tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10964683623806876012024-03-09T21:46:16.992-05:00Animals UnfoldedAnimal companions are very much a part of our day-to-day. It's our job as humans to ensure that our pets acclimate to family life and that they are equipped to cope with the changes that invariably occur. Over the years, it's been my mission as a writer to empower you to do that by exploring topics like animal behavior, pet health and the power of the human-animal bond. Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-69049211175426503922024-03-03T17:28:00.001-05:002024-03-03T17:28:53.589-05:00Unsteady as she goes: canine idiopathic vestibular disease <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s not unusual for me to get a text or phone call any hour of the day from families-of-record if their pet is presenting with symptoms that are concerning, or behavior is at all unlike them. (Because we know that a change in behavior is in itself a symptom, right? Of course!) My families know they can get in touch anytime in these situations, and though I can’t diagnose their pet, I can definitely <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/professional-bio" target="_blank">assess the situation </a>and give good guidance on next steps and what to expect if and when their primary vet or an emergency vet needs to be involved. And if I’m able, I’m happy to come by to assess what’s happening and offer support. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this weekend, one of those calls came in. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A very unnerved guardian detailed what they’d just witnessed in their very active and happy senior dog with a sound medical history: sudden onset of stumbling about/staggering/lack of coordination (ataxia), vomiting once, and a little confused. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Definitely alarming</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, was my initial thought, though with my professional training to assess, experience and employing the principle of Occam’s Razor—the simplest explanation is usually the best one—I had a solid basis to work from. Also, I don’t panic. That’s unhelpful. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The possibility of a stroke crossed my mind, or them having come into contact with a toxin. Other things too, but all of that was far less likely than what I felt was probably going on. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upon arriving just a few minutes later to assess things, I could see what the guardian was talking about. Though improved, and possessing otherwise normal vital signs, the pooch was still mildly unable to reliably coordinate their movements, and a little drooly (indicating nausea). They also had a telltale symptom that rounded out what I was expecting to see: though their pupils were equal in size, their eyeballs were moving back and forth like ping pong balls, a symptom called <a href="https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/eyes/nystagmus-unintentional-eye-movement-dogs" target="_blank">nystagmus</a>. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh07zgMUZKA1JJR-xUYPGY3dNy4lEcSpk7j8LINPtdnhQJbJ6VhzpQWNNlDOk1A6tBGx-K9t6mTVQISHSl6akSRCrz1O8b9-phuv014U9ovVORCqMqjbrpRWn1pwLREYx_LAKlFKmTRsrZR1TnI2Xf-IWZgu_9fktkcl1syFv7Udvz2PEDeaYJ83DquIw/s3051/591E5BC4-9D6D-4CD4-AAFB-9343ABCBE8EA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3051" data-original-width="2357" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh07zgMUZKA1JJR-xUYPGY3dNy4lEcSpk7j8LINPtdnhQJbJ6VhzpQWNNlDOk1A6tBGx-K9t6mTVQISHSl6akSRCrz1O8b9-phuv014U9ovVORCqMqjbrpRWn1pwLREYx_LAKlFKmTRsrZR1TnI2Xf-IWZgu_9fktkcl1syFv7Udvz2PEDeaYJ83DquIw/w190-h246/591E5BC4-9D6D-4CD4-AAFB-9343ABCBE8EA.jpeg" width="190" /></a></div><p></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I feel pretty confident based on what you’ve told me about what the past few days have looked like—rather ordinary— and what I see, is that they are experiencing an issue with their vestibular system,” I explained. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’ve seen this before in senior dogs. Though it’s typically idiopathic, not life-threatening and resolves in a short time, I can’t say for sure that’s the case. A vet would need to do a proper assessment, diagnostics and history to rule out other possibilities.” </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The guardian agreed with my advisement to have them assessed immediately as a precaution, and so off to a local emergency veterinary hospital we went. (And of course, said pooch was 90% improved, by this point!) With otherwise normal vital signs assessed, the verdict from the veterinary team a short time later was what I’d expected: canine idiopathic vestibular disease.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes referred to as Old Dog Vestibular Disease (wince with me here) since it’s more common in senior and geriatric dogs, canine idiopathic vestibular disease is a diagnosis that can feel understandably scary upon its swift onset and presentation. No one likes seeing their pet wobbly, vomiting, sometimes struggling to stand. Stemming from an issue in the middle ear rather than the brain, it’s not known why it happens. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news is that it tends to resolve quickly without intervention aside from any necessary supportive care, usually within weeks with no lingering problems. Below are things that are very helpful in managing the symptoms:</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maintaining a safe environment indoors, especially blocking off access to stairs, is essential of course, as is close supervision outdoors. Consider nightlights for the overnight hours to help the pet navigate with more ease. </span></p></li></ul><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Providing easy access to resources of food, water and places to rest/sleep. </span></p></li></ul><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For pets that are having difficulty in relieving themselves due to the wobbliness, I find that having them wear a <a href="https://helpemup.com/product-category/dog-harnesses/" target="_blank">harness</a> is super-helpful. That way, you can help stabilize them as they are trying to urinate or defecate.</span></p></li></ul><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If a pet is finding it too difficult to hold a position long enough to urinate or defecate even with assistance, they may develop issues with keeping themselves clean. It’s sensible to <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/copy-of-resources-title" target="_blank">tend to their hygiene needs</a> regularly and be watchful for urine scalding, matting and soiling. All of these impact the integrity of their skin and their overall well-being. </span></p></li></ul><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Supportive care, like medication to assuage nausea can be helpful for those pets that need it. Your veterinarian will likely send this home with you as a precaution. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If your pet is having a hard time being upright long enough to drink water, consult your veterinarian straightaway so that they can decide on a plan to assist with hydration. </span></p></li></ul><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At last check in this afternoon, I’m happy to report that said pooch is in fine form, and their guardian, relieved. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more on canine idiopathic vestibular disease and other vestibular disorders, <a href="https://www.marvistavet.com/vestibular-disease.pml" target="_blank">click here. </a></span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGN3JiOb8MbtNDpdcMKMHLcdtUuLu5ahyCst7njItb4fDvuXQHJO6Ty3MsP7QHcLCs3sXwZlLrCNHVPkInlFDulpQT5hTWZQYJwrx0DOfi4Y9FbHec1A01rhpJK6_92si31hN287NAwyDLnx2zDdGcyp0HOS-EdXtq-KOutHKwXnUrQixwd4goN4WoMk/s2984/PenultimateFullSizeRender.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2984" data-original-width="2064" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGN3JiOb8MbtNDpdcMKMHLcdtUuLu5ahyCst7njItb4fDvuXQHJO6Ty3MsP7QHcLCs3sXwZlLrCNHVPkInlFDulpQT5hTWZQYJwrx0DOfi4Y9FbHec1A01rhpJK6_92si31hN287NAwyDLnx2zDdGcyp0HOS-EdXtq-KOutHKwXnUrQixwd4goN4WoMk/w180-h260/PenultimateFullSizeRender.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 9 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and can be found at </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/1096468362380687601/623487473185703036#" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #993322; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lorrieshaw.com</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-6234874731857030362024-02-02T19:39:00.002-05:002024-03-03T16:54:11.070-05:00Dog booties are helpful for senior and geriatric dogs in every season, but which ones are best? <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dog booties are used to protect a pet’s paws from the elements, mostly in winter. The products used to melt ice can wreak havoc on the pads, as well as the skin between, and for some dogs, the cold is just too much. Booties are ubiquitous in my day-to-day as a professional specializing in caring for senior and geriatric pets and those who are receiving animal hospice and palliative care. Aside from the reasons above, they’re used to protect the top and bottom of an an aging dog’s paws when degenerative myleopathy is present, or when they need more grip on bare surfaces, like when <a href="https://youtu.be/cEHeFDFGXGE?si=CEiiHWNpgmL89WyN" target="_blank">mobility is becoming less stable</a>. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are lots of brands and styles, but few really measure up to the outstanding protection, affordability and usefulness that the <a href="https://pawzdogboots.com/" target="_blank">Pawz</a> brand does. My <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/general-4" target="_blank">lending library</a> gets lots of donations from families-of-record that I’ve worked with as a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, and there’s an abundance of various other brands in it for good reason: they just don’t work as well as they need to. They won’t stay on, they’re too clunky and pose a risk of tripping, or they’re just hard to use. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pawz, on the other hand, they stay put. Their simplistic design is why they work—they look exactly like a balloon—but it’s also a double-edged sword: they’re notoriously hard to get on. The small opening lends a snug, secure fit, but trying to open one up whilst fitting a dog’s paw inside is like wresting a boa constrictor. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tutorial below details how even those caregiver guardians who need to hurdle that obstable, can, with an unexpected tool. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9jAgq977mxQ?si=n1i-Ff9HBjhpJ-BG" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvji1-5zKqpsj7gD8R9cLasOX6fiFTKIVe54hS0Ch9nQVNDa5LUsni_G27-l5FcEGtE-fjMLwc4NTYteU4T_cU8N2WxmQTLB_OVB-_W6fzjldNz22V1CmNZH8FUxRDhtxIF03yxt9yao-NSviaAu7HKQrTDv65pH2xyP7XGivDN0hyEw0nO8sffUGYjE/s2984/PenultimateFullSizeRender.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2984" data-original-width="2064" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvji1-5zKqpsj7gD8R9cLasOX6fiFTKIVe54hS0Ch9nQVNDa5LUsni_G27-l5FcEGtE-fjMLwc4NTYteU4T_cU8N2WxmQTLB_OVB-_W6fzjldNz22V1CmNZH8FUxRDhtxIF03yxt9yao-NSviaAu7HKQrTDv65pH2xyP7XGivDN0hyEw0nO8sffUGYjE/w138-h200/PenultimateFullSizeRender.jpeg" width="138" /></a></div>
<br /><i>With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 9 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and can be found at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/1096468362380687601/9150105674299879967#" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #993322; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lorrieshaw.com</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></i><p></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-91501056742998799672024-01-09T15:29:00.005-05:002024-01-09T15:31:29.759-05:00Observing sedation as a side effect of a pet’s pain medication—or is it something else?<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a few things that pet guardians rate as important when addressing the needs of their aging or terminally ill pet: they don’t want them to suffer, they want them to eat and they don’t want to see them zorked out and sedated on pain medication. And as a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, when I’m supporting families as we are discussing pain management with their pet’s veterinarian, the side effects are top of mind for them. (Some medications are sedating, at least temporarily though in many cases the sedation can be a big help, but I digress.)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those concerns about sleepiness are valid. And when a family gets on board with adequate pain management, I can tell you it’s not a moment too soon. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFvCM76RFKUYoxZSwkUMM3NXSW8lDfrmZel3snoDDKYN5LvBrF1VLPn6ugXdvkF4ctx2m7Bcagdj6xE_VTyxXmLIqSeyONDfh6KgtvXtvqnmemUOXidd8ITO_9gc1Q_mvJBGWISQ-S5AL-DPfZmq_v72qOlXT9_p5wtY8ANOPVsBm4rUZstOjcnxEL2M/s3107/IMG_8233.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3107" data-original-width="2293" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFvCM76RFKUYoxZSwkUMM3NXSW8lDfrmZel3snoDDKYN5LvBrF1VLPn6ugXdvkF4ctx2m7Bcagdj6xE_VTyxXmLIqSeyONDfh6KgtvXtvqnmemUOXidd8ITO_9gc1Q_mvJBGWISQ-S5AL-DPfZmq_v72qOlXT9_p5wtY8ANOPVsBm4rUZstOjcnxEL2M/w185-h251/IMG_8233.jpeg" width="185" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pet does in fact typically sleep more, but it’s easy to focus so much on how drowsy a pet <u>seems</u> as a side effect of meds and not take into account that maybe, for the first time in a long time, the pet has attained a level of comfort <u>because</u> of the medications doing their intended job and assuaging the chronic pain that’s plagued them. The intended effects of those meds that allow them to sleep so long and deep and well because they’re <i>finally</i> comfortable, when that comfort has been fleeting for far too long. Fleeting, because of chronic pain that is very much a diagnosis all on its own that’s been discounted, and has</span><span style="font-size: 14.666667px;"> impeded good sleep.</span><span style="font-size: 14.666667px;"> </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pets in later stages of life require lots of sleep and rest. It’s crucial to their well-being. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pain medications that a vet wants to prescribe are not an enemy. They are a blessing and prescribed appropriate to a pet’s changing needs, are an essential consideration of a palliative care plan—an ally.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-6EkpX8O7hLFGrIqqb29wqGKJE-eeag0UwqAPdaop6B3RCBXGRLZgD7J9RkhphIJBJLFQMcqMHmk6YwmblkN_IH4K44lqEjzfEYZO17Y26e7UHt7pV9UJW7cagx_vAfdYOVRqNYiBWP-fztNZvBfPsMGqKo838UfeMYqDuYj29q3_kCQZSJtBm5QLW0/s2984/PenultimateFullSizeRender.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2984" data-original-width="2064" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-6EkpX8O7hLFGrIqqb29wqGKJE-eeag0UwqAPdaop6B3RCBXGRLZgD7J9RkhphIJBJLFQMcqMHmk6YwmblkN_IH4K44lqEjzfEYZO17Y26e7UHt7pV9UJW7cagx_vAfdYOVRqNYiBWP-fztNZvBfPsMGqKo838UfeMYqDuYj29q3_kCQZSJtBm5QLW0/w174-h252/PenultimateFullSizeRender.jpeg" width="174" /></a></span></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 9 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and can be found at </span><a href="http://lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #993322; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lorrieshaw.com</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-44324464366357360312023-11-22T20:35:00.003-05:002023-11-23T10:53:32.617-05:00Want advice on feeding your infirm pet? Skip the armchair experts, go to the professionals <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food is one of those most important topics that is discussed in the focus of my work, and it’s not surprising. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I use it as a positive reinforcement tool when I’m performing care duties for a pet, and I teach families how they can, too. It’s used as part of enrichment strategies that are appropriate to a pet’s telos, physical ability and emotional needs. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food is sustenance. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SF1nkHD8EJSK1w0mMEjGpD7xvCPQPBo_tvUT38DwDQsugaMyKLAI2Yfz3Lmv28j5D3GL1B3LlGpN62MMISQrx6GEIE1Db3zTZE7-5wVBmoDFe7znVBt3d1OOkORJkeXFMOx5Qc-0Y1wJ3U9-Ysu27Aq-CcXdBpW9Yt44i1iCcCIONJo8umiL0O2Xr5M/s3051/591E5BC4-9D6D-4CD4-AAFB-9343ABCBE8EA.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3051" data-original-width="2357" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SF1nkHD8EJSK1w0mMEjGpD7xvCPQPBo_tvUT38DwDQsugaMyKLAI2Yfz3Lmv28j5D3GL1B3LlGpN62MMISQrx6GEIE1Db3zTZE7-5wVBmoDFe7znVBt3d1OOkORJkeXFMOx5Qc-0Y1wJ3U9-Ysu27Aq-CcXdBpW9Yt44i1iCcCIONJo8umiL0O2Xr5M/w186-h240/591E5BC4-9D6D-4CD4-AAFB-9343ABCBE8EA.jpeg" width="186" /></a></span></div><p></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It brings joy to families when they’re feeding their pet and it’s well-received, since it signals that the pet is feeling good about things and that they are doing at least reasonably well. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pets need food to survive, at least until they are approaching the stage of animal hospice-supported natural death, where food becomes more of a burden than a support, but that is a topic best reserved for a post all on its own.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m often asked about what I think in terms of what food or foods are best for a pet. As a seasoned Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner (CAHP), I am qualified to speak to whether it not specific foods are safe for a pet (think foods and ingredients that are inherently toxic, or those that can trigger GI symptoms, like those that are high in fat). It’s also totally fine that I make safe suggestions on strategies that can help a pet be more willing to eat or hurdle an off day when an appetite is flagging to see if that’s helpful, before having to have the vet weigh in. This is actually good to do, since if it doesn’t help, the vet can use that data to decide what next steps should be. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The truth is, beyond that, I’m not the person to ask about what food or foods or are best for a pet. That’s not my lane. My professional training isn’t in <a href="https://acvn.org/" target="_blank">veterinary nutrition</a>, animal nutrition, or <a href="https://chiu.edu/about/what-is-tcvm" target="_blank">Traditional Veterinary Chinese Medicine</a> (TVCM), where food is a focus of adequately supporting the patient. And those are the professionals whose lane that is. Yes, I get it: it’s not a popular point of view, and in fact my position is in conflict with many people who tout themselves as experts. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When a family expresses a hearty interest in supporting their pet’s well-being with food, I’m fully on board with that. Food is one of the cornerstones of supporting health. And when a pet is experiencing a health challenge, or age-related decline and even the journey through hospice, food can be a tool in the box to help them feel and do their best. In fact, its not unusual for a family-of-record to relay that they aren’t comfortable with a vet’s recommendation for a prescription diet when it becomes necessary, even though they can appreciate that those options are there. Or, they want to feed a fresh, homemade diet or even a raw diet, though they aren’t getting the support they’d like from the vet team to do that. The position of the clinician is understandable, and so I always open my response with that. There are many caveats to going homemade or raw, though by searching internet, you’d not know that—there’s lots of unqualified support for pursuing it anyway. And, families need to understand the problems that they might face in doing so without an expert reviewing their pet’s individualized needs. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because it’s required that the primary or hospice vet be in the loop, I have happily referred families to the real professionals: veterinarians boarded in nutrition, veterinarians certified in TVCM, veterinarians with additional education and interest in assisting families with therapeutic diets and animal nutritionists (these professionals typically have MS or <a href="http://www.evolveanimalservices.com/about.html" target="_blank">PhD level degrees</a>). These professionals are able to, after reviewing a pet’s medical records, make their assessment and design a nutritional plan that is appropriate and safe for the pet’s needs. From homemade diets, <a href="https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/" target="_blank">fresh frozen</a> and dehydrated options that are commercially available—and even raw—families can be matched with options that all involved can feel good about. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m also very excited to report that if families ask their primary or hospice veterinarian, who might not be that comfortable making recommendations for these options, they’re usually happy to liaise with online resources like <a href="http://balance.it">balance.it</a> and <a href="https://www.petdiets.com/about" target="_blank">Pet Diets</a>—companies spearheaded and powered by veterinarians whose specialty is nutrition and designing individualized meal plans. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’ve an interest in feeding your pet in a way that is aligned with your values and wishes and that serves your pet best, you deserve to have the best support possible to help make that happen—and that doesn’t come from armchair experts. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3Ax33ZnpjsWFVao4czlN8hcBlonQs2Xhas5kiPJuxcMG_kESZxJ7EHT49ziOMJ107PCxP4BipRyo8uRB4s__eEZJTxxw2t2ivN4syNbHiMD_KbD3ArbqltdEjgwF0keh0BrkS43ZbKCV6AtTdJtAejqRVIIPGsWf0sH8FM3BuHqLZGK353jeegXbDGs/s3088/A9F67132-3CBE-4C99-8E68-F5A2871CD787.