A dear friend of mine recently told me of a trick she played on her cat, Fred. She and Fred often play hide and seek throughout their house. He’s unusually intelligent – even for a cat.
I giggle when I think of her trick: she has 2 doorways side by side in her home. She put the toes of her slippers poking out the 2nd doorway while she hid within the first doorway. Sure enough, she saw him stalking her slippers, thinking they were her feet. He was so intent in sneaking up on her slippers that he walked right past her in the first doorway. As he pounced on her slippers, surely thinking he was on surprise attack, she jumped out of the first doorway to surprise him! She says Fred did a couple 360s and a skid out and had to rest for the remainder of the day.
We all have funny little routines with our pets. Our relationships with our pets are special. My pets are my family. I have long thought that our pets are our best friends, often closer to us than our human family members and our significant others. When I began working with the team at ADW, I was advised that our customers who purchase diabetic supplies for their pets are more compliant and regular in their orders for their pets than our customers who purchase diabetic supplies for themselves. Based on my interactions with our pet customers, I believe this! There is little we won’t do for our beloved pets.
Recently one of our ADW customers mentioned to me that she had a medical emergency and refused to go to the hospital until her folks could get to town to care for her diabetic dog. She now has other back up plans in place. I’m not recommending you do what she did, but that’s love. We often take better care of our pets than we take care of ourselves. Let’s change that. It struck me that to best take care of our pets we should take care of ourselves! Her email got me thinking about the Big Picture:
- If you have high blood pressure or are living a high-stress lifestyle or have other health issues, make appropriate changes. Eat your veggies. Try yoga. Go for a daily walk or swim. Drive right past that fast food restaurant and instead go home and have a healthy salad. We all know what we are supposed to do! We need to be healthy so that we can take care of our pets.
- If you do have an unforeseen problem, make sure you have friends and family and neighbors who can help take care of your diabetic pet until you are able to take over the reigns again. Have your pet’s routine, insulin dose and dietary needs clearly written down in advance should you be unable to personally care for your pet. Have all the medical supplies in a designated area that will be easy to find.
- Communicate with your veterinarian. Recently a client apologized for repeatedly contacting me about her cat which has urinary issues. I emphasized that it is my pleasure to interact with her. I would much rather discuss a situation ad nauseam than later wish we had better communicated! Never feel guilty for “bothering” your vet. We became veterinarians to help animals. It is our job to communicate with clients.
- Mention your pet in your will or advanced directive. Speak with your financial and legal advisor to have a guardian for your pet should something ever happen to you.
NOTE: Consult your Veterinarian first to make sure my recommendations fit your special health needs.
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