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I don't really use Insta but I added and I'll try to follow along there. I did send y'all a message on FB (Florida's Wildest account) that I didn't think I should post publicly. Hope Olaf continues to improve!
i hope everything will be okay and i'm glad Olaf is getting back to himself and keep up your doing great and you know how it is to lose an animal! it will get better just think of u guys give him a second change of life!
I feel this to my core! Gabby, I am in the same boat. It is so hard to rescue animals and to manage all the health issues and deal with the losses...especially with criplling anxiety. 😢❤ Thank you for sharing 🙏
I am so so sorry about elmo. I get it when it comes to losing an animal, especially when were so close to it, it's crippling and you want to not talk about it to anyone. Sending yall positive thoughts and love
Sending big hugs to you both 💙 I can totally relate to the unbearable anxiety around looking after animals, especially when they're sick. It's so draining, so I hope you can both have some peace and rest going forward!
So glad he is ok. I lost my Congo African Grey after only 7 years I raised him from a baby. He had a congenital heart condition. Its absolutely heartbreaking. You both love your animals and do everything and anything for them. They are sooo lucky.
I'm glad to see you finally got the wooden swing situation worked out. i know you were having a hard time finding a good place for it for a while there. also glad to hear Olaf is doing better.
Stay strong you two! You are both so amazing and are two of the amazing people who have made me so passionate about animals and proper animal care. I started doing the small part I could with only an apartment and rescued rats and am so passionate about them now even though I never imagined being able to love one of them ❤❤ thank you for being your authentic selves and sharing all the positives and some of darker negatives. I have all the more respect for you sharing the story and all the authentic joy and happiness you share while recalling all the great memories. You had me in tears ❤
Thank you for loving and caring for these animals and sharing your heartbreaks. You both are amazing and doing such a wonderful job!! Glad Olaf is doing better.
Gabby you are so inspiring. I'm crying listening to you! I really look up to you and your passion for your babies!!! ❤️ I'm just so grateful these precious babies have you! ... Oh and Chris too 🤣 (just teasing you both are awesome)... I'm so glad Olaf is doing better!!! 🩷🩷🩷
Happy for you both and Olaf for getting him to the vet so quickly. You both have hearts of gold when it comes to your animals. 😭 I broke when you said he was saying "I love you, goodbye" ❤ I love what you guys do. I 100% understand how heartbreaking it is to lose a very special member of your family. Gabby you went through so much with Elmo. You're such a strong person to talk about it. I know it can help you get over the sadness and pain to talk about it and I genuinely hope this video helped you heal, even just a little bit. Elmo taking flight must have meant everything to him, and thats because of the both of you. Thank you for doing everything you have been doing and will continue to do. You both are awesome people and I have no doubt you will continue to be for years to come. Take care you guys ❤ FGS8 (For Goodness Snakes8) is a wonderful reptile rescue in the northern states, not sure where exactly 😅 but I think it would be awesome if you could reach out to them? They are on most social media if you do.
Man, you guys are the best...the emotional attachment you have for your animals.. Hearing the stories make us sad, can't imagine how you guys feel.. U guys are strong..
I'm so glad I decided to watch this. I'm watching this with a terminally ill animal of my own, and it's so hard. The vet visits, the panic, the waiting, good news then bad news. And when they are rescues (like my dogs have all been), oof, that issue of trying to correct the mistakes/abuse of their past lives, but only being able to do so much. You guys do amazing work, and you do it again, and again. It's super admirable. And just don't forget that you guys aren't alone, either. Grief can be isolating, but you aren't alone.
I feel so bad for asking a couple of days ago on your channel, Chris, about the fennec fox. I'm so sorry. I don't get on Instagram very often. I knew about Elmo, and that was a blow to the heart. I can't imagine how that loss affected you both. I'm so happy to see that Olaf is on the mend!! What you two do for the animals in your care is extraordinary!!!! Sending you lots of love from Kansas City!!
You are not alone I did too. Ive been playing catch up on their videos and thought I must have missed something. So very sorry for your losses Gabby and Chris xx
I want to thank you both for being so open about this. I just recently lost my eldest dog, Toby, and so I understand what you guys went through with respect to the vet visits, the worry, the anxiety. Like you, Gabby, I struggle with anxiety around it. It helps me feel less alone to see your story. Animals ARE a member of the family, 1000%. I'm so happy to hear that sweet little Olaf is on the up and up. He's in amazing hands, and I know he feels the love. You both are doing an amazing job. Thank you for sharing your story with us, I know it's not super easy being vulnerable about it when you're still sad.
