Pet obsessed

[Rachelle]

Hi All,

I joined today in hopes of seeking some peace, or at least learning that I am not alone. My anxiety revolves around my pets. I watch every move they make and constantly worry that they're dying of some illness or disease. With yoga, meditation, Bach Remedies, and other breathing or thinking exercises I have been able to get the day to day under control for the most part. However, if one small thing occurs I am frozen with fear. For example, my chihuahua got sick yesterday so I spent the entire day worrying about her dying. Today is day two. She has seemed okay, but hasn't eaten. I want to stop this behavior. It's simply ridiculous. They are my pets and I love them dearly, but I know that at the end of the day they are PETS! I know they live shorter lives and my job is to provide the. A good life. Not worry every single day and ruin my own life over it

Thanks for listening / reading.

 

[XmasCarol52]

Hi and welcome,I do not think it is ridiculous that you worry and love your pets so much.I don't have any pets not allowed to have them where I live,but pets are just like children,you just want to protect them.Years ago when I was living at home we had a dog his name was snowy and i knew he was going to die because he just stopped barking whenever there was something in the yard and believe me he always barked,I can remember my late husband telling me that Snowy died,I felt like I just lost one of my best friend.HOwever the sadness one was when our cat was hit by a car a hit and run our neighbor brought the cat to us he had him in a box the poor thing tried to walk but you could see the blood coming out of his ear he did make it to the couch but that was it he passed away ,Don't mean to gross you out just saying,I cried .Sound silly maybe not.When you love someone whether it be a pet or a person you will always worry about them.I guess that is normal.

 

[janemariesayed]

Hi @Rachelle and welcome to the forum. You are not alone in being a worrier for your pets. I have two dogs and I've had pets all my life. Try not to worry about them so much. Dogs regurgitate. It's a natural thing for them. My Loopy Loo, who you see is my avatar picture, is often sick in the mornings.

What I do is see how she is feeling first thing in the morning.. If she is off her food I give her a dollop of plain natural yoghurt. It often opens up her tummy and gives her an appetite for breakfast or maybe lunch. Dogs are like humans. They have the same make up as us. They have all the same bodily organs that we do and can even communicate in their own way. Owners understand their pets and know when they are not well. They have their own way of telling us.

You can see how your Chihuahua is doing by giving her a special treat. What is her favourite? A small cube of cheese? A slice of ham? Try giving her something to test it out. If she is really and truly off her food she will say no to treats as well.

Also, look and watch how she is behaving. Is she lethargic? Is she refusing her daily walk? Is she unnaturally quiet? Take these things into consideration and if she is displaying any unnatural behaviour take her to the vet. But stay strong. Wait for the vet to tell you what they think it could be.

It seems like the loss of Snowy has made you afraid for the future of any pet you may have. Try not to worry and get the best out of them that you can while they are with you. It's true they don't live for long enough. If one thing isn't fair in this world, it's the fact that pets don't live long enough.

 

[XmasCarol52]

Hi @Rachelle and welcome to the forum. You are not alone in being a worrier for your pets. I have two dogs and I've had pets all my life. Try not to worry about them so much. Dogs regurgitate. It's a natural thing for them. My Loopy Loo, who you see is my avatar picture, is often sick in the mornings.

What I do is see how she is feeling first thing in the morning.. If she is off her food I give her a dollop of plain natural yoghurt. It often opens up her tummy and gives her an appetite for breakfast or maybe lunch. Dogs are like humans. They have the same make up as us. They have all the same bodily organs that we do and can even communicate in their own way. Owners understand their pets and know when they are not well. They have their own way of telling us.

You can see how your Chihuahua is doing by giving her a special treat. What is her favourite? A small cube of cheese? A slice of ham? Try giving her something to test it out. If she is really and truly off her food she will say no to treats as well.

Also, look and watch how she is behaving. Is she lethargic? Is she refusing her daily walk? Is she unnaturally quiet? Take these things into consideration and if she is displaying any unnatural behaviour take her to the vet. But stay strong. Wait for the vet to tell you what they think it could be.

It seems like the loss of Snowy has made you afraid for the future of any pet you may have. Try not to worry and get the best out of them that you can while they are with you. It's true they don't live for long enough. If one thing isn't fair in this world, it's the fact that pets don't live long enough.

 

[XmasCarol52]

Hi I was reading your posts and I am the one who had Snowy but that is okay,We named him that because when we first got him you could hold him in the palm of your hand and he was all white.You have some great ideas though.As time went by he had just a little bit of brown in him .He was such a good dog and a watch dog to nobody could set foot in our yard when he was around of course except when he was getting just to old to do anything.

 

[Rachelle]

@janemariesayed thank you for that. It was helpful. I try my best to relax and asses the situation and bring myself into reality. Sometimes what works best is asking myself 'if you called the vet, what would you say?' My dog threw up? My dog... if it sounds silly or like something that the vet would advise me to watch and see then I try to calm myself.

Thanks again for your kind words. It's most helpful to hear from others about this, the support helps me the most.

