Rescuing old animals

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:15:38 GMT

ive got her now, shes called flower

Re: Rescuing old animals

Emma Purnell — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:02:33 GMT

I used to keep rats, all of which were from similar situations when I was younger and all of which were wonderful pets!

I also took my dog on from work, about 12-18 months old, broken leg and they wanted him PTS! Got him signed over, bandaged it for a few weeks and he is good as new now! Asleep in his basket with his legs in the air!

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:12:00 GMT

ej1574 i do understand what you mean but unfortunately this is one of situations where if i dont pay for them i wont get them they wil just keep them there, its not a big pet shop just a small hidden away one so unless i buy them there is nothing i could do otherwise, i realise that by buying them it will be just another sale to them but to me and the rats it will be more than that and that is why i will pay for them, and the fact that they sell rats for 3 pound each which isnt really a fortune

i do understand what your getting at though as i have rescued other small furries before but some people just aren't prepared to give animals away for free

but thats why im here

plus you never know im collecting them tomorrow and they might just say you can have them like a previous place said to me

Re: Rescuing old animals

FINNIGAN — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:24:59 GMT

last september a client found a little lab x on the side of the road, had been hit by car, brought into surgery, very underweight, think she had been roaming for a long time, had badly dislocated shoulder bloodied head injury and ear, maggotts riddled in her rear end and tail, a real sorry state, she was so terrified, was on a drip for a week and stayed at vets for a fortnight, i scoured the internet for lost dogs (she had no chip or id) put up posters near where she was found and contacted authorities our lovely local dog warden came and took her details and photographed her for their website, but all to no avail, after nursing her for two weeks she recovered well, but had abviously been used for breeding and very submissive and prob been ill treated by her behaviour, the following week dog warden came to take her to pound, i couldnt bear her going there after all shed been through, so to cut a long story short she now belongs to me and lives with another mad lab that has brought her out of her shell and a slightly mad cat who adores her, she is still petrified of traffic but is the most loving little dog and so good, just so desperate to be loved, she loves comming into work with me and apart from an entropian prob tht is beyond repair shes a sweetie, and so glad shes with us now.

Re: Rescuing old animals

Emma Jarratt — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:12:34 GMT

the reason I suggest not giving petshops money for 'rescues' is that so the shop realises that these animals are rescues. The petshop industry is why there are so many small animals in rescues in the first place. If you give them money all you are doing is rewarding them and creating space for more poor creatures to languish in a pet shop. Hence why I'd recommend offering to rescue them by taking them off the pet shop for no fee. Otherwise, if you are looking for rescue rats, there are literally thousands all over the country looking for good homes in real rescues.

Just my 2p and a little bugbear having been involved in various rodent rescue situations over the years. I'm not meaning to come across as harsh I realise you might not have come across this situation before :)

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:43:20 GMT

i wouldnt mind paying for them as like i said earlier if it wasnt for me they probably wouldnt be going anywhere else as their not really on show, in a tiny cage while babies are in massive cages and when i asked how old they were he said their not for sale as their too old its only when i mentioned it to my mum today that i rung them and asked and the manager said they were still for sale, they prolly just assumed someone wouldnt buy them, i duno i mean i might get there on tuesday and they might just say take them, if not they sell rats for 3 pound each so not a massive fortune i suppose

i dont mind paying for them if they get a good home

when jirds were rare when i was younger (altho i havent seen one in ages) i was waiting on a pet shop for babies and when i rung later on the mum had eaten them but they said they had another older female and i could purchase her so we drove for an hour to go see her and they just handed her over and said its not a baby but you can have her for free its amazing how some pet shops think people just wont buy rodents after a certain age

but she had a good year with me

Re: Rescuing old animals

Emma Jarratt — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:27:21 GMT

just one thing - make sure you are rescuing them, do not give the petshop any money for them - otherwise you are just buying them and making way for more poor creatures to waste away in the pet shop.

