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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 4:11 pm
My mom's cat just passed away after being sort of sick for two days. My one cat took 4 months to die, the other was 2 months. Both were actively treated by vets and I was Encouraged to do all kinds of stuff including subQ fluids. I now wish that they were allowed to go naturally with dignity. Two days would have been much easily for me to remember them, now I'm haunted by 6 solid months of their misery and sick kitty faces. So sorry about the loss of the kitties. As far as what to do when they are sick. Each person has to do what they think is best for themselves & their pets. My hubby & I have tentatively decided we won't go to extremes. We had a friend who almost went bankrupt, and DID lose his house, trying to cure his pupdog's cancer. While we don't judge him for what he felt was necessary, we know we can't do that. We were lucky to find a vet that believes as we do. She said when the time comes, they will make it as easy on us as possible to make the decision of what to do.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 4:13 pm
(Costa was lucky his mom had a good job and could spend all her discretionary income on him!) That Costa did - & so does Kassie, & her little brother or sister when the time is right!
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 4:16 pm
MY concern at this time is more about HOW someone is supposed to measure 1/16th of a tsp UNLESS a special measuring spoon was given with med. Or I could just buy a set of these.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 4:20 pm
Put an 1/8 of a tsp onto paper or something, then split it in two as best you can. But don't make lines with it or someone will report you as a coke sniffer snorter person :-)
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 4:27 pm
lol
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Monday, September 27, 2010 - 4:56 am
Serate, Costa's cardiologist was awesome. He was always totally honest with me. At one point earlier this year when he was giving me the script for Flurosemide, I said maybe he should give me only 1 month's worth (rather than two). He said "nope, we're not there yet, we've still got plenty of things to try." The day before Costa died, he looked at me, and said "I think you may need to start making arrangements for this weekend." When he said that, I knew that there wasn't anything else we could do for him that was reasonable. There were options, including dialysis, but none of those would cure him and would only prolong things. Because he was in distress (doing the cat bundle thing) and I could tell, well... at the point when I knew his quality of life wasn't where it should be was when I had to make the decision. The honesty of his cardiologist though... you can't buy that! Serate, if the 1/16th TSP dosage is going to be ongoing, you may want to buy the mini measuring spoons. Otherwise, you're gonna go nuts. An alternative is to ask your vet for a liquid compound and a syringe so you can use it to measure an exact amount and either squirt into mouth or onto food.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 8:25 pm
here's my stupid question. Last week, a friend bought an orchid for me. This immediately terrified me because I'm not great with plants I like...but I can never kill the ones I hate. So I watered it this week--not much, but some--and the blossoms are already drooping and looking like I've killed it. I started it off in a somewhat dark place in my apartment and then moved it after a couple days to the lightest place I have (I don't really get direct sunlight here). I'm convinced the thing is going to die, but I'd like to try to save it. Any advice will be appreciated. (I don't know the species of the orchid, but it has white blossoms and is a fairly typical indoor orchid)
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Jmm
Moderator
08-15-2002
| Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 8:59 pm
Tish, I don't do well with any plants. Had some years ago that essentially died in the house so I put them out by the dumpster in the snow (was in Kentucky then) and they perked right up. That being said (sorry couldn't resist), I do google well and I found this website with some practical sensible advice. I just googled "indoor orchid care". http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Tips-for-a-Healthy-Orchid-Indoor-Care-Advice
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Whoami
Member
08-02-2001
| Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 9:11 pm
Tish, I'll ask WhosMom specifics when I see her tomorrow. She was the "orchid lady" where she worked. I know orchids don't like to be standing in water (or their roots don't like to stay wet). They like to be potted in bark, and when you water them you need to let the water run through the bark/pot, and let it drain in the sink. I'm also fairly certain they don't like direct sunlight. But I'll ask Mom for sure. The blossoms only last for a certain amount of time regardless. If you can take a pic of the orchid, that would be helpful. Mom can ID them from a mile away. LOL. Or maybe try and describe the shape of the blossom? And also the spike the blossoms. My sis brought Mom two orchids for her birthday, and they were in the pot with the drain hole, and down inside another decorative pot. When Mom went into the hospital earlier this month (broken femur, if you didn't follow the story in the Caring Place folder), I watered the orchids as prescribed, letting them drain. Then sis came over to spend the night and watered them the very next day (without my knowledge), inside the decorative pot, and just happened to tell me about it the next day. Sure enough, I lifted the "draining" pots out of the decorative pots, and both plants were standing in three inches of standing water. Subsequently, the leaves on one of the plants have all died and fallen off. I asked Mom how I might try and save the plant, and she's instructed me to just let them dry out, and not to water either of them, and to just wait till she gets home. I told her it could be few months before she finishes rehab, and she realizes that, and still told me to not water them any more. I don't know if its cause she doesn't trust me, or if they really will be okay for that length of time.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 1:14 am
Thanks, Jmm and Who. Here are pics of the sad, sad orchid (pardon the mess on the kitchen counter!). Hope your mother is doing better, Who!

