Getting The Pet To The Vet When You Don't Have A Toad

I don't travel with a tow car, I'm too chicken to do that. But, I do travel with an electric bike (www.egovehicles.com for an example), and I have a cat. My biggest fear has been..... what if I'm away from home, my cat needs vet service, how to I get to a vet without having to unhook? Well, one option is to use a taxi if the location has taxi service. But that option may not be available at all places. Today, I got to find out what to do. My cat suffered a blockage, this had happened before, so I knew the signs. Well, the RV gods were with me today!

- it was during daylight hours
- the RV park office was open
- they recommended a vet that was less than a mile from the RV park
- I called, they happened to have an opening if I could get there in half an hour

So, my brain started racing: do I walk and carry him in the carrier or do I call a taxi???? Neither one. I put his carrier perpendicular on the foot rest area, then I "straddle hugged" it with my legs (which was a bit of a stretch for me since the carrier I was using was a larger one for a small dog...), and rode to the vet. Kitty did not appreciate the ride, he howled the whole way! I had to ride on a major street through Sequim, but it wasn't far.

Now I'm biting my nails waiting to hear from the vet!

And my poor kitty is now going to be confused. Why? I have two carriers. I have the smaller cat size one, and that carrier is strictly for vet trips. The other carrier is larger, meant for small dogs, and we use that one for RV trips. Well, I had to take kitty to the Vet in the RV carrier so poor kitty will never want to go in the RV again!

But on the good side, I have been wanting to start a blog on "Toadless RVing" and now I'm convinced I need to do that! Just need to find a good blog space. I have something started on AOL, but I want to close down the AOL account.

JJ

UPDATE: Vet got him unblocked, he has to stay for two nights. He's had this problem before, and we checked his urine six months ago, no problems. Vet thinks it was a "stress" thing, combination of getting his shots on Monday, then on Tuesday we "rocked and rolled" on the Keystone/Port Townsend ferry. Ok, I'm taking the Kingston ferry back home. It's extra miles, but the bigger boat there won't "rock and roll."

JJ

 

QUOTE(DXSMac @ Jun 18 2008, 12:04 PM) [snapback]11937[/snapback]

...I don't travel with a tow car, I'm too chicken...



JJ...you may be many things...but CHICKEN ? I think not! :lol:
Thanks for the update.
Take care you two!
B)

 

QUOTE(FosterImposters @ Jun 18 2008, 08:35 PM) [snapback]11943[/snapback]

JJ...you may be many things...but CHICKEN ? I think not! :lol:
Thanks for the update.
Take care you two!
B)




Yes, I'm too CHICKEN to pull a car! I love RV'ing, but it still scares me to drive the thing. I have panic attacks before I start a trip! (What if this happens, what if that happens, oh my, what do I do.....) The panic goes away when I start driving.

But my new RV drives much better than the previous one, and the previous one drove pretty easily. My first RV (which was a Fleetwood) drove like a TANK!

JJ

 

JJ,

I'm so glad your cat is OK. I know you were freaking out (to use your words), but you certainly seemed to handle it well. I've always wondered about what we would do if our cat got seriously sick on a trip. I worry how we would go about finding a reputable vet, so it was good to know the office staff was helpful. At least we have a tow car so we would be able to transport him easily. Actually about 4 years ago two of our cats got sick at the same time while we were traveling. We could get home in two days so we cancelled the rest of our trip and came home to our vet. Other than that time we've had very good luck. (Knock on wood.) Just in case you don't know, our vet told us to always make sure the vet clinic is a member of the American Animal Hospital Assoc. (AAHA) because they must adhere to certain standards.

Again I'm glad everything turned out OK. And Bo sends get well wishes to CP.

PS If I had to I'd unhook my 36 foot motorhome to take my cat to the vet if he needed it. And I'd probably boondock in their parking lot just so I could be near him if he was really sick. But that's just me.

