Animals Unfolded

Eating is an activity of daily living (ADL) that looms large in the work that families & I do together. We track the usual aspects of this activity: the pet’s interest in food, how much they’re eating, when they’re doing so, & what they’re eating. And that gives the pet guardians, the core members of the vet interdisciplinary team (vets, vet techs) & me good information about how well a pet is doing & coping with symptoms & changing needs as they navigate this time, whether they’re senior or geriatric, coping with recovery through injury or illness, or, as is a focus of my practice—when they’re benefiting from the program of care that is a nimal hospice & palliative care .  If a pet is demonstrating a change in appetite, our identifying what’s happening, when, how often, to what degree, & what has or hasn’t worked is par for the course & then relaying that information to the vet team. Routinely submitting quality of well being assessments ...

  Hey you. Yes, you. The one who’s grieving after your pet has died. Especially when trauma was a feature of the pet’s death or when a diagnosis was sudden, swift & explained, or not.  This is for you.  Anger is a common feature of your grieving process. But you knew that already. But you might not be able to hone on why you feel so angered, pissed off. You might have some inkling, but the anger feels wrong or incompatible with the sadness, anguish & the fogginess that’s taken over your brain & body right now.   Let me assure you that your anger is natural. Expected. Why? When an accident, someone’s negligence or a diagnosis that swoops in unannounced & departs like a clattering whisper has been a catalyst in your pet’s death, it’s accompanied by a sense of injustice & it feels terribly unfair. When these scenarios unfold, I often hear, ‘It’s not fair’ or ‘I did everything ‘right’: I did the regular vet visits & got the bloodwo...