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3Ax33ZnpjsWFVao4czlN8hcBlonQs2Xhas5kiPJuxcMG_kESZxJ7EHT49ziOMJ107PCxP4BipRyo8uRB4s__eEZJTxxw2t2ivN4syNbHiMD_KbD3ArbqltdEjgwF0keh0BrkS43ZbKCV6AtTdJtAejqRVIIPGsWf0sH8FM3BuHqLZGK353jeegXbDGs/w199-h265/A9F67132-3CBE-4C99-8E68-F5A2871CD787.jpeg" width="199" /></a></div><br />With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 9 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and can be found at </span><a href="http://lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #993322; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lorrieshaw.com</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-83108440972346566802023-08-18T19:03:00.001-04:002023-08-18T19:04:16.662-04:00Looking for a canine enrichment option that won’t be a foreign body risk but is still fun? Help is here<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Canine enrichment is a topic I bring up not only during consultations, but throughout the pet’s lives that I’m tending. It’s vital in keeping dog’s happy, with its ability to stimulate the brain, engage the body and at times, use problem solving skills. It’s also a stress reliever. Enrichment can take many forms, can be employed at any age, and I’m deeply appreciating the notion that so many pet product companies have come up with novel designs for pets, especially dogs. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wf88Pw56Vq9SY-jCJAJ6ljLnalZEZCsZNSEG976MMCt3b6QS9TOsSYKlhLF761OJXMVu4bD2UxTApv9IWa_B5XLvaqzqCyRzxhYoSiMBbUxMzT4qXtGWwih-otnybvPQ5_1NhjmKHDEyyCKGbZiHGIIX28QjtY1y9jzOUhPBATglro82OozEAAEbbII/s4032/69D53D4F-9C82-4DAA-AAAE-CBB5A6120F6D.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wf88Pw56Vq9SY-jCJAJ6ljLnalZEZCsZNSEG976MMCt3b6QS9TOsSYKlhLF761OJXMVu4bD2UxTApv9IWa_B5XLvaqzqCyRzxhYoSiMBbUxMzT4qXtGWwih-otnybvPQ5_1NhjmKHDEyyCKGbZiHGIIX28QjtY1y9jzOUhPBATglro82OozEAAEbbII/w162-h216/69D53D4F-9C82-4DAA-AAAE-CBB5A6120F6D.jpeg" width="162" /></a></span></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of them have been designed for those who are power chewers—you know, those dogs who will routinely destroy and swallow commercially available toys. Sadly, a percentage of those dogs have or will land in an veterinary emergency hospital after ingesting a chunk of said toy and developing an obstruction. And so, families have no other option but to skip offering traditional toys, but what fun is that for them or the dog? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-f7f51d39-0aac-ff15-c9a9-60eccaae592b" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve stumbled on a workable and safe solution that any dog—no matter the telos, size or age—can safely enjoy, thanks to my brain going down a rabbit hole whilst working with an avian charge this past week. We professional often use fruits and vegetables to hollow out and stuff to create foraging opportunities for exotic birds, and I thought, ‘why not use this idea for dogs’? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Tis the season for apples here in Michigan, and they can be used to craft a safe, inexpensive and healthy opportunity for dogs to have a chew party, when they might otherwise have to forgo that pleasure. I explain more in the video below. For more ideas on safe options for dogs, <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2019/07/safe-canine-enrichment-for-every.html" target="_blank">click here</a>. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zb2ouO4Rbqg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 8 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and can be found at </span><a href="http://lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #993322; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lorrieshaw.com</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-67011769562993321982023-04-12T20:12:00.008-04:002023-05-04T09:35:48.009-04:00Has ‘work-from-home’ influenced how we view and tend pet loss and grief? <p><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px;">A commonly-asked question is, how does one respond to people who say, </span><i style="font-size: 18px; text-align: center;">Grieving over a pet? I mean, it’s just a dog… you can get another one?</i></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">I won’t go too far into the weeds with how comments like these lack sensitivity. I can say from my years in companioning families through their pet’s journey through hospice and end-of-life that most of the time, it’s hard for other people to be sensitive to situations they’re not familiar with, or find too emotionally-grueling to navigate. And so, the comments that land like a lead weight during an already brittle time erode what emotional and physical resources those grieving have left. </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">We know that when people have space held for them to move through their grief, they can fare well. It’s when that <a href="https://whatsyourgrief.com/disenfranchised-grief/" target="_blank">disfranchised grief </a>is minimized, ignored or is used to shame is when problems begin. And those responses—stressors in themselves—from others add to the trauma and emotional toil that is experienced. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31X1QyPEZoi6Y2U1LFOABFr9tSX3OFXd1E0tXvBQK2gMHIkqU-UKewBr-3h9oViGyRHE1OdmRALKtleylA4Japh6_0rIwPpBPUMg2ZylgimPRMYyoOsf29YDdKfvlaI086ZSIvoXQkNyJ7s1A7quZNuw2yZsXJ-UWepPOVmm5-eHmgOujSyDH7E2J/s480/blogger-image-1016769173.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31X1QyPEZoi6Y2U1LFOABFr9tSX3OFXd1E0tXvBQK2gMHIkqU-UKewBr-3h9oViGyRHE1OdmRALKtleylA4Japh6_0rIwPpBPUMg2ZylgimPRMYyoOsf29YDdKfvlaI086ZSIvoXQkNyJ7s1A7quZNuw2yZsXJ-UWepPOVmm5-eHmgOujSyDH7E2J/s320/blogger-image-1016769173.jpg" width="304" /></a></span></div><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">We find this is especially prevalent in one’s work life, a space that many of us occupy more than our home lives. And so it’s easy to see how impactful walking that tightrope can be both for the one that’s suffered a loss as well as their workmates. </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">In my years of companioning those who’ve lost a pet and need extra support, I’ve advised that avoiding people who aren’t behaving as supportively as they’d like to be is a good option. The problem with that is it’s more of an ‘ugly coping’ tool, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/health/29book.html" target="_blank">as George Bonanno calls it</a>. Coping ugly can take shape in various ways, and consist of strategies/behaviors that we might otherwise deem unhealthy to help us cope with grief or trauma. In this case, it’s having to suck it up and sit with the offhanded comments or the platitudes that come out of another person’s mouth. It’s fine, now and then, and it's also an emotionally draining front line strategy. </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">The additional advice I offer is that it’s perfectly fine to respond clearly and thoughtfully, with one’s boundaries fully intact: </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.6px;">This is a very difficult time for me to navigate. I’m not sure you’re aware of it because maybe this uncharted territory for you. But your comments are unhelpful, so I’d appreciate your saying instead ‘I don’t understand any of this though I can see it’s affecting you tremendously’, and leave it at that, or at the least not remark on what’s happening at all.”</span></p><p class="s3" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p class="s3" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">I have to say, though, I’ve had a thought getting traction in my head: I’ve been wondering if </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">the increased opportunity of work-from-home in the past couple of years helped us be more aware and empathetic to others when it comes to grief? Seeing our co-workers’ pets on Zoom meetings over and over, does it make us more aware of how profoundly their deaths affect their guardians? </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">I think so.</span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">And though it’s fair to say that we’ve all gotten more savvy with Zoom in the way of being able to navigate the platform and others like it and tweaking our backgrounds and such, seeing those we interact with during our work time in their home environment albeit on the screen probably caused a lot more of us to ‘see people close up’, so to speak. More human, more who they are. Having some of that curtain pulled back, the one that normally obscures our home lives also means seeing family pets on the screen. </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">More than one pet guardian has relayed how comical their colleagues thought it was that their dog barked upon hearing another Zoom participant’s dog bark in the background. Or, during a virtual meeting with a co-worker who they find frustrating, a client noted that upon seeing an adorable feline mug suddenly pop up on the screen, they were reminded that while challenging for them to deal with, they<i> “are still that cat’s dad! It helped me remember that he might find me frustrating, too and he really seems to love his cat.”</i></span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">I’ve also heard echoes of sentiments like, <i>“…after Sammy died, all of my co-workers seemed to be genuinely clued in to how hard it was for me in those first days” or “one of my team members had been off for a few days, and they hadn’t known Eddie died…they piped up just before their last meeting of the day ended asking ‘…where’s your cat? He’s camera-shy, today!’ They’d no idea about Eddie, and understandably, were taken aback. They were so affected by the news.”</i></span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">It’s clear that to some degree, those emotional barriers that were the norm previously are giving way. Plenty of us noted during the beginning of the pandemic that virtual meetings of every type made things feel artificial, less-connected. And as time went on, that eased into realizing that using Zoom and other platforms, for some at least, fostered a different environment. One where, because people had to pay closer attention to the other parties on their screen, they’ve also been able to view them with a new lens. What seems to have unfolded is an environment that’s more human, accepting, and naturally creates more space for others, especially with something that we all share—loss and grief—is concerned.</span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">And so, will that momentum in being more sensitive to others during times when they’re experiencing a high emotional load because of their pet’s illnesses, decline or death continue to move in the right direction? I certainly hope so. But more importantly, I do think that will help make issues surrounding grief and loss less taboo and better equip our culture to understand how to support others who need it.</span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="-webkit-standard"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcrtE4Cmq_KBQJeUQZn3a6FTw7di3EULdF6lphgmDrNspfsCqUsiPuW7ZXEjv1WJgGqAoTX8ld_6I9ssSGGWp_Mkvp9DCWXL_0-Fzst7BCPYPqHke5MlFyWiehQBwavXEyJNJrNXXk3uq4jyEKlNVcnEatzzhp2lzGld1_lApDYDgUdrunHIqa2H2/s3088/A9F67132-3CBE-4C99-8E68-F5A2871CD787.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcrtE4Cmq_KBQJeUQZn3a6FTw7di3EULdF6lphgmDrNspfsCqUsiPuW7ZXEjv1WJgGqAoTX8ld_6I9ssSGGWp_Mkvp9DCWXL_0-Fzst7BCPYPqHke5MlFyWiehQBwavXEyJNJrNXXk3uq4jyEKlNVcnEatzzhp2lzGld1_lApDYDgUdrunHIqa2H2/w224-h299/A9F67132-3CBE-4C99-8E68-F5A2871CD787.jpeg" width="224" /></a></div><br />With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 8 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and </span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">Certified Fear Free Professional. She is </span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and </span></span><span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com">lorrieshaw.com</a>.</span></span></span></div><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"><i style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-41190903858486344082023-03-19T13:27:00.005-04:002024-01-13T13:39:22.907-05:00Want to enhance your pet's overall quality of life in the fourth life stage, as well as your own? Capitalize on their youth <div><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-2ccdb8b8-7fff-8e54-f88b-7ea417d2d9d0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pets are living healthier lives, thanks to the advances in veterinary medicine and better understanding of their needs, both behavioral and emotional. <i>Healthier</i> also means <i>longer</i>, and that has implications that families might not have expected with their current generation of pets: challenges surrounding age-related decline. Having seen many families through what is now their third generation of pets, and walked with them through their pet’s fourth life stages, there have been so many advances in medication and complementary therapies to enhance comfort — which in turn supports mobility — along with tools in helping that go more smoothly.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All pets experience age-related decline. And I’m going to focus on talking about one area that invariably comes to the forefront: how dogs and cats are able to manage changing mobility and independence with the use of products and tools. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With cats, we know they have certain spots in the house that they really love to hang out in, and they’re usually not floor-level: up on their human’s bed, on a favorite piece of furniture or other spot that’s elevated. The increasing weakness, especially in the rear limbs due to decreased muscle mass and painful osteoarthritis that our feline friends develop often result in not finding them in the places we expect to. Helping them make that transition from jumping up aplomb as we’ve been accustomed to seeing for so many years, to getting a little help to do so independently is as easy as pulling a chair or ottoman next to the desirable area, or investing in a set of portable stairs.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBtXWvZgv43n5mTyclQm_5oFpyD9e_1VG9EOQrQ9olSBsBGVMF4sPh6Jj7gvzuPYCFngjAMmCIS4xnPBcv2_KQK_-GvWbtjWAqNlqgDePi3EPv3sc2RUWbdGN3eHmjTgYy9zivDdQ8ZeXfIMhr1uXOooc51_goTMJUaNaSDB0lqUD3tuZMPlV1nol/s1296/IMG_9336.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="photo of dog's legs on an outdoor deck" border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBtXWvZgv43n5mTyclQm_5oFpyD9e_1VG9EOQrQ9olSBsBGVMF4sPh6Jj7gvzuPYCFngjAMmCIS4xnPBcv2_KQK_-GvWbtjWAqNlqgDePi3EPv3sc2RUWbdGN3eHmjTgYy9zivDdQ8ZeXfIMhr1uXOooc51_goTMJUaNaSDB0lqUD3tuZMPlV1nol/w229-h171/IMG_9336.jpg" width="229" /></a></span></div><p></p><div><br /></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Litter boxes can be another frustration for geriatric kitties, and so getting a vessel that is low enough for their less-able legs and sometimes bigger cabooses to maneuver into and out of, can keep everyone happier. I recommend </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/So-Phresh-Dog-Litter-Large/dp/B078Z4FXVG/ref=sr_1_19?crid=UPI0J7LWI37&keywords=litter%2Bbox%2Barthritic%2Bbunny&qid=1679188336&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=litter%2Bbox%2Barthritic%2Bbunny%2B%2Cpets%2C133&sr=1-19&th=1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a few ideas</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for my families, including a box </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maohegou-Arthritic-Handicap-Disabled-Elderly/dp/B0B1Q5CXZD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=OBH6IJZF0UWI&keywords=litter%2Bbox%2Barthritic&qid=1679187941&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=litter%2Bbox%2Barthritic%2Cpets%2C99&sr=1-2&th=1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">designed for senior and geriatric cats</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For cats with really troublesome mobility, some families find using a boot tray or lid from Rubbermaid-style storage container lined with a disposable pee pad to be ideal, or simply using pee pads on their own.</span></p><div><br /></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For dogs, though they’re typically not hopping up on the counter like their feline counterparts, things can be a bit more complex, and that’s for a few reasons. We’re so accustomed to our canine pals simply hopping into the vehicle with relative ease and accompanying us on outings for so long, that its easy to see how we might take that ability for granted as the years go by. Dogs also need to get outside to do their business, and outdoor entries involving stairs can begin to be troublesome to navigate. We start to notice, much like with our feline friends, that dogs do things like hop up on favorite pieces of furniture with less frequency. And as time goes by, some dogs, especially medium and large breeds, need a bit of help getting up and walking about due to hind limb weakness, which has various causes, and the effects of osteoarthritis.</span></p><div><br /></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=portable+stairs+dog+bed&i=pets&crid=2CVXHVVPUVYTO&sprefix=portable+stairs+dog+bed%2Cpets%2C150&ref=nb_sb_noss" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Portable stairs</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, just as with cats, can be incredibly helpful for dogs in aiding them to get up on furniture, like their human’s bed. Portable ramps, with their durability and sturdiness, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dog+ramp+vehicle&i=pets&crid=2O0FI35TPEO7P&sprefix=dog+ramp+vehicle%2Cpets%2C119&ref=nb_sb_noss_2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can be a boon </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for getting large dogs in and out of a vehicle and with varying designs can be an option to accommodate getting from ground level to a porch or deck and inside so much easier. Some of my families, who are very handy with carpentry, have designed their own fixed outdoor ramps for a custom look and grade that have fit in well with their dog's needs without being obtrusive. As a rule, we professionals have observed that dogs prefer ramps that have the following characteristics: a non-slip surface, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">an ideal width of 36 inches (3 feet), affix securely to the upper level, possess an incline not exceeding 20 degrees, and a railing. Being close to a wall helps, too. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ramps are made for </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dog+ramp+vehicle&i=pets&crid=2O0FI35TPEO7P&sprefix=dog+ramp+vehicle%2Cpets%2C119&ref=nb_sb_noss_2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">indoor use as well.</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Harnesses designed for mobility-challenged dogs of all sizes (my favorite is the </span><a href="https://helpemup.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Help ‘Em Up Harness</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) are probably the most used items in my lending library of tools and products that I have on hand for families-of-record whose pets are in my Animal Hospice Palliative Care program. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we can't call it a day there. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">These items are all helpful in making the lives of companion animals easier and more manageable, every bit as much as for all of their caregivers. But they’re only so if the pet is willing to use them, and as with anything else, we need their cooperation and consent to make that happen. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pets, just like us, are really good with having a sense of predictability in their day to day. It’s one of the ways they’re able to adapt to subtle changes and those that are not so. And the novelty of these newly-introduced products can often throw things off for them significantly, even though they’re designed to help. I’ve had many a family whose pet is already experiencing markedly-reduced mobility by the time we connect report that the harness, ramp or other product I’ve dropped off is met with not just reluctance, but flat out refusal by the pet – usually a dog. Sometimes we can use positive reinforcement to grease those wheels, but in a lot of cases, there’s no movement. And that’s hard to see happen, because that one tool can make all the difference in a pet being able to negotiate getting outside and back in with the help of a ramp, or a human being able to assist their dog up 3-4 stairs more safely without worry of injuring themselves in the process. And when the pet isn’t able to let it happen, sometimes there are no other options and families need to make different and hard decisions about what makes most sense for their pet’s care options going forward. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can this be hurdled? Yes.</span></p><div><br /></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My advice to every family, is that while their pets are younger, healthier and emotionally more resilient to novelty is to plan ahead – <i>far sooner than they think they’ll ever need to</i>. Do it now. Sitting down and deeply considering a pet’s habits, their size, and their abilities is a start, as well as considering what the floor plan where they are living is like. How about access points to the outdoors and hardscape – do they pose any foreseeable challenges? I encourage families do this every time they move. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Getting some insight from a professional can help tremendously. It’s not uncommon for me to identify possible issues early on, and make recommendations since I’m someone that has the luxury of seeing how a pet does inside and outside the home for myself. Now, the same is true for housecall vets and their teams, but brick-and-mortar vets, since they don’t have the opportunity to see things firsthand, they can be caught rather flat footed if they’re asked for advice. However, they can also give as good of guidance if you snap some footage of the pet’s home living environment with your mobile phone and give them a virtual tour. </span></p><div><br /></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doing all of this early in their life, and then re-assessing as time goes on, can help you identify possible trouble spots and ease your pet into using these tools and products while they’re at their absolute best stage of accepting them. In fact, it tends to be a fun, positive experience, if not neutral. This is especially helpful with a cat’s litterbox arrangements, since they tend to be fussy about that sort of thing. