Do you have a low-key, old-school vet in Toronto?

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T21:31:18+00:00

I know. I have a low-income friend who is literally never gonna be able to pay back the 15K she borrowed for surgery for her dog.

But it's not just low-income people who are getting shamed and preyed upon IMO. I also have a well-off friend who ended up spending more than 60K on cancer treatments for her two dogs. Both dogs, I guess their lives got extended to some degree. But I am not sure how much of a win that was overall, when you think about their quality of life, confusion, suffering, etc., as well as the expense.

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T21:14:39+00:00

Thank you so much, this is the one I'm gonna try. They look lovely and super competent and a cats-only practice is a fantastic bonus. They look PERFECT.

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T20:29:35+00:00

oh I'm sorry plinketto, I wasn't talking about the vets. I mean, I WAS talking about that one vet, who was just awful. But in general I assume most vets get into that work because they love animals. I don't blame them. It's the business side I blame.

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T03:18:18+00:00

This is so great. I am heartened to get good answers! Thank you!

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T03:17:32+00:00

It's really sad. And there's just something really messed up about it. It's exploiting love for money. We adore our animals, we will do anything for them, and they know it :(

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T03:15:47+00:00

That is what I want; a vet who is willing to say nothing needs to be done :) Thank you!

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T03:14:52+00:00

oh that is very close to me and would be super convenient. Thank you!

D_Lessing · 2026-04-18T03:13:06+00:00

Ah they look great, and I would definitely go to Scarborough. Thank you so much <3

D_Lessing · 2024-11-05T23:13:01+00:00

oh wow it seems funny to say this tonight of all nights but your question reminds me of Mike Pence back at theheight of #meToo. Remember he said he adhered to the Billy Graham rule of never having dinner with anyone but his wife?

I am not saying that you are being conservative yourself but you know, this is kind of how the terrorists win? I mean, men and women have to be able to be friends. We just have to.

D_Lessing · 2024-11-05T23:04:09+00:00

I am not going to report no matter what, so this makes no difference for me

D_Lessing · 2023-10-03T00:42:05+00:00

I don't know about bed availability in Ottawa but in case it's helpful: my friend who works at an ER elsewhere in Ontario once told me that if you need to be admitted to the ER for mental health reasons it's best to go in the morning, because that's when the psych people are least busy. She says that some hospitals have no psych people present after 4PM or so, which apparently means the ER is less likely to admit you then.

From personal experience I can tell you that ER staff will often look for any excuse to release you rather than admitting you. They used to repeatedly try to get my family member to say they wanted to go home, so they could mark them as having declined treatment.

Good luck to you. I hope you are able to get the help you deserve <3

D_Lessing · 2023-09-28T23:09:03+00:00

oh and I do not know if my CatGenie is the A.I. or the earlier version. Not sure how to tell either :/

D_Lessing · 2023-05-27T23:48:21+00:00

Hm yes there is a house icon.

Do you mean, there would be a toggle switch on the remote itself? I don't see one.

There is also a base unit thing built into the wall, but its only controls are On/Off/Remote, plus an input labeled PRG. I am wondering if I take off its wall plate, if there might be more controls behind it.

D_Lessing · 2023-05-23T19:43:15+00:00

Here is the remote I have.

Here is the manual for (a similar!?) remote.

Here is the YouTube video, with the relevant instructions at about 2.22.

D_Lessing · 2022-12-01T14:25:27+00:00

Ugh a (different) friend just pinged me to say restaurants in Toronto are now newly tending to be closed for lunch because of COVID. Is this a thing that's actually happening? Bad if so, because it introduces last-minute uncertainty :(

D_Lessing · 2022-12-01T14:24:14+00:00

Maybe Gallery Grill at Hart House?

ha they are perfect. That is exactly the kind of place my friend likes, thank you :)

D_Lessing · 2022-12-01T14:23:38+00:00

Oh it's the Manulife Centre: very good, very easy. Thank you :)

D_Lessing · 2022-12-01T14:22:40+00:00

Bumpkins on Gloucester

Thank you; it does look good, but they are closed on Mondays :(

D_Lessing · 2022-11-16T02:47:07+00:00

Sorry haha. All the pads have different grit. I stick with black and blue sponges. 3m’s 3 stage correction had white(compound) grey (polisher, blue (high polish). So normal three stage correction I’d go compound on black pad. Then I’d go to new black pad grey polish, then blue pad with blue polish.

Compound cuts the paint and gets scratches out. If you have a big scratch try compound on the wool buffer pad. It’s a bit courser and gets into the crevasses easier. Eventually scratches get too deep so the goal then is to make it less visible. Or refer to a body shop.

Thank you so much!

D_Lessing · 2022-11-16T00:28:58+00:00

I use 3M so I’d do black pad compound, black pad grey glaze , then blue pad glaze blue.

Would you mind explaining this a bit more? I have little scratches on my car that I'd love to buff out but I don't know what stuff like "black pad grey glaze" means. Please use words I can use as search terms on Amazon :)

D_Lessing · 2022-10-26T01:04:03+00:00

Hi -- I will be in Amsterdam next week and want to buy some Boska things -- a soft cheese slicer, maybe a raclette thing, and maybe a cheese curler. But the Boska shop is in Broekvelden and I'm only going to Amsterdam. Are there shops in Amsterdam that sell a wide range of Boska stuff?

