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Arrow Feb 03, 2020 at 12:21 PM
  #1
Occasionally I happen on an article, in PC's archives, that I hadn't seen before & that is of particular interest. The link below is to one such article. My wife & I have a 15 year old "Schnoodle". He has kidney disease which is not curable in dogs. He's doing unexpectedly well at the moment. But caring for him has, from time-to-time, been a challenge. So this article, on the stress caring for a sick pet can produce, was of interest. I thought any other pet owners, here on PC, who haven't seen the article might also like to read it.:

Stress Over Sick Pet Can Lead to Mental Health Issues


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Default Feb 03, 2020 at 01:41 PM
  #2
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How timely. My 14 year old cat was sick again this weekend and I got nothing done. I just worried and worried and worried. My cat is so mentally ill I cannot even take him to the vet to find out if he is sick with something more chronic. I also find vets to have taken a turn from rational and compassionate to insane and on a power trip. Refusing to answer phone questions unless you make an appointment, hurting the animal when you come in, insane requirements or else they won't treat your animal.

I don't think I am getting another pet again.
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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 01:55 AM
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@Skeezyks: I have a Schnoodle too! So sorry to hear yours is sick. Mine has had a few minor bouts of sickness and i found it extremely stressful. I wound up in the hospital too with pain twinges in my heart due to anxiety! My little girl is eight. She's happy but nervous. Is your's this way too? I met another Schnoodle parent who said the same.

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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 01:11 PM
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I have been dealing with sick pets for the last year & 1/2. First Leo was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was my soulmate. The last friday I took him to the vet, she said he wouldn't make it through the weekend & wondered if I could handle taking him home. Honestly, I couldn't have handled NOT taking him home. His older sister & younger brother & I never left his side all weekend.

His older sister is now almost 19 & requires extensive care & sometimes help eating but she is still managing to get around requiring my help to get up at times. The stressful part with this is that I know her little heart will stop any time now so I very seldom go away from home for any more than a few hours at a time.

Then there is my horse Izzy. After being shipped here (2100 miles) she had major allergic reaction to chigger bites & bug bites. Her whole body was welts. Then she started losing weight from stress ulcers. Have been treating her since last August & trying to get her to an even healthier weight. Thought we were doing good in the indoor barn I just moved her to a few weeks ago. Two nights after the move she got colickey & that required treatment & all night concern.

My farm has come to be known as the nursing home for animals including an almost frozen bat I rescued. For some reason this doesn't effect my mental health as I have taken on the role of nurse caregiver. However the loss of my soulmate Leo will be a loss greater to me than any of my family I have lost. Yes, life goes on & I continue to function as normal but the hole in my heart & life he left behind will never go away. That just means the love we had for each other was beyond special & I would never trade not having had that & what a treasure he was to my life for not experiencing that greater loss.

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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 03:05 PM
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@Skeezyks: I have a Schnoodle too! So sorry to hear yours is sick. Mine has had a few minor bouts of sickness and i found it extremely stressful. I wound up in the hospital too with pain twinges in my heart due to anxiety! My little girl is eight. She's happy but nervous. Is your's this way too? I met another Schnoodle parent who said the same.

Thanks for your reply! Joey's not nervous. But he tends to be... how can I put it... "stand-offish" & pretty-much a wuss (kind-of like me!) I don't think Joey would know how to be mean or aggressive if his life depended on it. He almost never barks. For the most part he just prefers to be left to himself as long as someone is home with him. He doesn't handle being left home well. Joey's not a lap dog. (He could be since he only weighs 15 1/2 pounds.) Sometimes he'll curl up beside one of us on the couch for a while. And he does sleep with us at night.

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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 03:12 PM
  #6
Sometimes I think vets convince us to do extraordinary measures rather than let our animals go humanely. I had a cat that stopped eating and was basically starving to death. Instead of putting her down, the vet convinced me to have them surgically insert a feeding tube in her neck. Then I was force feeding her a liquid diet every 6 hours. She was miserable and spent her entire life hiding from me under the couch or under the bed. I would drag her out to feed her, but she was still losing weight. I finally did the humane thing and put her down. If I had to do it over again, I would not have done the feeding tube. It only prolonged her suffering.
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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 04:32 PM
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I finally did the humane thing and put her down. If I had to do it over again, I would not have done the feeding tube. It only prolonged her suffering.
Thank you. I agree. My first cat had kidney failure. They convinced as that we should give IF fluids. I did that.. I really saw no difference. We wracked up 10 or 12 more vet visits and supplies but my cat died at home about 3 months after diagnosis. I should have just put him down upon diagnosis. They were overly optimistic about her chances. And frankly it was traumatic for me. I went in my parents room to give the cat a kiss in the dark and felt the lifenesses with the body as I touched it. I also felt the wetness on the blanket and I knew.

