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Your vet has told you
that your pet has a disease - a
disease
that may debilitate him or end his life unless extreme measures are
taken. What do you do?
For some of us, there's no
question and no
hesitation. We know that we are going to do whatever we can to help our
pet survive. For others there are considerations. For example,
financial
constraints may make extensive and expensive veterinary care difficult
or
impossible. And
then the big question comes to the forefront: What is a dog's life
worth?
What is a cat's life worth?
You
are very lucky indeed if you have friends and family who support your
efforts to help your dog or cat fight a serious disease. Most
caretakers say
that their quest is criticized or ridiculed by those around them. No
moral or emotional support comes from the people who have provided
support and compassions in other situations.
Desperately trying
to
find their way through medical explanations, diagnoses and prognoses,
people who intend to fight a serious illness like cancer with their
pets often feel alone and unsupported. Yet they refuse to give up the
fight; they cannot let cancer take their beloved pet from them without
a fight.
If your friends and
family are unsupportive,
you can defend your decision to help your pet
survive (until you're blue in the face) or you can find
support elsewhere - support that will serve you
better in your battle to save your pet's life.
Seek
Help: Join a Support Group
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Your veterinarian may be able
to connect
you with another client who is helping their dog fight cancer. I
haven't found any physical support groups for this purpose but there
are many online. In these groups, members share medical information and
talk of diet and supplements. They help each other with information
that they have gathered from research or from personal experience. This
type of support can be given only by someone who is going through
the same ordeal. The emotional support given in these groups is
essential.
To join a group, click on Support
Groups here or on the menu bar
to the left. If you are shy, join a group and simply read the messages
that members post before writing an introduction about you and your
pet.
What
is a pet's life
worth? Only you know what your pet's
life
is worth to you.
The
bookstores are flooded with books about pets. There are thousands of
how-to books about pet care and entertaining and/or educational stories
about pets in the fiction and non-fiction bookcases. Some writers pay
obvious respect to the human-animal bond and help readers to find the
best ways to give their pets the best care possible. Bravo!
Others state pets
should not be treated for diseases such as cancer. To any author who
writes warm and fuzzy stories about dogs but belittles those who fight
for their dogs' lives, I would ask, "Who do you think buys those books
that you write?" And exactly where should we draw
the line? Should we not set a broken leg? Should we not treat heartworm
disease? Should we not bother to provide vaccines?
Are
our furry friends good enough to support your
lifestyle, but not worthy of medical attention? These writers fail
to recognize the beauty and intrinsic value of the creatures that share
our world and the strength of the human-animal bond. Worse yet, those
writers who warn us not to treat our pets like family members degrade
the very
creatures that they write about to earn a living. And they insult the
very humans who purchase their books, because they do see their
pets as family members.
Is
this a blog? Maybe it is a blog. Yes, there is one author in
particular of whom I speak. I hope this "blog" reaches him.
One
Friday, when Bullet was in his last days, our vet sadly expressed that
it was
"time." I said that if there was no improvement in his kidney function
by Monday, I would
consider helping Bullet to the bridge. He said, "Laurie,
it's all for you now. It's not for Bullet anymore."
I
said, "Bruce, it has always been for
me! I don't believe that Bullet would care if he died 4 years ago when
he was diagnosed
with lymphoma, or 4 years from now. I don't believe that they know or
fear death as we
do... It has always been for
me!"
Bullet had some nasty side effects from chemotherapy, and I could have
decided to end treatment at any of those times. But he always rebounded
and continued to be a very happy dog. I never thought that Bullet had a
specific desire to stay alive (although he certainly loved being
alive).
I, on the other hand, did have a great desire for him to stay alive.
I saw no reason to end it as long as he was not in pain or
suffering and as long as there was a good chance that he would recover.
He deserved that chance. And I wanted so much to continue taking care
of him.
The
philosophical
psychological question of who it's
for seems to me to be
moot.
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Laurie,
Your book was my life savior
while I was
battling cancer with Maxim. I think everybody that fights cancer with their pet should
have a copy of Help
Your Dog Fight Cancer as a reference. It was my inspiration
and what kept me trying to fight this disease.
Maxim was only 11 months
when we found out
about the cancer. I was devastated
and did not know what to do but a web search pointed me to your web
site and your book. It became clear to me by reading Bullet's
story that I had to fight this disease alongside Maxim - your book gave
me hope that we could fight it.
Your book was always close by
throughout this difficult period. I referred to
it
everytime a new symptom arised or just to give me strength when things
were not looking good. I
have tabs
and highlights on certain pages. I used the recipe for Bullet's Cancer
Diet, with cooked meat.
Thank you for writing
this book and for
sharing Bullet's story.
Hugs
from Marie
and Angel Maxim
19.09.04 - 05.12.05
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