Hope

I wrote an article about Rosie making a dramatic recovery. Her parents came to me at a crossroads, and I did what I always do—I went all in to help.

It always starts with hope.

I talk things through, look for solutions, troubleshoot, and identify what’s missing. I come up with ideas and share them. Then, the pet parent picks what they think are the best things to try.

Bottom line, I give them hope. It usually goes something like, “We can try these things…and if they don’t work within a week…then you’ll know.”

People usually come to me when there is no hope. They’ve tried everything the vet told them to do, and things are going downhill.

I’ve been there. I wrote about it in my book, Hope for Healing Liver Disease in Your Dog: 20th Anniversary Edition.

I have the privilege of helping other pet parents when they are in the same place I was.

The crossroads is, “We’ve got nothing to lose and the life of our dog to gain.” So, holistic dog care is given a shot.

I wish it was the first option that people tried. It’s my first option now. I wish I could say or do more to promote and advocate for the holistic solution being the first option and not the last-ditch effort. But that is just the way it is right now.

In many cases, the holistic solution works, and there is improvement. That’s what happened for Rosie.

Healing

The holistic solution usually goes something like this:

• Change to a homemade diet
• Add a few simple supplements to help the body heal itself
• Support and care for the dog with emotional support, mental stimulation, and physical stimulation if possible

Then we see what works and adjust accordingly.

For Rosie, there was a dramatic turnaround within a week. It looked like a miracle, and we were oh so happy.

I felt complete joy in my work, and my heart was smiling.

Holistic dog care saved the day!

Heartbreak

But sometimes the healing doesn’t last.

Reality is…all dogs die at some point (as do we). Their lives are too short…their only fault.

But when the healing happens, it seems like they have overcome the world, and everything is going to be okay.

Especially when it’s a young dog like Rosie with her whole life ahead of her. It seems like—okay…we got her through it, now we just need to maintain it, and she can live a normal, healthy life(span).

So, when that doesn’t happen…the heartbreak is even harder.

The Impact of Heartbreak on Mental Health

I think everyone can understand the grief of losing someone they love. Not everyone understands the grief of a pet parent losing a dog they love…but it seems like more people do now.

But, I also have heartbreak when my client goes through the loss.

Today I am heartbroken.

You see, I suffer from depression. So when I feel the heartbreak of another losing their dog…I go through it with them.

I try to stay detached. I try to stay strong for them. But I also go down the rabbit hole of blame and guilt that I didn’t do enough or what if I wasn’t right. What if I had told them something sooner. What if…

Rosie is crossing over the rainbow bridge today, and I’m heartbroken. I’m depressed. I’ve been depressed all weekend. I stayed in bed most of the day yesterday. The other part of the day, I just watched TV and tried not to think about it.

I don’t want to gloss over it or just push through. It’s time to deal with and unpack the emotions.

It’s not time to move on. It’s time to be with the loss. Only then can I heal and move on.

I am sad. I am heartbroken. I feel the pain. I feel the guilt. I feel the anger. I feel the hopelessness. I feel like giving up. I feel like I can’t go through this again. I feel alone. I feel empty.