When to Let Go

Tank at the beach

Sometimes being a pet’s hero means knowing when to let go. This road is the bumpiest, roughest and most gut-wrenching I have ever been down. The loss of my pets has hurt more, and still hurts more than losing some of my close relatives. I know that might be hard to hear for some, but for others, I know you are nodding in agreement. I’m not saying I loved my dog more than my grandmother; I’m saying that their loss took a greater emotional toll.

My dog, Tank, was a constant companion. In our 11 years together, I could guess we’d been apart less than 30 days; we went everywhere together. He knew all of my secrets, and the very best part was that he never judged me. We live in a world where no matter how many great people we share our lives with, at one time or another, they have judged us, wronged us, or made us feel badly. Our pets don’t do that. They may ruin our favorite shoes or chew the sticky note with an important phone number you needed, but they never hurt us; they truly loved us unconditionally.

Tankie all dressed up

There are many questions that arise when a pet’s end nears: How do I know when to do it? What if they could get better? Have I let them go to long? How will I tell my children? What will my life be without them? Will they know? The list goes on. Some of these can’t be answered. You just have to trust in your veterinarian, your friends, and your family. I can say my first dog I let go too long. As for my second, some would say I let go too soon. It was mine and my husband’s decision, as only those closest can make the decision they feel is best. My boy, Tank, didn’t judge me or look into my eyes and tell me I let him go too soon. He looked into my eyes and saw sadness; he saw an owner he could no longer make him happy because his disease had ravaged his body. It was unfair of me to keep him alive. It took everything in me to let that dog go, and I mean EVERYTHING. Your animal means the world to you and my Tank was no exception to me. He literally introduced me to my husband. Out of my love for Tank, I built a business to care for other peoples’ pets and he drove me to continue on to teach others how to save theirs. Tank was a part of every aspect of my life. As difficult as it was to let him go, it would have been cruel for me to perpetuate his life.

Euthanasia in Greek means “good death”. We are fortunate to be able to bestow the gift of a good death upon our best friends. In contrast, my grandmother did not have a good death; I wish we could have given that to her. So while we carry the burden of making that dreaded decision, we should take solace in the fact that we are giving a gift to our best friends, who have given their hearts to us. If you have ever heard of the story, “A dog’s purpose according to a 6-year old”, you will have an amazing insight from a young mind as to why our pets’ lives are so short.

Tank out for a stroll

As a professional pet care provider and pet first aid & CPR instructor, I have been exposed to far more deaths of peoples’ pets than I feel my heart can endure. There is a compounded issue when you care for pets. You not only love the animals that you spend your days with, but you get to know the people that love these pets too. Every time a pet-client passes, my heart aches twice; first, for the loss of that pet in my everyday life and second, for the loss of that pet in their owner’s lives. It’s awful, but each time I try to look ahead to the new chapters as a coping mechanism. Our relationship with each animal is unique, and we’re lucky to have so many future furry chapters to look forward to.

If you are contemplating “that time” for your beloved pet, or know someone that is, there are some great resources out there to help us help them. Take a few minutes to read about other peoples' experiences.  Although your situation is unique, there are many animal lovers who share the same concerns and you may find comfort and guidance in the following locations:

http://www.deathofmypet.com/

http://kelseybethcarpenter.blogspot.com/2015/12/5-things-i-wish-you-knew-before.html 

Be their hero, be strong, and be able to let them go. Give them a gift by taking all of your love and wrap their soul with it as you say goodbye.

Pet First Aid Kit

The less obvious benefit of having a pet emergency kit within reach is many of the products arranged neatly in that portable container can be used on you! While this blog post is certainly about the benefits to your pets and what makes a pet 1st aid kit different from one built for humans, I wanted to first point out the human benefit. I have dove into my pet first aid kit to clean out a wound from a cat scratch with hydrogen peroxide and certainly used the pepcid to help combat tummy trouble when I had pets to visit and no time to be sick.

