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Borrego Springs, CA

Friday, April 20, 2012

Expensive morning at the Vet’s

It was time for Emma to get all of her shots renewed, and I wanted to get another year’s supply of heartguard  and the flea and tick treatment.  Emma was happy as a clam the whole time.  She wagged her tail and smiled at everyone until it was time to have her nails trimmed.  If ever there was a look of disdain on a dog’s face, this was it.  She didn’t jump around or squirm (hard to believe, I know), but just stared at the ceiling with this disgusting look on her face.  I had to laugh. 

Before long, it was time to pay the bill, pick up the heart and flea stuff, and be on our way.  As I put all the paper work into the folder I have for her, I tried to verify that the rabies and distemper shots would be good for three years.  The girl behind the desk said they were annual shots.  I told her I expected three year shots, and fully expected that Emma would be taken back for further shots.  Not so.  She simply changed the paperwork for the rabies to be good for three years.  She said they only give distemper for one year.  What’s up with that?   (Took me a bit to recuperate from the $360 bill too)

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Anyway, this afternoon Diana and I headed out with our tall boots and walking sticks to try to get some pictures of the white pitcher plants.  Last year they were located in a rather unknown spot, and we had already scoped out that place out a few weeks ago and found their red blooms.  As we sloshed our way through the wet savannah we thought we were only going to find these pale pitchers.

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                           But finally, we saw a splash of red in the distance.  (bottom left of the photo)

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                                              Victory!  We slowly made our way over to the blooms.

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                                             There were the elusive white pitchers with red veins. 

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These pitchers form a little later in the spring than the pale yellow pitcher plants.  Many of the white pitchers were just coming up.  I have more pictures of them, but I didn’t want to overdo it in one post.  Winking smile

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If you look closely, you can see several ants being lured into this pitcher.  One of the times I posted some pitcher plants, a commenter asked if I had ever stuck my finger down in one.  I did today!  It’s incredibly sticky down in there… just like fly paper.  Now I’m walking around with just a stub on one finger!

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Just joshing, of course, but you can see a couple of bugs on the outside of this pitcher and the shadow of one insect that is meeting it’s demise down in the pitcher.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

31 comments:

  1. Hi, Judy. We had that same thing happen re the shots with our two yorkies. Husband walked them over to the vet; one a week or so after the other. Later I noticed that one's rabies shot would expire in three years; the other in only one year. Sent husband back to question??? The girl just changed the date on the paper. I don't get that either!! Thanks for all your wonderful posts. Rose

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  2. Wow, those plants are really hungry!

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  3. Those are some really cool pictures of the pitcher plants, especially the one "eating" the insect. You'd think there'd be less bugs in Mississippi with those plants around.

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  4. Oh yeah, the Vets are just as expensive..well...almost...as our Docs....Wouldn't it be nice if we could be inoculated against arthritis, Cancer and Alzheimer's?? I would pay ANYTHING for that, so I guess it's all a "wash"....LOVED the red/white pitcher plants...I am easily entertained by a carnivorous plant....Glad you are now "up to snuff"...your pictures are "National Geographic" worthy..

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  5. personally have never been to the vet for anything that I didnt walk out at least $100 lighter
    and the cost of flea and tick med has become ridiculous. Petsmart $80.00 for 6 mo supply.
    Always liked to wacth venus flytraps when I was a kid
    Donna

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  6. Our pooch that we got last November came from California. She flew here so health certificate required. Both her shots are good for three years. Here in Ohio, rabies is three years and the other shot one year. My understanding is that it is driven by the state (my understanding has been known to be wrong but that's what the vet told me many years ago). However, all I can say is that I sure like California's thinking! If you can get a prescription for the Heartguard, sometimes both that and the flea preventive can be purchased less expensively on line.

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  7. OMG, and I thought CA veterinarians were expensive! That sounds really high!
    Gorgeous pitcher plant photos! (Say that fast 10 times! LOL)

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  8. Here in BC..the rabies is good for three years and the other shots are one year..sure glad our vet is a family friend..that bill was a big one!

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  9. Great pitchers (pun intended)! Hopefully those pesky, hooked-together "love bugs" will eventually crawl inside the plant in your last photo... and meet their demise!

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  10. Those are so pretty, but happy to not be a bug.
    I guess I am looking at that cost for Fred in June. Maybe I can sell flowers on a street corner to pay for it.