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Onboarding these strategies sooner also has a hidden side benefit: caregivers will be in a mindset where having implemented their use will be far less of an emotional beacon that a pet is declining and instead, to reframe, they’re simply changing and adapting as needed. I’ll note that families who do this experience less anxiety about navigating their companion animal’s fourth life stage, and they are able to better focus on meaningful shared experiences with their furry friends since they don’t see the ramps, harnesses and other tools as reminders of their pet’s inability, rather a transition that results in maintaining their independence and happiness.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we know, that ability to adapt – for both the pet and the humans – is an asset as a pet ages and promotes resilience and helps maintain the human-animal bond.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"></span></span></i></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4h22AK083BqRRTMEeL9HvdVghg64p9DEnbhqqSeNeJO248elQDb7o2OEftR8z2TicLM1k7TeoUbl_EoauuXx0zRL2Lybt4hfyO52WadLMi7dYrzZvVuy6JZumpKFZm85tTYjSzOqdYVKiRqlM1xKFLaVZnnQAzKXJoCdpxrJMU1eocAIPRv77H4D/s2471/IMG_3667.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2471" data-original-width="1735" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4h22AK083BqRRTMEeL9HvdVghg64p9DEnbhqqSeNeJO248elQDb7o2OEftR8z2TicLM1k7TeoUbl_EoauuXx0zRL2Lybt4hfyO52WadLMi7dYrzZvVuy6JZumpKFZm85tTYjSzOqdYVKiRqlM1xKFLaVZnnQAzKXJoCdpxrJMU1eocAIPRv77H4D/w176-h251/IMG_3667.jpg" width="176" /></a></span></span></i></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></span></i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="-webkit-standard"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 8 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and </span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">Certified Fear Free Professional. She is </span></span></span></span><span face="-webkit-standard"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and </span></span><span face="-webkit-standard" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com">lorrieshaw.com</a>.</span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></div><br /></span></span></i></span></span></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></i></span></p></div><p></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-57434534057848818532023-02-18T16:32:00.003-05:002023-05-04T09:38:45.622-04:00Imagining your life after a pet’s death during their decline can seem like a betrayal. It’s actually a healthy tool. <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Are you just waiting for her to die?”</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;">That was a question that two people—one who I’m closely tied to—asked me when I spoke about plans I was sketching together to travel to a place I’d never been. It was 2015. Puerto Rico had been on my mind. And as a late-bloomer when it had come to traveling, much less doing so alone, it had become an essential mental well-being tool. It also, ironically, helped to squash paralyzing social anxiety that had plagued me into adulthood. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’d not traveled in the final few months of Gretchen’s life. And as a sole human in the household, I was her main caregiver. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2">Gretchen was my nearly 16 year-old St. Bernard/shepherd mix. I’m quite certain in imagining the gasp (16!) that invariably escaped from your lips that I need not go into too much detail about how heavy the caregiving was for a geriatric, large breed dog with advanced osteoarthritis, a touch of renal disease and had been recently treated for hemorrhagic gastroenteritis</span><span class="s3">. Gretchen was never the same after the latter and in fact that was the diagnosis that became the tipping point of a steeper decline over three months: a touchy GI tract, stress impacted her gut more easily and many of her favorite things to eat were now off limits. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgse47LGu02qGxD5OmkAVfJi8jdAhY14gRmXrunr3cSRvfSJyCR292aURhNtntWhPT3ELnUsA-zBbLugVxFv45tsNsMrMnsv4DTaWRB2L6sVTeidj24hQdYpiaRUEglBxogVCZYJGMBGpCW1XK1bZT5x9mg6no0chWXXYlp69v9CoFskSU-2jiGhZU6/s754/33CC307F-34CB-4928-8C2F-7B9223CA33C4.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgse47LGu02qGxD5OmkAVfJi8jdAhY14gRmXrunr3cSRvfSJyCR292aURhNtntWhPT3ELnUsA-zBbLugVxFv45tsNsMrMnsv4DTaWRB2L6sVTeidj24hQdYpiaRUEglBxogVCZYJGMBGpCW1XK1bZT5x9mg6no0chWXXYlp69v9CoFskSU-2jiGhZU6/w198-h200/33CC307F-34CB-4928-8C2F-7B9223CA33C4.jpeg" width="198" /></a></span></span></div><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’d been traversing ever-so-gently into this phase of our life together (I was also caring for my geriatric cat, Silver, who had his own share of issues, but I digress). And with the help of a mental health professional specializing the needs of humans immersed in a life circumstance such as this, a plan was crafted. A plan which supported me in navigating the process of being a caregiver to pets with ever-increasing needs, and the expected anticipatory grief, the frustration, the decision-making, the unknown, <a href="https://whatsyourgrief.com/continuing-bonds-shifting-the-grief-paradigm/" target="_blank">re-framing/re-imagining my relationships</a> with both Gretchen and Silver—and preparing for life after both of them died. Especially Gretchen, I won’t lie. Heart dog, soul dog… whatever you want to coin it as, she was it. My ride or die being. I never saw her as my child. She was a dog, and I felt I needed to honor that. Gretchen was at that point more like my smart, sassy, independent-minded elderly aunt who never married and needed tending in her dotage. She loathed being fussed over, like someone else I know. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, I knew it’d be hard. I’d have a very new life. I knew I’d be a different person. I’d have a different identity: I’d not be a dog guardian anymore. And I wasn’t sure what any of that would look like or feel like, because I’d spent over a third of my life living in that identity that would be unwillingly stripped from me. Yes, it scared me a little. But I was </span></span><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">more afraid of how things would unfold <u>if I didn’t </u>give a lot of thought to what life would be like after.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Because going from a life where your pets are naturally the first thing you think of in the morning and the last before your feet lift off the floor and into bed, to having their needs increase so much to the point that being away from home for four hours is a big deal, that’s a lot. And then when you’re aware, even though it feels unfathomable, that all of that will, in a blink of an eye—vanish. And you’ll not need to think about heavy caregiving, or medication refills or ‘what will they be willing to eat today?’, or anything else. And your instinct is that your life will develop a natural sense of emptiness when all that comes with loving and caring for a pet edging toward their end-of-life comes to a physical end. </span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then it does. And for how long, that depends. And it’s not unusual for that to ebb and flow. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back to the question I was asked. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3">‘</span><span class="s4" style="font-style: italic;">Are you just waiting for her to die?’</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">I bristled at it. And then I softened. Because if nothing else, I had no mental bandwidth to get curious about what they meant. Nor to help either person feel comfortable with how I was navigating through a brutal time. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because most of the time, that’s what those who are expressing things like that need. Or because it’s weird for them to hold two ideas in their hands at a time—that one can be fully engaged in the heavy caregiving and anticipatory grief while realistically looking to a future where their pet will be gone and not coming back—because they seem completely incompatible. Or because they feel like acknowledging the fact that life will go on is a kind of a betrayal of the love one has for their pet. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">I could also see how easy it is for others to mistake a healthy coping tool for rushing through a period of life that’s full of unpleasantness and gut wrenching changes while full of love all at once. Or stuffing it down so it doesn’t need to be felt because it’s too hard. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, was I just waiting for Gretchen to die? No. Of course not.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3">I couldn’t stop her dying from happening, I could not save her <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/01/despite-advances-in-veterinary-care.html" target="_blank">despite the advances in vet medicine</a>. Nor was her dying going to be a failure on my part or anyone else’s, or of vet medicine. But what I could do, was control how I reacted and coped with the process, and the outcome. And I knew I’d not be </span><span class="s4" style="font-style: italic;">moving on, but moving forward</span><span class="s3">. I was envisioning what life would look life after she died and planning for it. I was taking care of myself, and my mental health. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was accepting the inevitable. And that I would never not grieve Gretchen. </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26.9px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, I responded with that. And then, I guess, they understood. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;">That looking ahead and giving the reality of what life would be like some much-needed space to stretch its legs came naturally to me. That, along with my having good instincts about how I might respond to things along the way given my history, </span></span><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;">how I used my existing coping tools, <a href="https://whatsyourgrief.com/expanding-our-understanding-of-coping-with-life-after-loss/Lorrie " target="_blank">and how to adjust</a> and gain additional healthy strategies as needed. Planning the trips I was going to take after experiencing two deaths in what would be a short 10-month span was an integral part of that.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> As I later discovered in my professional training in Grief Companioning and animal hospice, that looking ahead is a tool that is used in working with guardian caregivers when we are supporting them in navigating through a tender-but-brutal time. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2">It’s perfectly normal and natural if your thoughts move into a direction of thinking ahead to a time when you’ll have far less to think about, to manage, with a pet who is in decline. You don’t love them any less, you’re not betraying them, and you are still the very best guardian caregiver you’re able to be </span><span class="s5" style="font-style: italic;">because</span><span class="s2"> you’re taking care of yourself. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yes, Puerto Rico was amazing.</span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></span></i></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></span></i></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"></span></span></i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmmi09UCvB--FEC1cONcQPfLkfeChOtWWbhxFUco1Ea2_btiN2Klbptbv3PAXgqz30iAUGPo--M5i9AUIUYFPGKchgmnR_DRPKalA6g2HPQWWCK6iL4ckTC855ONmHwdvAqo8hZLInpol_DxeaJkFJrjtYYB5qlJqgODFZWEdhBG_RDBg8s6nrZOA/s2471/IMG_3667.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2471" data-original-width="1735" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmmi09UCvB--FEC1cONcQPfLkfeChOtWWbhxFUco1Ea2_btiN2Klbptbv3PAXgqz30iAUGPo--M5i9AUIUYFPGKchgmnR_DRPKalA6g2HPQWWCK6iL4ckTC855ONmHwdvAqo8hZLInpol_DxeaJkFJrjtYYB5qlJqgODFZWEdhBG_RDBg8s6nrZOA/w153-h218/IMG_3667.jpg" width="153" /></a></span></span></i></span></span></div><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /><br /></span></span></i></span></span><div><p></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: Tinos; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="-webkit-standard"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 8 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner and </span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">Certified Fear Free Professional. She is </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC and </span></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com">lorrieshaw.com</a>.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 24.84px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-size: medium;"></span></span></i></div></div>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-39154816571859100172023-02-11T07:32:00.004-05:002023-02-11T13:03:55.516-05:00A pet’s dental health makes an impact on their final months of life <p> <span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">February is Pet Dental Health month. I’ll skip the usual <i>‘you should get your pet’s teeth and oral health tended to’</i> without adding context. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Since I specialize in caring for pets in their final years, months, days and hours, I’ve had the honor of observing a lot of pets in these stages of life. I see the health challenges and complications they are faced with and need tending.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gdpr7KKIVHGqZsf7nymbGgMu6KgbCDmPPJ4_TE_BRPjC7ZtnS0E-6lT-7X_fYHnde9HGp0txalqt9qA2KU2x-FGEbVCknAcXCXs5nCjwqzfgrDAn_qPZKiF7-mAS7qhmRb_4o539Qum-zlz-vsz5fOzgiU80XWHNKol05Cnsq7sX8ranrfb2yANz/s480/blogger-image-1500114943.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gdpr7KKIVHGqZsf7nymbGgMu6KgbCDmPPJ4_TE_BRPjC7ZtnS0E-6lT-7X_fYHnde9HGp0txalqt9qA2KU2x-FGEbVCknAcXCXs5nCjwqzfgrDAn_qPZKiF7-mAS7qhmRb_4o539Qum-zlz-vsz5fOzgiU80XWHNKol05Cnsq7sX8ranrfb2yANz/w236-h236/blogger-image-1500114943.jpg" width="236" /></a></span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">But more on that in a minute. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Though it’s uncommon for a pet in their final months of life to undergo dental exams and cleanings, they certainly benefit from having them regularly throughout their lives. We know that maintaining overall oral health—including regular exams, X-rays and cleanings addressing any periodontal disease, and any extractions or root canals that need doing—<a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dental-disease-and-its-relation-to-systemic-disease-in-pets" target="_blank">boosts a pet’s health</a> at younger stages. And that sets the stage for helping a pet manage at a time when they’re less resilient, experience more pain-related issues, and need to be handled and interacted with more often: their final months of life. (Think assistance with mobility and administering medication.)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">When the inside of a pet’s mouth is in good shape at a time when so many other things can be more difficult to manage because of age-related decline or a life-limiting illness, that’s a nearly-invisible asset.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Why? </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Senior and geriatric pets most often experience multiple diagnoses and changes that need managing. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><ul class="ul1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; list-style-type: circle; text-size-adjust: auto;"><li class="li3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Cognitive changes impact how a companion animal experiences the world, and this includes behavioral changes like irritability, being withdrawn, and an unwillingness to be interacted with or touched. </span></li><li class="li3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pets can develop anxiety at this stage of life, or if it’s present, can be exacerbated by all of the things previously mentioned, including increased pain and discomfort. </span></li><li class="li3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Pain is a ball of wax that needs to be addressed on its own merit, and it’s often nuanced and complex at this stage. Osteoarthritis, diagnoses like chronic gastrointestinal issues and two grossly underrated and under-diagnosed sources of pain—eye pain and mouth pain—can impact a pet significantly. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><br /></span></span></div><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Discomfort and pain in the mouth contribute negatively to all of the above, and then some. In my experience, if a pet is experiencing either, they’re </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: underline;">more</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> likely to have a waning appetite, and far </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: underline;">less</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> likely to accept much-needed medication. Not eating well and not having pain and other symptoms managed with medication invite at the least a viscous cycle of pain that increases and often becomes more complicated, which can trigger inappetence,<a href="https://www.chicagoneuropain.com/blog-the-doctors-notes/2020/12/29/why-does-chronic-pain-cause-nausea-and-vomiting" target="_blank"> as well as nausea</a>, and then back around.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The complicated mouth bacteria that develops with a pet’s poor dental health goes further. In dogs, chafed skin from wearing a harness designed to help with mobility issues, and callouses/pressure sores that often develop on bony protrusions are more easily infected due in part to a pet transferring the bacteria in their saliva to those areas by licking (or in some cases, if they drool a lot). I’ve seen cases where the wounds were hard to heal, needed culturing and long courses of oral antibiotics and topical treatments to try and get them under control were necessary. Need I say much about how dangerous<a href="https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/when-cats-bite-1-in-3-patients-bitten-in-hand-hospitalized-infections-common/" target="_blank"> accidental cat bites</a> are can be when a pet is aged and they have sharp, brittle teeth? These interactions happen, and the bite need not be that deep. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 31.3px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I could go on, really. I see time and time again that being proactive with a companion animal’s health </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: underline;">early</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> makes the biggest difference in how well their palliative, hospice and end-of-life journey unfolds. And consistent, preventative dental care is just one tool. In fact, I feel like a big piece of the pie. It’s easy to overlook it, I know. It seems expensive to pursue, and many families worry about anesthesia (yes, it’s necessary though quite safe, hence the pre-procedure bloodwork and exam) and a lot to go though in preparing before and a little aftercare. And yet, the returns on that up front investment are far greater, especially when it comes to a lower-stress, less-expensive and more manageable final months with a beloved pet where the human-animal bond is kept intact. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 24.84px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><i><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 24.84px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-size: medium;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 24.84px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFLUHtlhWyAStZCpE9nQyejHDDnvJ788BJBW0055HK4g0cLgCIyXjslko7ovOlQIXu45H3AnxPHhQ-AdSPf8w8_CKro1bh_sQxXh1HAkVj1uXPmY5Ibg2wtQofBjSbIHXEomiOza82DbPGV6TWn403QBJ2-asAF_NOsvRqRjUDKKQ08esYcbA4ee6/s2471/IMG_3667.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2471" data-original-width="1735" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFLUHtlhWyAStZCpE9nQyejHDDnvJ788BJBW0055HK4g0cLgCIyXjslko7ovOlQIXu45H3AnxPHhQ-AdSPf8w8_CKro1bh_sQxXh1HAkVj1uXPmY5Ibg2wtQofBjSbIHXEomiOza82DbPGV6TWn403QBJ2-asAF_NOsvRqRjUDKKQ08esYcbA4ee6/w144-h205/IMG_3667.jpg" width="144" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br />With over 20 years of experience in pet care, Lorrie Shaw is an Animal Hospice Palliative Care Practitioner,</span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"> Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter and owner of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">. She </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com">lorrieshaw.com</a>.</span></i><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 24.84px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 24.84px;"><br /></span></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-81690317827917578732022-09-27T18:37:00.002-04:002023-03-16T16:21:41.906-04:00One oft-overlooked strategy to tend to pets in fourth life stage is made easier with a common household object<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Tending to a pet’s basic hygiene and grooming is a part of the work I do with pets in fourth life stage (the stage of life where a pet of any age is in a state of decline due to a life-limiting diagnosis or age-related causes).