What should I do about this situation?

The addition of a bird is not exactly overwhelming in this situation. It’s not like she is adding another dog or cat to the mix. The salamander and fish are also not burdensome.

I don’t what to do about the dog if the mom won’t pay for vet bills. Perhaps there is a dog charity that can get the pills.

A lot of this is not quite your business, but if you are looking to help, may be you could give her some flea collars for the cats.

How about helping her take care of them? She’s your friend, she loves animals. See if you can help her love them more efficiently.

So she has a lot of pets. Keeps getting new pets, but doesn’t have the means or intent to care for them properly.

Is she very young? She lives at home, yes? Her mother wants nothing to do with these pets (at least in terms of care).

Does your friend have a job?

I’m trying to clarify here because I’m thinking a little education on how to care for her pets combined with a little cash for supplies would do the trick.

If you can tell us the above info, we can give you some ideas.

She can take them at a reduced rate for treatment at the Humane Society’s vet clinic. I would not turn her in. I would talk to her about having to budget for pet care.

I’d attempt to talk with your friend and let her know that her families negligent “care” of their animals is really upsetting for you to witness.
I would be kind, but honest in letting her know that allowing animals to be sick and unhealthy is unacceptable and that the time may come where you are unable to be her friend anymore because it is too hard for you to witness the pets neglect, and that you are considering filing a complaint with the proper agency.
On the one hand it is not your business, on the other hand if you compromise your own values and ethics when it comes to your beliefs about proper animal care, you are betraying yourself and aiding in allowing the suffering of pets that is unethical in itself.
You might call your local humane society or animal services and tell them the situation and see what they have to say about any possible intervention.

If they determine there is disease and neglect then the family will be told to take measures to correct their negligence and if these changes are not made when followed up on, the pets may be confiscated.
I’m sorry you are such an uncomfortable predicament with this situation, however, sometimes life calls on us to make hard decisions, and if your friends neglect of her pets is really troubling to you it might be time to rethink the relationship and take some sort of action to see that the animals are properly cared for.

Sometimes doing the right thing really sucks, but better to be in your integrity than to look away from abuse and neglect in order to keep the peace.

If your friend is a true friend she will be mature enough to handle an honest discussion about the situation.

@zenvelo It has become my business, because I am witnessing it firsthand. It’s adding another pet to the mix that will most likely be neglected also. I don’t have the things necessary to get her the flea collars.
@SavoirFaire It has come to the point where my own home has become flea infested. Luckily they’re all gone. I can’t go over her house anymore, for the risk of a repeat situation.
@cprevite She does live at home and is very young. She does not have a job. Heart worm treatment is very expensive, and her mom is lazy and has not one caring bone in her body.
@marinelife She thinks the problems will just vanish and she thinks she has the resources available to her to get the animal treatment, such as selling her junk.
@Coloma I have told her many of the things you stated, but she keeps assuring me that It’ll be okay. I had her consider putting the dog up for adoption, and specifying the shelter to allow joint care so she can go visit it. She loves the dog very much. It is my business if I’m witnessing it firsthand. If you saw a baby being abused, it’s technically not your business either, but wouldn’t your morals oversee that? It has been over a year, and the dog’s condition is getting worse. It would probably be better to get a humane euthanize. She keeps trying to raise money, but keeps spending it. It’s an $800 treatment, and for the holiday, she got her dog a $17 bone. Shouldn’t she have put that in a jar to save? She is in very much denial. She has me keep our savings at my home in fear of her family’s thieving. Since the whole flea incident though, she has wanted to keep the jar at her home in fear of my family’s thievery.

Tell her to say good bye to her dog. Heart worms is nothing to ignore. If he’s had it for some time than her dog is going to die no matter what. Suggest she not get another dog if she is going to ignore its care. Its a living breathing animal that doesn’t need to go to people who will ignore its health.
I would’ve stopped being her friend some time ago. I have no care for people who don’t treat any living creature, (animal or human) with the respect and care it needs. She’s not young and ignorant. Ignorance comes from not knowing. You have told her so she is no longer ignorant. She just doesn’t care.

Stop making her problems your problems unless you are going to help her with the solution. Sounds to me that losing any of her pets might create some stability issues for her. Care for the human first and everything else will fall in to place.

Heart worms are nothing to play around with. If she’s going to wish it away/not do anything about it, I’d call animal control. That’s animal neglect.

