I know lots of you have pets. I'm thinking about settling full time into one job (geez, I'm a recruiters dream at the moment) and also settling down for me means, pets again. I live alone and have always had dogs, but my dogs were the geriatric type that did well with my crazy schedule.
I'm thinking about getting another geriatric dog, but I'm wondering if thats advisable, as I'll be doing 12's. Should I stick to a cat??
What do you do, especially those who like me, are single and such...
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i'm thinking about getting another geriatric dog, but i'm wondering if thats advisable, as i'll be doing 12's. should i stick to a cat??
what do you do, especially those who like me, are single and such...
i've worked 12s since 1983 and have always had dogs. most of that time i've been single, too. when i got married, hubby worked the same shifts as me, so the dogs were left alone all day! bladder control became more of an issue for them as they became geriatric doggies -- the last 2-3 years of my golden retrievers' lives, they had a pet door and could come and go as they pleased. never had any issues before that (except with toilet training the puppies, and that's a problem regardless of your work schedule).
now we've bought a sailboat (our retirement home) and are looking at cruising full time when we retire. a cruising newsgroup quoted an article that said small dogs actually have a 24 hour bladder capacity (and longer for bowels) and large dogs have 36-48 hours! looking back at how long my female golden could go without pottying when we were traveling, i'm sure that's true!
now you may want to take precautions against bored dogs destroying your home -- i'm a fan of crates. or i locked my goldens in the kitchen when they were young and destructive. (my friend locked hers in the laundry room and the damned dog chewed a hole in the wall and got out!)
I think it's cruel to expect a dog not to pee for 24+ hours or even for more than 12. It is not natural. A human being might be able to hold their bladder for 10 hours on occasion, but that doesn't make it a good thing to do routinely.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i live alone, work 12 hour shifts and have a minature poodle (pierre). he does good when i am gone. when i have to work, i get up and feed pierre while im getting ready then let him out right before i leave. he has dry food out just in case he gets hungry but rarely eats it. the first thing i do when i get home is let him out. he does have accidents sometimes but (lucky me) he only has accidents in the kitchen on the tile - easy cleanup. i am worried about one thing - im getting married in may and moving to an apartment ( i have a fenced in back yard now and if pierre ever gets loose out front he runs crazy like a mad dog and i have to chase him down). i will have to walk him on a leash when i move. should i start now walking him on leash everytime he goes out to use the bathroom just so he'll know thats what walking on a leash means?
we lived in apartments when we traveled, and our standard poodle who was used to a 1/4 acre back yard to run around in adapted very well to apartment living. it was more of a problem for us than for her!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Oh----- dogs WILL pee or poop if they have to. The question is, can you handle pees and poops in your home----and, what would you expect if you are gone 12-14 hours a day? Another question that is valid, is, and are you ready to deal with the potentially destructive behaviors these naturally social animals MAY perpetrate if neglected? I know more than a few "yard ornaments" (AKA "dogs and cats" ) that deserve better. Dogs are social beings, not animals that should be left alone much of the time. That is not something you can change about them. Cats, while much more independent, still need loving attention, as well. Animals are separate, individual and very personality-laden living souls who deserve our companionship and love. We should consider carefully how a pet will fit our current lifestyle before indulging the normal desire to acquire one.
My hat is OFF to the OP for caring so much before just getting a pet and realizing too late, he/she does not fit into the OP's lifestyle; that is truly caring about animals. Too many shelters are full of animals that did not fit into owners' lifestyles and homes. Caring like you do, well, You rock in my opinion.
My rabbit I had for four years as a kid, was found at the park where my dad worked, had apparently been thrown out of the car and landed on its head :angryfire and it always held its head to the one side, and would get lost and confused, have his big floppy ears flopped over to one side... he was stupid but I loved him! He was usually pretty calm... or probably he just didn't know what was going on most of the time
That sounds a lot like a cat I had as a kid. He was found half starved and hypothermic in a grocery store dumpster as a kitten - the mother had left her kittens there to stay warm and never returned. He never was quite right, that cat. Never landed on his feet, had very dilated round pupils almost all the time, and didn't know how to purr (would just breathe heavy and snort when he was happy). He was just dumb as a stump, but he was the most lovable cat in the world. Started as an underweight, sickly kitten (that the vet said would die) and turned out to be a huge, fat tomcat in his prime. Just a sweetie of a cat, and just like your rabbit, he was almost always pretty calm but I agree that he probably didn't know what was going on for the most part!
My rabbit I had for four years as a kid, was found at the park where my dad worked, had apparently been thrown out of the car and landed on its head :angryfire and it always held its head to the one side, and would get lost and confused, have his big floppy ears flopped over to one side... he was stupid but I loved him! He was usually pretty calm... or probably he just didn't know what was going on most of the time
Hillary thanks for the suggestions... I'll have to check it out. I live in an apartment so a rabbit could run around, if I figure out how to keep it out of the range of cords!! I'm not sure where I'd find one around here... I think they're more for sale in the springtime.
Hi Rachel,
It sounds like that rabbit had torticollis, aka "head tilt" or "wry neck". It can be caused by all sorts of things, including middle ear infection, stroke, and trauma. If you do decide to go the rabbit route, you can check out rabbit rescue groups :) The House Rabbit Society has chapters all over the country. Rescues are great because they've been properly cared for and spayed/neutered, which is crucial for their long-term health and behavior.
If your heart's set on a dog, you should probably get a dog -- when the time's right :) Some people may feel it's not fair to a dog to take him/her into your family when you work long days, but I disagree -- especially if you're going to give a loving home to a geriatric dog who might otherwise be killed :uhoh21: Some dogs are content to be the only dog, but I think many others would prefer to have a doggy companion, so that's something to consider. I really feel it takes some of the burden off me, knowing my dogs have someone to hang out with when I'm not home :)
If you get a smaller dog, you can train it to use a littler box. We use a wizdog for our toy poodle. But you can also get a regular dog litter box and special litter for it made for dogs.