 

QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Jun 18 2008, 11:51 PM) [snapback]11947[/snapback]

JJ,



PS If I had to I'd unhook my 36 foot motorhome to take my cat to the vet if he needed it. And I'd probably boondock in their parking lot just so I could be near him if he was really sick. But that's just me.



In hindsight, I probably should have done that. However, this is a small city, I didn't know how much room they had for my RV in the parking lot, (sometimes vet parking lots are pretty small) so I just did the first thing I thought of. Their parking lot is small, but on the road that goes past the vet office, there is a "pull off " spot. On Friday, I'm going to pick up my cat in the RV and just park there. Hope it's ok.

Yesterday, the RV folks next to me said, "Heaven's sakes, you should have asked us to drive your cat there....." Ok, I guess I'm just kind of chicken about asking people...... (something about.... I don't want to ask a favor from someone I can't repay in kind.....)

I'm going to go over today and check on him.

JJ

 

It is sometimes hard to think straight when there is a crisis--even a small one. We do the best we can at the time and learn from hindsight. I still say you did good!

About parking--if you have a 36' motor home you can park just about anywhere you want to. You just can't guarantee what the other cars in the lot will look like when you're done.

I understand about asking complete strangers to help you. I would probably not be that forward either, but if they do help and you don't have the chance to pay them back remember you can always "pay it forward."

Hope CP continues to do OK. (That is his name, isn't it? I thought it was, but then I wasn't sure.) Have a good trip home.

 

QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Jun 19 2008, 10:06 AM) [snapback]11949[/snapback]


[snip]

About parking--if you have a 36' motor home you can park just about anywhere you want to. You just can't guarantee what the other cars in the lot will look like when you're done.

I understand about asking complete strangers to help you. I would probably not be that forward either, but if they do help and you don't have the chance to pay them back remember you can always "pay it forward."

Hope CP continues to do OK. (That is his name, isn't it? I thought it was, but then I wasn't sure.) Have a good trip home.




I went to the vet this morning. They said CP was doing just fine! Lordy, I hope this doesn't happen when I go to Colorado!

JJ

 

Kitty is back from vet, I extended my stay in Sequim. Good thing it's only June, I could still get in. If this had been July, I would have been hosed. Kitty is a little grumpy and is just hiding in my bed.

JJ

 

I'm sure he is glad to be back and you are just as glad to have him back. I'm glad everything is OK.

 

Glad everything is OK. We travel with a 13 year old Bichon. I am at Jetty park in Florida and they have always been very nice to us. I travel w/o a Toad. One time I forgot Mo's dog treats and said something to one of the ladies that I was going to be in big trouble when it came bedtime (she always gets a treat at bedtime). About 6 PM the lady shows up with treats for Mo! Anyway, I mentioned that I had read a post about getting a Pet to the vet in an emergency. Said I had not thought much about that. She said, "if you need to get Mo to vet, we'll take you". I think that represents a general attitude at most campgrounds. I am sure if you have said something at the office they would have gotten you there. I also am not surprised about the comment from one of the campers. We were at a beach once and I ran oout of gas for the grill. Mentioned it to campground host and he said he would pick some up for me on his next trip to town. Most campers want to help..

 

We always tow a car. It is not for the pups either but to go and get parts etc. I have to say carring a cat in a crate on a scooter is much harder than pulling a towed car. I have a scooter too but would use a backpack or strap it to the rear of mine but it is bigger i think.

 

QUOTE(John S. @ Jun 22 2008, 08:38 PM) [snapback]11997[/snapback]

We always tow a car. It is not for the pups either but to go and get parts etc. I have to say carring a cat in a crate on a scooter is much harder than pulling a towed car. I have a scooter too but would use a backpack or strap it to the rear of mine but it is bigger i think.