</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some pets need help with hygiene, like when they have urinary or fecal incontinence. This is necessary to keep their skin and fur clean and dry, and otherwise in good integrity in those areas. And while we need to be keeping an eye on that as well as keeping their bedding dry and free from waste, more commonly pets need help with basic grooming of their fur. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It just gets harder for them to manage as they age, especially with cats, who I’ll be focusing on here. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The tell-tale unkempt look that encroaches on a normally fastidious groomer—usually from the mid-section of the body backward—tells us that a cat is finding it too arduous or painful to reach their hind end. Osteoarthritis is a major contributor, though with less activity in advanced age or because of pain from other sources, obesity can make it difficult for a cat to reach around to different areas of their body to keep things as tidy as they’d like. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m a big believer in senior pets getting into the vet for an exam, bloodwork and an evaluation for pain, using a pain scale every 12 months and for geriatrics every six months. In doing so, families and their vets can partner more effectively to identify any changes that present, and address them appropriately: maladaptive pain being just one. Staying ahead of it sooner than later is a far better strategy. And along from anything meaningful and effective that a vet feels is appropriate to prescribe or recommend to ease the discomfort and pain (prescription medication, herbs, weight management guidance, environmental management), we humans can step up our game at home to help cats stay looking and feeling spiffy with the simplest of interactions: regular brushing. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, so long as a cat can tolerate being touched from a behavioral or decreased physical comfort standpoint. Not all are able to. And so if not, just don’t. It’s not worth the risk of stressing them out or acquiring an injury from a scratch or a bite.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That said, most cats liked to be brushed—albeit on their terms!—and so as always, I let the ones in my care lead what that looks like. If they can tolerate my using their usual brush, great. But if not, I find that an unconventional-but-ordinary object is an effective and comforting alternative. It’s also safer.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By using a new, clean soft toothbrush to gently stroke and groom the fur, caregivers can remove some of that loose fur, offer a comforting touch and provide other benefits, listed below. If your cat can tolerate being petted, giving them a wipe down with a baby wipe (I like<a href="https://www.waterwipes.com/us/en"> Water Wipes</a>) beforehand can boost the effectiveness of the session. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Benefits </span><span class="s2">👇</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> contributes to the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of a pet</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> when a pet’s appearance is optimal, that positively impacts their human’s mental state </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> the gentle handling facilitates the release of endorphins </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> is easy to do</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> inexpensive</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> strengthens the human-animal bond </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2">✅</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> can in some cases trigger a desire to eat </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">More on this below 👇</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2n8Y4d8EHGk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><span style="background-color: #b2b2b2;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">With over 20 years of experience in pet care, Lorrie Shaw is an Animal Hospice Palliative Care Practitioner,</span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"> Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter and CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">. She </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com">lorrieshaw.com</a>.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-86626696409031579242022-04-01T12:02:00.000-04:002022-04-01T12:02:28.237-04:00A affordable option to incorporate Fear Free into your pet’s routine also keeps vets happy <p>Here’s a follow up to an idea <a href="https://www.facebook.com/116253508387813/posts/5398467256833052/" target="_blank">that I posted to Facebook </a>in March. </p><p>We all know how vital the notion of having the most helpful and awesome tools are to interacting effectively, efficiently and safely with the pets in our life. The same is true for thinking about the economy of it all. Stuff is expensive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill0ed5eAisMpPH_1Yx1RrWP2Tq7qGRDYxcqFzm2Hz2yDRWlCyM5s8O8yNFxMNsr0kS0ijafln-EpaKOKK048k1vcSS7lfTMWry8QWZO8CUhRCZYVrbMLtiszRFVIOKQNbfhTtCCzHXx_YeQpAgP9gNO04eS21GmCYSLjoa2lBcjDvzBCINIY0LO0W/s480/blogger-image-1500114943.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Jack Russell terrier, looking hopeful" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill0ed5eAisMpPH_1Yx1RrWP2Tq7qGRDYxcqFzm2Hz2yDRWlCyM5s8O8yNFxMNsr0kS0ijafln-EpaKOKK048k1vcSS7lfTMWry8QWZO8CUhRCZYVrbMLtiszRFVIOKQNbfhTtCCzHXx_YeQpAgP9gNO04eS21GmCYSLjoa2lBcjDvzBCINIY0LO0W/w200-h200/blogger-image-1500114943.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p>I frequently keep commercially available baby food pouches on hand and use (upon family’s consent) as a tool with pets to provide a distraction from unpleasant things during vet visits. They’re also useful when traditional treats (reinforcers) aren’t enough I need to employ a high value reinforcer to get the behaviors I want and need from a dog or a cat, and my hands need to stay clean. </p><p>Reusable baby food pouches are a great option that is consistent with a set of strategies that encompass the <a href="https://fearfreepets.com/about/what-is-fear-free/" target="_blank">Fear Free philosophy</a>, and they meet the requirement of being affordable while being able to deliver whatever tasty, puréed/slurried food reinforcer <i>a pet</i> deems to be one that is super-high value. </p><p>Another really important aspect of these pouches is they address a hurdle that many families face: staying adherent to a pet’s dietary restrictions. Many pets have health issues, for example IBD/IBS or kidney disease, that necessitate special diets—even prescription food. Most prescription diets are available in canned varieties and can be used to fill the pouches, though in a pinch, surely kibble could be crushed up and soaked in warm water to soften and create a mush that can be loaded into them. </p><p>In any case, it’s not a tough sell to see why you need to get your hands on these inexpensive tools, regardless of the <a href="https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/" target="_blank">Fear Free </a>interaction you want to nail, yes, even during training. They’re customizable, easy to clean and disinfect, and reduce the load on landfills.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GY25ZRX/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_HBCDTMZY05J4GRGT244E?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Click here </a>to obtain yours. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzpa6-PadEzx2XdOFet3EUdx71qJ4drfsWm4w68rihzImHjfT2zLoGAGzWzPJzMWSf9E65Rg-l_LvvzawWhdda5PpdxUdrJoko8R0XRiOdgKExsU8KV7JLuVWCgWDEgzL9zHi03HDBwlUYOsflMgNR36o4Jsz64g2OsfwrctXb-xKc1GCZg4fU3Jy/s640/5C7A6407-9E58-49CE-9B48-925D598E1C3F.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lorrie Shaw" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzpa6-PadEzx2XdOFet3EUdx71qJ4drfsWm4w68rihzImHjfT2zLoGAGzWzPJzMWSf9E65Rg-l_LvvzawWhdda5PpdxUdrJoko8R0XRiOdgKExsU8KV7JLuVWCgWDEgzL9zHi03HDBwlUYOsflMgNR36o4Jsz64g2OsfwrctXb-xKc1GCZg4fU3Jy/w150-h200/5C7A6407-9E58-49CE-9B48-925D598E1C3F.jpeg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />With over 20 years of experience, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a>. A specialist</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care, she’s also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">@ps</a>a2</span><p></p><p><br /></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-65506145628636236652021-11-13T20:52:00.000-05:002021-11-13T20:52:01.727-05:00Old strategy, new tool dissuades dogs from scavenging on walks <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px;">Seeing the world through the lenses I’ve developed in working with dogs is interesting, especially when walking them. I’ve grown accustomed to assessing things by rote before I hitch a dog up to their harness and as we step out the door, with necessary tools aboard to enhance the experience and keep the adventure a safe one. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">It’s rare that there isn’t an adjustment that’s needed at some point on a dog walk—pivoting direction when there’s another dog and handler approaching who aren’t handling themselves well, steering clear of a yard where kids are playing—you get the idea. It can be a minefield at times. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">I’m all about dogs getting the most out of their adventures, with an emphasis on having a chance to sniff the heck out of everything along the way, regardless of their age or ability. It’s probably more important than the physical movement that is the aim of most people when dog walking. A dog’s nose is their most powerful sense, providing the most enrichment and it’s the one they can most rely on when all the others fade in their dotage. And most of the time, I can be a step ahead of their nose, which helps tremendously when there’s a gob of human food casted off in the grass, bunny poop (or that of any other animal) or anything else gross or not a dog might find appealing enough to scarf up with lightning speed. I can usually pivot them away from the offending stuff before they even realize it’s there. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">But alas. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MVtv1Y6RVR5e5BA1Tb71XNFKhnHC1aTR1Ua4gPcHYkO_neCiPVnaC5lzXSHjvbSIxLNoxjCNcS-wiClbDJ_D1Lbt_EWx8wkEG-4Pu0JOQwM4hS7gytVqES44BM0ArXmKx5INRkFF9Mo/s2048/08112FEF-04CE-4C4E-9655-909DFACEEFEE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MVtv1Y6RVR5e5BA1Tb71XNFKhnHC1aTR1Ua4gPcHYkO_neCiPVnaC5lzXSHjvbSIxLNoxjCNcS-wiClbDJ_D1Lbt_EWx8wkEG-4Pu0JOQwM4hS7gytVqES44BM0ArXmKx5INRkFF9Mo/s320/08112FEF-04CE-4C4E-9655-909DFACEEFEE.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span class="s2"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">There are times my spidey senses fail, and with some dogs, miserably far too often. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are masters of finding anything they shouldn’t gobble up, edible or not. And then my usually-reliable tactic of a ‘leave it!’ cue or the even more effective cue ‘<a href="http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-take-it-and-why-this-command-is-so-helpful" target="_blank">take it!</a>’,</span> (as I learned from a conference lecture by <a href="https://www.harmonyk9.com/about-us.html" target="_blank">Harmony Dog Training’s </a>Angela Schmarrow this fall) doesn’t offer cooperation in the dog relinquishing the find for a trade of a high value, safe treat. </p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">And down the hatch it goes. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Typically, no harm is done, and I chalk it up as my having lost that one and move on. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Though if you’ve a dog in your care who has a very touchy GI tract, engages in this unwanted behavior habitually despite your best efforts, it can make for outings that are especially frustrating. And if a dog has complex resource guarding issues, it goes without saying how slippery a scenario that can unfold into.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">During a </span><span class="s2">recent animal behavior conference, I was excited to learn about a strategy that can help mitigate a dog’s wayward enthusiasm for scarfing down items on walks they shouldn’t. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/CrazyFelix/%25E4%25B8%25BB%25E9%25A1%25B5/page/3FDF93F3-D7DA-4422-93D3-D093CE253F91?channel=Store%20share%20-%20Twitter " target="_blank">The Crazy Felix</a> is a tool—yes, a muzzle—that prevents the behavior </span><span class="s3" style="font-style: italic;">while</span><span class="s2"> allowing a dog to breathe efficiently, pant, sniff… all the things we want dogs to be able to do on walks. They can also take treats while wearing it. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">It’s a great option, and one that’s more appealing to many guardians than a basket muzzle, the only other safe tool that’s recommended for this purpose by certified trainers, vet behaviorists and credentialed pet care professionals, like me. It’s ease of use and appearance makes it so. Training a dog to accept wearing the Crazy Felix using positive reinforcement (R+) is still necessary of course, just like other types of muzzles, and the payoff is huge. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">To learn more about <a href="https://muzzleupproject.com/muzzle-training/" target="_blank">muzzle training</a></span> and why its recommended that every dog be trained to wear a muzzle, head over to <a href="https://muzzleupproject.com/" target="_blank">The Muzzle Up Project.</a> </p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0kJ-00iLVnVo8il4LgUcnPY54MZ9eKLTzt_2nYd52PgIAM9TKMmdzPcC7nq-sWq7sxOBas49psC1L4uPOwwqGK5WFWvatKGDjmSP6Ozi7Ay2b7Z1hlFCTNye4yyII4g_-sG8FJa6RKk/s640/5C7A6407-9E58-49CE-9B48-925D598E1C3F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0kJ-00iLVnVo8il4LgUcnPY54MZ9eKLTzt_2nYd52PgIAM9TKMmdzPcC7nq-sWq7sxOBas49psC1L4uPOwwqGK5WFWvatKGDjmSP6Ozi7Ay2b7Z1hlFCTNye4yyII4g_-sG8FJa6RKk/s320/5C7A6407-9E58-49CE-9B48-925D598E1C3F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />With over 20 years of experience, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">@psa</a>2. </span><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-87524543894953565852021-05-12T19:47:00.003-04:002021-05-13T07:32:30.078-04:00The right equipment & strategies can enhance your dog walking experience & even save your life <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This time of year teems with a lot of good stuff: the sun rising earlier and setting later, slowly unfolding warmer weather, and activities that come with all that. With witnessing what feels like an unfurling from a cocoon as the confines of the pandemic begin to loosen, it’s clear that people are even more ready to get out and about. With more families beginning to feel comfortable enough to actually plan to indulge their wanderlust, visit family—even return to their physical workplaces—that means that I’ll be regaining a sense of normal as well. </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">And I realize that in some ways, things will look different than before. Just as there are changes with my feline and canine charges, there’s most definitely bound to be a shift in the dynamic of their respective neighborhoods, not to mention trails, dog parks and other areas that our canine friends frequent. That can be a good thing, though when it comes to looking at things through the lens of a seasoned dog handler, we know there are likely to be some added challenges, and serious ones at that. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the things I routinely do prior to a consultation with a new family or I’ve a reservation coming up with a household with canines that I’ve not seen in awhile, is to go to their neighborhood and do an assessment. Yes, I drive through. Then I park, get out and walk around the neighborhood and any surrounding trails. I pay close attention to how any handlers are navigating their outings with the dog or dogs on the other end of the leash, and any interactions with others. What kind of equipment are they using? Are they negotiating space with others thoughtfully? I also watch the body language and actions of the dogs when they see other dogs, humans or the random bunny or squirrel. I take notice of which homes have obvious occupancy with dogs. Any signs of electric fences? Who has a physical fence? Do I notice any off-leash pairings or solo dogs running about?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">You get the idea. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This kind of thing pays off: I know areas or streets to avoid, and I recognize which dog/handler teams have a hard time. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">One thing that’s impossible to ignore lately are the number of electric fence systems that have been installed in recent weeks. Most dog handlers understand their usefulness, though we all-too-often see how they negatively impact dogs and the safety of others. Dogs can breach them, and we professionals see that they often do. Let me say that the close calls I’ve had personally because of electric fences have been more numerous than in times past. Having a dog come running from out of nowhere in their yard to the very edge of a sidewalk or street, barking and carrying on or worse is never a good feeling. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wireless fencing systems are only the tip of the iceberg though; one situation that I found myself in a couple of years ago made me grateful for my skills, despite my one error. Thankfully, the dog that I was chaperoning wasn’t geriatric, though many are. Those dogs tend to have visual and hearing deficits, not to mention limited mobility and sometimes cognition changes and anxiety. In many cases, they’re terminal, and yes, some of those terminal dogs don’t look like it: they’re young—too young to be meeting their end—and despite their appearance, they’re physically compromised. Others are recovering from TPLO, spinal or other surgery/injury even though they often don’t show it. Some of the dogs in my care are living with behavioral challenges or anxiety, treated by a professional or not. Just as I carefully review every aspect of a dog’s history to ensure they’re not only healthy enough to be in my care from a health and behavior standpoint (ask any family-of-record—it is complete!) to ensure they have the best experience possible, it’s also my responsibility to ensure that I’m doing my due diligence to protect them (and myself) no matter if we’re in their yard or out on an adventure, short or long, and their right to have that. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And that requires preparation.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">Earlier this week, I caught the <a href="https://episodes.buzzsprout.com/hnqz6mbp2yjr3v3lcgoj14yontla?response-content-disposition=attachment;%20filename=%27laura-monaco-torelli-kpa-ctp-cpdt-ka.mp3%27;%20filename*=UTF-8%27%27laura-monaco-torelli-kpa-ctp-cpdt-ka.mp3&response-content-type=audio/mpeg&" target="_blank">latest episode of The Bitey End of the </a>Dog, hosted by Michael Shikashio, the brains behind AggeessiveDog.com. He and his guest, fellow credentialed dog behavior professional Laura Monaco Torelli, talk about an important topic and one not unfamiliar to dog handlers of all backgrounds: dog attacks. In the segment, Torelli chronicles a brutal attack (and its aftermath) that injured both her and her dog, Vito while they were out on an ordinary walk in their own neighborhood. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">The poignant conversation brought memories of <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2019/05/off-leash-interactions-can-turn.html" target="_blank">my own dog attack experiences</a> and the many times I’ve used my skills to steer out of near misses. That said, Shikashio and Torelli include helpful tips on products and strategies to keep you and your dog safe, so the episode is worth a listen. The tips are ones I employ and then some, and so as we all re-orient ourselves into more frequent outings with or without dogs, I wanted to include my own strategies like:</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">•<b>carry <a href="https://store.petsafe.net/sprayshield-deterrent-spray" target="_blank">citronella spray</a></b>, and use it properly: </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">aim at or near the nose of the attacking dog, avoiding the animal’s eyes. The aim is to distract and dissuade the dog from continuing the approach, not to hurt them. And please, pepper spray isn’t necessary and any resulting mist could blow back into your face and disable you—not the goal. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">•<b>having a whistle </b>attached to the zipper pull on my winter and summer outerwear, which when sounded can elicit an audible distraction for the other dog in hopes to either maintain distance or arrest an interaction in progress. It can also draw attention from other humans quickly and act as a distress call of sorts</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">•<b>abiding by a policy of situational awareness, </b>which means constantly paying attention to what’s going on with the dog on the other end of the leash, and what’s going on around us, and adjusting as necessary. This<b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">includes not talking</span><b> </b><span style="font-size: large;">on my cell phone and never wearing earbuds. Though my device (which I always maintain a full charge) can be a lifeline in so many ways, it should never be a distraction. