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420469 tn?1217647363

Pets that just "know"...have one?

Does anyone else have a pet that "knows" something's wrong?

I have a wonderful, sweet Newfoundland dog, and today she's glued to me. She's a loving, affectionate dog at the best of times. She like to be close, and sleeps at the foot of our bed (on the floor, cause she's too big to be on the bed). She tends to stay close at the best of times, but today, in particular, she's laying right beside the computer chair. Her paw in touching my foot, and she keeps looking up at me, "checking" on me.
When she gets up, for whatever reason, she licks and licks my hand. She's not typically like this. She'll take any attention offered, but she doesn't "bug".

I'm not annoyed at all, but I am awed that she has the ability to detect that I am having another particularly bad day today. The power of animal senses really amazes me some days.

Once, last spring, my family had the stomach flu. Everyone was throwing up, except me. I ran a high fever, then, walked into the bathroom, feeling awful (and sure I was about to throw up) and fainted. I fell behind the bathroom door, jamming it closed. My dog went balistic, scratching at the door, whining, until my husband, after tending to me, and getting me sitting up again, let Stella (the dog) in to be with me. When I crawled into the bedroom, she walked beside me. I got her as an adult dog, and had only had her 3 months at that time.

I just wonder, do others have such a faithful and "knowing" companion in their pet? I'd love to hear stories!

Christine
(un-dx)
13 Responses
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Avatar universal
IT IS AMAZING HOW OUR PETS REACT WHEN WE ARE SICK.

ITS NOT THE EASIEST KEEPING MY 2 NEWFIES BRUSHED,IT CAN BE A CHORE BUT THEY ENJOY IT.

THE PUP WILL LET ME USE A SMALL SHOP VAC ON HER WITH A DOGGIE ATTACHMENT ON IT.I KEEP THEM ALL TRIMMED UPPED,BUT I NEVER SHAVE THEM.MY VET ADVISED AGAINST IT,THE FIR KEEPS THEM COOL IN THE SUMMER.

THE FIR CAN GET OVER WHELMING.

T
Helpful - 0
420469 tn?1217647363
Outstanding, I love hearing about all these amazing pets.

One thing I've noticed is that if my husband's home, Stella is more relaxed about me, and my symptoms. If he's at work, she's stuck to me like glue (except the time I fainted, she wasn't satisfied until she had sat with me for a while then).

It's actually really amazing that she reacted how she did when I fainted because she's the most laid back dog. She rarely whines, and she's never ever scratched at the door, EVER. She just has impeccable manners, so her reaction (especially in hindsight, now that I know her so much better than I did then) is above and beyond her norm, by a great deal!

We used to have a cat named Hera, and during the last days of my pregnancy with both of my girls, she would come and lick the tips of my fingers, and then she'd nip them.  She only ever did it in the last week or so of each of my pregnancies.

I love these stories! Thanks everyone!

Christine
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Fluffy Marie is my nine year old Russian Blue cat. She's a talker and a cuddler. She gets really distressed when I get a coughing fit, but I think her finest moments come when she senses I'm getting a migraine. I can usually circumvent the pain by taking meds when I first see an aura. Until about two years ago (about the time my MS was diagnosed and got really bad) they' would hit when I was asleep, and I wasn't able to catch them in time. In the last couple of years, Fluffy will do whatever it takes to wake me up the middle of the night when I've got a migraine coming. She doesn't generally wake me up, but when she does, I invariably open my eyes to see the migraine aura, and am able to medicate in time!  I love that little girl!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have two bassett hounds, boss and blossom. boss is my shadow and my cry baby,blossom is my worry wart.i love them both very much,but not as much when they both want on the bed,or eat their supper to fast.if one disappoints boss, he leaves a wet puddle for you to find.kisses and endless tail waggings, and just the look in their eyes
sometimes melts me, and makes me feel a wee bit better
Helpful - 0
307874 tn?1242755798
I am a dog lover or just plain love animals.  I have 2 toy poodles.  Have had them for 8 years now.  My black poodle sits in my lap at the computer.  It is so hard to type with him in my lap. hehehe.  They are both boy dogs.  I had a girl she passed away last year. I miss her so much.  She always got sick when I was gone somewhere and she worried herself sick.  She always knew when I was sick also.  The boys do too. They Lynettehave there own personalities and are very loving and caring. They follow me everywhere.
Helpful - 0
335728 tn?1331414412
Kayleigh, my little "black irish bandit" is just that!  When we brought her home as a puppy she was a spastic little thing that thought she was a cat!  If I didn't dust we would come home and there would be paw prints in the dust on all the tables, counters everywhere...and she would chew anything including 2 bottles of prednisone which where on the counter we didn't think she could get at and it was in spite because I was leaving her at home to have my Solumedrol treatments and she was used to having me 24/7 by that time.  She survived to go on to better things...Kahlua!  I was packing the trailer and back when I drank just a little I would make a Kahlua and milk and leave it on the coffee table and come back for a sip here and there...apparently she was doing the same thing!  I went through one (rather quickly I thought) and the other she just downed plain and simple...and was she ever drunk!!!  I opted to take her to the vet..hubby said just let her suffer through it...I am the mother don't forget!  They said it would be $600.00 to keep her for the night on IV and I asked if she is going to die without the IV?  They said no but she is going to be hung over...good enought for me!  Brought her home, she ate a few ice cubes and stumbled around in the yard for a while, passed out on the stairs, I put her to bed...the little bugger woke up the next morning best kind!!! No vomiting, no diarrhea...we have decided she has a stomach of steel.