Im so glad olaf is ok now. Gabby, anxiety is no joke it can be crippling, ive had it for yrs. Its so clear how you both love all these sweet animals. Love you guys ❤
❤😢I love you guys so much 😢❤ my heart breaks for you. I knew I connected with Gabby for a reason, I took suffer from debilitating anxiety that people don't understand. But I push through just as I see you do. ❤Gabby, if you didn't say anything, there would be no way to tell. You have worked hard and come through a lot and work hard at hiding the rest ❤ thank you both for this sweet and emotional post
Thank you for sharing these stories. Really gives an insight to how much is involved in having an animal sanctuary! You two are angels providing wonderful moments in the lives of little souls that had a bad start in life. 🙏❤️
My heart breaks to hear you guys talk about losing your beloved animal friends. Elmo was such a sweet boy. I loved watching videos of him. I lost 2 of my beloved cats to rare forms of cancer in the past 3 years and hearing Gabby relate the doctor's phone calls brought me right back my own horrific memories of losing my sweet kitties. You guys are amazing for everything you do to give these precious animals such wonderful lives. Thank you for all of your hard work and empathy. You guys are super heroes in my book. ❤
I'm so sorry you went through this, I know how traumatic it is to go through emergency with your pet family. I've experienced it myself and witness regularly in my job as a vet tech. Much love x
You guys, the tears! You have me in tears. I cannot imagine how hard it is to do what you guys do. My heart goes out to you guys. Keep strong. You are heros. ❤❤
You guys are the best, I’m so sorry you have to go through this. Please remember that it is totally okay to tell people you’re not able to talk about some things. You deserve healing time. We’ll all be here for you no matter what ❤
I am so glad that he is back home and feeling better. That definitely is the part that really sucks about any kind of rescue work. You never know what kind of damage their past care ( or lack thereof) will catch up to them. That being said, you both clearly love all of these animals and are ready and willing to whatever it takes to ensure their health, comfort and well being.
Thank you so much for sharing your heart felt stories. True, it's not something we want to talk about, but once in a great while it does help the ones watching to understand that there are very difficult things going on and it takes a great deal out of a person when you know these dear pets capture more of a person's heart than those who live a normal pet life. Thank you! If our heart dosen't hurt when they are gone, then how much did we love them? It takes time; but I'm so grateful God knows how to heal hurting hearts!❤
The scary thing about rescue is that most of the time you have no idea what they’ve been through. We adopted the sweetest dog because no one would take her as she had severe allergies and chronic ear infections. We managed to get her to a point where she had fairly decent quality of life only to discover a few weeks later she had leukemia. It was 10 years ago and I still sometimes cry and I know my husband does as well. I’m so glad your beloved boy is doing well. I want to add that I’ve had severe anxiety and depression since I was 8 and am now in my 70s. I found no relief until I was in my late 40s when the seritonin reuptake meds came out. I went through several until I found one that worked. I feel very, very lucky. Gabby, I hope and pray you find something that helps you. You are a remarkable, loving, wonderful human being and the world is a better place with you in it (and Chris). Be kind to yourself. I speak from long experience of caring for others before myself how important it is to care of yourself, even before others, otherwise your own physical and emotional needs will not be met. This will drain you mentally and physically and can testify it can severely damage your health.
You guys are absolutely amazing and caring people, we get a bond with are animals and I feel your pain. Thank you for being special, we definitely need more people that share your passion
I’m so sorry about the ones you have lost, you can be happy and proud that you gave them a good life while you had them. Thank heavens Olaf is doing better. ❤❤
I am sorry about Elmo. People really need to their research done before they get any type of animal especially birds. Educating themselves on what to properly feed them is extremely important. I am glad you are giving him a proper diet. You two are truly good people
I completely understand gabby i have ptsd and anxiety. So im the same . Atleast u r brave enough to say it. Im glad ges back n eating and glad u two do what u do cause those animals r so lucky! I dont have Instagram so i cant c the updates on that but love watching the videos.
I’m so sorry with your losses but I’m glad Olaf is feeling better! Animal rescue is rough. I had a kitty that I trapped, vetted, but ended up too friendly for me to release. He had been outside for at least 11 years, wasn’t neutered, FIV+, was the most beat up looking tom cat. Broken teeth, scarred ears, torn eye membrane. Super sweet tho. Got him healthy, fixed his teeth, neutered. I had him for a year and a half inside and came into his room one day and found him on the floor dead. There was nothing I could do it was too late. It’s the worst feeling in the world. I got a necropsy done and it was cardiac arrest from a single heartworm in his heart. Heartworm is rare in cats and doesn’t show up on tests unless there’s a lot with cats. And barely any real treatment. There was nothing I could do but I wish I had been there with him Anyway, just wanted to say I understand and you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m glad you put that boundary for yourself. I hope things continue to improve with Olaf and I’m sure the rest of the animals give you joy
Awe y’all made my heart hurt for Elmo. I know how deeply painful it is to lose our furry family. You guys gave him so much love in his last years. He was blessed to have you.
Its amazing how a animal can effect your daily lives, they can make you smile, cry, and every other emotion inbetween, I feel your pain, still havent got over my girl Lacey passing away from cancer, 12 months ago, everytime i see a picture of her of think of her I start to cry, they are members of our families, I love my animals as much as I love my children, grandchildren even my wife, sometimes more as there animals depend on us more than most human family members for even the simpliest thing, like a drink, where as a young child can for the most part get themselves a glass of water, where dog, cat or bird etc can not get their own drinks, unless their is a puddle, bowl, stream or river they can get too. I am so happy that Olaf is doing better, fingers crossed he keeps on improving.
Gabby & Chris you guys take such excellent care of these animals. Not only giving them huge, interesting, naturalistic enclosures but really doing your research on the different species. I also really respect you for not allowing any more babies! SO happy Olaf is on the mend ❤️🩹 🦜
I feel ya. I've fostered kittens for over a decade, usually I get them 3 weeks but I've had them younger. They can just flatline in the span of 24 hours out of nowhere. I don't like bringing it up because people always ask what happened, and honestly I don't know. I've spent hours beating myself up for "missing signs" and trying hard to pull them out of the decline. You just don't want to go back into that kind of stuff. I'm glad Olaf is doing okay. Keeping my fingers crossed the rest of your feathered goobers don't spring anymore sudden surprises. They're gonna give Gabby a head of gray hair at this rate!