But the focus of this piece is not just why you should have a pet first aid kit, but what should be in it, what type of container, how to use it and its contents and where it should kept be so that in an emergency, you can use the contents to buy critical time needed to aid your pet before you can get them to the vet.

The why; accidents happen, its a cliche statement but certainly a fact of life. In my 12+ years of caring for other people's pets and my own I have used my kit to deal with puncture wounds, lacerations/deep cuts, allergic reactions, broken toes, foreign objects in pets' eyes, to check vitals on an out-of-sorts pet and a host of other issues. Many of these incidents ended with a trip to the vet but because I had performed some first aid techniques prior to getting to the vet, the recovery and care was made better. On a puncture or laceration, infection was better prevented by cleaning of the wound prior to bandaging, the broken toe was splinted so the dog had a much more comfortable ride to the vet, the Golden never had breathing difficulties and experienced decreased swelling from her allergic reaction within minutes and so on. Life was made a little better by having certain items in my kit for many pets.

What should be in your pet emergency kit; the complete pet emergency 1st aid kit that we built includes these items:

Pen light for pupils, Digital thermometer, Chemical ice pack, Blunt tip scissors, Metal Tweezers, Triangle bandage & safety pins, Rubber gloves, Tongue Depressors, Long handled Q-tips, 10 ml (2 tsp) Syringe, Roll of Poop bags, Roll Adhesive tape ½ inch, Standard gauze Pads, Non Stick gauze pads, ABD pads, Gauze rolls, Saline solution, Alcohol prep pads, Iodine prep pads, Styptic powder, Triple antibiotic gel, Hydrogen peroxide in a light block bottle, Packet of Vaseline, Emergency blanket, Antihistamine gel caps in blister packs, Pepcid tabs 10mg 

Rather than take the time to go through each item, I did want to take some time to highlight some kit contents that might not seem obvious as to why they are included or that have multiple uses in an emergency situation. A digital thermometer is a terrific gauge for a pet that seems off, lethargic or really just not themselves. If their temperature is high they could have a fever from an infection or exposure to heat, cold it could be shock, exposure to the cold or other issues. Either way it is one tool that can tell you if all is well inside or not in a very short time. Metal tweezers are not often found in any pet or human emergency kit, usually plastic ones, but metal are essential for tick removal, delicate splinter extraction and best for cleaning/keeping sterile. In the kit you will also find a 10ml syringe, this is wonderful for flushing wounds and of course administering hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. Poop bags are pretty obvious but not just for the poop, they can act as an emergency glove or barrier between something that could transmit disease. An ABD pad, much like a large maxi pad does what it was built for, it absorbs large quantities of blood better than any gauze. Having hydrogen peroxide in a light block bottle is critical for cleaning superficial wounds or inducing vomiting, and almost never comes in a regular first aid kit. The last 2 items to point out are medications that can help avoid allergic reactions and tummy troubles. 

The container: 

Pet first aid items should be kept in a water resistant container that is durable so if it will be in the car or your pack for hiking, it could withstand a tumble without causing the contents to be damaged by force or water.

How do you use what's in your pet first aid kit? The best way to learn how to use your kit and all about what's in it is to take a pet first aid and CPR class. A course that is specific to caring for pets in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death for your pet, it really can be that critical. If your pet has an allergic reaction to a bug bite and their airway swells to the point of near closure, just driving to the vet as quickly as you can may not be enough to save your pet's life. They could asphyxiate from the swelling so dosing them with antihistamine and removing their collar might just make that huge difference in their chance of survival. Never underestimate the importance in having the knowledge and skills of being certified in pet first aid and CPR.  

Where should you have a pet first aid kit? I have one in each car and have two at home, one that stays put and the other we use for traveling that goes in whatever bag we are using.

So hopefully I have provided you with the reasons why you should have a pet first aid kit. Remember, there is always space for a band-aid or too because even for humans, accidents happen. For more information on pet first aid kits, their contents and especially on how to use them, take a pet first aid and CPR course.