You should check out rabbit.org! Rabbits can be litter-boxed trained and don't have to live in a cage :) Of course, you'd have to be careful about rabbit-proofing your home (covering electrical cords, etc.). My two girls live in an 8x8 carpeted exercise pen in my basement, which seems to suit them just fine :) When I lived in a small apartment, they were free to go everywhere, but my current home wouldn't work that well, plus, I have two dogs, one of whom I probably wouldn't trust 100% unsupervised with the buns :) Rabbits are great -- and their litterboxes don't stink like cats' do! :rotfl:
I have Pickles the Bunny and she's a cutey but still a big 'ol pain in the butt. She and the Shih Tzu are good friends and the bunny is certainly the alpha, not the Shih Tzu.
I can't say I'd ever get another rabbit. While they are cute and full of personality (mine beats her bell up against the side of the cage if she wants something and I'm not paying attention) they are dirty little things. If I don't clean out her cage when SHE wants it cleaned, she kicks the poop out the cage and on the floor. Gahhh!! The shedding and bunny hair everywhere, it's messy.
Think long and hard about a rabbit. Some folks absolutely adore them and while I dearly love Pickles she's not the easiest thing I've ever cared for.
But Bipley, your pets, well, are just "special" they need your patience.
Actually, I found an apartment complex that has a dog walking service- it costs a little but apparently they really encouarge it so they don't have to replace the carpet. :)
So, now all I need to do is decide on the job. Actually I'm pretty sure I'm headed back to the same old place I used to work, as it was a pretty good place to be...now that i have seen some other places...but I'm keeping an open mind. I HATE making choices!:uhoh21:
I know lots of you have pets. I'm thinking about settling full time into one job (geez, I'm a recruiters dream at the moment) and also settling down for me means, pets again. I live alone and have always had dogs, but my dogs were the geriatric type that did well with my crazy schedule.
I'm thinking about getting another geriatric dog, but I'm wondering if thats advisable, as I'll be doing 12's. Should I stick to a cat??
What do you do, especially those who like me, are single and such...
I work shifts as an LPN and am doing my BScN ful time--and I have two cats. (Jasper and Owen.) It's fine, but!!!
1) Most cats cannot be trusted to feed from a full bowl all the time, they will over-eat. Esp. house cats. They should be fed a measured amount BID.
2) They need their litter really clean or they'll go crazy.
3) They need to see you--my Owen will pee on my scrubs in the laundry basket if I work too much. (He will also pee on my bed if I'm dating someone he doesn't approve of, but that's another story...!)
4) I'm confused as to why an older dog needs less attention than a younger dog? I think it's the other way around.
I think a cat would be okay if you were still home to feed it BID, and a dog would be fine if you get a dog walker. (which may sound silly, but my cousin has one and it's a god send...the dog sometimes prefers the walker and she will even feed it once in a while. All those 12's you'll be working, you can afford it! Plus, you have more days off when you don't need them.)
I'm glad to see someone doing some research before rushing into an emotional descision based on the puppies in the window! Kudos and good luck!
"Dance as though no one is watching you. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though Heaven is on Earth."~Souza
i love your quote...it's cool!
i have just got a papillon (she looks like a little fox), she is awesome:p ...me and my hubby overlap a bit in our shifts but our dog is never home alone for more than 8 hours. she sometimes doesn't ask to go out for up to nine hours though. we leave her in her kennel when we aren't home for her safety and to protect our stuff.
some nursing homes let staff and family bring there well behaved dogs to work or even let residents have pets...i dunno if i'd bring mine though..
believe it or not i found my dog!!!! she was lost and no one claimed her.
we rent and our land lord made an exception for us to keep her because we found her. we have to move in the spring and i hope we will be able to find place.
i think having a puppy and a kitten is a good idea too. except that cats shed...my dog only sheds with the seasons.
That sounds a lot like a cat I had as a kid. He was found half starved and hypothermic in a grocery store dumpster as a kitten - the mother had left her kittens there to stay warm and never returned. He never was quite right, that cat. Never landed on his feet, had very dilated round pupils almost all the time, and didn't know how to purr (would just breathe heavy and snort when he was happy). He was just dumb as a stump, but he was the most lovable cat in the world. Started as an underweight, sickly kitten (that the vet said would die) and turned out to be a huge, fat tomcat in his prime. Just a sweetie of a cat, and just like your rabbit, he was almost always pretty calm but I agree that he probably didn't know what was going on for the most part!
interesting to know...i had a class mate whose cat had downs syndome...sounds similar...iwould love cats if they didn't shed...bleck!
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
i've worked 12s since 1983 and have always had dogs. most of that time i've been single, too. when i got married, hubby worked the same shifts as me, so the dogs were left alone all day! bladder control became more of an issue for them as they became geriatric doggies -- the last 2-3 years of my golden retrievers' lives, they had a pet door and could come and go as they pleased. never had any issues before that (except with toilet training the puppies, and that's a problem regardless of your work schedule).
now we've bought a sailboat (our retirement home) and are looking at cruising full time when we retire. a cruising newsgroup quoted an article that said small dogs actually have a 24 hour bladder capacity (and longer for bowels) and large dogs have 36-48 hours! looking back at how long my female golden could go without pottying when we were traveling, i'm sure that's true!
now you may want to take precautions against bored dogs destroying your home -- i'm a fan of crates. or i locked my goldens in the kitchen when they were young and destructive. (my friend locked hers in the laundry room and the damned dog chewed a hole in the wall and got out!)
ruby