It's ok gabby I'm the same way. When I took my rabbits to get fixed because I know sometimes they don't make it. When my cats go fixed because those are my babies. When we dropped my pup off at a great kennel and she had her own private princess room lol. I have spent many nights awake. Many days without food. Many tears have fallen. Because they are my babies and I love them so much. It's what makes us the best pet owners because of how much we love them. And I know even now you worry because you just can't imagine loosing him. It still hurts your heart. And that's ok. I'm so glad Olaf is home and doing good. ❤
Losing a pet is the worst feeling in the world. But you need to know that you two have done so much good for all the animals and birds that you rescue. And that’s all I can say because now I’m crying.
God bless you guys! I was wondering about the fennic too so sorry for the loss. I feel Gabby's pain I take it very hard when I lose an animal. Lost 2 Chihuahua's that we had for 20 years. They made 20 and passed within a few months of each other. Then later came two snakes.. That really sent me over the edge.
I so understand your anxiety. Once i was away over the weekend and i left my cat home with enough dry food and a big bowl of water. At that weekend my uncle decided to visit me. He had a key, went inside and noticed, that i wasn't there. He then called me and he started the call with: "i wanted to visit you, and i have seen yor cat is dead?" - "WHAT???" - "Yeah, i was inside and i couldn't find him". I was about an hour away from home and i was SO worried, i was shaking the whole time, holding back my tears and hoping so much, that he was just hiding somewhere. When i came home, i called for him and after a bit, he came. Turns out, he had just eaten ALL the food i left him and was sleeping somewhere and he wasn't intrested in the visitor. But that hour thinking he could have died while i was away was so hard.
You two are the cutest couple. For I was as growing up always was saving wild injured animals. The best but highly unfortutionly was the big blk crow I nutsed back to health. He would sit on my gloved arm and I would feed him live worms. But wanted to keep in the garage where safe but my dad didn't allow it so I kept him in an outdoor enclosure and the next morning went feed him but all that was left was feathers all over the enclosure. I know a cat got him for he was just about ready to get set free to. It was soo sad. For crows are very smart so if I set him free I'll bet he would have came back to me later on to visit me. So sad tho, I miss him .
Oh thank the Lord that he is better , I'm sorry you had to go through that . Olaf is in my prayers , I love you both so much . I hope you have a lovely day!❤❤❤
I feel your pain. We had a similar situation years ago with our blue fronted Amazon. Perfectly fine one minute, and very sick the next. We took him to the only bird vet in the area at the time, but unfortunately he never came home. Birds are very good at masking illness until it's to late.
I'm sorry you guys have been through so much lately! I'm glad Olaf is okay. I did want to say, I do understand that it's easier for you guys to update everyone on Instagram. I would just ask you to bear in mind there are people out there like me who absolutely abhor social media and TH-cam is the only one I engage in. The rest of it is a toxic sludge pit that should be pushed off the face of the earth!😂 thank you for mentioning Chris's second channel. I was not aware of it.
You can only do so much, the thing to remember is you both offer the animals a great part of their lives, and it's going to be the last part of their lives for most/all of them however long the part lasts. Yes be sad when you lose an animal, but it's never really a loss, it's a win. You cannot decide when the last part will end, just how it goes until it ends. You are both doing a great job and when you lose an animal, because you know you will again and again enevitably, please remember how many other animals need you now and the animals that you have yet to come across that will need you in the future. Suggestion tho, maybe you should have a kind of rememberence area to remember all the animals you have given a great last part of their lives, for all the animals you have lost and will enevitably lose in the future. Love you both ❤😊xoxox
Please know that celebrating & smiling for a bird having a epic final year or season is a great thing (while crying for the loss)..Lost my Hawk Head parrot after 7 Years (3rd home) He was 16 yrs old..Our last year was awesome..he mastered short flights. Oh and his blood work was good 3 months earlier (cancer was cause of death). Everyday is a gift for every creature on earth including us.
Yeah, I remember when Chris I think posted about Elmo flying into a tree that was a awesome moment from the brink to a successes story rip beautiful little birdy 💔😭🤍 Love you guys nice vid
Hi Gabby, I deal with crippling anxiety too but I mange it with medication. I changed my doctors 8 times until I found a doctor who was really trying to help. We tried different medication and finally we found one that worked for me. Please, find a good doctor! My life is night and day different now. No more anxiety!
