) 'Bout to see what futher steps we need to take. Hopefully my dad will understand that I love my dogs very very much, and am willing to spend a few hundred dollars - if that is what it takes - to keep him healthy. Please feel free to continue placing your input. I love learning, especially from such experienced forum members as you all. =) Thank you again and again. ~Lindzey ETA: The cost, without sending off the tests, totaled to $270. It is still a large chunk of money, but I split the current bill with my parents.

First off, I would like to note that both myself (at almost age 17) and my family knows owning a pet (no matter the size) can be - and is - expensive. We understand that taking in a dog means lots of things, and being able to uphold our responsibility as dog owners means we need to take into account the financial burdens that comes along with it. Now to continue, we took Just About in this morning (look at thread titled "Demodex mange?") and have now picked him up. The bill is $468.02. For our family, this is a large amount of money... please do not think us snooty for not wanting to pay this, as I understand many of the members here at the forum have paid up the wah-hoo for their dogs. Do not be mistaken, as I do love my dogs TERRIBLY much... but there is a line to what we will pay for, and how much we will pay to have it done. That being said... our vet took 'Bout to do a skin scraping, came up negative for demodex. He then decided to keep him for the afternoon and hold a biopsy around 'Bout's eye (blood vessels in his cornea, possibly). I understand that. But as we went to pick up 'Bout, we were billed $468.02 for the following... Physical Exam - 33.40 Fluorescein Stain for his eye - 19.80 Exfoliative Cytology - 13.55 Domitor Inj. (Sedation) - 15.00 Antisedan Inj. (Reverses Sedation) - 15.00 Isoflurane Gas - 45.00 Biopsy (4 Samples) - 45.00 Laboratory Fee (Biopsy) - 135.00 Prednisone 20 Mg - 26.40 Cephalex. 500mg Caps - 17.70 Prednisolone 1% Drops - 40.90 Complete Blood Count, Organ Function, and Heartworm Tests - 61.27 Remove Sutures - 0.00 I don't know how to word this without sounding... offended, snooty, poor, like we don't care about our pets... so I will just say it. No. There are things that we did not know we were going to have done. Yes, I understand the prices are expensive... but does a "complete blood count, organ function and heartworm test" NEED to be done? I totally understand this may be a regular procedure, and it is "recommended"... but was this completely necissary? Please voice your opinion, but please do so kindly. Some of the things I understand are necissary for the biopsy (sedation, lab fee, samples, etc.) but, for those of you who know about the meds and procedures more than I do, is everything on the bill COMPLETELY necissary? Would you pay for it all, especially if you did not know the cost or what exactly was being done? - - - - - Now for my second thought... does anybody know of any financial aid for pets? I will have to double-check with my mom (she keeps tabs on all things medical, etc.) but I don't believe we have pet insurance. Is there a company that could help with the bill? I really do hope to NOT sound like a begger, nor somebody who does not care for her pets. I would like to re-emphasize that I do know that owning a pet can cost a lot of money... please do not mistake me for not understanding this. Please give kind advice and guidance. ~Lindzey

Took Just About to the vet's this morning, two hours ago. (This is his first trip in awhile, he did amazingly well. Yay!) The vet did some skin scraping, and the test came back negative for demodex. He looked further and noticed (and told me) that it looked like blood vessels had gotten into Just About's cornea - left eye - and he would need to futher investigate. The vet said that it might be "pemphigus" (I will do a forum search to see if anyone else has experienced this...) and he would have to put Just About under anesthesia today to look into his eye and figure out what's going on. The vet said he wasn't *exactly* sure what it was yet, he'd need to look closer. He is keeping 'Bout until later this afternoon - he has a few other surgeries going on - but that it shouldn't be an overnight trip. I sure hope not... I already miss him!! Anyway, that is the update. I wish I had remembered more of what the vet said, to give you guys more info. Thanks for the support, and for the willingness to provide me with more information. =) I appreciate it! ~Lindzey

The past week, my 3 y/o BC (Just About) has started losing some hair around his left eye. It was immediate, as we saw no previous scratching or irritation. The hair loss was sudden... in the morning it was fine, and by afternoon, he looked like a raccoon!! It is now gradually spreading to his right eye. He is a healthy dog, and has never had any skin irritations before. I did some research and the only thing I came up with is Demodex Mange... has anyone experienced this? If so, what are treatment/prevention options and what is the approximate cost for treatment? We'll schedule an appointment with our vet soon.

Thank you for your warm wishes. I hope more will reply and help me in this. I just got home after mom picked me up from a band rehersal. I had called her at work and she got off at lunch to go check. She informed me that Just About was still showing the same signs of pain. Right before picking me up, mom had gone to the Vet's to schedule an appointment. The vet was in surgery all day and we have successfully scheduled an appointment for Wednesday afternoon. We got home, I ran straight to the backyard, and I called for him. Guess how came bounding up? Just About! He was still limping slightly, and wasn't running full-speed, but was definatly walking faster and compaired to this morning he has improved greatly. We have given him two adult aspirin (as recommended by a nurse at the clinic) and are waiting for more results. He has gone to the bathroom (which is his normal behavior upon seeing me... haha) and walked around a bit with me. It was great, because as soon as I saw him, I started crying thanking God that he was better, and he let this HUGE GRIN slide upon his face and wagged his enormous tail. We kissed and hugged and talked for a bit... and poor Almost, in the back (tied to a leash so he won't encourage 'Bout to romp around with him) was whining... "Just About! Come see me! Be with me! Play with me! LAZY!" Thanks again for all the support and I do hope everything continues to improve. ~Lindzey

