If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that life is short. Health is precious. Enjoy your health while you can. Enjoy and celebrate your beloved pets while they are still around.
Previously rock-solid healthy (neither Kelvin nor I have needed surgery or been hospitalized for anything other than uncomplicated childbirth for me), we have had some "welcome to middle age" moments in our house recently including a dental issue for Kelvin, and concern about our doggie, Pepper (who is almost eleven).
Her health has been a bit troubled recent years as I've touched on before. She is being treated for severe environmental allergies (which manifests as extremely itchy/scaly skin particularly paws and ears, with resulting licking and low energy) for the past few years, with a costly regimen of an immunosuppressant medication Apoquel, as well as twice-daily immunotherapy drops and periodic prednisone courses (which really work, but also cause an increase in appetite, energy, but also urination and accidents, but which, when discontinued, lead to a resurgence of her allergic symptoms). I have been to the vet many times in the last year, which (during COVID) has consistently entailed waiting in my car for an hour or more during which, at some point, they take her in to examine her in the building and then call me to discuss the plan.
A week ago, she was having frequent diarrhea, whose cause we couldn't figure out (she only eats dry dog kibble and we hadn't changed her food or gone anywhere). After five days of watching her like a hawk and having to take her out every couple of hours, I brought in (not the first time I've played doggie doc) a stool sample and called the (very overbooked) vet, who recommended probiotics and metronidazole before a visit could be squeezed in. Thankfully, the stools improved prior to even the first dose of med, but her low appetite and energy have persisted (along with the return of her severe itching).
A few nights ago, she had a few-second seizure, with yelping, rigidity, and incontinence, which we've witnessed one time in the past, a year or two after we got her. We don't know if she had an electrolyte problem after so many days of loose stools or something else like a tumor or underlying neurological condition. As it was self-limited, we didn't call the vet or take her in. However, it really made us pause and I started to really contemplate her mortality.
We don't know how much time (or good time) she has left. We don't know how much we should investigate or intervene in a dog of her age. Lab tests and MRIs seem like overkill, but we wouldn’t want to miss a treatable condition if it wasn’t immediately life-ending. We don't know when we will "know" if it's time to let her go. We know many friends who have recently lost their beloved pets and grieve with them. I suppose it is the same with humans, although I (thankfully) haven’t lost too many close to me to date, especially losses that were unexpected or that seemed premature.
She is our little sweetheart. She definitely has separation anxiety, and having us home so much without travel over the pandemic has undoubtedly been a plus her in book (as it has for so many canine friends around the world). She is protective (especially of the kids and hates mail delivery personnel), but is a snuggly lap dog with us (and has even warmed up to K and my parents). Niall is more interested in loving on her than is Iver (who is pretty indifferent and also possibly allergic to her saliva). She LOVES the beach, and still was energetic there when we took her last weekend, despite dragging a lot on neighborhood walks. She was our first child, and if she only lasts a decade (which seems a bit short for a small dog), it will have been a good one. She has already turned Kelvin, a reluctant dog-owner, into a dog-, or at least Pepper-lover (although we decided that we probably wouldn't get a new dog if she passes, at least for the near future). We feel a bit nervous about potentially leaving her on travel or weekend trips as we've planned for the summer (with Kelly, a friend of ours, who has been always willing to dog-sit) or next year with how tenuous her health has been lately (I remember that my parents' dog Freya went downhill in a short amount of time during one of their trips to visit us in CA many years back, which was traumatic for my sister, who was dog-sitting for them). However, we know that this may just be an old-aged dog health hiccup or flare-up with potential improvement on the horizon, with the hope being that we can enjoy Pepper for more years to come. It really makes us appreciate her (previously good) health (and ours).
That being said, I vow to take more pictures with (and of my kids with) our sweet doggie, so that we'll always have these memories, regardless of the duration of her remaining life with us on earth. (I may just allow her back to sleeping on our bed [which K trained her out of]. And permit snacks. Lots of snacks).
No comments:
Post a Comment