Furry Friends and Vacation Plans

[bobbiwoz]

How cute is that!

You know, I think so too! The worker that helped me make the ressie was so nice, I hope it's as nice as can be for Buster!

Bobbi

 

[dianeschlicht]

Cost 50.00 each way for Bosley to fly to MCO. We carry him on in his dog carrier purse. Disney Kennel charges 9.00/night to board overnight...we walk him 3-4 times a day. Each park has a kennel, once you register your pet can go to any one of them. Sometimes we'll move Bosley to the park we are visiting to make it a little easier on us.....

And that is exactly the reason taking a pet to WDW is not much of a vacation. We did take 3 dogs to WDW a couple of times when we combined WDW with dog show trips to Florida. We quit doing that years ago, because it just was not much of a vacation for us to spend all that time taking care of the dogs. Now we pay a dog sitter $50 a day to stay here with them.

 

[spiceycat]

I first tried my vet. Spicey will not eat dry food. Well they decided that he would. Anyway when I got back 5 days later - he hadn't eaten. He had lost 2 lbs (he started at 9 lbs - so we are talking alot of weight). The man told me I was right and he won't eat dry food. (I had provided cans - he just didn't feed them to Spicey)

So then I tried neighbors for the two cats I was leaving. Spicey has gone with me (except for a couple of trips where I flew). Well they moved away. So now I use my friend she comes and checks on them. She spoils them so bad. They expect the same from me....

Spicey goes with me when I drive to WDW. He stays in either FW or EPcot. I have tried TTC and Studios. TTC has too much traffic close by. The bus terminal is behind this place. Studios doesn't have enough room to walk. Spicey loves his walks.

His favorite is FW. Lots of places to smell here.

He is 19 years old and I have had him since he was 5 weeks old.

He doesn't eat well at home. Despite medication and me constantly trying - he just doesn't eat well.

FW - he eats like no tomorrow. He actually eats whole cans, at home he eats maybe 3 or 4 bits.

He is losing weight. So my June trip was for him (I should have taken him in May but I flew). He did fine - put on 2 lbs in 4 days!!!! I have no idea why he eats more at FW than home. He is now down to 7 lbs.

He doesn't have alot of problems. Sometime he hurts when he moves his back area. At wdw he generally only has to walk a few minutes then he is fine. At home it just doesn't go away.

so I have a friend when Spicey goes with me. When he stays home I use a pet sitter.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We also have Cosmo, the kindergarten snake. We took him over the summer last year and when school started, the teacher saw my son and said we could "keep" him! He is a cute little garter snake and very low-maintenance, but no way that teenage girl is dealing with him... I have learned since aquiring Cosmo (of whom we have become quite fond) how many people HATE snakes... God bless my best pal Tammie. She comes over with her two boys and they feed Cosmo worms while we are at WDW. He would survive a long time without food, but I would feel bad leaving him hungry while we have fun.

Yes about snakes. We had an outside garter snake that I dubbed "Guardian" for years and years. Not a pet, but I imagine that it ate some sort of rodents, pests, and I was willing to co-exist. It did scare me once when he came into my pond, it was during a "drought" time, during the summer. Last year DH "had enough" he couldn't live knowing Guardian was out there, too scary for DH, so he collected him in a sack and brought him to a public park, wild area, we've seen other garter snakes there, so OK for Guardian, but I do miss seeing him, just a bit. Our chipmunk population has taken off, I wonder if Guardian ate them when they were young. Oh well-now we are spreading fox urine around like crazy, but it only keeps the chipmunks away for a limited amount of time.

Bobbi

PS. I don't know why the vet wouldn't feed Spicy the food you provided, that seems cruel, just bullyish.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

to the posters who just lost their dogs.

I'm lucky - my mother lives with us and will take care of our dog while we're away now that she's an adult dog. Last year, though, when she was only 4 months old, our trainer took her for the week and we paid her $20/day.

On our last trip in January we hired a pet sitter to help with our then 13 yr old dog (now gone) who needed help walking, getting outside and taking medication (which I didn't want my mother to have to do). She was a peach, even making it here during a blizzard while we were gone. She came twice a day at $10 per visit. She did everything she was supposed to do and also played with the younger dog, washed bedding, shoveled a path for the dogs and suggested wheels for the older dog which I got and it gave him the ability to "walk" again before we lost him. I am forever grateful to her for that.

 

[spiceycat]

Linda - where did you get your wheels?

sorry about your lose!

Starwood and flexsmom - so sorry!!!

I just don't know what I will do when Spicey dies. He means alot to me.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

www.eddieswheels.com

They make them for cats too! Take measurements as they describe on their website then call them in. Cody's cart arrived in about a week. PM me if you have ?'s.

