We heard, today, that our younger dog may have another significant medical problem.
I say “little”. She is almost the size of a miniature pony. But she is little in our eyes. Perhaps because she is the first dog to come to us as a puppy, though we were not seeking one. But then I do believe that dogs choose their owners. That must have been the case with her.
She was rescued, as all our dogs have been. The fact that she was a puppy was incidental. She came to us, unexpectedly, as a gift from her mum whom we had already chosen. We first saw her when she was a day old and she joined our household just after she was weaned.
Since then, we have somehow always thought of her as “the baby”. She is nearly ten in dog years now, but she still acts like a puppy much of the time. Most people who meet her think she is two or three!
It seems strange to be posting snowy pictures at the beginning of August. They are the only ones I can find that showcase her personality, though we took them when she was a year old. It is hard to believe almost ten years have gone by.
Maybe the photos are also an expression of my mood. It is definitely snowy in my heart today, despite the sunshine outside our front door.
A Walking Miracle
The worrying news is especially poignant because “little” Miss is a walking miracle. A few years ago, we were suddenly told she needed both hips replaced. She then had very major surgery, care of the extraordinary Small Animal Teaching Hospital at the University of Liverpool. We were reticent to have either hip replaced, and were really unsure about whether we could trust the outcome. It seemed a lot to put an animal through when she could not understand what was happening.
It was nonetheless clear that she would have no quality of life without the surgery, and she was otherwise healthy, happy and bright-eyed. And still quite young.
She had been on medication for a while, but we had thought it was for a touch of early arthritis. Other dogs have that. Then, suddenly, it worsened, and we rushed her to the vet for X-rays. It turned out that this “little-big” dog had been suffering for some years, perhaps all her life. She must have had a very high pain threshold, because she used to bounce about all over the place. When I say “bounce“, I really mean it, as this sunnier photo shows.
Small Animal Teaching Hospital at the University of Liverpool
The team at the Small Animal Teaching Hospital was absolutely first-class. We received daily updates and were looked after as well as she was. The after-care and physio was also amazing. We were so very fortunate to be within travelling distance of this wonderful veterinary hospital. The patient has enjoyed many walks since and is recovering with ever-increasing strength, despite her age. She even gambolled about by the sea recently, when we managed a one-off beach trip. (I am writing during post-lockdown Covid times.)
So, the news of her latest troubles comes as an extra blow. She has been through so much already and the thought of her suffering further seems unimaginable. There was also no sign that something new might be amiss. It was just spotted during a routine check-up. I suppose that is often the way. We are, once again, fortunate that our vet has been so thorough. It could all still turn out to be nothing, of course. But the waiting…
Pets Make Us Smile
Such troubles always remind me of what an important part pets play in our lives. I confess I do sometimes take ours for granted, especially as my office is currently upstairs. In our last house I was able to work alongside them every day. Now I have to make an effort to leave work behind to spend some time with them. (Healthy and active agers will rejoice! My back agrees!) I do know from losing previous pets that their company is to be cherished, especially now they are so much older. Both “Little Miss” and her mum have always brought us such joy, and we still cannot believe we have them.
“Little Miss” has a particularly strong sense of humour and is quite a clown, as the photos show. Her mum is very funny too (apparently it is a common Old English Sheepdog trait), but “Little Miss” has always had a special gift for providing entertainment, and an absolute zest for life. One minute she is watching telly avidly and “telling us all about it” (her favourite shows include Strictly Come Dancing, Paddington 2 and any programme featuring horses: she’s been enjoying the Eventing in the Tokyo Olympics over the past few days). The next moment she’s digging up sand on the beach and covering us with sand flies, tunnelling so enthusiastically that we have to assume she is on her way to Australia, or some other part of the Southern Hemisphere!
It is hard to imagine the house without her in it. She always has a comment to make and a message to convey, and it is usually easy to work out what she is thinking.
Pets as Therapy
Had she not been through so much, and had we not moved house repeatedly, we might have looked into whether she was suitable for PAT dog training (Pets as Therapy). She learns quickly and is relatively obedient, which was never a foregone conclusion. Old English Sheepdogs can be quite stubborn – her mum definitely has the stubborn gene! In any case, we never had her assessed, though having pets is always therapeutic, even if their troubles do tug relentlessly at our heartstrings.
Pets in Older Age
As I write, I cannot help thinking of many hospital conversations where I instantly connected with a patient because we shared a love of pets. So many were broken-hearted at being separated from their animal friends, and worried about how their pets were faring at home, even if they had managed to make temporary arrangements for their care.
Even more upsettingly, many patients were troubled about the future of the pets they adored if they could no longer care for them. Or if they had to go into a residential home. For us animal lovers this may be obvious, but it sometimes seems difficult for pet-less people to understand how important they can be to folk who are lonely and live alone, not least in older age. It happened to a close relative of mine recently. She lives in Greece and her carers there are just not pet-oriented, yet she dotes on her two cats and cannot bear to think of life without them. Whenever a carer has to be replaced it becomes quite an issue, even though my relative is living in her own home and is set to stay there.
Pets as Family
It is so true that, for some people, pets are the only “family” and companionship they have. Their animal friends can be the reason they get out of bed and do anything at all each day. Losing their belovéd pet can be devastating, as can the worry about what will happen to them without their owner’s care.
If you are reading this and happen to be one of the very few who cannot understand what people see in their four-legged, two-winged, or multi-finned companions, please stop and watch the interaction and bond between the person you care for and their belovéd pal. If you find the right questions to ask, you can begin to understand what their pet means to them and how their life would be affected if they were parted. They will most likely need little prompting to express their feelings about their animal friend, and their concerns for their pet’s wellbeing.
Can You Help Keep Pets With Their Owners?
Please do look and listen with compassion and love in case there is anything you can do to keep them together. Or if you can help them make provision for their pet once they have left this earth, or can no longer look after their pet themselves. The affection and devotion they receive from their loyal friend may be a life saver to them, quite literally at times. They will want to be absolutely sure their pet will be looked after after they themselves have gone.
Pet Bereavement Is Real
If you are visiting someone who has already lost a pet, their grief will be very real, especially if their pet was their only companion. They may repeat their story over and over again. Your careful listening can really help them to process those painful feelings as they slowly come to terms with the loss of their loved one,. Whether that loved one walked on two feet or four. Or even if they were a friend with wings.
Yes, pets really can pull at our heartstrings. Mine are stretched to their limit today. I hope they will not be broken soon.
Postscript
The above post was originally written on May 20, 2021. In case you are wondering what happened, we were thrilled to discover that all was well. After three months of heartache, it was a huge relief. We know that at ten years years old we have to treasure the time we have left with our little-big doggie friend. We are so grateful to have a little longer. For now, we are just so very glad she is still making us laugh. Though it can be a little noisy when the television is on!