Just curious, is he vetmedin/pimobendin (positive inotrope)? I’m not even sure if they can be given in birds. Or would clopidogrel be helpful? I know HCM cats who have a history of ATE get that to help prevent throwing a clot
Oh now I know what happened to Olaf. I am so glad he pulled through. How scary. I lost my daughter when she was 41 and I lost my son when he was two. Both because of others. I have also lost beloved pets. All these losses hurt. Hurt bad. I think the loss of a loved pet hurts so tremendously is we do considered them family and more like our children. They are so incredibly “innocent” as well. Nothing aggressive they do is out of true malice yet humans can be so cruel to them. People like us who are true animal lovers bond strongly with our animal family members. It hurts when we lose them. It just doesn’t seem fair that many animals mammals especially even if healthy they can live such short lives. I had a Cornish cross Chicken 🐓 who were bred to grow fast and fat because of this they die super young from mostly heart conditions. I had a x chick. I rescued her along with a Muscovy duckling from a flea market. They were being sold as meat birds. Not on my watch. Any way I soon found out what type of chick I had saved. They were named Bonnie and Clyde. They were both lap birds. One of our friends was a veterinarian and she diagnosed Bonnie with congestive heart failure. Bonnie had already outlived the average age for cross chickens to live and she was still walking. They normally gets so heavy. Their legs can’t support them if they lived past six weeks old for very long. I was working against genetics, but I put her on a tasty special diet and she didn’t gain her weight as quickly as other cross Cornish hens. The vet put her on heart meds and my late husband, learned to listen to her heart. He was a human medical doctor, so it wasn’t too hard for him. She lived to age 18 months which is way way longer than they normally live even if they’re not processed for meat. We loved Bonnie and we also loved Clyde. We came home from a wedding one day and she had passed on and Clyde was snuggled next to her so thank goodness she wasn’t alone. I have so many cute stories about those two birds they were allowed in doors at times, and our cat Mr. Wu, was in love with Bonnie. I kid you not. He would roll over on his back and try to hug her when she walked to him. Bonnie could care less about Mr. Wu lol and Clyde did not like Wu. Sometimes Clyde had to be put outside because he was a huge bird. His wingspan was almost 5 feet across and he would try to beat Mr. Wu up with his wings. The first thing Miss Bonnie would do is run over well she didn’t run, but she would walk over to Mr. Wu’s cat food bowl and try to eat his food up. Mr. Wu would lovingly sit there and watch her and I would have to take the food bowl away. There’s a lot of fat in that their cat food. 😅 I just found it very funny that Bonnie could care less about Mr. Wu and her best friend was a Muscovy duck 🦆 who adored her and was jealous of a cat smitten by Bonnie the chicken. But Clyde had another love other than Bonnie. Me! He had some how imprinted on me because he was so very young when I had gotten him. I don’t know if you guys know about when a bird, especially the larger birds of any breed imprints on a human being it can be disastrous lol. Clyde almost weighed 15 pounds. He was a big Muskovy and their idea of wooing the female isn’t necessarily, gentle lol I’d be out in our pool and he come around the corner from his water feature. They don’t fly real well when they get that big but that duck manage to get up in the air and fly over the pool and land on my head or very near it and I won’t go into the horror that would commence soon after lol😅
I think people don't understand a how hard it is to keep exotics truly healthy. Animals like fennec foxes and things like that are already notoriously hard to keep in captivity. Then people think they can feed them anything they want and it's fine. It's not! Sunflower seeds, for instance, are 50% fat! I completely agree with you. When I see people who are not only keeping exotics (which personally I think should only be in breeding programs or in the wild) but they're feeding them things like bread, pizza, and donuts etc! It makes me furious! Feeding animals cruddy food that should be classified as abuse! People shouldn't own them in the first place but if you do and you can't feed them right, then they should be removed from your care!
I don't exactly how you guys feel in situations like this. I do work at a store and see animals brought in really bad conditions and go get angry and sad for animal's/people.
Do you have advice on how to wean a bird off of seed? I’ve been trying for over 2 years. She will eat bird chop but nothing like when she sees seeds. I thought I was doing well weaning her off but then she stopped eating and got super sick fast. So now I’m here just giving her seeds and chop
Sounds like you went to a full panic attack. Those suck. You might talk to your dr about a beta blocker, I take one every day and it keeps my hear rate from going nuts, and that prevents the meltdown from spiralling out of control. I just want to give you a big hug, I feel them feels.
I understand when u loose a pet. If u don’t want to talk about an animal death just put a key word. I still think of my pets. Sometimes it’s good to cry.
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I don't really use Insta but I added and I'll try to follow along there. I did send y'all a message on FB (Florida's Wildest account) that I didn't think I should post publicly. Hope Olaf continues to improve!
i hope everything will be okay and i'm glad Olaf is getting back to himself and keep up your doing great and you know how it is to lose an animal! it will get better just think of u guys give him a second change of life!
It's obvious how much the two of you love your animals. I'm so glad Olaf is getting back to himself.
I feel this to my core! Gabby, I am in the same boat. It is so hard to rescue animals and to manage all the health issues and deal with the losses...especially with criplling anxiety. 😢❤ Thank you for sharing 🙏
I am so so sorry about elmo. I get it when it comes to losing an animal, especially when were so close to it, it's crippling and you want to not talk about it to anyone. Sending yall positive thoughts and love
Sending big hugs to you both 💙 I can totally relate to the unbearable anxiety around looking after animals, especially when they're sick. It's so draining, so I hope you can both have some peace and rest going forward!
So glad he is ok. I lost my Congo African Grey after only 7 years I raised him from a baby. He had a congenital heart condition. Its absolutely heartbreaking. You both love your animals and do everything and anything for them. They are sooo lucky.
Omg, Gabby, so sorry to learn about Elmo passing. You both gave him the best care and he was happy.
So glad your bird is doing well! Nice to see you both live!
I'm glad to see you finally got the wooden swing situation worked out. i know you were having a hard time finding a good place for it for a while there. also glad to hear Olaf is doing better.
Stay strong you two! You are both so amazing and are two of the amazing people who have made me so passionate about animals and proper animal care. I started doing the small part I could with only an apartment and rescued rats and am so passionate about them now even though I never imagined being able to love one of them ❤❤ thank you for being your authentic selves and sharing all the positives and some of darker negatives. I have all the more respect for you sharing the story and all the authentic joy and happiness you share while recalling all the great memories. You had me in tears ❤
Thank you for loving and caring for these animals and sharing your heartbreaks. You both are amazing and doing such a wonderful job!! Glad Olaf is doing better.
