Animals Unfolded

The most important asset that I’ve been able to hone in my practice is that I’m deep in the trenches with providing hands-on care to pets with very special needs. That regular exposure as I tend to pets, no matter if they’re recovering from illness or injury, or senior, geriatric—even moving through their final months or days—it gives me a perspective that’s nuanced, rich and humbling.  Working in the area of animal hospice, I feel like it’s really easy to tell a pet guardian, ‘Oh, use this product’ or ‘ This is why XYZ is going to be beneficial ’. Basically, ‘I’m an authority, and you should do this’. The truth is that there isn’t anything that I recommend or dissuade a pet guardian from doing, a product that I don’t think would be useful in their case because I’m often doing it myself. I’m never too far removed from the caregiving experience of the families I’m connected to. One of the topics that comes up has to do with hygiene care. It’s more important during these life event...

Years ago, I had a consultation with a family that included two 14-year old Labradors. As I reviewed their records and care regimen, I was absolutely thrilled to learn that both dog's osteoarthritis pain is being well-managed by maintaining a healthy weight, mindful activity and prescription medication. No matter how the topic of osteoarthritis comes up with a family, as it does often in my work, I find that it's not uncommon that there isn't enough discussion between them and their veterinarian about it, and the discomfort and pain that results. That happens for lots of reasons, but once the conversation is opened up, pet guardians often find that they feel a huge sense of relief as opposed to doom and gloom. There's a lot that can be done both from a medical and non-medical perspective , including things you can implement right now.  The misinformation about management and treatment options  clearly pulls ahead in most conversations — something else that I regularly...

After many years of hands-on work in animal hospice and palliative care, keeping pets comfortable who are in their final years-to-days is my jam. I’ve had the good fortune of discovering and learning many things along the way and helping families near or far .  But I’m going to show you that you have the ability to provide an enhanced level of comfort for your own pet right now.   Pets who are feeling unwell—especially those who are experiencing pain or nausea—really have a tough time. This includes those with liver disease, or late-stage cancer, and especially those with airway issues like Geriatric Onset Laryngeal Paralysis & Polyneuropathy (GOLPP) and primary or secondary lung masses. They experience trouble staying cool or more accurately, feeling cool . And in pets with airway issues, they can’t breathe and pant as efficiently and that can contribute to them working even harder to breathe, and as importantly, anxiety. This isn’t good for any patient, nor their car...

Seeing 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: 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? 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, willingne...

Enrichment is super-important for companion animals, so as a pet care professional, I'm always on the lookout for ways to incorporate it during my visits. I'll make suggestions to my families, sure, and they often follow through with setting up their pets nicely. That doesn't stop me from using my intuition when I need to when stepping up my game is required: usually by day 4-5 in my care, dogs need a little extra help in keeping their minds and bodies busy, while for cats, they can always use some brain work .  Today, I'm going to focus on dogs if that's okay.  I hear the old adage, '...a tired dog is a good dog', but I'll admit it makes me cringe at times. It seems as though the focus is so honed in on the physical aspects of what a dog needs, that the mental and emotional part of their being goes ignored . Sure, activity is essential—appropriate for a dog's age and ability, of course—but is there a mental component to it that suits them...

Ask most people what they could use more of and they'll say, 'sleep'.  Oh yes, we value it so much and know that we need it to be our best selves. So why is it that so many of us strut around like its a badge of honor to exclaim how little sleep we've had and how productive we are [or think we are]? It's understandable, really, given the current societal climate: if you're not busy most of your waking hours and intrude on those hours when you can rest optimally, you're a loser. That, coupled with a world that's perpetually 'open for business', it's hard to honor our inherent need for sleep, and not just some shut eye, I'm talking about restful, valuable sleep. The truth is, we humans aren't the only ones that need sleep; animals are dependent on it. A new series, " The Secret World of Animal Sleep " on the Smithsonian Earth website, details those parts of the lives of the animal world.  As a companion animal death do...

That flush of emotion -- one that can encompass anything from sadness, a void, a breathlessness even confusingly accompanied by a catch of vibrant joy after recalling a fond memory -- is sometimes familiar, at other times, surprisingly less so, equally gripping and can hit any time. It’s that emotion that comes with the grief after the loss of a loved one. Loss that is recent, anticipated or is one that has had a chance to cure a bit with time or tending. The accompanying grief that inextricably links us as part of the human experience can just as easily isolate those that it’s touching if it doesn’t really register on the radar of loved ones, friends, those that we work alongside, the world-at-large. The interesting thing about loss and grief is that neither seek approval from anyone. The pair swoop in without being summoned, and we’ve no choice but to go along with them when they arrive. There’s really no point in which grief from loss -- especially loss sprouted from death, loss...