 

[janemariesayed]

Hi I was reading your posts and I am the one who had Snowy but that is okay,We named him that because when we first got him you could hold him in the palm of your hand and he was all white.You have some great ideas though.As time went by he had just a little bit of brown in him .He was such a good dog and a watch dog to nobody could set foot in our yard when he was around of course except when he was getting just to old to do anything.

Sorry about that Carol! I should have quoted in your name, I didn't realise I'd made a booby then! I've got confused between your two posts! It's a shame that you can't get another pet now, they are great for anxiety and loneliness. When I came to view this house to rent, I spoke to the landlord and told him that I have two dogs and that I would always have two dogs. I told him that one of them was older and was dying and when she did die that I would replace her with a puppy playmate for my Loopy. If he accepted that then I would move in if I liked the house. He agreed it was okay to have pets and I liked the house and moved in. I've been really lucky I know, as a lot of landlords don't like it. But as I paid heaps of money to bring my dogs back from Egypt, I wasn't about to get rid of them to move into a rented house. I've made it my condition. If a landlord wants no pets that is their prerogative, I would just not consider living there. I'm sorry that you can't have pets especially as you know what it is like to have one.

You're welcome @Rachelle anytime. I'm not a vet but I do have a lot of experience with dogs. So I am really pleased to help if I can. Is she any better today? I hope so. Remember they sometimes eat things outside too when they go on their walk. They sniff all sorts of things as well and sometimes that might be something not so nice or good for them. There are many things that can affect them. But just like us, we can get a dicky tummy that usually sorts itself out. I don't want you to worry too much, but at the same time, as animal parents, we still have to watch them and make that decision ourselves if a vet visit is necessary. Fingers crossed your furry baby is okay today.

 

[XmasCarol52]

You know my next door neighbor has a cat she had to get permission from her doctor though,the cat is suppose to stay inside they if you can believe this one threatened eviction if they saw the cat outside again,i see it all the time it doesn't bother anyone except for a couple of busy bodies,they like to cause trouble for everyone so what if he sneaks inside your apt,i dont mind he just sniffs around I like that because if he found something u know he would kill it,his name is so cute Little One.He is a beautiful white and orange cat.People are complaining because they just like minding everyones business around here,I told my land lady when they were reporting me that it is none of her business or there business what I do in my own apt and that I dont spy on them and they aint going to spy on me,apparently my land lady didnt like that to bad.Can u imagine evicting someon e because they had a cat,she pays to keep it here,I am also petting it when I am outside he doesnt bother anyone,

 

[Rachelle]

@janemariesayed thanks again. She seems to be feeling better the last two days. I just obsess. She has never been a social dog. She gets excited from time to time, but other than that she's like a cat. My other pup is exuberant and chipper all of the time, so sometimes I think when she (chihuahua) is be herself that something is wrong. Basically I need to stop obsessing. They go to the vet annually and as needed, if something arises. Thanks again!

 

[XmasCarol52]

Sorry about that Carol! I should have quoted in your name, I didn't realise I'd made a booby then! I've got confused between your two posts! It's a shame that you can't get another pet now, they are great for anxiety and loneliness. When I came to view this house to rent, I spoke to the landlord and told him that I have two dogs and that I would always have two dogs. I told him that one of them was older and was dying and when she did die that I would replace her with a puppy playmate for my Loopy. If he accepted that then I would move in if I liked the house. He agreed it was okay to have pets and I liked the house and moved in. I've been really lucky I know, as a lot of landlords don't like it. But as I paid heaps of money to bring my dogs back from Egypt, I wasn't about to get rid of them to move into a rented house. I've made it my condition. If a landlord wants no pets that is their prerogative, I would just not consider living there. I'm sorry that you can't have pets especially as you know what it is like to have one.

You're welcome @Rachelle anytime. I'm not a vet but I do have a lot of experience with dogs. So I am really pleased to help if I can. Is she any better today? I hope so. Remember they sometimes eat things outside too when they go on their walk. They sniff all sorts of things as well and sometimes that might be something not so nice or good for them. There are many things that can affect them. But just like us, we can get a dicky tummy that usually sorts itself out. I don't want you to worry too much, but at the same time, as animal parents, we still have to watch them and make that decision ourselves if a vet visit is necessary. Fingers crossed your furry baby is okay today.

 

[XmasCarol52]

everyone makes a booby now and then I guess you could say you won the booby prize lol It is okay I made a lot of mistakes to.

 

[janemariesayed]

@janemariesayed thanks again. She seems to be feeling better the last two days. I just obsess. She has never been a social dog. She gets excited from time to time, but other than that she's like a cat. My other pup is exuberant and chipper all of the time, so sometimes I think when she (chihuahua) is be herself that something is wrong. Basically I need to stop obsessing. They go to the vet annually and as needed, if something arises. Thanks again!

You're welcome @Rachelle as I said before, I'm not a vet but anytime you are anxious about your furry babes do come and speak up on here. No one is judging you. It's normal to be anxious about our pets and it shows that you are caring.