sad day for me

LuciaDisturbed said:
Oh. My ex-roommate was supposed to take (if I remember correctly) 3 or 4 Provigil pills a day, but she would only take one in the morning and nothing for the rest of the day...she just was not med-compliant, and as a result, oftentimes, whenever we are out and about and are at a place like a cafe or a restaurant or whatever, she would automatically fall asleep. We would have to do stuff like pinch her really hard to wake her up, and then make her get up and take her home right away because she never takes her medications with her. She was also Bipolar and a Type I diabetic, so she didn't take her Bipolar and her insulin medications, too...and boy, that was NOT fun....glad I don't have to deal with her ever again...I will never forgive her for the things she did to me. There was just way too much drama. Ugh. I hate her now. Sorry for being a bit offtopic.
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off-topic...

as you know lucia, i'm bipolar as well (i have atypical bipolar I with rapid cycling). i've been rapid cycling alot lately, so my psychiatrist increased my trazodone from 100mg to 300mg. i am supposed to take 100mg on nights when i'm not manic and 300mg when i am. ever since i was given this prescription, i've been able to get a good 8 hours of sleep and haven't had any problems with rapid cycling. by the way, my psychiatrist also emphasized the importance of taking meds for my bipolar on a daily basis since mania and depression can negatively interfere with one's sleep patterns causing either one to become worse.
 
Hi Hear Again
<hugs> for you and Tigger. I hope she will be able to stay with you.
 
Jiro said:
yes... it's a sad fact that we dog owners have to face with... I want to suggest that you might want to "old-dog-proof" your home for time being. Because well you know... as you said - when dog gets older... he/she will have a difficulty in controlling bodily functions... which means it will get quite messy to clean up at home. So perhaps you might want to cover up your sofa/floor/etc. with a cloth or plastic wrap.

My friend's old dalmatian was just walking to him while my friend was playing game. All of sudden, the dog sprayed the shit all over tv and game. and my former neighbor has this old cocker spaniard. he could not hold his pee long enough to pee outside so he urinated all over the hallway carpet as soon as he gets out. I had to complain to management office a couple of times to steam-vacuum it cuz it was reeking bad. the neighbor was very apologetic about it and I was apologetic about her situation too. This time - she carries a big bowl in case her dog couldn't hold it anymore.

so yea.... hang in there!
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thanks, jiro.

tigger isn't allowed on the furniture (she won't even jump on my sofa or loveseat even if i ask her to), so that's not a problem.

as dogs normally do, tigger relieves herself in the same area of my apartment, so i've covered that part of the carpeting with several layers of towels.
 
hi everyone,

i wanted to give all of you an update as to how i'm doing. everything finally hit me last night. i wept for hours on end and cried myself to sleep. i had a dream that brought me back to the day tigger was given to me. needless to say, i woke up crying. i think it's going to take some time for me to get over this, but again, i'm trying to remind myself that at least tigger is still here and hasn't been put to sleep.
 
Hear Again said:
hi everyone,

i wanted to give all of you an update as to how i'm doing. everything finally hit me last night. i wept for hours on end and cried myself to sleep. i had a dream that brought me back to the day tigger was given to me. needless to say, i woke up crying. i think it's going to take some time for me to get over this, but again, i'm trying to remind myself that at least tigger is still here and hasn't been put to sleep.
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Hear Again, I am so sorry. I wish i could help, i know it's a really upsetting experience, I wish i could help you more...
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
Well, if you are able to, and if you are willing to take on the responsibility of cleaning up after her, then I do not see a problem with keeping her.
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reba mentioned medication, so i'm going to ask tigger's vet today if he can prescribe something for her accidents. if the med doesn't help, i'd still be willing to clean up after her. fortuantely, her accidents are restricted to one area of my apartment, so i've covered that section of carpeting with several layers of bath towels.
 
typeingtornado19 said:
Hear Again, I am so sorry. I wish i could help, i know it's a really upsetting experience, I wish i could help you more...
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thanks, typeingtornado. <hugs>

i want you all to know how much your concern and understanding mean to me. <group hug>
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I have an idea. Now that you are going to retire Tigger...you can begin to "spoil" her like a pet...know what I mean? Think of it that way.
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that's true. considering everything she's done for me over the past 10 years, tigger deserves to be spoiled!
 
