Our dogs

[gwr]

That was a first and last for me.well I say that but we have 1 dog left and I don't think I could do that again but probably when the time comes I couldn't let My wife do it so I guess it will be me.Hopefully not for a few years yet.

 

[Lons]

Hi Lons I'm up in sunny Berwick where are you? Yeah it's 1 of the hardest things I've had to do.

Longhorsley, 6 miles North of Morpeth on the 697
I've never seen the sun when in Berwick :? :lol:

Bob

 

[Gerry]

English Setters is my weakness, I've had them for thirty years and couldn't imagine having another breed. Gentle, Genteel, Loving, Intelligent, Mischievous and great fun. Absolutely beautiful and elegant with not a drop of malice in them. Every time we loose one it hurts so much, just like loosing a child. We say never again but we do every time!

Gerry

latest Puppy Grace (she is two now)

Grace has a thing for sitting in chairs

Very funny when you take her to the vets

Grace with Bentley, her half brother

 

[dickm]

Don't have a dog, but we regularly dog-sit our daughter's Blue Merle collie cross lab. Let him be a warning to all dog owners - last year he started vomiting time and again and the vet tried everything but to no avail. Finally said she couldn't do any more, so suggested they take him to Glasgow vet hospital. Six hours, and £6500 later, he was minus his gall bladder. Apparently, there are less than half a dozen such operations per year in Scotland and they've only recently even been feasible.
Moral:- make darned sure your pet insurance is up to date.

 

[Lons]

Moral:- make darned sure your pet insurance is up to date.

Good point. Our lab got a tumour in her jaw and following advice a section of her bottom jaw was amputated which didn't seem to bother her at all. (she was eating like a pig just a few hours after the op). it apparently gave her an extra 12 months but cost us a sizeable sum as she wasn't insured.

Was out shopping with the wife this afternoon and encountered a 4 month old black lab puppy being trained to the lead as a potential guide dog. Brought it all back and of course we want one #-o

Bob

 

[jimi43]

Our beloved Jake developed arthritis about 7 years before he died and we had the option of putting him down as he was in such pain or using PREVICOX which cost nearly £30 for a month's supply!

Of course we chose the drugs and lo and behold...we found it was covered indefinitely by our pet insurance with Direct Line as it was only limited to "per prescription".

So over that time it worked out at over £2500 worth of drugs and he was like a puppy after he started taking them....even to the final day when he simply died of old age.

So...yes...get pet insurance. I think it's vital...even if you only consider the benefit of peace of mind! Hopefully...the best case scenario...you will never need it but then it has not been a waste has it!?

Jim

 

[Lons]

Hi Jim

Our lab was born with a common genetic defect where one of the kidneys is "bypassed". the are called "wet"puppies and usually put down by breeders. that's the reason we took her but on the condition she was spayed at the same time as having the kidney removed (at 12 weeks). pet insurance because of that was prohibitive even though she never had a single problem dring her lifetime that was kidney related.

Here she is as a pup, not long after the first op. part of the wound can just be seen.

Bob

 

[Losos]

Bob, that photo reminds me so much of our black Lab, it was in 1972 that we got her, we were in Australia, of course she came back to UK with us although in those days a six month quarantine was mandatory. In 1977 she developed a lump on her side which I'm convinced was the result of having been bitten by a snake, it was removed but came back two years latter, the vet arranged for us to take her to Addenbrookes in Cambridge for radio therepy treatment (We had to go in the back door :wink: ) after that she lived until she was 13 when the lump again started to grow but her back legs had gone by that time. In those days there was no pet insurance and our vet bills were high but for some reason Addenbrookes didn't charge us, I think it was because the cancer was a very rare type and the connection with the snake bite meant they could use the lump (By that time it was bigger than a cricket ball) to do research on.

Yes, pet insurance is something every dog owner should take out.