Casper gives me some lunchtime attention. Sometimes I feel like I'm his pet.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
A Cheerful Pet Boiled Wool Toys
A Cheerful Pet Boiled Wool Dog Toys
I saw these toys in the display bin at a local pet supply store. They reminded me of Multipet Wooly Bully toys, which I really liked.
Cats and dogs are just attracted to the natural wool fibers (I gave most of the Wooly Bullies I've purchased in the past to my ferrets), and the best part about 100% wool toys is that when they start to look ragged, you can toss them in the washer on hot, and they go back to looking like new. Viola!
I actually got this toy for the cats, although in the store they look as though they are marketed more towards dogs.
I got a Woolzee ball, in a medium size. Medium is small enough that the cats can still easily play with it, but too big for Kitsune to swallow. Perfect.
When I first brought it home, both cats followed me into the kitchen where I pulled the Woolzee out of the bag and put it on the floor. Simon walked away, Mojo looked vaguely interested until I rolled it in his direction. It touched his paw, he levitated about a foot off of the floor, gave the Woolzee a horrified look, and left. So much for that. Spaz.
The Woolzee was ignored for a few more hours until Kitsune discovered it. Kitsune really liked it. Kitsune really really liked it.
A little while later, I looked at him and he had chewed a little hole in the Woolzee and was pulling wool out of the center. Apparently the Woolzee, from what I can tell, is a knitted ball or pouch stuffed with more wool and boiled to make it felt. So most of the wool in the center is just sort of loose in there like stuffing, which makes it great fun to pull out once a small hole has been gnawed in the felted outer layer.
Please pardon the horrible phone pics:
I had to retire the Woolzee, much to his dismay. Although wool is a natural fiber, I still don't want him ingesting it.
I saw these toys in the display bin at a local pet supply store. They reminded me of Multipet Wooly Bully toys, which I really liked.
Cats and dogs are just attracted to the natural wool fibers (I gave most of the Wooly Bullies I've purchased in the past to my ferrets), and the best part about 100% wool toys is that when they start to look ragged, you can toss them in the washer on hot, and they go back to looking like new. Viola!
I actually got this toy for the cats, although in the store they look as though they are marketed more towards dogs.
I got a Woolzee ball, in a medium size. Medium is small enough that the cats can still easily play with it, but too big for Kitsune to swallow. Perfect.
When I first brought it home, both cats followed me into the kitchen where I pulled the Woolzee out of the bag and put it on the floor. Simon walked away, Mojo looked vaguely interested until I rolled it in his direction. It touched his paw, he levitated about a foot off of the floor, gave the Woolzee a horrified look, and left. So much for that. Spaz.
The Woolzee was ignored for a few more hours until Kitsune discovered it. Kitsune really liked it. Kitsune really really liked it.
A little while later, I looked at him and he had chewed a little hole in the Woolzee and was pulling wool out of the center. Apparently the Woolzee, from what I can tell, is a knitted ball or pouch stuffed with more wool and boiled to make it felt. So most of the wool in the center is just sort of loose in there like stuffing, which makes it great fun to pull out once a small hole has been gnawed in the felted outer layer.
Please pardon the horrible phone pics:
 |
| A sad little Woolzee ball, devoid of some stuffing. |
 |
| Kitsune is rightfully very worried that I will take away his Woolzee, which I did. |
Pros: It was only 3.99. That's not so much money that I'm really irritated that the toy only lasted 20 minutes. In fact, it is cheap enough and he enjoyed it so much I will probably go and get another one, perhaps a big larger, and try to supervise him more closely with it.
Cons: They really aren't made to withstand a lot of abuse. The Woolzee lasted 20 minutes, but 18 of those minutes were Kitsune actually playing with it by tossing it and swatting it. Once he decided to chew it I think it lasted about 2 minutes.
Bottom Line: I'm sure they are wonderful for dogs who don't give their toys any tough love, but for those who do they probably aren't worth the time or money. The dogs really do truly enjoy them, but unless you're willing to watch your even slightly destructive doggie like a hawk, the toys might not be worth the risk of ingesting a mass of wool.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Stupid Rainy Day
Today was stupid.
Every phone call I got was nothing good.
One dog has been suffering with on-going vomiting and diarrhea issues for a month now. A month.
She calls to schedule bloodwork and I ask her how the dog is doing and she cheerfully says, "Oh he stopped vomiting." The chart didn't say what bloodwork the doctor wanted to run, so I took her number to call her back when the doctor got back from her lunch break.
Doctor got back from her lunch break and had a few questions she wanted me to ask, including, "When did he stop vomiting." I call the number the owner gave me, and a man answers the phone. So I ask him when the last time his dog vomited was. "Oh, last night."
Okay.
So we schedule the bloodwork for first thing Friday morning.
An hour later, the lady is calling back, crying, begging me to schedule her dog for the bloodwork today because "he'll die before Friday."
What?! Seriously?
Now the story becomes that he won't stand up. Not good. "How long has this been going on?" I ask her. "Um. Maybe.. two days?"
Two days. Your dog has been seriously unstable to the point of not being able to stand for two days and you failed to mention that when I asked how he was the first phone call? Wtf.
Really. Just wtf.
The only thing I could do was tell her to take the dog ASAP to emergency services and hope for the best, but I have a feeling that when I get back to work after the holiday there will be a fax from one of the local emergency hospitals letting us know that our patient has been euthanized.
Putting much beloved and well cared for animals down is not, in my opinion, as hard as dealing with the frustration, anger and guilt of not being able to save these animals who are owned by people who just don't seem to care, or who decide to care too late.
Every phone call I got was nothing good.
One dog has been suffering with on-going vomiting and diarrhea issues for a month now. A month.
She calls to schedule bloodwork and I ask her how the dog is doing and she cheerfully says, "Oh he stopped vomiting." The chart didn't say what bloodwork the doctor wanted to run, so I took her number to call her back when the doctor got back from her lunch break.
Doctor got back from her lunch break and had a few questions she wanted me to ask, including, "When did he stop vomiting." I call the number the owner gave me, and a man answers the phone. So I ask him when the last time his dog vomited was. "Oh, last night."
Okay.
So we schedule the bloodwork for first thing Friday morning.
An hour later, the lady is calling back, crying, begging me to schedule her dog for the bloodwork today because "he'll die before Friday."
What?! Seriously?
Now the story becomes that he won't stand up. Not good. "How long has this been going on?" I ask her. "Um. Maybe.. two days?"
Two days. Your dog has been seriously unstable to the point of not being able to stand for two days and you failed to mention that when I asked how he was the first phone call? Wtf.
Really. Just wtf.
The only thing I could do was tell her to take the dog ASAP to emergency services and hope for the best, but I have a feeling that when I get back to work after the holiday there will be a fax from one of the local emergency hospitals letting us know that our patient has been euthanized.
Putting much beloved and well cared for animals down is not, in my opinion, as hard as dealing with the frustration, anger and guilt of not being able to save these animals who are owned by people who just don't seem to care, or who decide to care too late.
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