She really is my husband's dog but when the going get's tough and I am not well...she is right there beside me and won't leave me!  Hubby will try to get her to get off the bed and she will snap at him...I have to tell him it's ok, go have your supper and she will go eat, go out and do her pee and come right back to bed with me.
Any other time she is his buddy, they play constantly, and love each other dearly...just don't come between my little black irish bandit and me when I am sick!

Lots of Hugs and Woof Woof,

Rena and Kayleigh
Helpful - 0
393986 tn?1303825975
Hey Girl, I have always thought dogs can sense a chemical change in a person long before the physical symptoms occur.  My two dogs, Rune (aussie shepherd/border collie) and Bear (black collie) have been my faithful male nursemaids.  They both are rescues and they have rescued me on more than one occasion. Before I fall down, Rune sticks to me like a fly on a sticky trap and my chubby Bear can get me into a sitting position when I fall down.  I always feel safer with them two by my side.

Helpful - 0
445276 tn?1210240910
I breed malamutes. My oldest whom I do not breed is my babysitter. If I don't feel well then she will not leave my side.
She let me know when I was about to go into labor. I could not figure out what was wrong. She was circling me and whining. Shortly after I got her to calm down I was rushed to the hospital in labor.

She once helped me get off the floor. I am stubborn and decided that I was going to do laundry when my legs did not want to work and I was stuck. She stood there allowing me to use her to pull myself up then helped to to my room to lay down.

The funniest thing she will do is actually tell on the kids. If they start to act up she will yell at them and come to me doing her talking until I make them tell me what they were doing.

I love all of my dogs but Diamond is my favorite. She is my best friend and most of the time my only support.

Angel
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm a big time 'dog people.' My gal is a little one, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she's a total love sponge, a kisser extraordinaire. If she thinks I'm upset she tries to kiss me back to normal, and at this very moment she's trying to climb up on my lap.

I've had dogs all my life and love them to death. Thank heavens for all my canine companions, past and present.

ess
Helpful - 0
382218 tn?1341181487
My two standard poodles (aka my little black bears) do seem to sense when I'm not doing well.  They have been especially attentive this past week or so, as I appear to be having another relapse - basically the entire left side of my body is becoming increasingly numb.  I am not moving a whole lot and they are just staying very close; I get sandwiched between them and lay in bed watching TV while they snuggle into me.  It has been so comforting to have them with me esp these last 6 months that I have been off work, now with relapse #2 starting and not yet fully recovered from the damage done by relapse #1.

They also are very attuned to my emotions. When I am tearful, the female gets quite upset; pacing around me and sometimes whimpering.  One day I was quiet and just on on the verge of tears, and she came over and plopped her head on my lap and gazed up at me; she does that all the time, but this time I swear with a knowing look in her eyes!  Like she knew I was upset and wanted to comfort me.  Yes I know that sounds nutty but the dog people here know what I mean.  

db1
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes, I have a female bloodhound "Sadie". You can see her pictures under my photos.  She always knows and tries to take care of me when I'm having a bad day.

Sadie can even zero in on what part of my body is hurting the most.  The only problem with that is she wants to lick it and make it better.....ever been licked by a bloodhound......not pretty.....ha....ha...

On really bad nights she will snuggle as close as possible to me and put her leg over my body like she is hugging me.  Sweet.....sweet......sweet.......

She is my sweetheart and I love her dearly, couldn't make it without her.  Sloppy kisses and all.

doni
Helpful - 0
420469 tn?1217647363
OMG, I am howling here. I call Stella a "Goofy Newfie" too, or a "Goofenlander".

How do you cope with the grooming, being sick? I would LOVE another Newf one day, but I just have been unable to keep up with Stella's grooming. I am having her shaved this week, and it breaks my heart to have to do it. Then, I'm going to hire one of the town kids to brush her twice a week, so I don't have to go this route again.

Stella wasn't a rescue, she came from a breeder. She was supposed to be bred, but when she tore her back knee, the breeder didn't want to take the chance that it could be a genetic fault. She had the knee surgically repaired and 6 months later we got her.

Newfs have always been my favorite breed (Stella, as you can see by the pic, it a black Newf), and I would love to have more, I just can't keep up with the grooming at this point.

Christine
(un-dx)

P.S. Did you know the clothing company "Big Dogs" has a Landseer as their mascot? My youngest used to have a shirt by them that said "I love my big dog and my big dog loves me". Pity she outgrew it, and we don't have a Big Dogs here.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
YES, I HAVE 2 NEWFOUNDLANDS,  ABBY AND BELLE.THEY ARE LANDSEARS,BLACK AND WHITE.

BELLE IS MY FAITHFUL 4 YEAR OLD,SHE ALWAYS KNOWS WHEN I'M HAVING A BAD DAY,IF I GO TO FALL SHE WILL STEP IN FRONT OF ME.

I HAVE HAD HER LAY BESIDE ME FOR DAYS.

BOTH OF MY GOOFY-NEWFIES ARE ABUSED RESCUE PUPS.I WOULDN'T TRADE THESE GIRLS IN FOR NOTHING.

THEY AREN'T JUST MY DOGS,THEY ARE MY COMPANIONS,AND THEY'LL WARN ME WHEN I'M GONNA HAVE A RELAPSE AND SO FORTH.

DOGS AND CATS ARE INTUNE WITH THEIR OWNERS,I'D LOVE TO GET BELLE CERTIFIED AS A HELPER DOG, ABBY IS STILL A 8 MONTH OLD VERY LARGE PUP.

WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE OUR PETS SO LOVING AND CARING

T-LYNN

Helpful - 0
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