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  11. I go in next week for updated rabies on everyone. But the vet works with dog show people & is going to give me a good price. In Galveston county, their county law is rabies once yearly! I'm no longer in that county, so it's 3 years here. I also give my own shots on the other things that aren't rabies. They get those every 3 years as well.
    Sometimes it's worth it to check at a humane society to see if they give discount shots.

    Beautiful flowers. I'm glad that you are feeling well again. even if it cost you a finger! ;-)

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  12. A spay and neuter clinic opened near here and I got all the barn cats fixed. I was their best customer for a while. No way could I have afforded having a vet do it.

    I hope that plant eats all the love bugs. I'm so glad I got home before they made an appearance. I have to use a ladder to get them off the satellite dome.

    Martha

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  13. The gouging prices charged by Vets....one of my Pet Peeves so I had better button myself up before I fly off the handle on that topic!!

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  14. Judy, you have some wonderful shots of the pitchers. I am not sure I have ever noticed the white pitchers with the red veins. Maybe they are not here in NY.

    As for vet visits, if one is comfortable giving shots and trusting your own judgment, you can do most of the things yourself at a huge savings and without an appointment.

    John and Ellen
    connectedtothevinephotography.blogspot.com

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  15. Maggie is due for her vet trip soon for all that you mentioned, Judy, plus a Lyme Disease vaccination. At least we can get that up here, as this is tick country. Yuck. Ah well, gotta take care of our kids! :)

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  16. Vets and canine meds are so expensive, but our fur babies are very worth it. Thanks for the post about the white pitcher plants and their pics. It was an interesting read.

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  17. You've educated me Judy--I had never heard of pitcher plants until you started posting about those.

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  18. Wish there were some type of plant that caught and ate moths. We are overrun with them here where camped in Kansas. Every time I open the truck door, out fly a few. At least 10 every night flying around the rig. Impossible to swat. SO, I decided the vacuum works well. SWISSSHHH!

    As usual, you take some fine pictures.

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  19. When we rescued Maggie she had her Rabies shot and it is only good for 1 year as are all the rest of her shots. We live in CA and the Rabies has always been 3 years, everything else is 1 year. Glad your feeling better!

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  20. Our pups get a Rabies shot every 3 years and a bunch of others annually.

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  21. Your pitcher plant photos are awesome. When we had a pet she knew everytime when we took her to the vet. Her hair cuts and nail job would cause her to go and hide.

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  22. Ouch! Yep, vet bills always hurt our wallets too. We found a place online called www.petshed.com where you can buy both Heartgard and Frontline Plus at discounted prices. They are based in Australia and Americans have no problem buying and recieving the product but Canadains can't. We were able to work around this by using paypal and having them delivered to an American address. We were very happy with their service and prices. You might want to check them out the next time you need to purchase these items.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  23. Wow! Those pitcher plants are gorgeous!! I haven't taken Izzy to vet for her shots yet since arriving in PA. Thanks for the heads-up, now I at least won't faint when I have to pay her bill!

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  24. Of course you've stuck your finger in a pitcher plant. You wouldn't be you otherwise. :)

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  25. George Stoltz said...

    Those white pitcher plants remind me of a rare and beautiful glass vase one might see on the Antiques Road Show.

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  26. Plant pictures are wonderful, not something most of us would have the chance to see. Got to wonder about the shots--same shot good for one year someplace's and 3 years other places.

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  27. Having connection troubles trying to post....SIGH!

    But those pitcher plants are just gorgeous. So interesting. I would so love to see them in the wild. Lucky you!!

    And Lucky Emma that she has you to take care of her. If you only have to do the vet thing once a year then $360 turns out to be only $30 a month for "Emma Insurance". Worth every penny!!

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  28. Ohh I like Sherry's reasoning in the comment above!

    We found the shot clinics at Pet Smart to be a good deal. I will go to the vet if the dogs are sick, but just for shots, no thank you. His overhead of staff, insurance, licensing and maintaining a building are built into your costs of your shots.

    When I use to show my dogs in AKC shows, the kennel club we trained at would bulk order their shots from Foster and Smith catalog, and we would all give our own shots to our dogs. Often I would order 5 extra of everything and bring them up north and do all my sister and brother's dogs.

    I know at the farm supply store you can get the 6way shots for parvo, distemper, canine fluenza etc. and even puppy shot doses, no prescription needed. But for the rabies and lyme's disease you need to go to a clinic or vet.
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  29. Wow! The white pitcher plants with red veins look just like fine porcelain or glass--I guess the man-made items look like God's creation, don't they? Beautiful.

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  30. Gorgeous photos of those pitcher plants!

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