Sorry you have to go through this.

Is there any way you can preselect, that is try to find one that will get along with Tigger? Or do you pretty much have to go with what is offered?
 
DeafDoc1 said:
HearAgain,
So sorry to hear of Tigger's health issues, but so glad she'll stay with you. My service dog, Travis, is nearly 9 and starting to limp a bit himself. I retired him from pulling my wheelchair about 6 months ago. He still loves to work, and is always happier when he has a job to do. I got him from Canine Companions for Independence, and they place equal numbers of males and females. I wasn't given a choice, they picked the dog with the best qualities to match my needs.

Travis is a 70 lb lab/Golden mix. Jiro, you'll be happy to know he doesn't have a tail to knock everything down. He had to have it docked because of a fast growing tumor. And I taught him the command "lick" so he always cleans his mouth after eating and drinking. At 8 years old, he CAN learn new tricks; he's learning ASL and doing great.

I know a man locally who retired his older dog and kept him while he brought in a new service dog. He had a lot of concerns about jealousy and depression with the retiree. Instead what he found was the older dog was perfectly happy to have the "new kid" do all the work, while he became king of the castle.

Best of luck with Tigger, Hear Again, and with your new friend. While he/she won't be Tigger, I'm sure you'll find your next perfect helper.
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thanks, doc. <hugs>

your dog travis sounds so adorable! my last guide dog, sugar, was a 65 pound golden.

speaking of lab tails, tigger has an overactive "happy" one. :lol: i can't count the number of times i've been slapped with it on hot summer days while wearing a dress or shorts -- or her tail accidentally knocked over something on the coffee table. :lol:

i'm sure i will eventually learn how to love my next guide dog. it may take some time, but i'm going to do my best to look at my next guide dog as completely separate from tigger. i'm thinking about requesting another lab that is mellow and laid back like tigger. because of the severe carpal tunnel in my left wrist, i don't think i could handle an exciteable dog with lots of energy. having said that, it will be interesting to see what kind of a dog my trainer selects for me.
 
Hear Again said:
reba mentioned medication, so i'm going to ask tigger's vet today if he can prescribe something for her accidents. if the med doesn't help, i'd still be willing to clean up after her. fortuantely, her accidents are restricted to one area of my apartment, so i've covered that section of carpeting with several layers of bath towels.
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Since Tigger can hold it until she gets to her special area, I wonder if she is truly having accidents (meaning a bladder that can't be controled) or she is developing a behavior. Since you mentioned she goes to the same area, that sounds more like repeat behavior, enforced by the urine odor in that area. If she's having bladder problems, she's more like to "dribble", or have accidents on the way to the door outside.

If it's a medical problem, I hope your vet can help out. If it's a behavior problem, there are humane techniques available to correct that. Either way, you will need to come up with a better solution than towels because that will just get worse, and you will get into trouble with your landlord. Also, if a new dog joins your family, the urine in the house odor will confuse the new dog.

There is hope for Tigger and you to have a more comfortable life together. :)
 
Berry said:
Sorry you have to go through this.

Is there any way you can preselect, that is try to find one that will get along with Tigger? Or do you pretty much have to go with what is offered?
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i have to take the dog that is chosen for me. however, if both dogs don't get along, i can always have a field representative/trainer come to my home to work with both dogs. i could also return the dog they give me for another.
 
Reba said:
Since Tigger can hold it until she gets to her special area, I wonder if she is truly having accidents (meaning a bladder that can't be controled) or she is developing a behavior. Since you mentioned she goes to the same area, that sounds more like repeat behavior, enforced by the urine odor in that area. If she's having bladder problems, she's more like to "dribble", or have accidents on the way to the door outside.

If it's a medical problem, I hope your vet can help out. If it's a behavior problem, there are humane techniques available to correct that. Either way, you will need to come up with a better solution than towels because that will just get worse, and you will get into trouble with your landlord. Also, if a new dog joins your family, the urine in the house odor will confuse the new dog.

There is hope for Tigger and you to have a more comfortable life together. :)
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Great point. Has she been checked for a UTI?
 
