I'm good at fixing (not THAT kind of fixing!) sick cats and hamsters. There isn't a boo-boo I can't heal with a little peroxide and love, for the most part. And when that doesn't work, I'm good at plopping those bad boys in the car and dishing out mega bucks to have the vet fix whoever is sick. I'm usually sent home with antibiotic because the vet apparently thinks I'm good at fixing things too. Me and the vet--we make a good "fixing" team.
And it usually works too, 'cept for when I get the fun job of having to put said pet down. But that is another story for another day.
Then you get fish because, well, you think fish are gonna be easy to take care of--and they are not. And if I have learned nothin' over my 47.5 years, it's that I cannot fix fish. Once those suckers look sick, they go south FAST. I find consolation in the fact that the aquarium in the city can't fix fish either--every so often they have a beluga that dies and everyone is all sad, but me--I'm secretly rejoicing because I am not alone in the inability to fix fish.
The other day, I found one of my frogs out in the yard, acting funky. If I can catch a frog in the water with my bare hands, there is definitely something wrong with it. So, I caught it, brought it in, and stuck that sucker in a frog tank that I have "laying around" up in the attic. (Doesn't everyone have a frog tank laying around?)
I'm not sure what is wrong with the frog, but he is very slow, very thin, and not looking so hot. He's either sick, dying, or still hibernating--I'm not sure which. And I've learned that there isn't much in the way of bull frog doctoring on the internet--just in case you were wondering. So, I'm sort of winging it here, letting him warm his bones in the laundry room while I figure out if he is still alive every 3 minutes.
I woke up to find homeboy as stiff as a board yesterday. And while Joe and I stood there debating whether or not he was dead--he suddenly closed his eyes and dove under water. "Not dead!" I yelled. I think Joe agreed with my professional assessment. He's kinda like my nurse in these situations.
Other than giving him a warm tub of water, some crickets to eat, and some safe harbor, there isn't much more I can do for my frog friend. Sure, I give him words of encouragement and prayers at dinner, but it's gonna be up to him whether or not he makes it. I sure hope he does, because I think this is my male bullfrog. I would hate to lose that lovely guy.
Sigh. Nobody tells you this stuff when you sign up to be the mom.
22 comments:
Poor baby-him not you.
Hope he gets better.
ps my retirement $$$ is in car repairs, emergency house repairs and the ever popular VET BILLS!!!!!!!!!! If I have money earmarked for savings you can be sure one of those things will pop up before I get in the house.
Lin ~ I am sure there is no one in this world that takes better care of frogs then you ~ I am thinking any frog would be lucky to live at your house! :)
xo Catherine
Oh Lin . . . frogster is looking a bit green around the gills. Maybe you should write The Mom Book?
Seems you're doing all that can be done. Good luck!
Yay...the frog lives! Way to go, Lin! Maybe he just needed to come in and warm up his little bones after the long winter.
Helene--No kidding! I like to do home treatment before the vet.
Catherine--I dunno. I don't know enough about them to save them. :(
Chuck--For all that I know about motherhood, it would be one short book! Maybe a pamphlet??
Vanilla--It's frustrating not to be able to fix everything. :(
Hot Rocks--Well, I don't know if he's gonna live, but I hope I get points for trying.
Oh....I hope he makes it! I am sure he appreciates your good deed. He might just save your life one day!
I know what you mean. Josh is always looking out for sick/deformed pets at the pet shop and insists that we buy them so we (he means me) could 'fix' them. A sick guinea pig (not Oreo) we bought recently died on us the day after we brought him home from the pet shop. Poor little fellow!
Eep. Too bad you can't change to the dad mid-way through. Mike always says, "When you buy pets you are buying tragedies." He's right in some ways, but over simplifying too. I'll be thinking about your froggie and sending him warm wishes today! Do you have a more accurate pond count yet, or is everyone still waking up?
SO TRUE about the mom fixing things. I wish I had that knacks for fixing sick cats. I really, really do. :(
I swore I'd never have pets after having kids, but now we have cats, dogs, bird... while I love the pets I can't handle all their illnesses. Too stressful.
You wouldn't actually take a frog to the vet would you? Somehow nursing a sick frog back to health is above and beyond all expectations.
We have our hooves crossed for your froggie
I got a tad bit nervous where this post was going so I'm kinda relieved it's not Hobbes or Grace who's sick but I do hope your frog pulls through!
I hope you feel better soon, froggie. It must be hard to see if you are sick since you are already green.
I was about ready to grab a tissue and mourn the loss of the frog so I was so happy when I read that he dove under the water. Best wishes to the ailing little guy.
You are so funny. Who else would rescue a frog from the wild. Not me, so he's lucky he was in your yard. I loved the story.
You are a great writer, Lin! Loved this very entertaining and amusing Frog story. Yep...Need to call you Dr. Lin from now on.:-D)
You will soon be a great asset to some Chicagoland herpetarium.
You are the "Frog Whisperer".
Betty--Yeah, if I'm drowning in the pond or something... :)
Veronica--Oh, that is sad! At least you gave him the best hours of his life at the end.
Nancy--I'm with Mike, I think. As much joy as pets bring--they also bring such sadness at the end. :( I don't like that part. Frog count is not looking good, Nancy.
Rebecca--Everything is fine until someone gets sick and/or dies. That is when I swear I'm not having any more pets.
Grace--Nope. The frogs are not pets. If I lose them all, I go to the garden store in late spring and get me some more tadpoles. Life goes on.
Pricilla--Me too. I put him back out there and we saw him for a bit--now not so much. Darn thing probably hopped away!
Beaded Tail--Hobbes and Grace are good. :) Thank goodness. As much as I like the frogs and fish, they are not pets, so I am not emotionally tied all that much.
Daisy--Hee! Hee! It IS hard to tell when they are sick. I just know that if I can catch them, something is wrong--although I don't know what. I'm not a very good frog doctor.
Ann--He went out yesterday and now I don't see him anymore. He probably hopped away where folks don't poke and prod at him. That's the thanks I get.
Marilynne--Well, I just sort of rescued him from being eaten at the moment. It's the mom in me. :)
Jean--Oh, life is very entertaining when we get the pond fired up! Well....at least I think it's entertaining. :)
Sharky--Only if I succeed. As of today, he's outside and hasn't been seen in a bit. :( He probably hopped away to get away from my quackery.
DG--Hahaha! I like that.
That frog is lucky to have you! Hope he makes it! Ribbit, ribbit.
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