I was in Petsmart yesterday, and of course, if I’m in a pet store I have to look at their wares. So I checked out mice and geckos and snakes and then rounded the corner to the birds. There were those cute little finches and then the standard parakeet. Which reminded me of a story about how years ago I thought it would be a good idea to own birds and a cat at the same time.
So I had a couple of parakeets and they were pretty and turquoise (my favorite color), and they were a mess, but I like them anyway. Well, one day, the cat managed to get IN the birdcage. Hey, he was a Siamese cat and everyone who knows cats knows how sneaky the Siamese are. So by the time I got to the scene of the crime, the cat had bitten one of the birds. There was no blood, mind you, and at first I thought everything was okay. Until I noticed that when the bird ate, the seeds popped out a hole in his throat.
Okay, so this might be a problem (unless you need to lose weight and right now, it’s not sounding like a really bad idea for me personally), so I packed up the bird and took him to the vet. The vet said she could put a stitch in the bird, so the bird had surgery. $50 later, I was on the way out the door with my stitched $15 bird. Now, I know some will point out that I could have let the cat finish off the bird and bought THREE birds with that $50, but I’m an animal lover and was happy to pay for the surgery.
So the vet said to watch the bird closely and call her the next day to tell her how it was doing so she could give me further instructions. So the next afternoon, I check on the bird who seems fine (food staying contained, anyway) and I call the vet’s office. I tell the assistant who I am and why I’m calling and she says she’ll check with the doctor. She comes back a few minutes later and says “Dr. Turner is aghast that bird’s still alive.”
Really? Dr. Turner wasn’t aghast when she charged me $50 to stitch him up.
Well, apparently to spite Dr. Turner, that bird went on to live two more years. So I guess my $50 was money well spent????????
Deadly DeLeon
Monday, June 30, 2008
Money Well Spent
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14 comments:
I have a parakeet and I'd pay to have her stitched up. However, as I don't have a cat and I don't see the hamster taking a bite out of her, I think we're safe.
Which leads to the question, would I pay to stich up the hamster. That I'm not so sure about. She is adorable. And quite funny to watch.
Oh, all right, I'll pay to stich up the hamster too. Should the need ever arise. Though I'm hoping it won't.
And I'm betting that vet didn't intend for you to know of her doubts about the survival of your bird. LOL!
LOL, Jana.
Animals have that way, don't them.
Crime Scene Christie
Jana,
We must have spent $2,000 the beginning of this year taking care of our 2 cats. Unfortunately they surcomb to their dieases and crossed the rainbow bridge. We also spent the money to have one of our horse's eyes removed due to cancer. He is doing great is as "healthy as a horse" LOL. Next to my husband my animals are my best friends. Stitching up a parakeet doesn't sound that unreasonable to me.
Linda C
Lol! Nope, $50 doesn't seem unreasonable to fix a pet. But, OMG, I love that the vet didn't even think it would work!
~Gemma
And I'm betting that vet didn't intend for you to know of her doubts about the survival of your bird. LOL!
Those were my thoughts exactly!!
I think the $50 was well-spent, too. Too funny about the bird spiting the doctor. *g*
LOL on the hamster, terrio! I agree, you're probably safe. And stop pretending you wouldn't stitch up that hamster - you know better. :)
Christie - Yes, they certainly do. Lord knows the animals get better care than I do!
Thanks Linda and so sorry to hear about your animals!!!!! We spent about 2k on a sheltie three years ago and ended up putting her down for cancer anyway. The reality is, if I have the money, I'm going to spend it. My animals are my babies.
yeah gemma - that's the part that got me. I had to laugh. You know that woman took one look at my stricken face and thought, no way am i going to be able to convince her to let the damned bird die.
jenyfer - oh yeah, i'm certain that was the case. :)
LOL Tori - I think the bird must have heard her. :)
Pets are friends & part of the family ... if you can afford it, of course you pay their medical expenses. (And sometimes even if you can't afford it ...)
I thought the choice of words that the vet tech used was funny ... that the vet was "aghast" that the bird survived. Wouldn't "amazed" and "delighted" have been better? I thought vets were supposed to be HAPPY when their patients survived. Not sure that I want my vet to be "aghast" when her surgical skills work. That's just kinda creepy.
But *I'M* certainly delighted that your little bird survived. ;=)
Pink Pelican
Thanks Pink - yeah, I think the "aghast" part is what amused me the most. Definitely a strange choice of words.
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