Pet Hospice Care Update: Remembering my Beloved Mikey

[soliloquy id="399"]This is a blog post I prayed I wouldn’t have to write. I had to put Mikey down last Friday. I’m heartbroken. He was in rough shape after his second round of chemotherapy, but I was hopeful that he was just fighting off an infection. That didn’t come to pass. I met with his oncologist on Thursday and she gave me a look. I knew that look. I’ve given that look. It’s not a look you ever want to be given. Mikey had an advanced case of lymphoma from which he wasn’t going to recover. I tried to manage his pain with medication, but that did little to ease his suffering. Normally he follows me wherever I go, but all he wanted to do was curl up alone under my daughter’s bed. Clearly, I was not managing his pain. I couldn’t allow him to suffer, so I gave Mikey the only gift I had left to give.I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been any tears. The past week has been filled with them. I’m an animal lover and have had my fair share of pets. I’ve loved each and every one of them, but Mikey was special. He’s been there for every major milestone in my adult life. He was there when I finished veterinary school. When my first daughter was born, Mikey had to make space for another baby in the house. He had to do it again when my second daughter was born. And he was there to comfort me every time I came home from a long day of consoling people going through what I’m going through now. This one is going to hurt.Though I’m deeply saddened by the loss of my Mikey, I’m overwhelmingly grateful for the time I had with him. It’s a simple fact; pets have a much shorter lifespan than we do. Inevitably, most pet lovers will have to experience this ultimate loss. While that pain can be agonizing, it’s SO worth it. I wouldn’t give up a single second I spent with Mikey. I truly believe he was a gift that was given to me. He taught me compassion and unconditional love. He made me a better person. I hope that his spirit of love and compassion will live on through me so that I can share it with others experiencing loss.

Part 2: What Are the 3 Stages of Pet Hospice Care?

In the last piece, I explained the first two stages of Pet Hospice using my own experience with my sick cat, Mikey. In the first stage, the Initial Diagnosis was made, followed by an acceptance that Mikey’s quality of life would likely need to be managed going forward. In the second stage, the focus shifted to tactically evaluating and managing Mikey’s quality of life. This is where Pet Hospice really shows it’s value as you benefit from an unattached pair of eyes who can help you develop a palliative care strategy. In this piece, I’ll focus solely on the third stage of Pet Hospice care: Coming to terms with the decision to euthanize.Stage 3: Coming to Terms With the Decision to Euthanize a PetThis is by far the most difficult of the three stages. Caring for a sick pet is extremely emotionally taxing and the decision to euthanize isn’t something to be taken lightly. When you’re in that situation, it’s helpful to speak with someone who can help walk you through a plan. Many pet parents experience a sense of relief when finally letting go of a suffering pet whose quality of life is really diminishing.Though we thankfully,haven’t yet reached this stage with Mikey, we did recently experience a scare. In fact, I feared we were getting to the point of euthanasia last week. Mikey was really antsy, having a hard time eating. He’s also been urinating around the house and is blocked off to certain areas as a result. Even though I deal with this sort of thing daily in my professional life, I sought guidance from other people because I didn’t want to make this decision under stress. I've been through euthanasia before I really wanted to make sure I was ready, and I felt like I wasn't. I made some changes to his medical plan and decided to push forward. That's where we're at now. I just wasn't quite ready to let go of him.Letting go of a pet will never be an easy decision, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it. Pet Hospice allows you to make this decision alongside an expert who can reassure you when you're doubting or second guessing your decision. They can provide peace of mind and relief in knowing that you did everything you could to enhance and prolong your pet’s life. As for Mikey, every day I get to spend with him is a blessing. I don’t look forward to the day we have to come to terms with Stage 3, but if and when I do I’ll know that I did everything I could possibly do to determine that it’s time.