I used to work in a veterinary clinic. I remember being astonished at the number of pets with chronic illnesses. I did not realize that dogs, in particular, get many of the same illnesses as people such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and thyroid disease, just to name a few.
Many believe that poor quality commercial pet food and annual vaccinations have resulted in a deterioration of health in the pet population. A study conducted by Banfield Pet Hospital in 2012 revealed a dramatic increase in pets suffering from chronic diseases.
Up until a few years ago, I never had a pet that had a chronic illness. Now, both of my dogs have a chronic illness. My poodle, Nyka has congestive heart failure and Piper -a poodle/chihuahua mix- has colitis. In fact, neither one of them are feeling very well today.
Nyka’s Chronic Illness
Nyka was diagnosed with congestive heart failure when she was 10 years old. This was shortly after her mom (Cleo), who was also my dog, passed away from congestive heart failure.
Cleo didn’t show any obvious signs like coughing. Because the damage was on the right side of her heart, the fluid went into her abdomen. I didn’t know until her stomach swelled up like a basketball that something was wrong. She lived less than a year after being diagnosed.
I was able to catch the early signs with Nyka. Her heart damage is on the left side so the fluid goes to her lungs. This is actually better because it causes coughing and you know something is going on. The medication also works better in this case. Which it did for three years.
This last year things have progressively gotten worse. Nyka now has issues with her liver and sometimes she won’t eat. Because of the liver my vet says she HAS to eat. On the days she won’t eat I feed her baby food with a syringe. I also give her homemade food off and on to keep her interested in eating. I just have to make sure Piper doesn’t get any of it because she has colitis.
→ Nyka passed away Oct 4, 2015. She will always be loved, missed, and never forgotten.
Piper’s Chronic Illness
Piper has had issues with bloody diarrhea since she was a puppy. I had to keep switching food which would work for a short time. Eventually, she was put on prescription food. I have to be real careful about what she gets a hold of like my cat’s food. After a colitis attack sometimes her body feels real tense and you can feel or hear her stomach gurgling.
Stress makes it worse. Piper is really afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks. With all the thunderstorms we’ve had the last few weeks she has been pretty stressed out. People in my neighborhood have also been shooting off fireworks. The guy across the street was just lighting them off a few minutes ago. Last year he got real stupid and set them off for hours.
I used to love the 4th of July. Since I have pets that are afraid of them I have changed my mind. Both dogs and my cat are afraid of firecrackers. Looks like for the next week I will have to put Bach Natural Remedy drops in their water. It helps some, but it looks like it is going to be a long week.
Happy 4th of July
I want to wish everyone a happy 4th of July. My son who lives in Florida will be here tomorrow so this will be a good holiday for me, even though my pets will basket cases until all the fireworks are over.
Do you have a pet with a chronic illness? If so, tell me about it in the comment section below.
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Sorry to hear about the health concerns of your lovely pets. On the plus side they could not have a better owner that you because of your understanding of chronic illness.
Thanks Lee. That is true, I do understand how it is. I would rather feel poorly myself than have them feeling poorly