Gabby you are so inspiring. I'm crying listening to you! I really look up to you and your passion for your babies!!! ❤️ I'm just so grateful these precious babies have you! ... Oh and Chris too 🤣 (just teasing you both are awesome)... I'm so glad Olaf is doing better!!! 🩷🩷🩷
Happy for you both and Olaf for getting him to the vet so quickly. You both have hearts of gold when it comes to your animals. 😭 I broke when you said he was saying "I love you, goodbye" ❤ I love what you guys do. I 100% understand how heartbreaking it is to lose a very special member of your family.
Gabby you went through so much with Elmo. You're such a strong person to talk about it. I know it can help you get over the sadness and pain to talk about it and I genuinely hope this video helped you heal, even just a little bit. Elmo taking flight must have meant everything to him, and thats because of the both of you. Thank you for doing everything you have been doing and will continue to do. You both are awesome people and I have no doubt you will continue to be for years to come.
Take care you guys ❤
FGS8 (For Goodness Snakes8) is a wonderful reptile rescue in the northern states, not sure where exactly 😅 but I think it would be awesome if you could reach out to them? They are on most social media if you do.
Man, you guys are the best...the emotional attachment you have for your animals.. Hearing the stories make us sad, can't imagine how you guys feel.. U guys are strong..
I'm so glad I decided to watch this. I'm watching this with a terminally ill animal of my own, and it's so hard. The vet visits, the panic, the waiting, good news then bad news. And when they are rescues (like my dogs have all been), oof, that issue of trying to correct the mistakes/abuse of their past lives, but only being able to do so much.
You guys do amazing work, and you do it again, and again. It's super admirable. And just don't forget that you guys aren't alone, either. Grief can be isolating, but you aren't alone.
I feel so bad for asking a couple of days ago on your channel, Chris, about the fennec fox. I'm so sorry. I don't get on Instagram very often. I knew about Elmo, and that was a blow to the heart. I can't imagine how that loss affected you both. I'm so happy to see that Olaf is on the mend!! What you two do for the animals in your care is extraordinary!!!! Sending you lots of love from Kansas City!!
You are not alone I did too. Ive been playing catch up on their videos and thought I must have missed something. So very sorry for your losses Gabby and Chris xx
I want to thank you both for being so open about this. I just recently lost my eldest dog, Toby, and so I understand what you guys went through with respect to the vet visits, the worry, the anxiety. Like you, Gabby, I struggle with anxiety around it. It helps me feel less alone to see your story. Animals ARE a member of the family, 1000%. I'm so happy to hear that sweet little Olaf is on the up and up. He's in amazing hands, and I know he feels the love. You both are doing an amazing job. Thank you for sharing your story with us, I know it's not super easy being vulnerable about it when you're still sad.
Im so glad olaf is ok now. Gabby, anxiety is no joke it can be crippling, ive had it for yrs. Its so clear how you both love all these sweet animals. Love you guys ❤
❤😢I love you guys so much 😢❤ my heart breaks for you. I knew I connected with Gabby for a reason, I took suffer from debilitating anxiety that people don't understand. But I push through just as I see you do. ❤Gabby, if you didn't say anything, there would be no way to tell. You have worked hard and come through a lot and work hard at hiding the rest ❤ thank you both for this sweet and emotional post
Thank you for sharing these stories. Really gives an insight to how much is involved in having an animal sanctuary! You two are angels providing wonderful moments in the lives of little souls that had a bad start in life. 🙏❤️
So glad he's okay. You guys are amazing ❤
Thank you, Gabbie and Chris, for doing what you do. Bless you both.
My heart breaks to hear you guys talk about losing your beloved animal friends.
Elmo was such a sweet boy. I loved watching videos of him. I lost 2 of my beloved cats to rare forms of cancer in the past 3 years and hearing Gabby relate the doctor's phone calls brought me right back my own horrific memories of losing my sweet kitties.
You guys are amazing for everything you do to give these precious animals such wonderful lives. Thank you for all of your hard work and empathy.
You guys are super heroes in my book. ❤
I'm so sorry you went through this, I know how traumatic it is to go through emergency with your pet family. I've experienced it myself and witness regularly in my job as a vet tech. Much love x
You two are amazing beautiful people and all your animals are so lucky to have you guys as there angels.
You guys, the tears! You have me in tears. I cannot imagine how hard it is to do what you guys do. My heart goes out to you guys. Keep strong. You are heros. ❤❤
You guys are the best, I’m so sorry you have to go through this. Please remember that it is totally okay to tell people you’re not able to talk about some things. You deserve healing time. We’ll all be here for you no matter what ❤
I just watched this, you’re so brave to talk about this, it’s so incredibly painful to talk about this stuff. Big HUGS 🩵
So glad to have met you last week at Verizon, I’m enjoying your channel, so glad Olaf is doing well.
Sending hugs❤ so glad Olaf is feeling better. I know how much you love your animals💕
I am so glad that he is back home and feeling better.
That definitely is the part that really sucks about any kind of rescue work. You never know what kind of damage their past care ( or lack thereof) will catch up to them.
That being said, you both clearly love all of these animals and are ready and willing to whatever it takes to ensure their health, comfort and well being.
