Hornets and puppydogs

[Pfreddee]

Our mini Schnauzer, Pfreddee, got stung by a white-faced hornet yesterday afternoon. Since she's a mini, it was a really big hit for her, and the vet discovered where the skin on her inner left hind leg was beginning to slough off. So now she's on Prednisone and antibiotics. The blasted bug was tangled in the slip cover on the sofa where Pfreddee jumped up, and got hit there. Poor little thing cried and cried, really upset me and REALLY upset my wife. We gave her a baby aspirin, per vet instructions, and then took her to the vet today.

Come to find out that with all of the goodies the bill was $195 and change. Is there any effective and reputable animal medical insurance for just such occasions? We are thinking of getting some, since we have two dogs and two kitty-cats as well.

Thanks to all who reply.

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

PS: Glory discovered the hornet resting on our bed about five minutes later, so I juiced it with the wasp and hornet spray. Sometimes, revenge is best taken whenever you can!

[emmline]

Ouch! Poor baby.
As for pet insurance...I think I've heard of such a thing. Whether or not it adds up to worthwhile, I do not know.
You're right about the high cost of veterinary care. But it does tend to be high-tech, specialized medical care, on a par with what we receive as humans, so you can't really expect it to be cheap. I know it doesn't really help to think about that when you get the bill...but I guess it's just one of those things in life, life car repairs. It just costs.

[mutepointe]

go to www.dogster.com and ask this question their. those people are rabid about dogs over there. my dog is a member there through my wife. here is the link to her page. http://www.dogster.com/dogs/1059698

[Pfreddee]

Of course, as with most of us, our pets aren't really pets, but furry animal-shaped persons, each with her/his own unique set of defining characteristics, which make them a part of the family, and terribly hard to part with when they pass away. They really brighten up our day, and occasionally exasperate us too (think Bigfoot the cat crawling under the bedclothes and then deciding to carry on a conversation in Braille at 2 AM, with his sharp-toed paddy-paws...)

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

[dwest]

Pet insurance from Canadian firms is perhaps a little more sophisticated at this point.

[Infernaltootler]

Hornet stings are horrendous. Poor puppy.

I got stung on the hand and later while I sitting on the loo, crying with the pain, I passed out and hit my head really hard on the floor. Some might say the alcohol I imbibed was mostly responsible but i think the shock + wine resulted in a sudden drop in blood pressure and faint.

Either way, my head was sore and swollen for weeks and my hand was bad too.

[mutepointe]

Bad hand. Bad. Bad hand.

[dwest]

I usually have a bad hand but I'm good at bluffing.

[Lambchop]

I have not been bitten by a hornet, but I have been bitten by a spider quite recently. Would you like to hear about it? I would like to tell you!

It occurred when I was walking in to work. Shortly after crossing a bit of lawn at the edge of a parking lot -- admittedly a stupid thing to do -- I felt something poking me on my shin, inside my trousers. It felt kind of like being poked by one of those plastic gadgets that holds tags on clothing. Thinking a bit of twig had gotten in there, I brushed my other foot against it and kept walking. The poking began again a few feet further on, rather more insistently, whence I brushed at it more firmly. The poking did not resume, and I forgot about it.

Later that evening, I noticed six very precise, perfectly aligned pairs of bloody spots on my shin. Each individual 1 mm spot had a bloody hole in the middle, surrounded by a very neat, erythematous, slighly raised circle. These were arranged in a semicircle. There were single holes scattered in disarray off to one side of the semicircle.

Several people who saw this remarked that it appeared I had been bitten by a Tinkerbelle-sized vampire. If it had been on my neck we would have been certain of it. The extra, single holes appeared to be the result of a single, right fang, after the left had been broken off.

Absolutely nothing exciting happened after that. The little holes are still a bit pink, but they healed painlessly and uneventfully in just a few days.

I have been wondering how big a spider has to be to create 1 mm fang marks in pairs spaced 3 mm apart.

I have not entirely discounted the notion that it was a very tiny vampire, either. One never knows.

[Pfreddee]

Lambchop, have you considered that it might have been a chupacabra that bit you???

Regards,

Pfreddee(Stephen)

[Lambchop]

Well, maybe a little tiny one! I would have expected to see more teeth marks per bite, though!

I feel that I am fortunate to have a leg left . . .

[dwest]

Remoolian spider just before attack.

[Redwolf]

There are several pet insurance companies out there. Their rates are usually based on the age and relative health of your animal.

Having raised a miniature poodle to the age of 18, and having spent many thousands of dollars in veterinary bills doing so, I would say it's worth looking into. Your vet should be able to recommend a company.

$195 is pretty reasonable for a vet visit.

BTW, Benedryl is a good thing to have on hand for hornet stings. Much safer for dogs than aspirin, and considerably more effective.

Redwolf (whose dog was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets a couple of summers ago)

[Pfreddee]

dwest, I have it on good authority that the Remoolian spider IS the larval stage of the chupacabra.

Regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

[Infernaltootler]

I have not been bitten by a hornet, but I have been bitten by a spider quite recently. Would you like to hear about it? I would like to tell you!

It occurred when I was walking in to work. Shortly after crossing a bit of lawn at the edge of a parking lot -- admittedly a stupid thing to do -- I felt something poking me on my shin, inside my trousers. It felt kind of like being poked by one of those plastic gadgets that holds tags on clothing. Thinking a bit of twig had gotten in there, I brushed my other foot against it and kept walking. The poking began again a few feet further on, rather more insistently, whence I brushed at it more firmly. The poking did not resume, and I forgot about it.

Later that evening, I noticed six very precise, perfectly aligned pairs of bloody spots on my shin. Each individual 1 mm spot had a bloody hole in the middle, surrounded by a very neat, erythematous, slighly raised circle. These were arranged in a semicircle. There were single holes scattered in disarray off to one side of the semicircle.

Several people who saw this remarked that it appeared I had been bitten by a Tinkerbelle-sized vampire. If it had been on my neck we would have been certain of it. The extra, single holes appeared to be the result of a single, right fang, after the left had been broken off.

Absolutely nothing exciting happened after that. The little holes are still a bit pink, but they healed painlessly and uneventfully in just a few days.

I have been wondering how big a spider has to be to create 1 mm fang marks in pairs spaced 3 mm apart.

I have not entirely discounted the notion that it was a very tiny vampire, either. One never knows.

Coo, creepy. My resident archid person does not know the answer.

I once saw a large house type spider on the miniscus of a bucket of water. Informing my three year old that spiders were not scary in the Miss Muffet sense, I scooped it out . Then it bit me really hard and I ran round the kitchen shrieking, "Get it off, get it off,".

Said daughter, now 14, still traumatised.