I fret about blockages in my cats also-I have 2, one of each gender, both older now. In order to lessen the chances of blocking, I feed them quality food, low in ash, and they both drink only distilled water. The vet assures me they get enough minerals in their food, and distilled water has the added advantage of beng the same everywhere. I never have a problem with upset tummy, and in eleven years, no blockages (knock on wood). I do have a toad, though, I was fearful at first, but I did get used to it. Good luck!

 

QUOTE(catman2130093 @ Jul 24 2008, 08:22 AM) [snapback]12416[/snapback]

I fret about blockages in my cats also-I have 2, one of each gender, both older now. In order to lessen the chances of blocking, I feed them quality food, low in ash, and they both drink only distilled water. The vet assures me they get enough minerals in their food, and distilled water has the added advantage of beng the same everywhere. I never have a problem with upset tummy, and in eleven years, no blockages (knock on wood). I do have a toad, though, I was fearful at first, but I did get used to it. Good luck!



I was feeding my cat "quality" food, too, but the "quality food" company changed the formula!

JJ

 

I have never heard of using distilled water. (Our cat goes with us, too.) We usually take several gallons of water from home for him, but it would be so much easier to buy distilled as we need it. Course one time when we ran out of home water we bought bottled water--only the best for our furball. Thanks for the tip.

 

QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Jul 24 2008, 02:58 PM) [snapback]12423[/snapback]

I have never heard of using distilled water. (Our cat goes with us, too.) We usually take several gallons of water from home for him, but it would be so much easier to buy distilled as we need it. Course one time when we ran out of home water we bought bottled water--only the best for our furball. Thanks for the tip.


My furball gets bottled water, too! When I lived in Richland, WA, the water was so horrible, the vet (who was from Long Island New York herself) insisted on it. I just kept it up when I moved here....

JJ

 

I was going to go to Omak this weekend, but I passed this lovely park in Twisp, right on a river. I got a spot right on the river, even on a weekend. What a shock!

Anyway, my poor kitty suffered ANOTHER blockage. The vet here wasn't open on Saturday, but I called just to see what I should do, and the vet said, "Well, I have to come in to treat a couple of dogs that accidentally swallowed rat poison, so bring the cat on in!" Turns out this time it wasn't crystals or stones. Kitty had scar tissue from the catheter he had in June. My vet at home said this CAN happen..... That is what was blocking him. The vet put a catheter in, and I will take him home Monday with the catheter still in. The vet here thought my vet at home should figure out what to do. The vet here gave me his opinion on what he THINKS I need to do, but under the circumstances, vet here just said, "take him home that way, and get him in your vet." The vet even told me I could come over on Sunday to visit my kitty. That was very nice of him to do. Well, he had to come over anyway because he had some horses he had to deal with at the office. The vet here is the official contract vet for the Omak Stampede, which is next weekend.

Oh, this time there was a HUGE parking lot because this vet handles horses. No problem parking my RV, and the RV park I was staying at let me have "in and out" priviledges.

My poor kitty is never going to want to go in my RV again!

JJ

 

QUOTE(DXSMac @ Jun 19 2008, 12:15 AM) [snapback]11945[/snapback]

Yes, I'm too CHICKEN to pull a car! I love RV'ing, but it still scares me to drive the thing. I have panic attacks before I start a trip! (What if this happens, what if that happens, oh my, what do I do.....) The panic goes away when I start driving.

JJ



JJ, there's a very easy way to alleviate your panic attacks about driving your motorhome....let your cat drive, LOL :lol:



But seriously, if you are in the habit of planning your trips ahead of time, you might want to do a search of the area you're going to to see if they have vets who make house calls. Here's an article that may provide some helpful information from a vet:

http://www.helium.com/items/211572-cats-an...-cat-to-the-vet.

 

Great picture, BBear.

 

BBear, what a picture! My cat loves to sit on the dash board, but haven't seen kitty do that!

JJ

 

Glad you both liked it...I thought is was so cute!

Hope kitty is doing better, JJ!