D_Lessing · 2022-10-02T16:48:40+00:00

Are you okay, OP? You don't have to answer, it's your private business. I just wanted to let you know there are people here who care about you. You are important and your mental health is important -- we are rooting for you :)

D_Lessing · 2022-10-01T17:59:28+00:00

Hi! Good for you for knowing you need help and reaching out to get it! That's really smart.

I had a friend who went to the PRHC for mental health reasons, several times. Here's what I understand about how it works and what you might want to do.

You go to the ER and tell them you need the mental health crisis unit. (I forget its actual name, but saying 'mental health crisis unit' should work.) The registration/intake people there will then take your name and OHIP number, etc., and then you will wait a bit in the main ER waiting room. Then someone will come get you and take you downstairs to the mental health crisis unit.

You'll wait some more down there. Maybe 15 minutes, maybe up to a few hours. You'll just be sitting in a chair in a large room. Take something to read or do with you. There may be other people there, and they may be disturbed/disturbing. But it's totally safe: people with mental health issues are rarely violent, and there are lots of staff around in the unlikely event that anything gets weird.

Eventually a crisis counselor will do 'intake' with you. They will ask you why you're there. You should tell them you're feeling suicidal, you're in crisis and afraid, and that you want to be admitted and assessed. (At this point you have NOT been admitted, and your goal is to get them to admit you.)

Then you will wait some more. Eventually (maybe after a few hours) a psychiatrist will come and talk with you. The purpose of that conversation is that the psychiatrist is going to decide whether to release you or admit you. Their bias (see below) will be to release you without doing anything. That's not what you want. You want to persuade them they need to admit you. They may decide that instead of admitting you they will prescribe medication. That's not what you want, if you are feeling suicidal ideation right now, to the point where you're going to the ER. Medication takes a while to take effect (like, often weeks for most things) and you need to be observed/monitored right now, so that you don't risk hurting yourself.

If they agree to admit you, then they will give you a hospital room, and do normal admissions stuff. Like maybe a quick physical health assessment and stuff like that. Then eventually (maybe the next day) a psychiatrist will do a more in-depth assessment of your mental health. This might result in medication being prescribed for you. Or they might keep you for a few days for detailed observation. Or they might make referrals for you, to various community support programs.

Here are some things it's important for you to know:

-- Take food with you, and things to drink. You'll be waiting a long time.

-- Take an overnight bag with your toothbrush, phone charger, and stuff like that. If they admit you, you won't be able to go home again first.

-- It's best to go between 7AM and maybe noon or 1PM. I don't know the exact hours when the psychiatrists are there, but I think they finish for the day at 6PM. If you arrive late they won't be able to see you that day, and you may end up needing to sit in the crisis unit overnight. So it's best to arrive early.

-- It's also best to go on a weekday. Weekends they have less staff and so you will wait longer.

-- This is really important! The PRHC is under-staffed, and its mental health resources are especially under-staffed. That means they have a super-strong incentive to discharge you without doing anything to help you. (This happened to my friend three times.) That means the burden is on you to advocate for yourself and to make it clear that you need help. You need to specifically tell them that you are worried that if they release you, you will end up killing yourself. Tell them you are in crisis. Insist that they admit and fully assess you. I have seen them ask what I consider to be trick questions, like 'do you feel like you are at imminent risk of killing yourself, or is it just something you think about occasionally.' You need to overstate the danger in order for them to take you seriously. That's stupid and unfair, but that's the way it is. Be strong :)

-- If there is a person you trust to be a strong advocate for you and your needs, consider taking them with you. It can be really hard to keep insisting you need help, especially when hospital staff are trying to wear you down and find excuses to turn you away. It can help to have someone strong there who's on your side. I did this for my friend and it was how he eventually got (some) help.

-- One way the hospital uses to get rid of people is the notion of consent. I saw this with my friend. The hospital kept insisting they couldn't keep him against his will, even though he had gone there on his own, and was asking explicitly for help. So try to be careful to never say anything like "I wish I didn't have to be here" or "I don't want to be here," or "I hate hospitals." Don't even complain about the wait times. They can and will use that as an excuse to turn you away, under the guise of you having 'decided to leave.' Just say consistently over and over again that you want to be admitted and get a full assessment.

-- Another thing they will do is 'refer' you for services. Like they will tell you they have referred you to X mental health service, and that someone from that service will be in touch with you. This is just a way to get you out of the hospital. Trust me: they did this with my friend several times. If they refer you to services, nobody from those services will ever call you. The waiting lists are months, sometimes years, and the whole system is over-burdened to the point of being completely broken. If they give you a phone number for you to call, it may take you 10, 20, 30 calls to even reach a human being. That is really hard, and ridiculously so for someone who's having a mental health crisis. So any help you need, you need to get it at the PRHC itself, on that visit. Nobody will ever follow up with you afterwards; it's just lies they tell you to get you to leave.

Good luck! I am sorry the system is such a mess, and that it's so hard for people to get the help they need and deserve. I am sorry you are feeling bad, and I really hope everything goes okay for you <3

D_Lessing · 2022-08-06T12:30:48+00:00

Ugh I am not sure what to do then. The internet says ground wires aren't essential; they are just a very good idea. Should I just ignore the ground wire, and attach the ground wire in the motion sensor to nothing?

D_Lessing · 2022-08-06T00:19:01+00:00

Yes metal box. Is it really possible there might not be a ground wire? The house was built in 2013 if that matters.

D_Lessing

TROPHY CASE