Conference misery::feline_v1

    Well, when I tried to call Animal City to place a, ahem, *large*
    order, the 800 number was disconnected.  So I paid for a call to
    the non-800 number, and they did indeed answer Petco, but said
    that Animal City was out of business.  I asked if there was any
    other way to place my order (having enough cat-brain to note that
    "petco" sounded like maybe a replacement), and was given an
    abrupt "NO".
    
    So...do they have mail order or not?  They had a good price on
    several items that other vendors do not stock, like Lactated Ringers,
    that handy household necessity ;-)  ;-)  ;-)

    Oh no,...... I sent to Animal City last month and got Natures Miracle
    quart bottle for $4.98. (got two) and even with the postage from
    the coast it was cheaper than anything here.
    
    I was looking for the catalog yesterday to send for some more. Drats,
    back to the high prices here for Natures Miracle. $9.95 per quart.
    
    Barbara

    The new parent company has decided not to continue the mail order
    business.  Seems the Wellpet, Petco and Animal City were smaller,
    privately owned businesses that were purchased by a large conglomerate
    (haven't been able to find out who yet), and it was the parent
    company's decision to discontinue mail order.  This is the info
    that the Westgate manager gave me.  
    
    Lactated Ringers, what no home should be without (especially in
    an emergency!).  Let's see, I think that Omaha Vaccine, or Master
    Vaccine carries them.  Or Pro Vet.  Do you have Pro Vet out there.
    I thought that they were only a west coast organization, but have
    seen them at shows across the country.  Will your vet write you
    a perscription for the ringers?  If so, they are much easier to
    get, I think that Master Vaccine will require a prescription, but
    I am not sure.
    
    Jo

    what's a lactated ringer?
    

    Lactated ringers are the fluids that are given sub-q to a dehydrated
    animal.  They can save an animals life.  When Livee was about 13
    weeks old, she had a violent reaction to a vaccine.  She was a kitten
    with a weakened immune system anyway, since I had hand raised her
    from birth.  Anyway, she quickly dropped from 3 pounds to 1 1/2
    pounds.  I tried to tube feed her, but she kept biting the tube
    off and I would then have to try and fish it out of her throat.
    If it wasn't for the Lactated ringers, we would have lost her. 
    A cat can go without food for much longer than it can go without
    water.  We kept her going with the lactated ringers, and dropperfuls
    of Pediactric-Stat (a high calorie liquid nutrition product.  Kind
    of like Nutrical, but a sticky liquid instead of gel).  After "packing"
    her with 100cc of lactated ringers twice a day for three days, she
    finally got up the strength to try eating on her own.
    
    Funny side note to this story - I was so excited when she started
    eating on her own that I would stand there and tell her "good girl
    Livee, good girl, keep eating" the whole time that she ate.  Well,
    she got to associate eating with my being there and being happy.
    Soooooooooo, even when she was better, she would come get me and
    lead me to her food dish when she wanted to eat.  If I walked away,
    so would she!  She lives with my cat sitter now, and Judy reports
    that Livee does the same thing to her.... and Livee is 9 months
    old now!!
    
    Jo

    The Ringers solution that I'm familiar with is used on two-legged
    animals to replace body fluids or sometimes as a vehicle to add
    other stuff into the bloodstream.  The stuff is named for a person,
    I think ....  Has nothing to do with rings, wringers, ringers,
    wrinkles, wranglers, stranglers, stringers, .... (8*)
    
    						-- Ed

    re :  6
    
    Ringers is Ringers, Ed - same same !!  Right you are!  Stuff works
    on kitty babies also - fights dehydration real well.
    
    E.T.