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">•<b>keep a <a href="https://www.mlive.com/living/ann-arbor/2014/05/walk_public_how_to_stop_a_dog.html">handful of high-value dog treats</a> in my pocket/pouch</b> to help navigate out of unwanted approaches by other dogs</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">•<a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2016/05/decorum-is-key-to-avoid-unwanted.html" target="_blank">s<b>wiftly and thoughtfully decline on requests by other humans</b></a><b> </b>to pet your dog</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">•</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>my case (and policy) for <b>walking only <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2014/02/walking-multiple-dogs-at-once-can-prove.html" target="_blank">one dog at a time</a></b></span><span><a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2014/02/walking-multiple-dogs-at-once-can-prove.html"><b> </b></a></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-size: medium;">•and in the video below, another quirky tip and my top equipment choices and why.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 27.4px;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NyA8xFv9uMY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #b2b2b2;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: #b2b2b2;"><br /></span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s1280/IMG_8705.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/w150-h200/IMG_8705.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">With over 20 years of experience, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companion, </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="color: #993322; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;">@psa</a>2. </span></span></div></div>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-85958878475907434812020-12-28T12:28:00.003-05:002020-12-28T12:43:33.310-05:00Tack-sharp exchanges between caregivers, loved ones during a pet’s fourth life stage beg for understanding <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I often come into a family’s life at a time that’s fraught with fear of the known and unknown, sadness, murky territory.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Did I mention tension? </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">That kind of strain is so pervasive in the area of the fourth life stage and end-of-life. And when it involves our pets, it can be very complicated. No matter if there is one human involved, or<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>multiple members of a family, the tension is expected. It’s an understandably scary time. In my years working with families finding themselves walking in what some have initially characterized as quicksand, bearing witness to words being tossed like the harshest of barbs is par for the course. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Recalling a stern warning from the instructor at the helm of the professional end-of-life doula training that I took part in years ago, I thought, </span><span class="s3" style="font-style: italic;">ah... I recognize that.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s3" style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">“You should not be tolerating verbal abuse in the course of your work...” </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">And the instructor is absolutely correct: as a professional, as a human being, I need not indulge other’s inclinations to dole out verbal abuse toward me. That kind of thing is never okay. And it’s not accepted. But—yes, though it can be seen more of an excuse, rather than an explanation in some cases—I feel it’s important to stop and look at an exchange that falls short of what someone might normally expect from themselves with some context. And without ego. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqe_YuvJMDpmjJ2hYtRNwlqj21k92R3q7pGVhFeBPccqEXoihthWbpZxTE8heDUFP9FJ9KVAZ9XCZpy7_JNkrsDIsaGssGB-s_mEBZo3iFNftryxX7JzQi_WKQ_MJLddTTJAgH47IiPw/s1296/IMG_9336.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqe_YuvJMDpmjJ2hYtRNwlqj21k92R3q7pGVhFeBPccqEXoihthWbpZxTE8heDUFP9FJ9KVAZ9XCZpy7_JNkrsDIsaGssGB-s_mEBZo3iFNftryxX7JzQi_WKQ_MJLddTTJAgH47IiPw/s320/IMG_9336.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Let’s face it, none of us are perfect. And when we’re in a stressful situation, especially navigating a pet’s fourth life stage, we need to cut ourselves and each other a little slack. There are going to be barbs carelessly tossed about in a tense moment, whether that’s toward a loved one or even a member of the professional team on board to support us.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">And so, I take the words from one wise human who learned them from another before her as an offering: the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “...it helps to be a little deaf”. Though she noted this sage advice in the context of marriage, I find it very useful in my work with families who are navigating their pet’s twilight or fourth life stage. The families find it useful, too. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><br /></span><span class="s2"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqe_YuvJMDpmjJ2hYtRNwlqj21k92R3q7pGVhFeBPccqEXoihthWbpZxTE8heDUFP9FJ9KVAZ9XCZpy7_JNkrsDIsaGssGB-s_mEBZo3iFNftryxX7JzQi_WKQ_MJLddTTJAgH47IiPw/s1296/IMG_9336.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">There are a few things that I keep in mind as I walk with a family during their pet’s fourth life stage. They really help me maintain perspective and guide these families. There’s a fair amount of fear about the known and the unknown for what lies ahead, not to mention anticipatory grief. The differing vantage points and <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2019/05/pets-often-act-as-tether-to-deceased.html">relationships with each loved one</a>, including the pet, have weight—no one wants to see a loved one struggle or suffer. Past experiences in coping with <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-lasting-resonance-of-using-against.html">diagnoses</a>, <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2020/02/how-pet-care-professionals-handle-even.html">doctors</a>, death and <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2019/11/tone-deafness-in-pet-loss-and-grief-may.html">grief</a> are unquestionably influential. <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/11/picking-battles-understanding-limits.html">Caregiver burden</a> can most definitely allow those sharp words to escape more easily. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><br /><span class="s2"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span>No one is immune to these emotions and biases.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">The most crucial thing I keep at the forefront as I’m encountering a stressful exchange between loved ones, I remember that everyone involved cares very much about the pet at the center, and wants the best for them. That’s something that I wholeheartedly remind families when they feel the sting of wayward comments from members of their tribe. In most cases, it’s better to give that person a pass, let the comments slide and offer some grace and tenderness. (And as a second strategy, use some thoughtful, genuine curiosity. That other person likely needs to be seen, heard and acknowledged.) After all, none of us are immune to needing a healthy dose of that in the midst of an important time of life like our pet’s fourth life stage.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s1280/IMG_8705.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s320/IMG_8705.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span class="s2"><i>Lorrie Shaw has trained as an end-of life doula and earned her certification in Pet Loss and Grief Companioning in 2017, <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">which qualifies her to work in a professional capacity with families coping with the emotional toil with pets in end-of-life, as well as individuals seeking professional Companioning in their journey through pet loss and grief.</span><span face=", sans-serif"> </span>She's a member of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, National End-of Life Alliance and Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. She can be found at<a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/"> lorrieshaw.com</a>, and tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en">@psa2</a>.</i><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px;"><br /></span></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-18062979907654315242020-08-11T10:30:00.004-04:002023-03-16T20:25:19.878-04:00Foreboding joy is a common threat to the unexpected joys that unfold in animal hospice <p>It’s fair to say that the past few months have resulted in a lot of unexpected things. A pandemic in the digital age has, as an example, allowed many people to remain at home in an effort to keep the virus from spreading, while still fulfilling their work duties. This includes the majority of my families. </p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Though the boon of being able to be home and appreciate their home spaces more and share time with their pets, there has been a lot of discussion about how tough it’s going to be on pets when it’s safe enough for their humans are finally able to be back in their workplaces part- or full-time. Our animal friends have gotten used to the heightened level of companionship on nearly a 24/7 basis. The <a href="https://www.ovrs.com/blog/dog-separation-anxiety/" target="_blank">notion of separation anxiety developing </a>is on the minds of many, including me. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><br /><span class="s2"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">I do see there is a benefit, if I may, that has sprung from families being able to be home so much due to the pandemic: their being able to be more present than they might ordinarily be able to during a pet’s final months, weeks and days. Several of my families have expressed over the past few months that though they still need to tend to work responsibilities, having the unexpected luxury of <i>not </i>needing</span><span class="s2"> the hands-on care that I provide as an animal end-of-life doula has been the greatest blessing in the wake of a most-important time of their pet’s life. Outside of the pandemic, they’d not be able to be home nearly as much to devote the time and attention needed to dote on their beloved pet, not to mention being able to <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2018/10/tending-to-other-family-pets-helps-you.html" target="_blank">cultivate the space necessary </a>for the mental bandwidth and physical energy that this kind of caregiving requires of families. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">They’re grateful that they are able to do it themselves. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5neHoJRbKShEkQhfBWThTzi0d1aWXjumTW0-TBNC8jIIclXsH5PenBKgTD4quWQNJ126cBnw3S77jZoh908jrU5-XPmw3cvt8ofrRBPHLfXcrW3qcp4TRcU0mjgh0Qe8LhWoFcBOvRfI/s480/blogger-image--1936686822.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5neHoJRbKShEkQhfBWThTzi0d1aWXjumTW0-TBNC8jIIclXsH5PenBKgTD4quWQNJ126cBnw3S77jZoh908jrU5-XPmw3cvt8ofrRBPHLfXcrW3qcp4TRcU0mjgh0Qe8LhWoFcBOvRfI/w246-h246/blogger-image--1936686822.jpg" width="246" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span class="s2">I will say that the most common refrain that I typically hear upon meeting with a family is that they feel an intense amount of guilt for not being able to ‘be there’ to handle all of the day-to-day care that their pet needs when they’re recovering from an illness or surgery—or worse, after a life-limiting illness or age-related decline that requires more intense caregiving. </span><span class="s2">They want to do it all, but having a commute to and from a workplace, not to mention needing to be away from home for other obligations makes one feel understandably torn. My tending to things as skillfully and thoughtfully as the family would, and sending reassuring video updates to them is nice and all, but for them to be there as the caregiver</span><span>... there’s no substitute.</span><span> </span></span></p><div><br /></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">And yet what has surprised a few of them is an unexpected source of angst: thinking about how different things <u>might</u> look if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"></span></p><blockquote><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><i>If I couldn’t work from home? It scares me to think of how I might have to make decisions that are very different than the ones that I have so far, especially since that would mean forgoing some aspects of his care, or that I might have had to discuss euthanasia already</i>. </span></p></blockquote><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">It’s always easy to go down the road of ‘what if’ and allow the moments of relief, joy and gratitude that often accompany the act of caregiving to be overtaken by a sense of apprehension during any given time. (Brené Brown does a fantastic job of <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brene-brown-joy-numbing-oprah_n_4116520" target="_blank">articulating the concept of ‘foreboding joy’ </a>in her body of work.) The feeling that the handle that you’ve been able to get on the routine, even when it does require tweaking, might become less sure. When you don’t sweat it so much on days when you’re able to spend extra time during breakfast on a rough morning to ensure that your fragile old dog gets all of his medication without your feeling too frazzled—and then the thought creeps in to your mind that if your usual tried-and-true tricks don’t work that one day, will that continue? That fear that like you’re not doing enough or you’re missing a sign that means your pet is ‘ready’, that would before times mildly tug on your psyche. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">These are all very normal expressions of the human condition when we’re caregiving a beloved pet who is edging towards their end. And during a pandemic, when we are already raw from the fallout of being out of routine, missing normal contact with our important humans, all-too-aware that this is a very unprecedented time—these expressions and laments are easily magnified and understandably so. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Sure, things </span><span class="s3" style="font-style: italic;">could</span><span class="s2"> be different. But they’re not. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Yes, this pandemic has lent a mix of circumstances that might be allowing you to be way more physically, emotionally and mentally present for your ailing pet than you ever expected would be possible. Its okay to feel gratitude about that. Give your proverbial magnifying glasses a rest. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">Why?</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2">There </span><span class="s3" style="font-style: italic;">will</span><span class="s2"> be days when things don’t go so smoothly. Your situation <i>could </i>change</span><span class="s2"> where you can’t be as available to your pet and re-evaluating how you’re going to manage their palliative and hospice care would be necessary. And guess what? You’ll manage it. You’ll figure things out with regard to your pet, just like you have so many times in the past. And it’ll be okay. I promise you. This time of life with your beloved pet is <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/11/picking-battles-understanding-limits.html" target="_blank">soaked with enough destabilization</a>, joy-stealing, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticipatory_grief" target="_blank">anticipatory grief </a>and uncertainty. Though it’s a collectively tempting habit in our culture, there’s no need to give that sense of foreboding an opportunity to cast an unwelcome shadow on an emotionally-rich period of life that can and should as be full of joyful moments, warmth and good memories, just the same. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s1280/IMG_8705.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/w186-h248/IMG_8705.jpg" width="186" /></a></span></div><span class="s2"><i><div><span class="s2"><i><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="s2"><i><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">With over 20 years of experience in pet care, Lorrie Shaw is an Animal Hospice Palliative Care Practitioner,</span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"> Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter and CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">. She </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com">lorrieshaw.com</a>.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="s2"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="s2"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div></i></span><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 24.8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.6px;"><span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px;"></span><br /></p>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-50285449474983451932020-04-08T18:49:00.003-04:002020-04-08T19:02:44.072-04:00The out-of-order death of a pet poses brutal challenges<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">It’s not uncommon for me to be brought on board by a family to tend to their pet who has received a life-limiting illness or is experiencing age-related decline (in many cases, both)—and for them to have much-younger pets as well. The former tends to be the focus of my care and tending of course, but as any family in this situation will tell you, the other pets become just as much a part of the equation because they’re as much a part of the family unit. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">It’s no secret that the younger pets lend a sense of lightness to the overall situation and in themselves offer some respite from the day-to-day changes, decision making, monitoring of a pet who is in delicate health. In fact, I often remind my families that though the pangs of guilt that they experience from having fun with their younger pets and tending to their emotional and mental needs are completely normal, resisting that and <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2018/10/tending-to-other-family-pets-helps-you.html">setting time aside for play and all else</a> can actually make them a better caregiver to that pet whose needs are increasing and abilities changing. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">I don’t think it’s lost on anyone whose pet has died after a long period of decline that the younger pet is a font of respite from the grief hangover that is experienced. The absence of medication regimens, tending to hygiene, the worry of getting home in a timely fashion to get an aging dog out to potty—yes, that is a welcome thing. The more carefree aspects of focusing on sharing life with a younger, healthier pet that we have a bonded relationship are definitely something to look forward to. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">And for some families, in the midst of caring for the pet in delicate health and all that is associated with it, their world crashes in. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">The usually robust, younger pet seems a little off. Or very much so. And then it’s revealed that they are in fact quite sick and a bigger conversation—one that blindsides—needs to be had. Perhaps, even, it’s an accident, or the negligence of another party that causes the unfolding of events. And then the beloved pet that was counted on to be a part of the family for years is then gone, not from memory, but sight and earshot and so many memories that will never be. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">The out-of-order death of a pet is especially brutal, just as it is with a human counterpart. Though I think in many ways, maybe more so: the representation that pets hold in one’s daily life can be much more tethered than other relationships. We often spend far more time thinking about and tending to the care of pets more than we might our human loved ones because pets inherently depend on us. And walking through the grief of a pet that died suddenly and far too soon all whilst navigating another pet’s terminal illness possesses a layer of difficulty that is unmatched. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">And so, that reliable buffer of being able to depend on the younger pet vaporizes. We’re left with emotions and grief that we didn’t expect to grapple with, and yes, confusing degrees of guilt often bubble up. It can be especially complicated having this unfold—contending with the usually stuffed-down anticipatory grief associated with knowing that we’ll be saying goodbye to one pet, and then of course living in a culture where the all-too-common accompaniment of disenfranchised grief is already so prevalent. The social interactions in our personal and professional lives can ride roughshod over us: the questions, comments and avoidance from others, well-meaning and not; the tone-deafness of the trauma that is so prevalent with these losses. This is of course married with,<i> ‘how do I navigate losing the pet who is expected to die without my younger pet softening the blow?’</i>.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;">So for those who are navigating the shock of an unexpected and life-limiting diagnosis of a younger pet, the sudden loss of another family pet sooner than you expected, grappling with how to grieve the loss of a pet that you at first blush thought would carry you through the expected death of another—you are seen, heard, acknowledged. This kind of loss and grief is very real and challenging to wade through. Know who the trusted parties are that you can confide in, and seek them out. And don’t apologize for taking custody of any kind of grief sooner than you might have expected. The out-of-order grief after a pet dies is as uncomfortable, confusing and gutting as any that is experienced. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s1600/IMG_8705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s200/IMG_8705.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<span class="s1"></span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, holds a certification in Pet Loss and </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companioning, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and is owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in pet palliative and pet hospice care support. She's also a member of </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member), National End of Life Doula Alliance and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span><span style="color: black;">.</span></div>
