The Front Seat: It’s a Dog’s Life – The Pivotal Lesson Learned about Aging, Food, Animals and People

  Lesson Learned via Kit – and yes, she rides in the front seat

Life works in mysterious ways……….

Three years ago I wrote the post linked below after having witnessed the lucky dogs of Nantucket flying back and forth on Cape Air.  It was fun to see them enjoy “the front seat” of life.  And, today, more than ever, I realize how they so deserve it.  I’m not going to go into lamenting how one’s dog can be a better friend or have more moral character than some people we all know.  For anyone who has ever had a pet they loved and adored, well, you will just know.  And, in our house, well, we are a pet-devoted family.  Period.

http://www.kitchen-inspirational.com/2012/07/14/its-a-dogs-life-on-nantucket/

I’m going to spend a little bit of time gushing about my pets for a minute before I comment on the lesson learned.  Callie, our silly-goose cat has been being treated for an autoimmune disorder, Pemphagus, since October.  Whew!  A couple of weeks ago, Kit our beloved Seeing Eye-flunkee 12 1/2 year old lab, was diagnosed with a kidney tumor.  Let’s just say there’s always something.  I’m not embarrassed to say that I am perhaps overly attached to these animals, but I will say that I’m not sorry for all the care and devotion we’ve given to them for they have given so much more to us.

 

The lesson learned from Kit’s experience, and, of course the story is not over – she is still in the hospital, having had surgery yesterday, has to do with food.   Three years ago, Kit was very sick with Lyme Disease, a torn ACL, had a suspicious spot on her liver and an infestation of mites she picked up swimming off the shore of our back yard on Cape Cod.  It was a mess and it took us a long time to figure out what was going on with her and to get her back into shape. Stopping having her jump up daily into an SUV was one big thing that helped her tremendously, as she was descending into that typical stage with female labs as they age, weight gain.  (follow the parallel message here).   Three vets, and one prospective surgeon later and it was our vet, Dr. Jennifer Dobson at Murray Hill who gave me the best piece of advice on helping Kit – help her lose weight.  Dr. Dobson recommended that I begin feeding Kit 2/3 vegetables and 1/3 dog food.  This single piece of advice and the resulting change in her health is perhaps the most important pivotal change that made her a good candidate for yesterday’s surgery.

As we went through the decision-making process as to whether or not to put a 12 1/2 year old lab through a surgery, (and some vets recommended against it) especially considering her age and that the kidney tumor did indeed appear ominous, was that Kit had aged well – she acted like a much younger dog.  She isn’t overweight and she isn’t arthritic – (arthritis being such a food-related condition).  And so, even though up until yesterday, I was agonizing about the fairness and wisdom of all of this, as soon as I met the surgeon, I knew we had done the right thing for her and that Kit was a good candidate for surgery.  (I always do the “if this was your dog, what would you do” thing).

Dr. Roxanne Collins of Animerge had a family emergency yesterday morning.  I worried that this was a sign.  Kit stayed in bed and looked as lethargic as ever.  But, when we arrived at noon, the very first thing that Dr. Collins said to me was that Kit looked and behaved like a much younger dog.  She commented on her weight.

To make a long story short, Kit came through the surgery well.  We don’t know the results of the pathology yet, but the one thing that may have saved her life was that she was not overweight and therefore she was a good candidate for surgery.

As I spoke with Dr. Dobson last night, I took the time to thank her for recommending this life-changing pivot in caring for an aging pet.  And, jokingly, I said to her, well, if I ate as well as Kit does, then……..  She said to me that in every class she goes to, they emphasize the weight issue.  In fact, three years of eating this way and a one hour daily walk has changed her into a completely different dog.  (I don’t know what this says about pet food companies, not to mention prepared food production in general – oh, yes, I do –  but that is another whole story).

But, in all seriousness, what I came home having had reinforced once again so clearly in my mind, is this:  as we age, we must work to OVERCOMPENSATE for the biological and environmental changes that occur in the normal process of aging – it is in fact the single-most important way to help ourselves live well into the last decades of our lives.  Seeing this and accepting this as a dictum is the hard part.  It is so easy to just not see and not acknowledge what is going on.  We all have hereditary stuff that may cause us to not age well.  But, we can take hold of that situation and work to offset whatever we can.  It’s a daily chore, yes it is.  But, as I can sit here this morning, having breathed a sigh of relief from yesterday, I can see that someone from above is still instant messaging me – 2/3 vegetables, one third dog food……….

Let’s just say that if I look like Kit when I am about 77 years old, I’ll be a happy camper.  And, if a surgeon should be looking at me and evaluating my prognosis, at that or any age,  I would want to choose to be in Kit’s condition.  Nuff said.

As we go forward, and of course, we don’t know what the future will bring, I am happy that we can say we did everything we could to make the quality of life of our pets as best as we could.  The human part is the harder part.

I have to say that I couldn’t be more appreciative for the wonderful care and consideration given to our pets at Murray Hill Vets and at Animerge in Somerset.  Dr. Ian Spiegel saved Callie’s life.  And yesterday, the wonderful skill of Dr. Roxanne Collins gave Kit a chance for a bit more time with us.  Dr. Dobson referred us to both of them.  They are all gems in my book and I can never thank them enough.

 Kit’s new nemesis on Glen Eagles Drive – can’t wait to re-visit