Reba said:
Since Tigger can hold it until she gets to her special area, I wonder if she is truly having accidents (meaning a bladder that can't be controled) or she is developing a behavior. Since you mentioned she goes to the same area, that sounds more like repeat behavior, enforced by the urine odor in that area. If she's having bladder problems, she's more like to "dribble", or have accidents on the way to the door outside.

If it's a medical problem, I hope your vet can help out. If it's a behavior problem, there are humane techniques available to correct that. Either way, you will need to come up with a better solution than towels because that will just get worse, and you will get into trouble with your landlord. Also, if a new dog joins your family, the urine in the house odor will confuse the new dog.

There is hope for Tigger and you to have a more comfortable life together. :)
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reba,

i just got off the phone with tigger's vet and he thinks she's having bladder control problems. (i neglected to mention in my previous post that i need to take tigger outside 6 times a day.) he explained that since i need to relieve tigger this often and because she's going in the same place everytime that this is due (as you mentioned) to the urine odor. i've been cleaning up her accidents by using shampoo, so this has helped remove any stains. i had a sighted neighbor look at the area and she said there are no traces of urine. fortunately, the several layers of bath towels were thick enough to prevent the urine from soaking through the carpeting. tigger has an appointment with the vet on monday so he can evaluate her further.
 
Hear Again said:
reba,

i just got off the phone with tigger's vet and he thinks she's having bladder control problems. (i neglected to mention in my previous post that i need to take tigger outside 6 times a day.) he explained that since i need to relieve tigger this often and because she's going in the same place everytime that this is due (as you mentioned) to the urine odor. i've been cleaning up her accidents by using shampoo, so this has helped remove any stains. i had a sighted neighbor look at the area and she said there are no traces of urine. fortunately, the several layers of bath towels were thick enough to prevent the urine from soaking through the carpeting. tigger has an appointment with the vet on monday so he can evaluate her further.
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Ah, ha.

Here's another tip. To the human eye, and sometimes even to the human nose, it might seem that all pet urine is cleaned up. However, urine can soak down to the carpet pad. The pad is what really holds the urine. If you really want to know every place that urine has been, a black light is the best way. But if you are pretty sure it was just that area, then you need to remove every trace of odor. The only way to do that is by using an enzyme "odor eater." Professionals use a certain kind but you can get the same thing at the pet store or in the pet department of Walmart. Just make sure it has the enzymes in it. Make sure you saturate the area down to the pad. If Tigger has more accidents, you have to treat the area each time with the enzyme. It's safe to use around animals and people.

I have a family member who works in a business that deals with bio cleanups, so this is reliable advice.
 
I just checked with my expert. Here's some details:

The best way to completely rid the odor is to pull back the carpet from that area, including the pad. Then, pour the enzyme directly on the floor, and put the pad and carpet back down. That way, the enzyme can soak from the bottom up. Don't buy a spray bottle of the enzyme. Buy at least a quart bottle (a 1/2 gallon is even better).
 
Reba said:
Ah, ha.

Here's another tip. To the human eye, and sometimes even to the human nose, it might seem that all pet urine is cleaned up. However, urine can soak down to the carpet pad. The pad is what really holds the urine. If you really want to know every place that urine has been, a black light is the best way. But if you are pretty sure it was just that area, then you need to remove every trace of odor. The only way to do that is by using an enzyme "odor eater." Professionals use a certain kind but you can get the same thing at the pet store or in the pet department of Walmart. Just make sure it has the enzymes in it. Make sure you saturate the area down to the pad. If Tigger has more accidents, you have to treat the area each time with the enzyme. It's safe to use around animals and people.

I have a family member who works in a business that deals with bio cleanups, so this is reliable advice.
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reba,

is the enzyme applied to the carpeting itself or the pad on its' underside?
 
Reba said:
I just checked with my expert. Here's some details:

The best way to completely rid the odor is to pull back the carpet from that area, including the pad. Then, pour the enzyme directly on the floor, and put the pad and carpet back down. That way, the enzyme can soak from the bottom up. Don't buy a spray bottle of the enzyme. Buy at least a quart bottle (a 1/2 gallon is even better).
Click to expand...

i have indoor-outdoor carpeting in my apartment. when i felt along the edge of the carpeting and the wall, i was unable to budge the carpeting.
 
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