Tammyla Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 You could purchase some dirt and give him a no dig burial somewhere in the yard. We had to do this with a fish one year due to a super frozen ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 You could purchase some dirt and give him a no dig burial somewhere in the yard. We had to do this with a fish one year due to a super frozen ground. Around here another animal would get at it. And you do not want to see what it looks like when they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I would not take him to be euthanized. I would make him comfortable and wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I hear you, but, we got lucky with a little planning. (We have a small patch of woods behind our house with plenty of wildlife; so I totally know what you mean.) We pre froze the little guy in a container, shoveled a spot, then covered him with dirt, mulch and then snow before we put him out in his little spot the flower bed. The weather was so bad no one disturbed Goldie's resting place. OP...I'm sorry and understand how waiting and knowing a child's beloved pet is going to go is so hard to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I read this crazy story the other day. Something about a cat being injured and the owner thought he was dead. Guess he looked quite dead. So he asked a neighbor to bury him. I guess he was too upset to deal with it. So the neighbor buried the cat in a shallow grave. The cat turned out not to be dead and dug his way out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Yikes...Poor cat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 If he will not drink, try: a dab of room-temperature plain applesauce (offer on your fingertip) a bit of banana a small piece of lettuce He may well be in his last days. Some years ago we had a pair of males. One had a stroke and acted much as you describe. He recovered but was visibly slowed down. A few weeks later he had another stroke and died an hour or so later. You know, I was so focused on his little tumor that I never really considered a stroke. You may be right. I guess I can just wait and see. We did decide to just make him comfortable and watch and wait. Thank you for the ideas for liquids! He may be drinking on his own for all I know. When we first offered him the bottle the day that he was the worst, he drank very eagerly, and now that he's doing better he's turning away from it. So maybe he's just taking care of his own needs, since he can get around. But I know he'll eat the applesauce and the banana, and usually the lettuce, so that should help no matter what. Thanks for the input, everyone. I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 As a person who has owned a lot of pets, I would never take a gerbil to the vet. They don't have long lives, they come, they go. I wouldn't want to pay the $$ for something that isn't going to be around very long anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Regarding your update: If I thought he was suffering, I'd take him to the vet. Otherwise, I'd let him live out his natural life. That's sometimes hard to determine, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 The big question is what do you do with a horse... Don't ask. Ack! Horrible flashbacks! definitely not an experience to remember! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Guess I've been lucky (not a good choice of words, but I don't know how else to say it). All my little critters went quickly after appearing ill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Guess I've been lucky (not a good choice of words, but I don't know how else to say it). All my little critters went quickly after appearing ill. Yeah, we had one linger for an entire week. Every day I wondered if I should take her in for euthanizing; every day I decided that, nope, the little critter would surely drop dead any minute anyway (I mean, she definitely looked at death's door) plus would be horrified by being transported anywhere let alone a strange, scary place; every frickin' day she just continued to starve and dehydrated slowly slowly slowly. It was really an awful, awful time for her AND for us. So, yeah, proactive over here about vets helping us alleviate suffering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Well, the latest update is that both his eyes are open now (they get gummy after sleep, and he hasn't had the strength to scratch them open the way he normally would), he tried to get out of the cage (like he normally would) when we just opened the door, when he was thwarted he hopped up to his second level with no hesitation, he started to run in his wheel (then thought better of it :lol:), and when he heard the treat bag rustling, he rushed to the front of the cage with his brother and started vying for treats (which involves trying to claw his giant brother's head out of the way so he can be first). I'm really stunned and hoping the progress continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 We found a baby robin in our yard with no eyes. I assume it was attacked by the mother or siblings. We were not interested in trying to keep it as a pet due to the care involved so my husband euthanized it in a bucket at the tailpipe of our car. He put a towel over the top of the bucket and held it near the pipe. It was gone in less than a minute and didn't struggle. I think you may have mentioned this to me once before when I asked about a baby bird we'd found in our yard. (Yes, I agonize over little animals way too much :blushing:) For some reason I'm always afraid it won't work, but I always have it in the back of my mind if I can work up the nerve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 My dd works in wildlife rescue. She rehabilitates baby birds all summer long with a team of staff & volunteers.OP - if he's perkier, then wait.All pet owners might want to look at the HM quality of life scale as it can help you assess how things are going http://www.pawspice.com/downloads/QualityofLifeScale.pdfIn my books medical care & humane passing should not be denied to any pets, no matter how small. If they're suffering, they need euthanasia.Some people do humane euthanasia at home for small pocket pets. Just sharing fyi - http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 LAST UPDATE: He's back to normal!!! I haven't seen him run on his wheel yet--which doesn't mean he isn't, I just haven't seen it. They tend to stop whatever they're doing and rush to the front of the cage when I walk in. Maybe it's because I'm the bringer of treats? :lol: Anyway, he's doing all his normal things, eating and drinking normally, scuffling with his brother normally, pushing his way out of his cage and adventuring around the dresser top, dust bathing, etc. I warned the kids that this could be just a brief reprieve so we should be prepared for him to fail again, but in the meantime we'll enjoy the time we have left. Thanks again, everyone! I couldn't have predicted this outcome, and you all helped me so much through the hard parts of the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Well that is happy news! Enjoy your little friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Well that is happy news! Enjoy your little friends! Thank you, we certainly will! On a side note, DH is now worried that I'll be in a rush to bump him off if he gets sick. This is the second time I lost hope for a pet prematurely and suffered over their suffering. He says I should just go ahead and let him suffer! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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