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Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-26839838589393273152020-02-02T21:01:00.000-05:002020-02-02T21:16:35.670-05:00How pet care professionals handle even small details after a pet’s death matters to grieving families<div class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;">I give my families whose pets have died—and my serving the family in the capacity of acting as caregiver to their pet is no longer needed—agency on how and when their keys are returned to them. Though I have a contract with my families that details the terms of my having possession of their house keys and their return, I recognized long ago that the act of my handing their keys to them is surprisingly difficult for many of them.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nZF38IqsHaCk4XrvYx48vl6xyFtGmB0b5t-TVLIUA0RbcqKGq41f4DgHIz9L9-qhQ_Mfz2BuNfkW8WBo7VhFzyurxi-25zuwUF5lk2hS2NPqVrhT6HmW1PQjoBkh7xYaDIm_MdRQ4Ao/s1600/88F301B7-BECE-403B-BD30-04142CAA50A5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nZF38IqsHaCk4XrvYx48vl6xyFtGmB0b5t-TVLIUA0RbcqKGq41f4DgHIz9L9-qhQ_Mfz2BuNfkW8WBo7VhFzyurxi-25zuwUF5lk2hS2NPqVrhT6HmW1PQjoBkh7xYaDIm_MdRQ4Ao/s320/88F301B7-BECE-403B-BD30-04142CAA50A5.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;">This is especially true when a pet has navigated the journey of age-related decline or a life-limiting illness and I’ve walked alongside them and their family to the end. And so, I proceed thoughtfully. Essentially, I’m asking permission to engage in this interaction, though it involves a seemingly benign detail, am giving it what I’ve come to know is the thoughtfulness that it deserves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 24.84px;">After all, I’ve forged a bond with the pet and the family through our time together, and understand the gravity of what has been experienced. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 24.84px;">Below is an excerpt of an email recently sent to one of my families: </span></div>
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<i style="color: #313131; word-spacing: 1px;">This transition can be very difficult for my families with pets that have navigated fragile health and end-of-life, so whichever option is comfortable for you both, I’m happy to make happen—whenever you are ready, and only you know what that looks like. That said, I’d love to see you all if you’re up for it. </i></blockquote>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;">Receiving their house keys back can be an emotionally-charged experience for a family, greeting me with their tear-filled eyes, sometimes sobs. It’s not uncommon for me to hear when they see me to blurt out, </span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px; font-style: italic;">Nope, nope, I’m not ready. Please hang on to those keys a little longer. </span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;">And specializing in animal palliative, hospice and end-of-life care support, I understand.</span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px; font-style: italic;"> </span><br />
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 24.84px; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: large; font-style: normal;">Keys are powerful objects in themselves. They convey a sense of trust, of being allowed to have access to very personal spaces. They have an all-too-familiar sound when they’re in your hands. They have a distinct feel; their weight, their shape. Returning them to a family whose pet has died conveys a finality to them that is punctuated in that moment. Another opportunity to lean into the experience grief and mourning. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;">How one feels about this transition is often tied to their overall grief journey. And in keeping with what is known about grief and mourning, it’s important to ensure that the grieving person’s lead is followed. And so I do. </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 24.84px;"></span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, holds a certification in Pet Loss and </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companioning, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and is owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in pet palliative and pet hospice care support. She's also a member of </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member), National End of Life Doula Alliance and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-size: small;">.</span></div>
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Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-21603036842085858782020-01-26T17:25:00.000-05:002020-01-28T15:45:26.039-05:00Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professionals: a viable 'third' option for families to seek support from after a pet's deathOne afternoon many years ago, when I was having a conversation with one of my families after their pet died, I heard a response to something I offered in an effort to be 'helpful'. What I didn’t realize is the exchange helped me to see grief very differently, and it eventually pushed me further along on a unique path that led me where I am now. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I have no interest in listening to other people talk about their experience losing their pet, about their grief…</i></blockquote>
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This resonated with me deeply. At first I thought it was just me because I tend to be exceedingly private about my personal life, and that includes anything regarding the deaths in my midst. Understanding that, in looking back I’m not even sure why I even suggested that a pet loss support group meeting might be helpful to this person. I know now that was widely accepted as just what was available, accessible to those grieving the loss of a pet. I’m better equipped, today.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>People in pet loss support groups… they’re focused on their grief -- as you would expect. How can I go there and have an expectation of being seen, heard, understood in what I’m going through by others if they’re grieving? And I certainly can’t be expected to support them. I don’t want to. I’m too caught up in what’s going on in my own head to do that.</i></blockquote>
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Oh boy. I can remember uttering those words years later in my own grief. Or at least thinking them. And fast forward years later, I know why they came so easily to that person -- and me. My intuition was good back then, and I’m grateful that I followed it, eventually. <br />
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We are generally pretty instinctive about how we need to move through our grief, we just need the right space and environment to do it. It’s when we don’t have that, when we are told the only option we have to have any sliver of a chance in having our grief seen and heard is to share grieving space with others, and in many cases, before we’re ready.<br />
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We all have a different set of tools and skillset in our toolbox to be with our grief, to navigate through it. And of course that’s true -- we’ve unique experiences with death, various types of loss, and grief, well… grief can be a shapeshifter of sorts. It assumes any form that it can take, to be heard, seen, acknowledged in, which for many of those who I’ve served over the years, can be disconcerting. It’s resilient like that, grief. It demands to have a front row seat, to be in your lap. Or at least sit side car.<br />
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Our culture is so grief-resistant, grief-repellent even, that if we see, hear or feel someone that is navigating the death of a loved one (or become aware that it’s happening), and this is especially true with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhfxzY65SmI">disenfranchised grief</a>, like that due to the loss of a pet -- we’ll find any way to push it, and them -- away. And so, until not so long ago, those wading through grief from the loss of a pet felt like they had no choice but to huddle together in groups designed just for them. Or, as I’ve seen in my ongoing training, they might be directed to talk to a mental health professional. Yes, people who are expressing normal grief because they’ve lost an animal companion are being referred to pet loss groups, and if they indicate that they’re not down with participating in a group setting, they are often at best referred to a list of mental health professionals to contact, if they’re not ignored altogether.<br />
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What’s often interpreted by the grieving when that occurs?<br />
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They feel dismissed. They feel like the only place their grief is allowed to come out to breathe is with another group of people who are grieving too. Or they come away feeling like their grief is a pathology. And for those who have the desire to get defensive about making those recommendations to the grieving, please don’t shoot the messenger. This is feedback that I’ve gotten from families over the years. <br />
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And we need to be clear: grief is not a problem, not a pathology. Grief is normal. We all experience it. Yes, even when our pets die. (That said, in less-common cases, like those involving <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-difference-between-complicated-grief-and-normal-grief_b_9439250">complicated grief</a>, the involvement of a mental health professional is beneficial.)<br />
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What seems to be the missing from this conversation? Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professionals.<br />
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As those professionals, my colleagues and I trained in the art of being fully present to those grieving the loss of a pet -- not to assess or fix them, give them a road map, or resolve their grief. Our role is that of a bereavement caregiver, tending to those grieving and doing so without judgement, shame, grief ranking, or a <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stages-of-grief_b_4414077">prescription on how to grieve</a>. We walk with the grieving. We hold space for them. We have earned the right -- earned the trust -- to hear the stories of those we serve. <br />
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The Companioning philosophy, <a href="https://www.centerforloss.com/trainings/#companioning">developed by Dr. Alan Wolfelt</a>, serves the grieving in a way that is antethetical to what can be more commonly seen in our culture -- as those who need to be ‘treated’. As you might have guessed, Companioning started out as a philosophy designed to be helpful to those mourning the loss of a human, and later, was scaled to meet the needs of those navigating pet loss. That doesn’t mean that one is more or less valuable than the other, rather it recognizes that the two experiences can be very different. One of the things that probably comes to mind in how that’s so is that euthanasia is in many cases a part of the landscape in pet loss, and that’s so very true. <br />
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Though we are trained to lead pet loss groups, many Pet Loss and Grief Companion professionals, like myself, find it more useful to offer our expertise by way of one-on-one time. In that format, the grieving person can have as much space as they need and express themselves freely, unencumbered. They are able to have themselves and their grief be heard, seen and acknowledged. We walk with those who have shared life with their pets who are either approaching their end or already have (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticipatory_grief">anticipatory grief </a>is just as gripping as the grief after a loss): yes, some people seek the help of a Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professional as they are navigating their pet’s later years not only when pets receive a life-limiting diagnosis or are wading through the fourth life stage. Those being Companioned also learn how to craft space for themselves, to advocate for themselves when they are faced with everyday situations where they don’t feel as supported as they should at work, home and elsewhere. Because quite honestly, not having interactions with others isn’t always a workable option -- and why should anyone have to wear a brave face constantly because their grief makes other people feel uncomfortable? <br />
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Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professionals bridge the gap that seems to exist when we lack the space to really be seen and heard in our grief by those in our midst, and with what else is available: pet loss groups and mental health professionals. The former isn’t conducive to moving through grief, and for many, the latter two aren’t necessary or useful. The truth is, as is evidenced by my experience in working with individuals in families after their pet’s death, the reason that things can get difficult as we grieve is that there is no healthy, natural atmosphere to give one and their grief the space they need -- or that space is squashed. Companions, whether we’re certified to work in a capacity associated with pet loss or that with the loss of a human, help create that space. And we’re experts on understanding that the real expert on grief, is the one experiencing it. Companioning doesn’t involve<i> there, there </i>attitudes or <i>oh, I feel really bad for you, here… you should do this to feel better.</i> It’s not sympathy, but empathy; it’s <i>...yes, this loss that you’re experiencing? It’s very real and hard and I can’t take it away, but I’m right here with you as you move through it.</i><br />
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Ahh yes, bearing witness. <br />
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Pet Loss and Grief Companioning is about working in our culture at-large to dismantle or at least weaken the notion that the grief over the loss of a pet somehow ranks lower than that of a human, that it belongs squarely in the category of disenfranchised grief, where it often sits now. <br />
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As Companioning professionals, we understand the essential needs of the mourning, and the <a href="http://www.thisispawprint.com/156-lorrie-shaw-professional-pet-sitting-nico-the-cat-14000-years-with-dogs/">importance of ritual</a> in grief and how art, writing and other forms of creativity can be an expressive outlet for adults and children alike. Those whose focus is on pet loss understand how other family pets might be affected by a housemate’s death. <br />
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That said, most Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professionals are in some way tethered professionally or work in the trenches in the veterinary or pet care industries, though not all are. <br />
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After several years as a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, I had witnessed many an instance when one of my charges died, and their families were left with the kind of grief that only another that faced pet loss would recognize. I’d also experienced the loss of a companion animal -- three times in as many years, not to mention the death of my father not long before. What kept resonating through that journey is that grief deserves as much care and tending as new love (one won’t exist without the other, of course), and we don’t tell people to <i>please get over your happiness</i>, so why do that with grief? <br />
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And so, I made the decision after these experiences and others (including training as an end-of-life doula for humans, refining my hard and soft skills in working with pets who are in fragile health or dying and their families) to get more curious about what comes before, during and after a loss. My curiosity has proven to be a valuable asset, because that is essential to the Companioning philosophy. After discovering the Companioning model years ago, I decided to <a href="https://twoheartspetlosscenter.com/pet-loss-grief-companioning-certification/">do the work</a> of studying Pet Loss and Grief Companioning and earning my certificate <a href="https://twoheartspetlosscenter.com/meet-your-team/">under Coleen Ellis</a> -- who herself graduated from Dr. Wolfelt’s grief studies program -- so that I could better serve my families and other individuals navigating through fresh or ripe grief after the loss of their beloved pet. And then I got more curious. I had more questions. And I studied and learned more about loss, grief, and how guilt, shame and judgement so easily swoop in as uninvited guests from outside and in and try to crowd out what’s really important as we mourn: being able to freely express ourselves when we need to in grief and being seen and heard as we do so. And I realized that my work as a Certified Professional Pet Sitter specializing in <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2019/06/pet-patient-and-family-advocates.html">palliative, hospice and end-of-life care support</a> allows me to have a unique perspective on loss and grief with the time I spend in the trenches, seeing what unfolds during these times of life, which is very much profound, intimate and personal for families. <br />
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It goes without saying that it seems logical for those mourning the loss of a pet to seek support in navigating their grief to gravitate toward a pet loss support group. It’s not uncommon for that bereaved person to mention to their pet care provider or veterinary practice staff that they are feeling the effects of a pet’s loss. It’s equally often the case that those professionals refer the person to a pet loss support group or a mental health professional. <br />
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And it’s important for all of them to know that while those are viable options and a fit for some, they are not the only ones. Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professionals are capable and highly-skilled in pet loss bereavement care and offer it using a philosophy that honors the grief journey, without seeing it as something that needs to be ‘treated’; we walk alongside the grieving person. As I say frequently in my work -- in borrowing a quote from Ram Dass -- “...we are all just walking each other home.” <br />
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For more on connecting with a Pet Loss and Grief Companioning professional<a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/enhanced-services">, click here</a>.<br />
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<i><br />
</i> <i>Lorrie Shaw has trained as an end-of life doula and earned a certification in Pet Loss and Grief Companioning in 2017, </i><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">which qualifies her to work in a professional capacity with families coping with the emotional toil with pets in end-of-life, as well as individuals seeking professional Companioning in their journey through pet loss and grief.</span></i><span style="font-family: , sans-serif;"> </span><i>She's a member of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, National End-of Life Alliance and Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. </i><i>She</i><i> can be found at<a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/"> lorrieshaw.com</a>, and tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en">@psa2</a>.</i><br />
<br />Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-50619539486126156702020-01-02T18:28:00.000-05:002020-01-02T18:28:00.809-05:00Easy-to-use product gives dogs with changing mobility and arthritis better grip on slippery surfacesMobility is one of the key changes that my families and I see with dogs, especially large and giant breeds, and it looms especially hard. It’s such an obvious sign that things are changing, and it can affect how a pet functions day-to-day and even interacts in a family unit.<br />
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When I’m doing a consultation with a geriatric pet, how well they ambulate is something I focus on and I’m happy to make suggestions on how that might be made safer and easier. Bare floors can be too slick for them to get traction on whilst making their way through a room, and causing them to slip, fall and even sustain an injury. Non-skid rugs, yoga mats and neatly-trimmed nails are common things that I recommend to aid in boosting traction and guarding against slips and falls, but there are other strategies. <br />
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Booties to protect draggy back paws and give a little more traction that’s lost with diminishing mobility, though those are not a good fit, excuse the pun, for every dog and for various reasons.<br />
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Though many professionals, myself included, suggest something like <a href="https://toegrips.com/">Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips</a>, they are most definitely not suitable for every dog. Getting them on, while a pretty simple process, can be stressful for both dog (and their humans) if said animal has an aversion to their paws being handled due to arthritis or anxiety about the interaction. One of my families noted that they waited until their pet was exhausted to attempt it, which as you can imagine still didn’t go over very well.<br />
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It’s not lost on me that in my area of specialty, I’m having many more physical interactions with pets -- medicating, giving injections, tending to hygiene, re-positioning, assisting with mobility -- and so making every interaction that I have with a companion animal be as free from stress and anxiety all the while doing so safely is foundational. It’s equally vital that my families are using whatever strategies that are as low-stress and safe while effective to tend to their pets: this supports the human-animal bond. Interactions that cause families and pets stress and anxiety often slowly chip away at the human-animal bond with the negative or fearful reactions of pets. As a pet care professional specializing in fourth life-stage support, its clear to me that bond is the single most important thread in the equation.<br />
