Why my cats and dogs don’t wear collars

August 14, 2017August 5, 2018 - CC 8 Comments

If you follow Saving Cats, Dogs and Cash on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/savingscatsanddogswhilesavingcash/), or have noticed in the pictures I share here on my blog featuring stories about my cats and dogs, you may notice that they don’t wear collars. The reason is that when I was a kid, our dogs did wear them. One incident with a collar has kind of traumatized me for life and is always in the back of my mind with my own pets.

It may or may not apply to you and your situation, but I wanted to share this story, if nothing else, to at least bring attention to the matter to maybe help someone else out there avoid having a similar incident.

What I learned losing a dog to cancer

August 7, 2017February 17, 2023 - CC 21 Comments

“You’re wrong”, I remember telling the vet. “Nobody in my group is allowed to get cancer.” Of course, while there are a lot of things I can control in my crew, apparently keeping cancer out of our vocabulary didn’t turn out to be one of them. Despite not spraying my yard, not vaccinating beyond puppy shots, and using only tick medication and wormer sparingly, this is the diagnosis it had come down to. Somehow, I thought we were immune.

Lacey’s Story

July 31, 2017August 16, 2019 - CC 2 Comments

Three years ago the end of this month, a smelly, messy, long haired dog with bright blue eyes, poor treat taking manners and food aggression, showed up in the yard. In over 14 years of living here, not a single dog had ever come down the long drive to the house and hung around. They had all stayed up on the road where there was traffic and where they had been dumped out, waiting for their owner to return. Maybe Lacey was different because she had just wandered off or was older. Possibly, because the time was nearing when I had to let Justin, my 14-1/2-year-old dog go, Lacey was sent to help take away some of the pain. Or maybe it was just fate for her remaining time on earth to be spent in a loving home.

The cats, the dogs, and the potty doorbell

July 22, 2017August 4, 2018 - CC 8 Comments

It had been years since I’d had to house train a dog, so when I took Ruby in, I’d hoped it would be as easy as I’d remembered. It wasn’t. Being glued to a computer working while trying to watch a sneaky little pup, was stressful and taking longer to train than I needed it to. I honestly don’t remember how I came across the potty doorbell, whether by chance or what, but I did and I liked what I was reading in the reviews. Those reviews just failed to mention one thing. Read more

How I keep a clean home on a budget

July 17, 2017February 23, 2018 - CC Leave a comment

Keeping a clean home with so many animals is definitely a challenge, but with the right tools, it can be done. In addition to my house being clean though, I also want it to be as safely clean as possible. What does that mean? It means I want my cleaning methods and products to be safe. I also don’t have time for them not to work, so here’s my top products and methods for keeping my home clean on a budget. Read more

Previcox killed my dog

July 8, 2017February 17, 2023 - CC 48 Comments

Sadie and her brother were my first two rescues. At around 8 weeks old, they had been driven out to the country and dumped. Without exception, I’ve found over the years that nobody around the area wants these dumped or abandoned animals. Most people won’t even feed them, for fear that the animal won’t leave. New to the area, and always one to help anyone in need, I took them in. Our three paths crossing in June 2000 would set the course for my taking in all the future cats and dogs I found discarded in my little corner of the world. Sadie’s tragic death would also be one of the big reasons for this blog. I’ve made it my mission to warn every person on the planet about the dangers of Previcox (firocoxib) and all the other NSAIDs given without warning to trusting pet parents.

The one item I wish I’d bought much sooner – My carpet cleaner review

June 17, 2017June 8, 2019 - CC Leave a comment

You know those items that you finally buy and then kick yourself that it took you so long to finally do it because they just work so well and make your life so much easier? If you have carpet, rugs, upholstery, or a car, you might want to consider getting your own carpet cleaning machine. Luckily for you, I’ve done the homework to find the most highly rated carpet cleaners that fit both small and larger budgets.

Pet care reference books reviewed

June 5, 2017August 11, 2019 - CC 1 Comment

Over the years, I’ve purchased several books on cat and dog care. Some have been more helpful than others in certain situations, and although I have not always entirely agreed with the information provided, I have found most of them to be very helpful and insightful. As someone who has no access to local holistic vets, and prefers to treat my pets as naturally as possible, I wanted to share my thoughts on these books with others who also prefer to go the natural route whenever possible and are interested in starting or adding to their resource collection.

The truth about veterinarians

May 22, 2017August 8, 2018 - CC 3 Comments

Veterinarians. The people we entrust with our pets health in good times and in bad. While I truly believe veterinarians do the best they can, given what they have been taught and believe, and really do care about our pets, I also know that at the end of the day, they are only human, and as humans, not above making errors or being influenced by money. Blindly following them (sometimes against your gut feeling) without question can be detrimental to your pet’s health and/or your wallet, as I’ve experienced first hand on a few occasions.