My Fire Hydrant

We are now approaching the third year anniversary of Bailey’s cancer diagnosis, and I can’t help thinking about it and being so very thankful for these three extra years I’ve had with her (why can I NEVER write about this without getting teary??!)

I’m thankful that I chose NOT to do chemo and/or radiation. Understand, that was the right decision for my pooch. It may not be the right decision for someone else’s pooch. Anyone who shares their life with a pet will one day be forced to weigh their options and make their own decisions. At the time, I didn’t know that Bailey would live for more than a few months. But I knew enough about her personality to know that the ends would not justify the means. It comes down to this: Know your pet and do your best to make an unselfish and informed choice.

I have the best circle of friends–and especially those of the veterinarian persuasion. I’m so thankful I have a vet that I’m comfortable with and that I trust. Every time Bailey has a trauma, Dr. Blakelock talks me down off the ledge. She is incredible.

And then there’s Dr. Dicke, who I work with. She is my hero on so many levels (if you can get a hold of the August 2008 issue of Veterinary Forum, page 24, you will read about a BIG reason why she’s my hero). She lets me ramble on about Bailey (even when she has a mountain of work on her desk), helping me to figure out when I need to get Bailey to Dr. Blakelock and when I need to stop indulging my very vivid imagination.

My teammates at the office are part of the best circle of friends I mentioned two paragraphs ago. I can’t think of any other place I’ve worked where they understand the reasoning behind calling off from work because there’s something wrong with your dog. Yes, it can make office life a little more stressful for the folks left working. But everyone at the office understands the need to take care of your pooch and everyone pitches in to cover the loose ends. I’m so thankful that I work with such an empathetic, wonderful bunch of people.

So here we are at the start of the holiday season. Our world continues to be troubled, my retirement fund has taken a nose-dive, and the weather is turning cold with a likelihood of snow (which will annoy Bailey no end because she won’t be able to potty outside). Things could be worse. I’ve got a job I love. I’m relatively healthy. My mom is doing fine. And Bailey-the-Bichon has survived another year to torment and tease me.

Who could ask for anything better out of life?

There’s been some interesting developments in my job lately.

Email from my friend Kris:

We had 62,757 adoptions in week seven.

Our total for the program so far is:

443,390!

That’s 8,965 dogs and cats adopted into forever-homes a day this past week!

I’ve started following the blog of a veterinarian, Dr. Chris Bern (A Vet’s Guide to Life). I was looking at some of his archived posts and noticed one about BARF diets.

What makes this post so interesting to me is that a BARF diet advocate posted a long-winded comment repudiating Dr. Chris’ blog post. The comment was nothing new to me–I’ve been lurking in dog and cat forums for years reading, and sometimes commenting, on stuff like this. But Dr. Chris came back and (I think) made a really good argument against what the BARF advocate had to say.

“…When presented with scientific evidence to support raw foods over commercially processed foods, I will be willing to revise my opinion. Until then I will stand by my beliefs, as they are supported by the overwhelming majority of the veterinary profession for the last 40+ years. Let’s both line up the numbers of unbiased, peer-reviewed articles, and medical specialists on either side, and see which has the greater numbers. I doubt that even you could deny that the weight of evidence and opinion falls solidly against BARF diets.”

I’m going to remember Dr. Chris’ blog entry. Maybe I can use it sometime when faced with a discussion of raw versus commercial. Thanks Dr. Chris!

(I also realize I need to get my blog roll in order.)

To date, we have seen 380,633 pets adopted since October first!! That’s an average of 8,852 per day!!! WOO-HOO!!!!

PEACE ON EARTH GOOD HOMES TO PETS!!