Wierd Question, but anyone have an animal that gets ill or hurt every time the owner gets ill?

[SunQuest]

I was just thinking. Is it possible that an animal, in this case a dog, could be so intuned with it's owner that every time the owner gets ill that the dog gets ill or hurts itself? Or is it just coinsidence?

I ask because it seems that for the past 2 years that every time I am ill my dog does something or gets something where he also gets to be on medicine. For example, when I had to have surgery in spring of 2006, the night before my surgery my dog had to go to the emergency vet because of colitus. Now this past spring of 2007 I was ill and he stuck a peace of plant type of material in his eye and had to have it removed. And then I got ill with the flu or something over Thanksgiving weekend and what happens? He sticks another peice of something in the same eye

So off to the vet to have it removed and I realize that I have some more trees to trim again as I suspect that he was chasing something up into the tree. Now if that wasn't enough to get me wondering, I am at home yet again with a very nasty cold. What happens? Well, his defective hip is bothering him and I had to give him pain medicines that I keep here for it. And if I remember right, he was diagnosed with this problem while I was recovering from my surgery.

So now I am desperately hoping I don't get ill so my dog doesn't have something go wrong with him!

Anyway, has anyone else had this happen to them? I know it is an off the wall type of question, but I figured that if there is anything to this, that this group of animal lovers would know.

 

[Sandy S.]

I AM A BELIEVER IN THAT IF YOUR DOG IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO YOU THAT IF YOU ARE ILL IT TAKES SOME OF IT FROM YOU. I HAVE HAD 3 DOGS THAT HAVE SEEM TO DO THIS FOR ME. THEY WON'T LEAVE MY SIDE WHEN I AM NOT FEELING WELL, AND AS I GET BETTER THEY SEEM TO GET WORSE WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS I HAVE. WE HAVE LOST 2 AND THEY WERE MY BEST FRIEND AND PART OF THE FAMILY AND THE ONE WE HAVE NOW A YELLOW LAB SEEMS TO BE DOING THE SAME, SHE KNOWS THINGS ARE WRONG IN THE HOUSE, SHE WILL SIT AND JUST STARE AT ME AND WHINE, OR STARE AT MY HUSBAND AND WHINE. SHE JUST KNOWS. SHE WON'T LEAVE MY SIDE UNLESS MY HUBBY IS FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER, THEN SHE CHECKS ON HIM AND RUNS BACK TO KEEP AN EYE ON ME.

 

[SunQuest]

Yes, it always seems to happen just after I get the worst of the illness to hit me and I start to feel better. It is a if he knows that I am not well and he wants to share my missery. I know that some of it, like his hip issues, has been there for ever, but he seems to always have the worst of the flairups when I am not well. At least I don't feel like I am the only one that thinks there may be something more to this than coincidence or just my rotten luck again. And yep, when I am not doing well my dog is right there to protect me. And when his "daddy" isn't well, he runs between me and him to let me know to take care of him. This dog f mine is just really tuned in to us. He even starts pacing about 5 minutes before either of us gets home.

 

[Miniv]

Not exactly, although I believe it can and does happen......I've had two dogs and a cat who have "clung" to me when I've been sick. They seem to know......

Maryann

 

[coopermini]

Not sure about animals but one guy that works for me has some kind of a health issue every time his brother is sick or injured. We are friends with his brother so sometimes we know a day ahead our emplyee will have an issue of some sort. He usually has some limp, hobble or illness at least 90% of the times his brother has an issue. Almost would be funny if he didn't work for us.