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Hermione69
Member
07-23-2002
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 4:51 am
I'll ask my mom, too. She is amazing with plants. Me, not so much.
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Whoami
Member
08-02-2001
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 5:45 am
OK, I'll try and figure out how to get my Mom to see these pics. I forgot last night that I can't print right now cause the computer the printer is attached to is dead (and I don't have time to disconnect and rearrange everything to get the laptop to it). But I'll try to figure something out. Maybe the nursing home will have a PC/Printer. Question in the meantime, what are the roots attached to right now? Are they in dirt, bark, moss, or what? That base looks really flat. And what is on that label/tag on the base? Perhaps it gives a clue to the species of orchid?
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Debra
Member
11-20-2003
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 8:31 am
Who just save the pics to your laptop and take it with you. You can even copy this page and paste it into a Word or another software as a document. Sending good thoughts to WhoMum.
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Sam
Member
05-02-2004
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 8:33 am
Sorry about your orchid... but how do you like your Le Creuset braiser? I have three LC ovens and I can't begin to express the deep love I have for them. I recently purchased the 3.5 qt. round oven in cassis (deep purple/eggplant). I've coveted anything in that color since they came out with it, and I'm so stoked I'll probably never shut up about it. But I really am sad for your orchid.
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Texannie
Member
07-15-2001
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 9:10 am
I was given an orchid from www.justaddiceorchids.com it's so easy and is still alive after a month!
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 11:06 am
Sam, that's actually a 4.5 qt soup pot. I don't have the braiser, but I have a couple of the dutch ovens, a frying pan, and some bakeware, but not the braiser. If I had the money though I'd have one in a heart beat. I love my Le Creuset. (all my stuff is in Flame, but now I wish I had the Lemongrass color Williams-Sonoma carries. Oh well)
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Hermione69
Member
07-23-2002
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 11:40 am
Dirent quote on orchid care from my mom - "I keep mine in the basement in a window that gets low light. I water once a week when I also water my African Violets. Each time I water, I use a disolvable Orchid food( I got mine from Lowe's) any plant place should have it. They are very hard to get to bloom a second time. Mine seems to do better the more I ignore it. They do not like direct sunlight." Her basement windows face southwest-ish.
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Sam
Member
05-02-2004
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 12:17 pm
I have the 5.5 qt round oven in Kiwi, which is similar (some say identical) to the WS Lemongrass. It's really pretty. I also have the 7 qt oval oven in Cherry, and a couple pieces of bakeware in colors different from those we are used to. I can't wait for my new cassis pot to arrive. Actually, if I stop and consider my level of excitement in proportion to the fact that I am waiting for a damned cooking vessel to be mailed to me, there is probably something wrong with me. Do the fry pans have the enamel coating? Do you like yours? I've heard that some complain that they don't heat evenly. I do hope that you'll be able to nurse your orchid back to life.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 12:36 pm
Am I the only one absolutely amazed that Sam could identify a pot by the tiny corner of it seen in Tish's pic???
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Jmm
Moderator
08-15-2002
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 12:50 pm
LOL, War. I had to go back before I even saw the pot.
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Sam
Member
05-02-2004
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 1:07 pm
LOL I love these pots almost as much as I love my cats. And as much as I complain - frequently - about not being able to read because my eyes don't work like they used to and I've never been able to adjust to reading glasses, I can recognize a Le Creuset from any distance. I'm sure Tishala can, too. Just as she can recognize that her poor orchid needs emergency care, lol.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 1:34 pm
LOL, I know as much about flowers and plants as I do about pots and pans...not much!
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Weinermr
Member
08-18-2001
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 2:03 pm
Tish, Orchids prefer indirect sunlight, neither too dark, nor too light. When they are blooming like that one is, too much water will cause them to drop their flowers. Hopefully you have more ready to bud. Water them only when they start to dry out, and not too much. They like to be moist, but not soaked. I've gone through many orchid woes, before just recently starting to catch on to how to care for them without harming them.
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 3:22 pm
Orchids By Hausermann has orchid care info in its site. It's not far from me.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 01, 2010 - 6:01 pm
Thanks to all of you. I think I'm going to have to go out tomorrow and get some orchid food to make it happy and strong. If the blooms fall off--they are hanging on for dear life!--should I cut it back or just let it go?
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