Pet Ownership and Responsibility

I am convinced that when we long for a pet to enrich our lives we never ever give thought to losing that object of our love and devotion to disease or the cost and care that may be incurred in trying to take care of the pet. That particular thought occurs to me very often these days after having several doggies who have suffered pain and disease and in one case was lost to cancer.

It tears at the heart when you take your pet to the vet hoping for treatment and relief only to find that there exists a disease that can be treated (perhaps) but not cured and in some cases becomes the cause of loss of the pet to death. We do the best we can hoping we are doing all that is right/correct sometimes finding we were not 100% on target.

At our house these days we have one healthy mini schnauzer (age 4) and one (age 10) who has been diagnosed and is being treated daily for diabetes which in pets is Type I. Wow, what a ride this has been! She is contrary to feed for whatever reason. She once was easy to feed. Nowadays, not so much. I am never sure whether she just isn't hungry or doesn't want what I can offer. Diet is limited in that sugar or carbs which convert to sugar are limited to exclusion. There are days when I almost lose my mind trying to get her to eat so that I can administer the required insulin. Dogs receive an insulin injection about 15-30 minutes AFTER eating. Then there is the question of walking your dog. As you know, exercise affects use of sugar in the burning of energy by the body. So...much must be considered here in caring for her basic health. Checking their glucose levels can also be a trial. After all, who likes to be punched with needles and sharp things all of the time. I never thought about a dog having diabetes previously but now I certainly do. With my first schnauzer, I learned lessons about dogs with bladder stones and removal plus having them lodge in the tract and needing removal. I learned that bladder stones are of two varieties and what causes each --- and consequently prevention. So much to learn, so much responsibility.

Each day we move forward in our house, try to do our best to care for and love both mini schnauzer girls and meet the challenges which occur. Will I consider pet ownership after this? I don't know the answer to that. With pure bred dogs prone to a variety of diseases it can be expensive. Time will tell.