@YourWorstNightmare

I agree with you, as I said, technically it is not your biz. morally and ethically it is always our biz. to stand up to negligent behaviors. :-)

@Pandora It’s really not under her control. She’s young and lives at home with a mother who…not going to get into that right now.
@judochop It is my business if I’m witnessing it. There is no way for me to help her.
@Jude I can’t call animal control, because it’s not that big of a deal. Apparently they’re “trying” to get treatment.
@Coloma I knew you’d see it my way!

@YourWorstNightmare Sure you can go over to her house—with some flea collars or a flea bath. I agree that there is animal neglect going on, so I would do something about it. My first move would be to try and improve the animals’ conditions myself, my second move would be to call the ASPCA as you suggested. If you really think you’ve exerted your very best efforts in this matter, you’re going to need outside help.

It is a big deal. I know of someone who’s dog passed away because of heartworms. \

They have had a whole year to do something about it. Mom is not going to fork over the money, so, how are they going to take care of it?

Fuck that. I’d call.

Talk to her about it? Point out the animal abuse . . .

@mrrich724 that is a great idea. @YourWorstNightmare this is how you would help her.

Can you research animal care in your/her area that wouldn’t be so expensive and then give her the information, saying you want to help and know the problems at hand aren’t the sort to clear up on their own. Give it a week’s time and if she hasn’t gotten help then call animal control/rescue.

You want to be a friend and help but I see your point of also not wanting to chance living things continue on neglected. This is a way you can give her a chance to act on her own and take the sort of responsibility you are capable of.

@zenvelo For a dog that actually HAS heartworms, giving them the pills is not a choice. The worms are filling the holes they have made in the heart and to kill them would cause the dog to bleed out.

I would help her with the pets.

Start with the easy stuff, buy a can of flea powder that is safe for cats and dogs. The powder is a pain to use so dirt cheap. Dump it all over the floor in her house. If you google “how to make a flea trap” you will get tons of hits, again dirt cheap fixes and they work. Those 2 measures will really help take care of the fleas in the house.

Now for the animals, only the cats and dogs will get the fleas. Any soap will kill fleas especially cheap pink shampoo or dishwashing detergent. Soap all the animals thickly, and I mean thickly, pen them up in a room and let them sit in the lather for at least 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse well and spray them with a mixture of water and cheap PINK conditioner. Not too much of that though, that can give them the runs if they ingest too much. This will take care of the fleas on the animals. You have to do it periodically though, there is no 1 fix cureall.

The heartworms will kill the dog eventually. If you know a farmer, ask him for a small bottle of ivermectin, that is what they use to dip cattle and sheep. It is not licensed for parasite control on dogs but it does not hurt them. I have been using it as a parasite preventative and heart worm is a parasite for years. It will not cure heart worms but will keep them from getting worse. If she doesn’t know a farmer tell her to go to a livestock feed store and beg them to open a jug and sell her a small bottle, dose at 1mg per 10k of body weight. Just put it on the dogs back between the shoulder blades. Some can be given orally, we put on bread and disguise it with anchovy paste, but it depends on what kind you get.

Those are my best suggestions, won’t cost that much and can be done at home by you and your friend.

I don’t know what to say right now. I’m so angry at you! I’m just going to breath, walk away for a minute and come back.
Okay I appreciate your concern. I really do, but you’re flipping in some major exaggerations. My animals don’t have fleas. They did for a couple of days, but my mom bought flea stuff for all of them. And I did not give you guys fleas! I really freaking hate that you believe that. My pets get flea treatment at least once an year and whenever necessary. My new bird is happy and healthy. My salamander is happy and healthy. The fish aren’t mine and are none of my concern, but they are healthy and happy.
Now my dog does have heart worms and it is very sad. And yes my mom is a bitch and refuses to help me pay for treatment. She hasn’t started displaying any signs of suffering yet. I have been working to get money to pay for treatment myself and I will be applying to get a job in the summer. I have already started raising money with a few friends and have nearly $100.
She got heart worms because my mom is the one who gave her the prevention medicine and she thought you didn’t need to give it in the winter. I didn’t realize she wasn’t given the prevention medicine and she was bit by an infected mosquito (the only way to get heart worms).
I am trying my hardest to help her and all my other pets are %100 healthy and happy including my 16 year old baby kitty.
Thank you all for your concern, but my friend here was just not seeing things to clearly considering he hasn’t been here for a long time.