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I’m happy to offer up one easy strategy to families to offer pets sure footing, and it involves minimal physical handling, so it’s good for even the most touch-averse dog.<br />
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<a href="https://biogroom.com/dog-products/finishers/show-foot/">Bio-Groom’s Show Foot</a> -- easily available through online retailers -- is a product that handlers have used in the ring to give their show dogs better traction on slippery floors, and it’s one that some of my families have found helpful. Whether you’re at home or at the vet clinic, this convenient product can be quickly sprayed on the pads of the paws to instantly give dogs the extra grip they need to navigate confidently. The staying power of the product varies, but its ease of use and effectiveness are a boon in bridging the gap that families find themselves facing with one of the most troublesome and common problems with their aging dogs.<br />
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<i>Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companion, and owner </i><br />
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<i>of Professional Pet Sitting, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of Doggone Safe (where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, Pet Sitters International, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at lorrieshaw.com. She tweets at @psa2.</i>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-73007177515820250172019-11-16T16:57:00.000-05:002019-11-16T20:41:11.950-05:00Tone-deafness in pet loss and grief may contribute to animal homelessness, negative outcomes for pet care and veterinary businesses<br />
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A good friend sent me a message a few days ago, it’s tone abrupt and the latter three words laced with a staccato that was easily palpable, even in a text. <br />
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“I got this in the mail for the third straight month…”<br />
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The accompanying photo showed what at any other time could be seen as innocuous, even helpful, but today and during the past year, gutting. <br />
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Not the first time since the sudden death of the dog last December, the local veterinary office handling vaccinations and such for the pet has sent periodic reminders just like the one pictured to his family for preventative care.<br />
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It seems important to mention that the dog died suddenly while being boarded <br />
at their facility while my friend and I were traveling out of state. And that the after care for said pet, including my own clear requests to have a clay paw print impression be made and a lock or two of fur be clipped and carefully set aside for my friend prior to transport for cremation were met with “the crematory will handle that” and never were honored. And then, upon my friend arriving to take custody of their pet’s ashes, there were even more missteps on the vet practice’s part.<br />
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A message from a family-of-record asking if I would consent to being a reference for them after they decided they were ready to take the plunge and be considered to adopt a new-to-them dog from a rescue organization was met with the kind of joy those of us who are in the fold as Certified Professional Pet Sitters and Pet Loss and Grief Companions are super-charged by. In the months leading up to this ask, the family had lost both of their dogs unexpectedly to cancer. But after taking a little time to navigate through their grief and eventually feeling ready, they started browsing Petfinder. It wasn’t long before they saw a dog they felt would be a great fit for them and then submitted the necessary paperwork with the rescue organization—which included information on verifying their having a history with a veterinarian—they waited. And waited. It wasn’t until a short time later when the family checked in on their application, it was discovered that they’d been denied because their current dogs hadn’t had veterinary care in awhile. <br />
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Can you imagine the awkwardness that swooped in when the rescue’s representative heard my client say, ‘That’s because they’re both dead’? (Thankfully, this family wasn’t daunted, but they did relay the exchange to me so it had made an impression.)<br />
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Simple missteps, mistakes, you might think. <br />
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But from the vantage point of a family who’s suffered the loss of a pet—especially traumatically so—or that of a pet care professional who is also an end-of-life doula, these are cases of an egregious lack of common sense and I’ll come out and say it: tone-deafness. <br />
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It goes without saying that those who are connected to animal rescues can be more easily forgiven for this seemingly easy detail to pick up on because many of them are volunteers and may not have that much exposure to the dynamics of pet loss with families. However, with veterinary practices, it seems logical that more mindfulness and tact when it comes to the deaths with their clients-of-record’s beloved pet would be par for the course. <br />
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The problem is, sometimes, it’s not. Veterinary practices don’t always have the training, skills, protocols in place, not to mention the time to have more thoughtful interactions with families when a pet dies. Protocols like each staff member being educated on how to handle phone calls about inquiries from a family worried about their pet’s quality-of-life or regarding euthanasia and ditto for questions about end-of-life care; on how to handle after care for a pet including paw print impressions and cremation, if that’s in the family’s wishes and as importantly, how and when the family will get their beloved pet’s ashes. Protocols to immediately denote the pet’s death on their file so that the family isn’t getting notifications via mail or electronically for wellness care or otherwise. <br />
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Not having these protocols, dropping the proverbial ball only highlights what is known about why 20% of families surveyed don’t return to their vet practice of origin after after a pet’s death. My friend certainly made it clear that was how they feel, and it’s hard to blame them. <br />
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Poor experiences like the ones illustrated demonstrate the apprehension and frustration that families feel about the tone-deafness by after a pet’s death and because of the depth of their emotion, and as a pet loss professional, I can confidently say that few are willing to articulate it to those on the other side of the equation. In fact, they take those hits in silence, tuck them into private, dark place and for many, they inform their choices about the way they might approach a pet’s care when it’s most needed in the future. Rather than leaning in to the experience and partnering with veterinary care professionals when those chips are down, a pet owner might decide to wing it and make less-than-ideal decisions for their pets. Because to them, those previous negative experiences with a pet’s life-limiting illness or age-related decline, end-of-life, euthanasia, death, aftercare and how they themselves were tended to after are far more scary to them than that unknown road of going it alone with a pet who needs exceed their capabilities.<br />
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As a pet care professional specializing in palliative and hospice care, I assure you that’s not what anyone wants. <br />
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And as for animal rescue organizations, it’s just as important for those handling applications and interviews to use a little intuition and thoughtful communication when sorting out the details offered. <br />
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The above statistic, <a href="https://www.compassionunderstood.com/vets">reported by Compassion Understood</a>, doesn’t reflect the percentages of families whose experience may affect their willingness to welcome a new pet at all in the future. Though, I can confidently say that I’ve heard families mention that in order to avoid having to go through what they had before, they’d go as far as to resort to that. And again, this is understandable, but not something that anyone wants to see happen, either. <br />
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How can we in the pet care industry and those in the veterinary and animal rescue communities help families avoid these feelings?<br />
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<b>Shift the focus, get the education and expand the horizons</b><br />
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I see many veterinary practices, animal rescue organizations and pet care professionals home in on reducing pet homelessness, and though I understand that putting so much of their attention on getting animals currently without homes into a forever, stable arrangement is important, it’s hard to ignore that can be somewhat short-sighted. As a professional who has a specialty in the fourth-life stage (palliative, hospice and end of life care), I’m all-too-aware that walking with families through this important time of life is more powerful than one might think when it comes to reducing pet homelessness.<br />
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Though not everyone’s role is or can be in hands-on care during the fourth-life stage, having the soft skills that are so desperately needed to lend a sense of sensitivity, thoughtfulness and understanding where a family is (or has been, essentially, ‘meeting them where they are’) can be a boon. All of us can join and support organizations whose missions are geared toward facilitating as whole and peaceful a transition for pets and families alike through the fourth life stage. We can gain education (<a href="https://www.compassionunderstood.us.com/vets">some even have transferrable CEU’s</a> for specific professionals) about communication, best practices, standards-of-care and the all-important self care strategies in this area. <br />
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Regardless of our role in these fields,<a href="https://www.iaahpc.org/"> the access to the best information, education</a> and skills are accessible. <br />
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It would be foolish to not acknowledge the matter of hard it is to hurdle one’s own fears, biases and viewpoints of all that encompasses the fourth-life stage and death. In having this common obstacle in front of us, it’s difficult to see, hear and acknowledge those who have death, dying and loss -- or the remnants of it -- squarely in their lap, no matter our capacity. <br />
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With a lack of soft skills, the standards-of-care, the sensitivity, the time needed to give these situations, sliding into the tone-deafness of the trauma of losing a pet is much more easy. And that tone-deafness comes at a cost to veterinary practices, the pet care industry and animal rescue organizations. And so, if we want to help make a bigger dent in keeping families from losing trust in the ways that we say that we want to be helpful to them, and yes, in ending pet overpopulation and homelessness, we need to acknowledge the broadened scope of what is contributing to it and fix it.<br />
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<i>Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companion, and owner of Professional Pet Sitting, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of Doggone Safe (where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, Pet Sitters International, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="http://lorrieshaw.com/">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at <a href="http://twitter.com/psa2">@psa2.</a></i>Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-73379356485035587712019-07-09T14:47:00.003-04:002019-07-09T14:47:42.788-04:00Safe canine enrichment for every dog—even those who routinely destroy their toys <div style="font-family: helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Canine enrichment is a topic that comes up often with families and professionals in animal behavior, dog training and pet care. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kongs and related toys are an oft-recommended option to provide a fun and stimulating outlet for dogs in a variety of scenarios. But in some cases, there’s a valid concern: dogs who can’t be trusted with these items for fear of choking hazard or foreign body in the GI tract. The good news is, a simple idea gleaned from the Science of Animal Behavior Conference 2019 means that these dogs need not miss out on the enrichment and fun that other dogs enjoy. And a side benefit for shelters, rescues, foster situations and even boarding facilities means that sanitation isn’t a worry. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: normal;">The vlog below fleshes out the details on this idea that has already made for some very happy dogs in my care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companion, </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span>.Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-14563761443347250752019-06-19T21:53:00.002-04:002019-06-19T21:53:39.765-04:00Strategies for helping pets navigate storm and fireworks season are not one-size fits allEach year at this time, just as many other people here in Michigan, I delight in the arrival of the extended daylight hours; the warmer weather; not worrying about ice-covered roads; outdoor gatherings. Fireworks isn’t included on that list, and though I can appreciate other’s enthusiasm for them, they are the bane of those who share life with pets. The noise is the chief offender when it comes to frightening pets, but I've no doubt that if the light and smell resulting from them are within a detectable distance of a pet, they’re contributors, too. It’s understandable; the loud pops and bangs are confusing and occur without any sense of place. Though it need not be a precursor, for a pet that already has some level of anxiety or fearfulness, the things that make fireworks enjoyable to humans only feed the behaviors that signal to us that our pet is having even more trouble coping.<br />
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Merry-making isn't the only culprit giving pet frayed nerves this time of year: thunderstorms are just as responsible.<br />
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Over the years, I’ve had more companion animals in my care that find themselves in this situation than I care to count. My own dogs were included in that group. I’ve learned a few things in that time, and thankfully<a href="https://www.facebook.com/(null)?metadata=rIn8tyq1M0SfLhgpivTdQyOWXzKIIGeQ7c4jEIKp3oPg8uC6F2FWmTLIz8JgzMdsYhwczr+eY2fGbG7gCAjGo2KV1rIdUnAB&sfns=mo">, there are more strategies and tools</a> to help stave off the anxiety and fear associated with the nightly light and noise shows—and to assuage it if it’s already a problem. The key, as is the case with so many things, is to anticipate and plan ahead.<br />
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The approaches of<a href="http://www.annarbor.com/pets/storm-treats-help-for-dogs-scared-by-storms-thunder-and-lightning/"> using games</a> to help dogs make a more positive association, T-Touch and Thundershirts is something that <a href="http://www.annarbor.com/pets/storm-treats-help-for-dogs-scared-by-storms-thunder-and-lightning/">I’ve written about in the past</a>, but there’s still more that families can do to keep the peace during these particularly taxing periods of time. Whether you've a young pet or an old friend in hospice or end-of-life—the latter posing its own set of emotional challenges—there's some flexibility in choices. <br />
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Having attended the <a href="https://www.scienceofanimalbehaviorconference.com/?fbclid=IwAR0Fd0FPD9jTSeZNElun4rRrkLFMIaSEx2-7F7NSV7a4Gn911lgXqQ6dYe4">Science of Animal Behavior Conference</a> in June, it was not lost on me that the behavioral challenges that result from anxiety and stress in pets was at the top of the heap of topics. Out of the nine lectures that I attended, the majority of them were centered around anxiety and stress in cats and dogs, and science-backed ways to help them be more resilient in the face of it, or at the least feel more comfortable, safe and calm. A few things that veterinary behaviorists and other credentialed animal behavior professionals proposed during the event are covered below.<br />
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<b>Pheromone analogs aim to appease</b><br />
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A staple in my day-to-day work, pheromone products work to promote a sense of calm and well-being in dogs and cats, and can be found at vet clinics, better pet stores or online. What are pheromones and how do they work? Pheromones are natural chemicals produced by mammals, and different types serve various functions depending on where they are secreted, but in this case, we're focusing on the ones that aim to appease, happy make, feel good. A synthetic form of the real thing, <a href="https://www.adaptil.com/us/#redirected">Adaptil</a> for dogs (the collar is preferable), and <a href="https://www.feliway.com/us/#redirected">Feliway</a> for cats are available in a plug-in diffuser.<br />
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<b>Herbal and nutraceutical approaches</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/">Rescue Remedy</a> - What’s in this tiny bottle does so much. Long sought after to alleviate anxiety in humans, there’s a formula for pets, too. Available at better pet and health food stores, no vet prescription needed.<br />
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<a href="https://www.vetriproline.com/composure-pro/">ComposurePro</a> chews – Available from veterinarians, these tasty gems are readily accepted by both dogs and cats. Bovine colostrum- and vitamin-based, this product promotes stress reduction and a sense of calm. <br />
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<a href="https://www.drugs.com/vet/nutricalm-for-dogs.html">NutriCalm</a> – A combination of amino acids and herbs, this product is available in capsule form for medium to large-sized dogs, and a liquid form for cats and smaller dogs. As with the aforementioned products and as the name suggests, it can be a help to promote a sense of chill. <br />
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<a href="https://www.vetoquinolusa.com/content/zylkene">Zylkene</a> – This nutraceutical is something I'm really excited about. While attending a <a href="https://fearfreepets.com/">Fear Free</a> workshop in Arizona, I spent some time learning about this product by the Vetoquinol company. What makes it unique? It's formulated with bovine-sourced hydrolyzed milk protein, and is good to implement before potentially stressful situations not limited to fireworks and storm season. Events like a move, bringing a new baby home, a visit to the groomer or vet and even preparing for the transition to an adoptive home are appropriate. Zylkene is purported to allow pets to be more receptive to behavior modification training as well. <br />
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<a href="https://www.solliquin.com/">Solloquin</a> – Formulated with an amino acid as well as plant-based ingredients and others., this product from Nutramax Labratories boasts its ability to help dogs and cats get in their chill zone. Additionally, Solloquin is indicated to help address inappropriate elimination in cats, and would be a great addition to help make introductions between established family cats and new-kid-on-the-block kitties go more smoothly. <br />
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Though these products are not pharmaceuticals, and don't cause sedation per se, they still need to be used with care. Despite the fact that you'll likely be able to find them available for purchase online, there's no guarantee of their authenticity through that avenue. The good news is that you can get them through your veterinarian, which is where you can figure out which product or combination thereof is right for your furry friend. Your clinician can help you sort out any possible contraindications with existing herbal supplements, prescription medication and diagnosed medical conditions.<br />
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<b>Scents and Sensability</b><br />
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One study indicates that essential oils -- four of them, to be specific -- may elicit a sense of calm in dogs. According to one <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159118300297">study</a>, The behavioral effects of olfactory stimulation on dogs at a rescue shelter, the essential oils containing coconut, ginger, ginseng and valerian seemed to promote better rest and less vocalization and barking in dogs. Knowing what I do about the power of smell and pets,<a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2018/09/aromatherapy-essential-oils-and-pets.html"> I don't think essential oils</a> are a great choice for every pet. It seems mindful to go with a trial to see how your dog responds to smelling a couple of drops applied to a bandana when they're at their best, and go from there.<br />
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<b>Going further</b><br />