Thank you so much for sharing your heart felt stories. True, it's not something we want to talk about, but once in a great while it does help the ones watching to understand that there are very difficult things going on and it takes a great deal out of a person when you know these dear pets capture more of a person's heart than those who live a normal pet life. Thank you! If our heart dosen't hurt when they are gone, then how much did we love them? It takes time; but I'm so grateful God knows how to heal hurting hearts!❤
The scary thing about rescue is that most of the time you have no idea what they’ve been through. We adopted the sweetest dog because no one would take her as she had severe allergies and chronic ear infections. We managed to get her to a point where she had fairly decent quality of life only to discover a few weeks later she had leukemia. It was 10 years ago and I still sometimes cry and I know my husband does as well. I’m so glad your beloved boy is doing well. I want to add that I’ve had severe anxiety and depression since I was 8 and am now in my 70s. I found no relief until I was in my late 40s when the seritonin reuptake meds came out. I went through several until I found one that worked. I feel very, very lucky. Gabby, I hope and pray you find something that helps you. You are a remarkable, loving, wonderful human being and the world is a better place with you in it (and Chris). Be kind to yourself. I speak from long experience of caring for others before myself how important it is to care of yourself, even before others, otherwise your own physical and emotional needs will not be met. This will drain you mentally and physically and can testify it can severely damage your health.
You guys are absolutely amazing and caring people, we get a bond with are animals and I feel your pain. Thank you for being special, we definitely need more people that share your passion
I’m so sorry about the ones you have lost, you can be happy and proud that you gave them a good life while you had them. Thank heavens Olaf is doing better. ❤❤
"He's right over there. He's fine" lol
You guys are awesome such a beautiful couple doing beautiful things there so blessed ❤
I am sorry about Elmo. People really need to their research done before they get any type of animal especially birds. Educating themselves on what to properly feed them is extremely important. I am glad you are giving him a proper diet. You two are truly good people
I completely understand gabby i have ptsd and anxiety. So im the same . Atleast u r brave enough to say it. Im glad ges back n eating and glad u two do what u do cause those animals r so lucky! I dont have Instagram so i cant c the updates on that but love watching the videos.
I’m so sorry with your losses but I’m glad Olaf is feeling better!
Animal rescue is rough. I had a kitty that I trapped, vetted, but ended up too friendly for me to release. He had been outside for at least 11 years, wasn’t neutered, FIV+, was the most beat up looking tom cat. Broken teeth, scarred ears, torn eye membrane. Super sweet tho. Got him healthy, fixed his teeth, neutered. I had him for a year and a half inside and came into his room one day and found him on the floor dead. There was nothing I could do it was too late. It’s the worst feeling in the world. I got a necropsy done and it was cardiac arrest from a single heartworm in his heart. Heartworm is rare in cats and doesn’t show up on tests unless there’s a lot with cats. And barely any real treatment. There was nothing I could do but I wish I had been there with him
Anyway, just wanted to say I understand and you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m glad you put that boundary for yourself. I hope things continue to improve with Olaf and I’m sure the rest of the animals give you joy
Awe y’all made my heart hurt for Elmo. I know how deeply painful it is to lose our furry family. You guys gave him so much love in his last years. He was blessed to have you.
Its amazing how a animal can effect your daily lives, they can make you smile, cry, and every other emotion inbetween, I feel your pain, still havent got over my girl Lacey passing away from cancer, 12 months ago, everytime i see a picture of her of think of her I start to cry, they are members of our families, I love my animals as much as I love my children, grandchildren even my wife, sometimes more as there animals depend on us more than most human family members for even the simpliest thing, like a drink, where as a young child can for the most part get themselves a glass of water, where dog, cat or bird etc can not get their own drinks, unless their is a puddle, bowl, stream or river they can get too.
I am so happy that Olaf is doing better, fingers crossed he keeps on improving.
Gabby & Chris you guys take such excellent care of these animals. Not only giving them huge, interesting, naturalistic enclosures but really doing your research on the different species. I also really respect you for not allowing any more babies! SO happy Olaf is on the mend ❤️🩹 🦜
I feel ya. I've fostered kittens for over a decade, usually I get them 3 weeks but I've had them younger. They can just flatline in the span of 24 hours out of nowhere. I don't like bringing it up because people always ask what happened, and honestly I don't know. I've spent hours beating myself up for "missing signs" and trying hard to pull them out of the decline. You just don't want to go back into that kind of stuff.
I'm glad Olaf is doing okay. Keeping my fingers crossed the rest of your feathered goobers don't spring anymore sudden surprises. They're gonna give Gabby a head of gray hair at this rate!
I hope you can find some peace in the fact that you gave Elmo the best life possible once you had him in your care.
I’m glad that Olaf is doing good and I like how you two take care of your animals keep it going
It's ok gabby I'm the same way. When I took my rabbits to get fixed because I know sometimes they don't make it. When my cats go fixed because those are my babies. When we dropped my pup off at a great kennel and she had her own private princess room lol. I have spent many nights awake. Many days without food. Many tears have fallen. Because they are my babies and I love them so much. It's what makes us the best pet owners because of how much we love them. And I know even now you worry because you just can't imagine loosing him. It still hurts your heart. And that's ok.
I'm so glad Olaf is home and doing good. ❤
Losing a pet is the worst feeling in the world. But you need to know that you two have done so much good for all the animals and birds that you rescue. And that’s all I can say because now I’m crying.