I am dealing with this now. My cat has a terrible fear problem and he seems to look at me like the quasi vet. He doesn't play with me.. doesn't sit near me.. and every night I come home he runs under the table. Cause he knows.. he is going to have me do something to him. His fear has made it impossible to get medical treatment and so I need to put him down before he does get sick and I am unable to do it without a nasty fight.
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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 05:11 PM
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This is a great article. Thanks for sharing it. Caregiver burden leads to burnout and depression and anxiety and exhaustion. Last fall, my cat died while I was caregiving for my mother by living with her and not working. I got a double whammy of burnout from the loss of my cat and the fatigue and stress of 24/7 caring for my mother before getting her into a nursing home.

Pets are emotional support animals for us. They love us unconditionally. So, it totally makes sense if you are feeling burnt out taking care of your sick Schnoodle, Skeezyks. Sorry to hear that your dog is sick.

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Caregiver burden is linked to depression, anxiety, and poor quality of life. However, there are ways to prevent and treat it. In the new study, researchers queried caregivers of pets with chronic and terminal diseases to discover what these caregivers go through and how they handle the stress.

Until recently, very little scientific research has been published on this subject.

“It turns out that the effects of caregiving for a sick pet — burden, stress, anxiety, depression, low quality of life — are in many ways similar to what we see in a person caring for a sick family member, for example, a parent with dementia,” Spitznagel said.

“In the case of this study, burden is at a high enough level that for some people, it could be causing symptoms of anxiety and, more likely, depression.”

Spitznagel created a science blog, Home | Petcaregiverburden.com, on this topic and is doing additional studies with a veterinary clinic clientele and pet disease support groups. She also has four additional papers in the pipeline.

“Something striking in this study participant group of pet caregivers is that a good number of people feel stressed out but don’t stop to think about why,” Spitznagel said.

Caregiver burden was not a new topic for Spitznagel. During her training as a clinical psychologist, she worked on a federally funded project examining family members providing care for people with dementia.

“It can be overwhelming for some — the burden of almost constant attention, sleepless nights, and weekly trips to the doctor,” Spitznagel said. “Difficulty managing that stress contributes to anxiety or depression for many. Over the years, I’ve worked with dementia caregivers who seek counseling for these issues, and I’ve heard similar comments from some of our pet caregivers.”
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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 09:27 PM
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@Skeezyks: It's funny, our Schnoodles are the exact opposite! Mine is super snuggly and is definitely a lap dog. She wants to be patted constantly. She sleeps with me at night and is very stubborn about moving if i want to change position. When we had the fire alarm the other night she clung to me. She took the stairs like a pro, tho, first time for her to do stairs. Eight flights. She always likes to have her eyes on me, where ever she is resting. She tries to keep her eyes open but they squeeeeeeeeeeeeze shut! I love her!
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Smile Feb 04, 2020 at 09:35 PM
  #10
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@Skeezyks: It's funny, our Schnoodles are the exact opposite! Mine is super snuggly and is definitely a lap dog. She wants to be patted constantly. She sleeps with me at night and is very stubborn about moving if i want to change position. When we had the fire alarm the other night she clung to me. She took the stairs like a pro, tho, first time for her to do stairs. Eight flights. She always likes to have her eyes on me, where ever she is resting. She tries to keep her eyes open but they squeeeeeeeeeeeeze shut! I love her!
The primary time Joey wants to have his eyes on us is when he thinks it might result in him getting something to eat! He gets 4 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner & before bed. And he always knows when it's time for his next meal.

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Default Feb 04, 2020 at 09:37 PM
  #11
Downndlonely, I'm so sorry for what you and hour cat went through. My vet is so wonderful. She's seen me through end of life stuff with several pets. She never tries to talk me into prolonging things. We work to keep my baby comfortable if it's appropriate. She will also tell me if euthanasia is appropriate.
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