 

[MiaSRN62]

beagle744 & felxsmom sorry for the loss of you beloved friends. I know how difficult it can be to lose one of the family.

Spiceycat.....
wow....can't believe they didn't feed Spicey the wet food when she was at the vets ? That would have upset me so much.
It's also pretty funny how FW brings out the appetite in Spicey. Must be all that fresh air and bbq smell !

On a side note......just found out yesterday that our rottie, Jasmine, tested a strong positive for lyme disease. She went for her yearly physical and this is not something we expected to hear. She has to be on antibiotics for 30 days and we need to board her for our wdw trip in 3 weeks. Just hoping the kennel we use will be able to adminster her the last few doses of her doxycycline or we'll need to find alternatives to boarding her there.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

On a side note......just found out yesterday that our rottie, Jasmine, tested a strong positive for lyme disease. She went for her yearly physical and this is not something we expected to hear. She has to be on antibiotics for 30 days and we need to board her for our wdw trip in 3 weeks. Just hoping the kennel we use will be able to adminster her the last few doses of her doxycycline or we'll need to find alternatives to boarding her there.

My dog did too. It's always something.

 

[zillow]

When we went in May, our beagle, "Beauty" stayed with my children's nanny. I actually just paid her the same salary that I pay her for taking care of my two children (which is more than a kennel would cost). She did fine since she loves the nanny and got to play with their dog as well. Worked perfectly for us!

 

[Thumper's Tara]

I have a pet sitter come in and take care of my three bunnies and my cat, Trouble. In Memphis, I had a friend who I traded pet-sitting services for. Here in CT, I have to pay $20 a visit. That seems to be a pretty standard deal. The bunnies are okay with one visit a day, so it seems to work. As for Trouble, she doesn't like to be left alone for long, but she did okay on my recent long weekend away. I may need to board her in the future.

Now, I just need to meet some people here to come up with the same pet-sitting arrangement! Free is good!!

ttfn,
Tara

 

[Disneyrsh]

I read all the posts (since it drives me NUTS when people start out with, well, I read the first post, skipped all the rest and now I'm going to post my redundant blitherings here), and I didn't see anyone who does what we do-

We dog swap! My friend Karen and I take care of each other's dogs when we go on vacation. When I go, Daphne, my 8yo SP goes to her house, when she goes on vacation, Sophie her 10yo?TP? (rescue dog) stays with us.

It works out well because although we vacation more often, Sophie is such a huge pain in the butt to take care of (Daphne OTOH, is the queen of low mainenance-a bed and a ball, all done) that it balances out nicely.

Carmen, my almost 2 yo MP, stays at the vet's since Karen's other dog, Neo, is cracked and likes to eat other small dogs. Carmen gets to be queen of the laps at the vets and is hardly ever in her crate-all I know is when I pick her up, she's happy, and when I drop her off, she's happy, so I know they're doing it right.

Alys, our cat, guards the house happily on her own.

Felix and Oscar, our fishes, get to nibble on an apparently inedible block of fish something or other for the week.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Pea-N-Me,
Sorry your dog had lyme disease as well. Was he/she cured after the treatment ? Do they do another blood test after the course of antibiotics to confirm it's cured ? My vet didn't mention this yesterday and I think I was too shocked to even think clearly. Luckily Jasmine has no symptoms whatsoever so hoping it was caught early.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The vet explained she didn't necessarily have the disease, just that she was exposed to it. This was found with her routine yearly check when we had her spayed last month. She is still on her month of antibiotics just as a precaution. I think the idea is that if she were to actually have the disease then the antibiotics would help in a certain percentage of cases (I forget the exact % but my vet did explain it). However, she showed no signs of actually having the disease thankfully.

Our other dog had tested positive as well a few years back as did my (human) neighbor. I was tested myself recently (neg) when I found a tick embedded in my head after a field trip with the kids to the Audobon. Yuck...

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks for the explanation Pea-N-Me. I'm glad it looks like your dog will be ok. It's similar to our situation. Jasmine tested positive but exhibits no outward signs of the disease (thankfully).

 

[iankh]

Some of these posts had me searching to see if there were boarding alternatives. I am still going to board Tallulah, Truman and Jane with Claire, their groomer. They go home with her every night and have lots of friends to play with.

But, it I did look around for alternatives. I was amazed? It could actually start to cost me as much per day as a room in a moderate resort at WDW. Couldn't I just get the dogs a room at POR and give them a credit card to use during their stay? JUST KIDDING

Check out this place I found. I know the dogs are perhaps spoiled, but do they really need aroma therapy?

Pooch - Chicago Dog Hotel

I mean, think about what they sniff most of the time!

--- Truman and Tallulah ---