I've rescued/rehomed many animals - three-legged guinea-pig through work (returned to Pets at Home as 'defective' after a child had dropped it - Pets at Home bought it to us for PTS), severely injured hamster from Pets at Home they found in a glue trap in the store room - ripped skin off and broken a leg. They rang me as they knew I'd rehomed things in the past. Many guinea-pigs and rats over the years both deliberately from various rehoming charities and then later the local RSPCA started ringing me with their 'unrehomable' things. I had a lovely older boy rat through that, they said he was aggressive and couldn't rehome him and he'd never live with other rats, well he was a complete sweetie with me and lived with two old boys I rehomed from my partner's sister when she moved abroad. Most recently, my two rabbits - one was an orphaned wild rabbit bought in with a head injury, we gave him a chance and he did well although couldn't be rehabbed/released due to no sight in one eye. He is very soft now, lives with another rabbit I got about 9m later a stray through the practice. And then my dog, she was bought into work to be pts for aggression, turned out she was just very nervous and was having a false pregnancy, she's fine now with just a bit of understanding of dog behaviour, consistency and routine.

When you work in a vet practice you don't have to go looking for pets, they just follow you home!

Re: Rescuing old animals

Nicola Smith — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:26:38 GMT

I took on an 8 year old bunny ho was unwanted and they wanted him PTS, he had had a miserable lie shut ina dark out house, riddked with fleas and horrific teeth but got him fixed up and he looked fab, vet didn't recognise him a few weeks later, had him for 10 months but a very happy 10 months runing loose in my garden and generally having a fab time in the sunshine. He finally went off his legs - I was heartbroken as I had seen him come so far but at least he was happy.

Re: Rescuing old animals

Claire Cameron — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:15:45 GMT

Aww, thats brilliant news Sarah, Congrats on the ratties!!!

My cats are rescues, got them at 10 weeks old, totally ferral, never handled and had been rescued by our local 'crazy cat lady' who used to trap ferrals for neuters etc (lovely lovely lady) they were INSANE, totally wild animals, ive just been sat with both softies draped over my knees! haha not so ferral anymore!

Re: Rescuing old animals

Steph Worsley — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:16:46 GMT

my brother took on an adult rat called roger......seemed like I looked after him more tho!!!
I also used to work in a pet shop and ended up with an adult hamster he was big white and a horror!!!!
My family has had guinea pigs for the past 25 years and at one point at the height of our guineas our then vet rang us up and gave my mum a sob story about a g-pig who had been signed over to them, he had mange but the owners were convinced it was their other piggy attacking this one, so agreed that if the vet could find someone to take him on the money they gave for pts could be used to treat him. me and my parents kind of said yes if it is a female but we'd go down to have a look, turned out to be male but we fell in love with him straight away, he was a gorgeous grey and white rex...the mange had only got his white saddle (strange) the vets kept him till he was clear then we collected him and he ended up living with my dwarf lop bunny and was our longest living piggy, he was definately adult when we got him so we guestimated him to be about 1 1/2 and we had him 7 years!!!
Also took on another male piggy from the garden centre I was working at (same place as the hammy) as we couldn't stock livestock any more and no one wanted this little rex boy so he joined the piggy clan (he had his own little hutch tho) kind of landed it on the family (only rang my mum up about an hour before I returned home with him hehehehe)
I have also cared for 7 older cats and adopted one of them, then adopted another older cat who was going to be pts'd at a practice...unfortunately he didn't settle with me and my others so found a lovely place to take him to rehome, if he didn't get a home he could live on the farm area it was on!

Re: Rescuing old animals

Saskia Quinn — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:04:42 GMT

Sarah, I am so pleased for you! The will definitely be very happy little ratties I am sure! They couldnt ask for a better home.

My pets are all rescued ones. Most of you know their stories anyway so I wont bore you with the details, I would be typing all night lol!

I look forward to seeing some pics when you get them Sarah

Re: Rescuing old animals

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:02:08 GMT

3 of my 4 cats are rescues, and I have at one time rescued an old dog once too, who had vestibular problems.