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One thing that was discussed frequently at SABC was the importance of how effective medication can be in addressing noise phobia. Anti-anxiety medication can be prescribed by your pet's veterinarian. Eileen Anderson summed up the topic (with Dr. Lynn Honeckman weighing in)<a href="https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2019/06/18/if-your-dog-is-afraid-of-fireworks-see-your-vet-now/?fbclid=IwAR1RlKWvvP1Sd0fN-WYduxhF-pA7Fj1yrvbA_7dgQzhznu8lxyTOOmyDGIU"> with a post </a>that's worth reading.<br />
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Having a discussion about <a href="https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/sileo/">Sileo</a>, a new prescription option on the market, is a good idea if your pet is having trouble. Designed to home in on one pressing issue associated with fireworks, noise aversion, Sileo is administered transmucosally. This drug is not indicated for every dog, but that's something your veterinarian can help you decide.<br />
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<b>Queue up the tunes</b><br />
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Music is an area of great interest in recent years, and while classical has been touted as the gold standard for soothing anxiety and offering an audible buffer to offending noise in dogs and cats, one study suggests that our canine friends respond favorably to reggae as well. After coming home from SABC, I ended up down a few rabbit holes of additional reading since noise phobia -- something that is of great interest to me since I see it frequently in my work -- was one of the topics covered at the event. One of the theories that experts in veterinary behavior have is that music that's heavy on bass and rhythm, like hard rock music, is effective. (Reggae certainly fits that criteria.)<br />
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Sally J. Foote, DVM, who specializes in animal behavior, noted that for her dog<a href="https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/storm-sangria-a-calming-cocktail-for-your-storm-fearful-dog/">, playing belly dancing music has been helpful</a>. This intrigued me because the rhythm, deep bass and instrumentation associated with this type of music seems the most sensible choice in blending out noise from thunder and fireworks. I've been experimenting with it with my charges, and it definitely seems worth pursuing. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/ppsa2mi/playlist/0NBotPZPGaRtH9MLYWVyZJ">I created a playlist on Spotify</a> that everyone can access and use.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companion, </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span>.<br />
<br />Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-1843135807776154462019-06-07T17:07:00.001-04:002019-06-07T17:12:54.171-04:00(Pet) patient and family advocates throughout a pet's life are necessarySeeing a family-of-record’s phone number light up my phone late at night or in the early morning hours is not at all unusual. When it happens, I take notice: I know it’s serious. It usually means that there’s been a crisis of some sort, and that may be a family situation that they need to head out of town in a hurry for but more commonly, it’s regarding their pet. A frantic, tired voice on the other end begins with an apology that’s never needed and a rundown of what has unfolded at the emergency veterinary hospital followed by:<br />
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<i><br />I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed by all of this information and I don’t know if I really understand what’s happening. Calling you seemed like the natural thing to do. You always know how to sort out all of this stuff. Have you heard of this diagnosis before?</i></blockquote>
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It’s also not uncommon for me to get a nervous email from a family when they’ve made an appointment with their primary vet because they notice changes in their pet, for example appetite, weight, willingness to engage in their typical activities. <br />
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<i>What should I expect going in? What will the vet suggest in the way of tests, etc? </i></blockquote>
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Whether it’s an emergency or things are changing and a family is facing even the gentlest of shifts in their pet’s health status, there is no lonelier place than the opposite end of that veterinary exam table and never does it seem more cold. One thing that I’ve learned in working with families that are in the midst of either scenario with a pet, or are experiencing anticipatory or fresh loss is that yes, the ability to hear what is said is there, but the ability to comprehend it naturally avails itself in short supply. And being slammed with the worst of news, the need to make decisions and wondering if you can trust the information you’ve been given to make them is hard. (What we know is that when a pet owner is reluctant to move forward with a treatment plan, it’s usually based on lacking two primary things: facts and trust.) Plus, many people are already weary of making decisions in general. And add stress to the mix, it becomes more difficult. I’ve learned in my experience and in my never-ending training that these families need tremendous amounts of support; the direction to know what questions to ask; the wherewithal to say, <i>‘I’m not sure that this treatment plan is going to be manageable because of XYZ. Do you have other options?</i>’ <br />
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This is what veterinary staff members need in order to do their jobs better. A bridge for the gap.<br />
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In any case, I’m always happy to take the time to help sort everything out, give the family talking points to consider in their conversations with the vet and staff, translate what the vet and staff have relayed (and yes, sometimes as importantly, decipher what the family is having a hard time conveying to the vet staff) and support the family as they make decisions about next steps. In many cases, having a fresh, neutral eye and mind on things helps the family feel more empowered about moving forward. <br />
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Dr. Jessica Vogelsang<a href="https://pawcurious.com/2014/06/do-we-need-pet-care-advocates/"> wrote about an experience that she had</a> during a serious health crisis with her pet, in which she detailed how even a veterinarian-as-pet-parent can use some neutral, knowledgeable support during times like that. She notes that in human medicine, designated patient advocates exist to help bridge the communication gap that can often exist between the health care provider and the patient. She posited that veterinary medicine might benefit from the same kind of thing. <br />
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This resonated with me heartily. <br />
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It’s obviously something that I’ve seen exemplified in my experience as a pet care professional. Acting as an advocate for families of record when they've needed it has come so naturally. And in my interactions with their veterinarians,<a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2018/09/self-advocacy-is-just-one-strategy-to.html"> it’s been noted that doing so helps </a>get and keep their treatment plans on track.<br />
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I also began to notice something years ago: with pets living longer, they and their families need additional support navigating those senior and geriatric years, a demographic that I most enjoy working with. I realized that they of course were the ones who were requiring more tending, intervention and interaction with veterinarians, both in primary practice and in specialty. So, I decided to use my existing years of expertise -- including certifications in Pet First Aid (the certificate that I hold goes far beyond the basics) and CPR, Infectious Disease Management and the namesake of my industry -- and build on it to help families. I completed training as an End-of-Life Doula. I earned a certification as a Pet Loss and Grief Companion. I’ve applied my existing skillset and added to it with regard to animal hospice, palliative care and end-of-life, a field that I truly love more than even geriatrics. <br />
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So now, my heart is in tending to families with pets needing palliative and hospice care, no matter their age, and I’m happy to serve as an advocate for them and for other families-of-record and otherwise when the call arises. But yes, sturdy, knowledgeable, fearless advocates who understand what goes on in veterinary circles, who work in the deep trenches of pet care and possess enhanced training in all things associated with these fields such as hospice care, palliative care, end-of-life care and grief and loss is so very needed. It’s because pets are living longer, better, but that’s not by osmosis: it’s because of veterinary care that has improved not only from a medical standpoint, but from a practical one -- it’s (ideally) <a href="http://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/01/despite-advances-in-veterinary-care.html">asked throughout the journey, ‘...what will this pet allow, not allow?</a>’. It’s because families know better and want better. It’s all coming full-circle. We professionals understand that pets hold a profound place in the family, even after they’re gone, and we honor that. These relationships are rich, colorful and meaningful. We serve them in many capacities. Yes, there is such a thing as an animal End-of-Life Doula.<br />
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What Dr. Vogelsang noted about advocacy for families and pets is absolutely correct. But it only clips the tip of the iceberg. <br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companion, </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span>.Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-11207928393288497472019-06-01T16:41:00.001-04:002019-06-01T16:51:03.372-04:00Monday is the most difficult day of the week for pets who are in fragile health or hospice For a pet who has a life-limiting diagnosis, or is in fragile health due to chronic illness or age-related decline, I find that the trend is that Mondays and Tuesdays to be the roughest days of the week.<br />
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With families hanging around the house and including their four-legged loves in their free time on Saturdays and Sundays, pet’s schedules are knocked off course. Medication doses may given off-schedule. Ever-crucial nap and rest schedules are disrupted. Increased activity and excitement affects overall ability to manage and old pastimes, like car rides, can result in a queasy pup.<br />
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In conversations with families over the years, I’ve learned a lot -- especially to pay attention to patterns that are unfolding.<br />
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One dog owner noted that by Monday mornings, their sweet, old dog was exhausted and irritable but would fully rebound by Wednesday when I saw her. <i>“It’s pretty busy here on weekends, it’s no wonder she’s tired…”</i><br />
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And a more common scenario unfolds as a pet segues into a stage of more delicate health. Upon three weeks in a row of being withdrawn, drooly and unwilling to eat on Mondays and Tuesdays, I wondered with one geriatric dog in renal failure in my care middays, five days a week, ‘What happens on the weekends to make this dog feel so terrible right after?’. I chatted with the owner about their weekend schedule. She enthusiastically offered, <i>“We go visit my parents on both days -- she loves car rides!”</i> This, as I learned, was coupled with not getting pain and GI meds on time, and a feeding schedule that was not as regular. Stomach upset followed closely behind, not to mention the physical and mental effects of the pain that was under-managed and allowed to ramp up. By Tuesday/Wednesday, she was finally getting back on track with some doing, only to have trouble brewing again by weekend.<br />
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These examples of how seemingly minor changes in the routine have made the following recommendations to my families standard, no matter the day of the week:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Keep your<a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2018/02/optimal-rest-and-sleep-is-simple-way-to.html"> pet’s quiet/alone time schedule intact</a> -- and don’t feel badly about not including your pet in everything. Just go, <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-bucket-list-for-pets-re-imagined.html">they’ve a lot less FOMO </a>at this stage of life and they need adequate rest.</li>
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<li>Keep your pet’s feeding and medication regimens as close to what they are on weekdays as possible.</li>
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<li>Consider how well your pet really handles car rides. Then think about forgoing them altogether, at least those that are too lengthy. And talk to your veterinarian to see if anti-nausea meds might be helpful if your pet’s FOMO <a href="https://lorrieshaw.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-bucket-list-for-pets-re-imagined.html">gets to be too much for them</a>.</li>
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It’s those little things that matter in this time of life. They <i>increase</i> the likelihood that a pet in fragile health is able to manage themselves optimally and thus, feel their best more consistently. They also <i>decrease</i> the time and effort that is spent trying to get the pet back on track, as well as the need for palliative/hospice/comfort care regimen tweaks made by the veterinarian. So, as you head into this weekend -- or whenever your time off from work is -- do so with care.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief Companion, </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a>, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span>.<br />
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<br />Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096468362380687601.post-80185676962152685282019-05-23T15:37:00.000-04:002019-05-23T16:02:47.662-04:00Pets often act as a tether to deceased loved ones Many years ago, when I was far-less experienced with pets and my current area of specialty, I was sitting in the waiting area of my vet at the time with my girl, Gretchen, who was in to be seen for something seemingly minor -- allergies, as I recall. And despite my anxiety that it might not be so easy to address (it wasn’t, but I digress), it became clear to me that other families in the room just might be dealing with something far more difficult. <br />
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A woman, who in my youth seemed old to me -- maybe in her seventies -- was nervously comforting a black Lab, whose muzzle appeared to be unable to get any more grey. Arthritic, clearly blind and very hard of hearing, the dog seemed to comprehend the words or at least the sentiment that her now main human spoke to her in a voice and cadence that I’ve heard a thousand times since with my families and would sputter out in my own, just thirteen or so years later.<br />
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<i>It’s going to okay, sweetie, I’m here. No need to be scared. The doctor will take good care of you. Your dad always made sure that you got an ice cream cone on your way home from the vet. Remember how he let you ride in the front seat -- shotgun? You always loved that…</i><br />
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The woman glanced at me at she spoke, wearing an expression as if she’d been caught in a lie. It became clear that she was just doing what she could to get through that very difficult day that reminded her of a previous one, after an even more difficult decision. As she looked at me once again, more words whispering out, almost asking for understanding, support, no judgement.<br />
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<i>She was my husband’s dog. He loved her so much, and she him. He died two years ago and I promised him I’d take good care of her. And I have… I think. Her bones are so old, and she just can’t manage anymore. I feel like if I talk about the ice cream and the car ride home, she’ll understand that he’ll be waiting for her, and that this is the last thing I can do for her -- for him -- yes, for him.</i><br />
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I’ve never forgotten that moment. Or countless others that have illustrated examples of how pets often connect their caregivers to deceased loved ones -- family, friends -- even times of their life that have been meaningful to them.<br />
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Like the brief, almost arm-grabbing words from a caring spouse as they nervously usher me into the house to meet the family dog who was experiencing life-limiting age-related decline -- and their husband, who is trying to maintain a tether to his deceased parent. <br />
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<i>I don’t know if he told you… his mother died from cancer three years ago; he inherited her dog. </i><br />
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And the mother of a young professional who learned he'd die far too young from a terminal diagnosis, and loved his dog so. <br />
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<i>Mama, you have to take care of her. Who else will do as good a job of being a caregiver as you've taught me? </i><br />
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(And she has, above and beyond, even after the dog developed paralysis just 2 years after taking custody of them.)<br />
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And years ago, the retiree who relocated to Michigan and needed a pet sitter now and then. <br />
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<i>I inherited Hattie from my best friend after she went under the care of hospice, in Arizona. After she died, I realized Hattie was all I had left of her, besides memories. Now, Hattie participates in all of the girl talk, the fun outings... she's the Thelma in our Thelma and Louise. And she hates the snow, by the way, just like my friend.</i><br />
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I learned early on in my chosen profession that people are motivated to tend to other living things for reasons far more profound than we can ever imagine. I’ve discovered that the stories of people that I’ll never meet are more resonant and alive in their pets, and that bridges a gap between this existence and one that we can’t fathom. I understand more than ever that a pet isn't just a pet: they are much more. <br />
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The life choices of these humans are often governed by the pets that they've taken as their own after their loved one dies. They'll often go to the ends of the earth to see that the pet is tended to. That tether to that person can often easily act as a guide, or a double-edged sword when it comes to seeking the kind of care that a pet needs when they are seriously ill, or when things change due to life-limiting age-related decline or diagnosis. Some folks run toward the prospect, no matter how scary, even hurdling their own fearful relationship about death and dying in the process. Others, well, I've seen giant blinders come up like force fields of denial -- the ones that only those of us who work intimately with families of pets experiencing a certain level of fragile health would recognize a mile away, as invisible as those mental barriers may seem.<br />
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<i>No, this can't be happening. Not right now. He's always okay. Always. He's all I've got left of [insert person's name here]. He'll pull out of this with no problem. </i><i>The vet is smart, right? I don't understand -- why can't they see that it's just a little bug that he's got? Can't they just prescribe something? You know what this dog means to me, right???</i></blockquote>
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And no matter the situation, good or not so, without judgement, shaming, guilting, second-guessing, I walk alongside with these humans and their pet -- or pets, in some cases -- as they navigate familiar or novel territory with the knowledge that there is an unseen but very-there presence accompanying us. I honor what the pet represents in the person's or family's life. And I tread mindfully, as always.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s1600/IMG_8705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXrhdeRbHhU3vVnF_-xfIwITIE8-oxH_i3Do7M1epL56DVVRf6HUjXq7lcepuQcCgoxBC6GrAlrqR9WBuMIe47hNz62Ze9i58fd6VWdgIOzQs4WAnyxj2uirTcUrchPg-WiZVKp6JyvQ/s200/IMG_8705.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorrie Shaw holds a certificate in Pet Loss and Grief Companioning and is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">and owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ppslorrie/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Professional Pet Sitting</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Sys/PublicProfile/41857037/3831992" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Doggone Safe</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">(where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, <a href="https://www.petsit.com/pet-sitter-gregory-mi-professional-pet-sitting" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Pet Sitters International</a> and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at <a href="https://www.lorrieshaw.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">lorrieshaw.com</a>. She tweets at</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/psa2?lang=en" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@psa2</a></span>.Lorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983948234155462088noreply@blogger.com0