Two dead pets and COVID?

[Ashful]

Yesterday won't go down as one I remember fondly. Woke up to one of our three chickens dead in the run, she'd been acting sick the prior day. Then my wife took our 20 year and 3 month old dog to the vet, as she'd stopped eating the last two days, and they put her down. Then the cold that knocked my daughter out for the first half of this week came for me, and I had to spend a day in bed recovering. Suspect it was COVID, I had all the classic symptoms, but I guess it doesn't really matter what it was. Cautiously on the mend, today.

Today's projects: build a small coffin and dig a big hole. This dog will be laid next to her littermate, who passed a few years ago at age 16.

Definitely weird waking up that first morning in more than 20 years, with no dogs in the house. A need to put them out is what usually gets me out of bed early in the morning.

 

[qwee]

Twenty years is a long life for a dog - you must have been doing something right. I'm going to get a dog but I'll wait until I retire.

 

[bigealta]

That's such a bummer. Our 14 year old lab is slowing way down. So hard to know that you can't really do much to help them when their bodies start to fade. We don't have kids just our dogs, They are our kids.

 

[Ashful]

Thanks, guys. Still feeling rotten from whatever bug my daughter gave me, so the grave dig will have to wait until tomorrow. Just not up to digging in the sun, today. Hopefully the little pooch holds in my beer fridge.

My daughter and I spent the morning together building, priming, and painting a little coffin. She wants to decorate it and add photos to the inside tonight, so that works with my schedule, hopefully I'll feel better for digging tomorrow. Of our two dogs and two kids, this is the one that my daughter really latched onto. She'd sit with it on her lap on the couch, reading to it for hours.

 

[thewoodlands]

Yesterday won't go down as one I remember fondly. Woke up to one of our three chickens dead in the run, she'd been acting sick the prior day. Then my wife took our 20 year and 3 month old dog to the vet, as she'd stopped eating the last two days, and they put her down. Then the cold that knocked my daughter out for the first half of this week came for me, and I had to spend a day in bed recovering. Suspect it was COVID, I had all the classic symptoms, but I guess it doesn't really matter what it was. Cautiously on the mend, today.

Today's projects: build a small coffin and dig a big hole. This dog will be laid next to her littermate, who passed a few years ago at age 16.

Definitely weird waking up that first morning in more than 20 years, with no dogs in the house. A need to put them out is what usually gets me out of bed early in the morning.

Sorry for the loss in your family, we also hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[Highbeam]

20 years is a very long life for any dog. I only hope my pooches last that long. We have a dozen chickens or so of all ages and they die more often so it's easier to just get over it. Plus, they're not dogs.

 

[weee123]

Im so sorry for your loss. It’s very rough losing a dog especially one that’s been with you that long. I lost my beagle a few years ago to a car. Just hugged my other beagle a little tighter. As the others have said dogs are definitely more than just pets they are family.

 

[Ashful]

Thanks, weee. To be honest, I think it's tougher losing them young! This dog was so old that we'd been preparing ourselves for what felt like years. She lived a good long life, no regrets.

 

[PaulOinMA]

My condolences.

We lasted 5 days without cats in the house. Lost Jasmine in 2011 and B.J. in March 2012. That's it. We're done with pets at my age. House was empty. Went to Buddy Dog and brought home Whiskers and Gypsy.

Tested positive for COVID this morning. Ugh. Caught it early enough that my PCP is prescribing an antiviral.

 

[NHWS]

20 years is a very long life for any dog. I only hope my pooches last that long. We have a dozen chickens or so of all ages and they die more often so it's easier to just get over it. Plus, they're not dogs.

Several of my neighbors have chickens, I don't, so all I can go on is hearsay. The neighbors generally say that chickens are stupid and nasty enough that it is hard to be sorry when something happens to them (around here, that's usually means some kind of feline, canine, or ursine got them).

Your chickens may vary.

 

[Highbeam]

Several of my neighbors have chickens, I don't, so all I can go on is hearsay. The neighbors generally say that chickens are stupid and nasty enough that it is hard to be sorry when something happens to them (around here, that's usually means some kind of feline, canine, or ursine got them).

Your chickens may vary.

Oh, some can be mean but we like the others. I have had children cry when their favorite died.

 

[begreen]

Tested positive for COVID this morning. Ugh. Caught it early enough that my PCP is prescribing an antiviral.

So sorry, hope it's a mild case.

 

[Ashful]

Your chickens may vary.

Aside from being a hilarious closer (YMMV -> YCMV), we've culled the herd to keep only birds that are friendly and get along. In one case, that did mean keeping an older bully, and getting rid of the younger bird she was bullying, but other than that one incident we've been pretty successful and lucky. I helps to know a few other locals with birds, so you can pawn or trade to keep tranquility, when needed. Sometimes there's a pair of hens that just won't get along, for whatever reason, and you need to separate them by having a friend take one into their flock.

People with a rooster in their flock tell me the rooster prevents all of that hen-pecking, and I guess we have enough phrases in our vernacular to indicate that's always been the case, or at least farmers thought so. But since my kids would be terrified of a rooster (they play with the chickens), and because I don't want inseminated eggs, we have an all-girl fleet.

 

[PaulOinMA]

So sorry, hope it's a mild case.

Thanks. Hoping I can lose a few pounds with this.

Posted in the COVID thread.