I’m sorry for your losses. Thank you for informing us and never feel guilty for not going into details. Have a wonderful day you guys
Olaf is so very fortunate to have you both for family. Sending him lots of healing loves ❤️.
I commend you both. You are doing great work. Thank you for all that you do.
I'm so sorry you guys have had to go through all that 😔. I'm glad Olaf is doing a lot better!
God bless you guys! I was wondering about the fennic too so sorry for the loss. I feel Gabby's pain I take it very hard when I lose an animal. Lost 2 Chihuahua's that we had for 20 years. They made 20 and passed within a few months of each other. Then later came two snakes.. That really sent me over the edge.
I so understand your anxiety.
Once i was away over the weekend and i left my cat home with enough dry food and a big bowl of water. At that weekend my uncle decided to visit me. He had a key, went inside and noticed, that i wasn't there. He then called me and he started the call with: "i wanted to visit you, and i have seen yor cat is dead?" - "WHAT???" - "Yeah, i was inside and i couldn't find him".
I was about an hour away from home and i was SO worried, i was shaking the whole time, holding back my tears and hoping so much, that he was just hiding somewhere.
When i came home, i called for him and after a bit, he came. Turns out, he had just eaten ALL the food i left him and was sleeping somewhere and he wasn't intrested in the visitor. But that hour thinking he could have died while i was away was so hard.
You two are the cutest couple. For I was as growing up always was saving wild injured animals. The best but highly unfortutionly was the big blk crow I nutsed back to health. He would sit on my gloved arm and I would feed him live worms. But wanted to keep in the garage where safe but my dad didn't allow it so I kept him in an outdoor enclosure and the next morning went feed him but all that was left was feathers all over the enclosure. I know a cat got him for he was just about ready to get set free to. It was soo sad. For crows are very smart so if I set him free I'll bet he would have came back to me later on to visit me. So sad tho, I miss him .
Oh thank the Lord that he is better , I'm sorry you had to go through that . Olaf is in my prayers , I love you both so much . I hope you have a lovely day!❤❤❤
I feel your pain. We had a similar situation years ago with our blue fronted Amazon. Perfectly fine one minute, and very sick the next. We took him to the only bird vet in the area at the time, but unfortunately he never came home. Birds are very good at masking illness until it's to late.
Im soo glad hes home and eating again!!❤
Im also glad you found a spot for the swing!!
sending love to you Olaf. Glad you are getting better. Your family and we all love you sweet birdie!
I just recently lost my African grey due to the same diagnosis… i am SO HAPPY he has pulled through for you guys ❤
I'm sorry you guys have been through so much lately! I'm glad Olaf is okay. I did want to say, I do understand that it's easier for you guys to update everyone on Instagram. I would just ask you to bear in mind there are people out there like me who absolutely abhor social media and TH-cam is the only one I engage in. The rest of it is a toxic sludge pit that should be pushed off the face of the earth!😂 thank you for mentioning Chris's second channel. I was not aware of it.
You can only do so much, the thing to remember is you both offer the animals a great part of their lives, and it's going to be the last part of their lives for most/all of them however long the part lasts. Yes be sad when you lose an animal, but it's never really a loss, it's a win. You cannot decide when the last part will end, just how it goes until it ends. You are both doing a great job and when you lose an animal, because you know you will again and again enevitably, please remember how many other animals need you now and the animals that you have yet to come across that will need you in the future. Suggestion tho, maybe you should have a kind of rememberence area to remember all the animals you have given a great last part of their lives, for all the animals you have lost and will enevitably lose in the future.
Love you both ❤😊xoxox
I work in vet med...people are the toughest part of my job.
Im sorry you have anxiety. I know the feeling. Hard to deal with. Were here for ya!
Please know that celebrating & smiling for a bird having a epic final year or season is a great thing (while crying for the loss)..Lost my Hawk Head parrot after 7 Years (3rd home) He was 16 yrs old..Our last year was awesome..he mastered short flights. Oh and his blood work was good 3 months earlier (cancer was cause of death). Everyday is a gift for every creature on earth including us.
Thank you for all that you do ❤️🙏🏼
Yeah, I remember when Chris I think posted about Elmo flying into a tree that was a awesome moment from the brink to a successes story rip beautiful little birdy 💔😭🤍 Love you guys nice vid
Wow! So glad that he made it through all of that! No more scares, Olaf! ❤️
It takes someone special to care for animals more thN ppl. My kind of heros!!!!!
He's so adorable 🤍🤍🤍
Hi Gabby, I deal with crippling anxiety too but I mange it with medication. I changed my doctors 8 times until I found a doctor who was really trying to help. We tried different medication and finally we found one that worked for me. Please, find a good doctor! My life is night and day different now. No more anxiety!
I can’t get over the name. Such a cute name for him. ☃️
Thank you for loving animals!
So pleased Olaf is okay he is so precious ❤
I lost my cat at 17 years old last year. And I had so much anxiety and I still have anxiety. But I know she lived a good life.
For Olafs old mom, get a really beautiful Sympathy card and small explanation and enclose pictures of his good life.
I love my grand dogs (2 pitt bulls) and I flip out when they are sick. I totally understand. I love love animals.
Just curious, is he vetmedin/pimobendin (positive inotrope)? I’m not even sure if they can be given in birds. Or would clopidogrel be helpful? I know HCM cats who have a history of ATE get that to help prevent throwing a clot
I only have a few fish at this point (after owning parrots, cats, dogs, ferrets, turtles, etc.), but I completely understand.
