Poor Desi, I know he's feeling better. So if you were an animal abuser, so was I. I adopted a sweet little Bichon from the pound a year ago October. She had had a dental and teeth pulled, but always had bad breath. I mean bad breath! I took my 3 dogs in for a cleaning in January, and poor little Penny had to have many teeth pulled with multiple areas of decay. No wonder she had bad breath! The poor little thing was probably in pain. I don't know why I didn't think anything was wrong since I am a nurse. I know that was not normal. Still kicking myself, but on top of the situation now. So glad Desi found you!

You are not a pet abuser!

Cat's are not only hard to catch, but they aren't afraid to use their teeth when cornered!

Our Sebastian also had an abscess from a cat fight on his face affecting an eye. We managed to get him to the vet, but the twice daily drops and oral antibiotic were really difficult to administer. We had to catch him, wrap him in a quilt and hold him while the other spouse poked the pill down and put in the drops. He recovered and the eye (while still in place) has diminished vision. At least the eye didn't need to be removed.

If you are, then so was I. We had a collie that just didn't act right for the longest time, I'm talking years. Every time we went to the vet I complained about how sluggish she was and that she was always cold etc. It took years before they finally thought to test her thyroid. Her thyroid was not working at all. After three days on medication, she perked up and was acting like a puppy! I felt awful when I thought about how long she hadn't felt good and how easy solution it was.

I feel so bad whenever a pet is ill. We had one dog that always wheezed. Vet said the wheezing was due to multiple allergies, did not need medication. We went away on a couple weeks vacation, boarded "Poppy" , then came home and the wheezing was much, much worse. The dog slept a lot more than usual. Back to the vet, who diagnosed brain and lung cancer. Our poor Poppy needed medication for the rest of her life, which, sadly, was only three weeks more. Our vet put came to the house and put her to sleep on our living room floor.

I felt like an animal abuser when we took our elderly cat Ellie to the vet a couple of weeks ago and decided, on hearing their feedback, to have her euthanized. The trip to the vet was upsetting to Ellie. I felt badly that we didn't have her euthanized at home where she felt comfortable. I considered taking her home, then calling a vet to make a house call. But that would have meant more discomfort for Ellie, not to mention adding to the expense. The vet was very kind and made the experience as gentle as possible for Ellie and for us.

We learn through our mistakes and become better caregivers of our pets over time. Sharing your story may prevent others for committing the same mistake you made. It was an error in judgement,a regret in hindsight, not abuse. Thanks for sharing.