The end of a pet's life in Spain...

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gerryh
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby gerryh » Fri Sep 26, 2014 8:44 pm

Sorry Sid that is another generalisation which, fortunately is changing.
Certainly true of the older generation, particularly in the campo. The younger generation, usually, now care for their pets and willingly pay for their care and treatment.
Just have a look in a vet's waiting room.
I can quote several cases from my own experience of the changing attitudes.
Cheers
Gerry
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rafiki
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby rafiki » Fri Sep 26, 2014 9:24 pm

I see more people attending our vets too but it is mainly confined to the higher income groups. It's good to see but is just a drop in the ocean set against the massive abuse and abandonment of dogs in Spain. One only has to look at the refuges all over the country bursting at the seams - and those dogs there are the lucky ones.
Brian.

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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby BENIDORM » Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:14 pm

From my experience Spanish people are now far more caring about their animals than some years ago when ignorance and poverty ruled.

With regard to comparing the loss of a pet to losing a child, it is not the same,we have lost a child and a grandchild and over the years numerous pets.
It is so different, when you lose a child it is totalling devastating and the pain never goes away, losing a pet when it reaches the end of its life is extremely upsetting ,but you have to remember that the pet has received your love and attention probably for most of its life and if it was a rescued dog you probably extended its life by many years .
I always find it very sad when I hear of people who have just lost a pet, I know what it feels like.

With regard to cremation etc of a pet, I prefer to arrange a simple burial and where possible I´ve buried my pets near where we went for walks, and last time I made a donation to an animal rescue centre where my money would go to helping another dog have a life.
Regards,
Gordon

Chica56
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby Chica56 » Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:28 pm

Benidorm, so sorry to hear you have experienced the awful loss of a child AND a grandchild...........I don´t really have the words to express anything more as its such a massive loss. :(

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patricia
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby patricia » Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:15 pm

Benidorm I am so sorry to hear about your loss, I cant even imagine what the pain is like, it must be unbearable, no you cant compare losing a child to losing a pet and you are right they have lived a full life.


I had my darling sweet puss cat put down six weeks ago, but the vet did come to the house. I did not have to fill in any forms at all, but they did muck up the cremation process and in the end to put my mind at rest I went down to El Parisio - I think it is called - the one mentioned anyway and I was very impressed, I just wish I had been informed that I could go myself I only learnt about that after the muck up they made. It is very very painful though and my heart still aches. He was originally a feral cat from the Marina del Este in Granada but someone poisoned the colony and only one little kitten survive survived so I bought him home with me and I just adored him wish I could have had him longer he was only 11 and a half, but developed Kidney Disease.

So sorry for the loss of your sweet Springer, I was thankful that at least the vet came to the house he was terrified of the vet and had to anesthetized each visit, the only thing was was that the vet would not put the injection in his vein and instead put it in his kidneys which was upsetting and therefore it took a lot longer.

I understand now in Spain that it is illegal to put a healthy pet down not sure if that is true or not, but that is what I was told.
Torrox Costa "El mejor clima de Europa"

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patricia
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby patricia » Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:23 pm

Sorry that is Martin with the Springer. I thought that was a photograph of your dogs Hilly, but I bet he was just as gorgeous.

Not the rainbow bridge but another which is such a comfort.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

This is lovey for people as well as pets.
Torrox Costa "El mejor clima de Europa"

El Cid
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby El Cid » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:00 pm

gerryh wrote:Sorry Sid that is another generalisation which, fortunately is changing.
Certainly true of the older generation, particularly in the campo. The younger generation, usually, now care for their pets and willingly pay for their care and treatment.
Just have a look in a vet's waiting room.
I can quote several cases from my own experience of the changing attitudes.
Cheers
Gerry

You are right Gerry. My views are coloured by what I see living in the Campo. There is an unoccupied building near us which has a corrall housing about 10 dogs. The owner, to be fair, does come and feed them every day, but what sort of life is that for a dog?

I have seen horses in small compounds who never ever get ridden or used for any useful purpose - why?

I found five day old kittens in a plastic bag in our communal dustbin area - unfortunately we couldn't save any of them, but we tried very hard.

Sid

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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby El Cid » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:05 pm

patricia wrote: no you cant compare losing a child to losing a pet and you are right they have lived a full life.
That depends. We have a 17 year old cat who is slowly going downhill - that's life and we will cope with it when the time comes.

We also recently lost a 4 year old to the feline leukemia virus which the vet reckoned he inherited from his mother - that was, and still is, very hard to accept.

Sid

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patricia
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby patricia » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:11 pm

El Cid wrote:
patricia wrote: no you cant compare losing a child to losing a pet and you are right they have lived a full life.
That depends. We have a 17 year old cat who is slowly going downhill - that's life and we will cope with it when the time comes.

We also recently lost a 4 year old to the feline leukemia virus which the vet reckoned he inherited from his mother - that was, and still is, very hard to accept.

Sid
It is very hard, my cat was only 11 and a half when I had to have him put down due to kidney disease, I was heart broken and I still am. I would not have minded if had been 17 odd but he wasnt, but do take comfort that if I had left him down at the Marina he would have died, he was starving when I picked him up and full of fleas etc., and had a very runny tummy, but he was the sweetest sweetest cat and very funny, he had a sense of humour which cats do have.
Torrox Costa "El mejor clima de Europa"

El Cid
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby El Cid » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:17 pm

Slightly off topic, but a bit more cheerful for us cat lovers.

BBC2 are showing three one hour programs about cat behaviour on Tuesday to Thursday this week. It's a follow up to the Horizon program they showed about a year ago where they fitted cameras and GPS tags for all the cats in a small village and studied their movements - it could be very interesting.

More details here and you can download an interactive eBook as well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04lcqvq

Sid

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patricia
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Re: The end of a pet's life in Spain...

Postby patricia » Sat Oct 04, 2014 5:08 pm

Thats good to know, I might have missed that.

I am an alround animal lover, I love cats, dogs, horses, the lot, and have owned them all at one time and loved them all the same. I also love all wild life you name it I love it.

I love animal behaviour it is fascinating so thanks for letting us know that Sid :thumbup:
Torrox Costa "El mejor clima de Europa"


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