I only have a brief moment to type as I am currently at school (I am a HS student for those who do not know of me). About 5 minutes prior to leaving for school this morning, I checked on my dogs before I left and went to feed/water. I called to Just About (about two-years old, slightly overweight) and he was laying on his side, head up, near the gate. He struggled to sit/stand, and I put him back in the "down" position. I hurridly went to feed my other dog (Almost, just over a year old). I felt on Just About's back end, hips, and spine. I moved joints and extended his leg. He made no inclination he was in pain. I got him to stand up, but he was in a LARGE amount of discomfort as it seemed he was keeping his back end low. I carried him the rest of the way in, placed him on a comforter in a back room, and then did another quick test for discomfort in his back end. No result. My mom/dad/myself cannot get him to the vet until after school, WHICH WILL BE DONE! Before leaving I gave him a small amount of water (not too much as he'll have to get up and go to the bathroom, exactly what I don't want) and continued to pat him. I cried pretty hard after stoking his head and his stomach, and cried at school. As of now I am still upset by this and praying he is just sore. Please help with anything this could be! We are not sure of his parents/genetics as Just About was purchased as an 8-week pup from a rescue shelter. He did not seem uncomfortable yesterday, but did not jump around when I went to play, only carried a toy in his mouth. I didn't think anything of this. Thanks for your time and your willingness to help. ~Lindzey

Speechless... I understand that there *is* an overpopulation, but why not just quarentine the animals who have just arrived within a week? Though I disagree with it in the full, I see the side of it. There aren't 1000 rooms to quarentine 1000 different animals that don't have signs/symptoms yet. All the diseases are treatable (though unlikely for full recovery), so that's my main reason for saying that the animals that have been there under a week should not be "killed off". Sh*t happens, I know... I just wish there was another way. I mean, what else can you do? ~Lindzey {And I doubt that the animals will be humanely euthanized. Sounds like a chopper block to me.}

Going to log in now! Thanks for the add... Never heard of it! ~Lindzey

Wow. You've no idea how jealous I am! How much do you do pictures for? I would definatly be willing to pay for a few pictures of my BC's. Wow... simply INCREDIBLE!! Definate applause for you. I have such an admiration for artists... I can play my clarinet, but that's about as "artsy" as I get. Well done! ~Lindzey

I'll use my profile as an example... See where it's circled (sorry, that came out rude!)? That's where it'll be. If somebody views your profile, that's where it should be. Hope this helps, ~Lindzey EDIT: Looks like you both beat me to it anyway.

Ah, thank you Lunar! Makes sense, now!! ~Lindzey

I don't mean to start an arguement... I think I phrased what I was trying to say wrong. What I meant was that "Google.com" was on, not that somebody was checking out others' profiles. I don't mind that others see my birthdate and where I live (simply because I choose to not show those things online, and when I do, I am very vague) I was just confused as to why Google was on this forum. I myself just figured out the "Last Visitor" thing about an hour or so ago. I think it's a very neat little concept. Please understand in no way am I trying to be rude or disrespectful. My main concern was wondering why a search engine was on these boards in the first place, regardless of if "they" were looking at profiles or threads on our cutest BC pics! Sorry to cause confusion. ~Lindzey

Anda, I think you may have misunderstood me. Did you click on the attachment? It isn't like "Lindzey is looking at Google.com"... it's "Google.Com is looking at blahblah's Profile". I just think it's a bit odd, and "Google.com" isn't a registered user because the name was unclickable, just like "guest" is unclickable... and when logged in as "guest" it is impossible to change that name until either A)One registers or B)One logs in. I'm not really scared per se, I just thought it was odd. ~Lindzey

If you look at the bottom of the main forum page, you'll see everyone that is online. If you click the "Last Click" link, you'll then be pulled to a page which shows not only who is online, but also what they are doing (ie - Registering, viewing profile, viewing a thread, etc.). I think it's a great idea, but does anyone else see that "Google.Com" is viewing member's profiles??? You can view what I see if you'll click on the attached thumbnail... Is this just a mess up or is Google.com always on because it's the forums default search engine? UPDATE: Now I'm really curious, because "Google.com" is now no longer online... nor viewing anything. Hmmm... Anybody know anything about this? Google.bmp

I'll applaud all the hard work that went into this! I'm on the vote of keeping the "Seeing who is on" thing... And speaking of 1984, did anyone enjoy that book? I had to read it last semester and LOVED it! Back to the topic... I'm pretty savvy with HTML and the like, as in figuring things out and how to do certain things for boards/internet/websites. Not trying to push you out of the way, Eileen, in the least bit. Just making sure you know that I'm here in case somebody needs assistance. Before asking questions, I would go check out the "My Controls". Most of the issues listed here (as far as invisible status, hiding personal info, changing time) can be set there. It may take a few tricks and trys to get what you're looking for, but most of it should be there. Thanks again Heather and Eileen! (Ack, I feel so disrespectful using first names only... How about Ms. Heather and Ms. Eileen? ) ~Lindzey