I am so happy that Olaf is better. Bless his heart.
Wow that was unbelievable, but this is what yall do,keep up the great work yall....❤❤❤
Happy Olof is better. Such a scare when and sorry this happened. Rest in sweet peace Elmo… 💕
Do the turkeys and chicken roam free or do the have a pen?
the fact that he's named olaf is so cute
Oh now I know what happened to Olaf. I am so glad he pulled through. How scary. I lost my daughter when she was 41 and I lost my son when he was two. Both because of others. I have also lost beloved pets. All these losses hurt. Hurt bad. I think the loss of a loved pet hurts so tremendously is we do considered them family and more like our children. They are so incredibly “innocent” as well. Nothing aggressive they do is out of true malice yet humans can be so cruel to them. People like us who are true animal lovers bond strongly with our animal family members. It hurts when we lose them. It just doesn’t seem fair that many animals mammals especially even if healthy they can live such short lives. I had a Cornish cross Chicken 🐓 who were bred to grow fast and fat because of this they die super young from mostly heart conditions. I had a x chick. I rescued her along with a Muscovy duckling from a flea market. They were being sold as meat birds. Not on my watch. Any way I soon found out what type of chick I had saved. They were named Bonnie and Clyde. They were both lap birds. One of our friends was a veterinarian and she diagnosed Bonnie with congestive heart failure. Bonnie had already outlived the average age for cross chickens to live and she was still walking. They normally gets so heavy. Their legs can’t support them if they lived past six weeks old for very long. I was working against genetics, but I put her on a tasty special diet and she didn’t gain her weight as quickly as other cross Cornish hens. The vet put her on heart meds and my late husband, learned to listen to her heart. He was a human medical doctor, so it wasn’t too hard for him. She lived to age 18 months which is way way longer than they normally live even if they’re not processed for meat. We loved Bonnie and we also loved Clyde. We came home from a wedding one day and she had passed on and Clyde was snuggled next to her so thank goodness she wasn’t alone. I have so many cute stories about those two birds they were allowed in doors at times, and our cat Mr. Wu, was in love with Bonnie. I kid you not. He would roll over on his back and try to hug her when she walked to him. Bonnie could care less about Mr. Wu lol and Clyde did not like Wu. Sometimes Clyde had to be put outside because he was a huge bird. His wingspan was almost 5 feet across and he would try to beat Mr. Wu up with his wings. The first thing Miss Bonnie would do is run over well she didn’t run, but she would walk over to Mr. Wu’s cat food bowl and try to eat his food up. Mr. Wu would lovingly sit there and watch her and I would have to take the food bowl away. There’s a lot of fat in that their cat food. 😅 I just found it very funny that Bonnie could care less about Mr. Wu and her best friend was a Muscovy duck 🦆 who adored her and was jealous of a cat smitten by Bonnie the chicken. But Clyde had another love other than Bonnie. Me! He had some how imprinted on me because he was so very young when I had gotten him. I don’t know if you guys know about when a bird, especially the larger birds of any breed imprints on a human being it can be disastrous lol. Clyde almost weighed 15 pounds. He was a big Muskovy and their idea of wooing the female isn’t necessarily, gentle lol I’d be out in our pool and he come around the corner from his water feature. They don’t fly real well when they get that big but that duck manage to get up in the air and fly over the pool and land on my head or very near it and I won’t go into the horror that would commence soon after lol😅
Thank God Olaf is better. It's maddening to hear about the ignorance of people who have these beautiful animals and do irreparable harm.
Poor Olaf, glad he's getting better
Oh my goodness 😱
I think people don't understand a how hard it is to keep exotics truly healthy. Animals like fennec foxes and things like that are already notoriously hard to keep in captivity. Then people think they can feed them anything they want and it's fine. It's not! Sunflower seeds, for instance, are 50% fat! I completely agree with you. When I see people who are not only keeping exotics (which personally I think should only be in breeding programs or in the wild) but they're feeding them things like bread, pizza, and donuts etc! It makes me furious! Feeding animals cruddy food that should be classified as abuse! People shouldn't own them in the first place but if you do and you can't feed them right, then they should be removed from your care!
I don't exactly how you guys feel in situations like this. I do work at a store and see animals brought in really bad conditions and go get angry and sad for animal's/people.
The swing is awesome!
Felt this video! ❤
Glad Olaf is doing better.. =]
I suffer from bad anxiety too I can definitely relate
Do you have advice on how to wean a bird off of seed? I’ve been trying for over 2 years. She will eat bird chop but nothing like when she sees seeds. I thought I was doing well weaning her off but then she stopped eating and got super sick fast. So now I’m here just giving her seeds and chop
I would watch Bird Tricks. They are our go to people and videos when we need help with our parrots. They have a bunch of videos and tutorials.
Olaf is sooo lucky to have Gabby :)
Sounds like you went to a full panic attack. Those suck. You might talk to your dr about a beta blocker, I take one every day and it keeps my hear rate from going nuts, and that prevents the meltdown from spiralling out of control. I just want to give you a big hug, I feel them feels.
You guys should put rescue in the name now just an idea help promote maybe love you guys keep up the good work 💪
All you can do is give them love (and good food/medical care) until the animals pass away.
I understand when u loose a pet. If u don’t want to talk about an animal death just put a key word. I still think of my pets. Sometimes it’s good to cry.