Rescue Journal

another lovely sunny and warm day.

Carol  ·  Apr. 6, 2009

shilo stopped eating on the weekend. the staff managed to get about 45 cc into her today and we started her on antibiotics just in case it helps...but i think it won't. shilo is one of those unhappy cats without much of a survival will....i suspect she had an entirely shitty life and it just went on and on and on for her like it never would end. i think she is one of the few truly hopeless animals we have ever had...inside her she just has an endless black hole that nothing can ever fill. she has done well here (for her)...she had her favorite chair, she had her canned food hand delivered. we didn't care that she pooped in odd places like on top of litter boxes or on window sills. she seemed to enjoy the occasional brief affection that didn't require any effort back from her.

anyway...we will try force feeding and meds for a few days but if shilo wants to be done, i am not going to fight her. sometimes a forever rest is the kindest thing we can give them when life was just too much for far too long.

mosley is starting with the URI going around in the felv area...we will start him on antibiotics too. betsy is still not eating and we stopped giving her sub cutaneous fluids because she gets so upset... she flips out and loses control of her bladder. no point in terrifying her if this is the end. she does let us give her some food and water with a syringe but she has been on meds long enough that she should start eating again on her own soon IF she intends to.

so it occurs to me that the reason that caspar lost his home was not really because he was diabetic, but because he bites with his injections. i know he was biting them too because they sent along a muzzle for him but no one actually said that he bites..i guess it was decided that i would eventually figure this out all on my own...which i did.

short staffed tomorrow...renee has a big audition. i will get the barn guys fed and out before i leave for work and she will come in early and get done what she can before 11 am when she has to leave. and i will try to catch up the rest on my lunch break....everyone wish her luck, she is pretty excited.

kathy k was out here today...she always does such an awesome cleaning job....still no old urine smell in here..i am a happy camper.

i rushed home at lunch and gave a quick tour to a family whose dog we may admit in june. (this is the guy with SEVERE SA who started trying to bite and a new baby is on the way)

i try to make potential surrendering families come out to tour before i take their animals in...there are two reasons for this...one.... they are ultimately responsible to ensure their animal has a decent quality of life so they need to make sure where ever he is going is somewhere where he will have a good possibility for a reasonably happy life....can't do that over the phone or while reading websites or emails.

and two....sometimes (not very often...like maybe once or twice in all of the years that i have been doing this) but sometimes, coming here and seeing with their own eyes how many homeless animals there are and also seeing that we somehow manage to cope with whatever all of their issues are...makes them think that maybe, they can manage to cope somehow too.

anyway, i gave the tour of everything..including the memorial garden with the many windchimes of the animals who have ended their lives here...now it is up to them to decide what they are going to ultimately do. i think they have alot to think about over the next several weeks. i am glad i am not in their shoes.

when we were going thru the farm area, i looked into the riding ring. they all sure like that new surface in there. 4 horses, 2 cows, 2 goats, and a pig...were all sound asleep on their sides in the sun with their heads stretched right out...it looked like a freaking dead body ring! (but it did look very comfortable and peaceful too.)

Comments

Tammy

I can come friday, saturday, sunday and monday and help with the bunnies, cats, or whatever.

Heidi

Good luck Renee! I love John Cussaks' work. hope you get it!. Carrie, I can't open the attachement you sent. Have any ideas anyone?

Carol

it is a stat for me too....i keep forgetting that union jobs have different stats.
maybe we will have staff on monday...i will talk to them and see.

laura

Wow, you are being generous with the holidays giving the staff Monday off also. Friday is the only stat...unless your a govt worker like Mo.lol I can help on Friday and Sunday, but work Monday. Lana can look at her schedule and may be able to help on Monday, will let you know.

Carol

NO STAFF FRI/SAT/SUN/MON

friday...i am working day shift..mo has agreed to do the barn...lynne says she can do the house.

..still need help with the bunnies/felv/med room animals.

saturday...i am on a day off...mo will do the barn...lynne says she can do the house...i can do the bunnies/felv/med room guys and help lynn in the house.

sunday..i am working an afternoon shift..i will feed and set loose the barn guys and can clean the house before i leave for work. mo says she will come later to clean the barn and put them to bed.
..will need help with the bunnies/felv/med room guys

monday...i am working a day shift...mo will do the am feed/turn out and clean up the barn.
..will need help with the house and bunnies/felv/med room guys

lynne

what is renees audition for. just being nosy. good luck renee. by the way carol how is ir going for the easter weekend for help. i can be there on fri and sat maybe not sun or mon. is there staff or just volunteers. if just volunteers than we have to fugure out who is going when. kathy k how is cuddles doing