I love old dogs, they remind me of old people, and I will rescue more once I dont have so many pets of my own.

Re: Rescuing old animals

Helen Freer — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:26:49 GMT

I have acquired all 4 of my cats, they all boarded in the cattery at sometime.

Bobby - 5 years ago owners wanted to rehome beccause they were relocating to Wales and did not want to leave him a cattery long term as they could not find accomodation that would allow cats. (now aged 8)

Dolly- boarded with us via social services as her owner needed to go into hospital, after she went home he rang us up as he was finding everything to much and could not cope and asked me to take he to a rescue place, but we took he on last year. (now 2 years)

Flea - 6 years ago her owner went into hospital and sadly died, the daughter had 2 dogs so could not take the cat so we did. (now 14)

Cheeky - last year her mum died suddenly, the relatives phoned us about rehoming, as he had out lived 2 owners and was 18 we decided to take him on. He is doing fine just had his medical and booster the only thing is his teeth could do with a clean but not much worse than last year and I am reluctant to put him under GA and the vet agrees.

We have taken on others over the years that have boared with us and ones that neighbours have found. i always try to persuade people to think about older cats and some of older customers take on older cats especially.

Good Luck picking up you rats

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:06:41 GMT

someones coming to fix our sofa tomorrow so might try persuade her to just let me go get them instead of her coming too on tuesday , seen as my dad knows and hasnt kicked off, so i can get them sooner dont want to push my luck but cant help thinking their already old so their time is very precious speshly in that little cage hopefully the sofa man will come early

Re: Rescuing old animals

Vicky RVN — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:02:56 GMT

Aww that is small poor ratties...but not poor ratties for much longer There are so many animals of every species that need rehoming, i'd rather do that than get a baby (as much as the babies are cute!). I look forward to seeing some pics of them soon!

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:59:44 GMT

aww im so glad theres other people who feel the same, dont get me wrong i love baby animals but give me the choice between a fresh baby and an old biting beasty id choose the beasty everytime, my oh said you only want them coz your a women and the man said no to you lol! i cant wait to bring them home and pamper them! the holding cage their in is like 40cm long and 30 cm wide very small

Re: Rescuing old animals

Vicky RVN — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:54:49 GMT

Awww that's great Sarah, they'll have landed on their feet if they end up with you that's for sure!

When i worked at a pet shop we had an adult hamster come in with the delivery, we think she must have been a breeding female they didn't want anymore. Everyone coming into the pet shop wanted baby hamsters, so she was there for weeks, even though she was at a reduced price. We didn't want to give her away cos someone would just take her for the fun of it! I never wanted a hamster cos i'm scared of them...but she was going mad in the cage trying to chew her way out cos she was so bored (the cages weren't very big, which was ok most of the time cos they came in then a few days later were sold). So one day i told her that if she was good and didn't bite me i'd take her home that night...and so i ended up with her! She used to love running around my room in the evenings, then would take herself back to bed when she'd had enough! She was such a little sweetie, never bit (unless your hands smelt of food lol!) and i had her for a couple of years before i had to have her pts. That was a very sad day, i cried all of the way to work with her beside me in her box

Here are some pics of her...

Playing with a cat toy

Running around on my bed

In my slipper

I also rehomed an adult guinea pig called Smudge, she came into my previous workplace & her owner didn't want to pay for her to have an op to remove an abscess so i had her! She was very cute and passed away last year.

Here she is (she's also in my signature pic):

Finally, i rehomed my SBT Jack from Dogs Trust last Sept...i'm sure you've prob seen pics of him before but here he is, my little darling:

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:42:20 GMT

update! the father has been told and over-ruled i look set to get a my ratties on tuesday, or if im lucky tomorrow so excited!!

Re: Rescuing old animals

Fleabee99 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:41:03 GMT

problem is now i need two girly names for them but im thinking daisy and flower at the mo what you think?

oo0o and has anyone else rehomed any animals (into their house obviously) would love to hear stories