Aging and the elderly

This could well be about my own potential retirement and how this last 1/4 (1/3?) of my life shall go. It could be about the part where owning the clinic for going into 2 decades now I’ve seen patients throughout their lives start to finish, children become adults and so many employees on their path through life which intersected with mine for a time.
But what is coming to mind is the aging of my elderly clientele, whom I’ve known and enjoyed so many interactions with, along with their pets. Usually its the pet aging faster than their hu-man of course. I believe Mark Twain suggested the greatest tragedy in life is the difference in the life span of a boy and his dog. The reverse is really really hard. You know the significant importance of that pet to their bonded care person. And while the person who knows the pet the best that used to bring them in and in a detailed manner describe their needs, it adjusts to someone else such as a family member bringing in the pet with or without that owner to establish care.
Today, a bit of a personal reveal, had a client drive their car dangerously close to into our lobby. I’ve heard of this happening to so many other vet hospitals, thinking “what a nightmare.” Bumper damage, concrete car stop gouge, plus scattered car parts all over. Driving privileges are about to be curtailed. We were somehow related to the loss of this significant modality to them. It was more important than their skill at driving to bring in Fluffy (name changed to protect the innocent) to make sure everything was ok. It is my life’s work to make sure this little old dog with multiple medical issues lives forever by whipping up one of my witches brews (as one of my buddies put it when I somehow magically kept his evil little dog alive longer than could possibly be guessed).
One of my favorite little old people stories was a couple that must have been in their 90s. She was a cartoonish acting classic sort, who would belt out regularly “drink, DRINK!” to him: barely cognizant, wearing a “Old as Dirt” ball cap and holding a bottle of ensure. All the way through out the door. Such a cute way of being together. Was that not one of if not the most important pets in the world?
So as I bear down on Grandpa-hood, having married off my eldest on Fathers day, which ages you believe you me … I take my big job of keeping the pets as healthy as possible as long as possible and add to it the extra pressure of maintaining that lengthy relationship as well. Whew, such a tough and satisfying/gratifying job especially when it works out.

Miracle save

When I come across a patient that I remember really well I will flash back to why that is so. Usually because it is such a nice pet or striking looking with an unusual name or I happen to get along with their owner particularly well. But other times it is because they are a medical marvel to me as they really probably shouldn’t be alive. I consider them my top 5 or 10 (how does one enumerate them really?) top saves.

This isn’t about me. I am happy we facilitated their rescue from a perilous medical condition more than anything. I don’t think I cheated death on their behalf in some way because of my own special powers. I get that I played a role along with my terrific staff and certainly the clients dedication, money of course and maybe probably even prayers helped. But it really is on the pet who wasn’t ready to mosey on down the mortal coil and leave us.

Star was one such pet. She was kinda the run of the mill (as if these dogs could be that) Jack Russel Terrier. Yes I know the AKC designation is now Parson Russel. Details. I wouldn’t have remembered her from seeing her previously and don’t know if I had even. Certainly I remember her owner and his lovely daughter (now a mother, was she 14 when that happened? they grow up quick).

On the day in question I had a senior veterinary student at my practice, almost graduated, and I was in surgery. She came in a little rattled and said “Doc, we have a bad one here” in her charming way and accent. Alabama. I had to triage the patient thru her. Do I leave surgery and an opened up to the elements so to speak patient to see the more urgent one or do I finish quick?

I ended up leaving Star in my students hands with some directions to start treatment, etc. She had been attacked by a dog when she got out of the yard and as dogs will do bitten in the throat. While the injury in itself wasn’t impressive, the distress Star was in was. She was having a hard time breathing and bubbles and air were coming out of the relatively small single puncture. And her neck was diffusely swollen.

After apprising her owner of the situation we took Star immediately to surgery. Surely enough after opening up her neck to evaluate the extensive damage (when a dog grabs hold of something, the injury with their very strong mouths is not so much caused by the teeth but the crushing injury induced and the result of what they do when they shake in combination) her trachea had been torn. I had never seen that before. Maybe a puncture, yes. But not the full 270 degree around tear of this hard cartilaginous “C” shaped ring tissue oriented in a tube = the main airway getting oxygen to the lungs.

Usually I would have stared at this lesion and gone out to talk to the owner of the patient and said we couldn’t fix it and should let the animal peacefully go. But something struck me. Was it the challenge? The feeling of why not see how this goes if I start trying? Perhaps if you know this breed of dog they are pretty indestructible, so I relied on that? I’m really not sure but something willed me on.

Lo and behold I was able to put her trachea back together and deal with the gristle that was her neck muscles under the skin and put stuff back where it belonged and no air was leaking when i was done and she breathed fairly well and her head was facing the right direction. Yay.

She had a rough night of it at the emergency clinic but the next time I saw her she looked fantastic and you could barely see a scar on her neck and she was still jumping and trying to get over that 6 foot fence (she was about 12 pounds) which hadn’t confined her last time.

The Point

Don’t underestimate the ability of a patient to heal any condition

Traveling the World

I definitely have an interest in seeing it all, while I still can. This involves time (current biggest factor), finances and health status. To involve animals in some way will be a major factor. There are multitudes of opportunities out there to help critters as well as just figuring out a way to do it myself.

Upcoming, I have a trip to Kenya Africa with the intent of vaccinating dogs for Rabies, with going on Safari to see some big animals thrown in. As I learn more about what we intend to do (indeed a group of us have set up a non profit) this combines a lot: vaccinating in the bush will be an adventure in and of itself, protects dogs but more importantly from a human health standpoint protects the people/children from this devastating disease (50,000 killed globally annually, your stats may differ) as well as assist in food provisions as these dogs protect village livestock from predators. A real human animal medicine benefit! And added to the travel and seeing lions and elephants and giraffes (maybe).

Otherwise just basing travel as a way to support the animals which have been my life mission and training to help, there are so many modalities. Continuing Education which is required of me to maintain my license is often a way to go to exotic locales. Get some classes in and travel to the Galapagos (definitely on my bucket list) to see what Darwin studied. Tax write off besides. Programs to spay and neuter (a common one to limit pet overpopulation) abound. Either find a group already established or search something out or establish something yourself (see above). Either foreign or domestic. Join friends who can tell you about their previous experience or meet some new people. Most who do this rave about what they’ve done. One of the both local and international groups requires a USA trip first (often Indian reservation related) before you go further away – in their words “we need to see if you can be gotten along with first” (!) Makes sense.

I am on too many different Facebook and e list groups to count, getting the latest update and calendar and what is required and offered. Help the food animal trade in Phuket, Thailand. Spay/neuter (mostly dogs) in the Dominican Republic. The Ididarod sled dog event! One can be a check point health inspector. A couple unusual experiences that were passed by me as offers were Liberia which was undergoing a civil war at the time and veterinary medicine was non existant, a lot of suffering of animals as a result. My buddy wanted me to join him. I said no thanks as I wasn’t into that much danger.

So many choices. The question arises what comes first? The desire to go to a particular part of the world and then add some kind of animal work, or find the group to start there and add on to the trip. I dunno. One of my more interesting stories to share (and why this blog post got inspired) is my classmate who worked as a feline only doctor. The hospital he worked at was sold and rather then stay on he decided to travel the world for a year. He would go to various places that he could help animals. Rescue, spay neuter – any kind of practice. The only rule was he would spend only $75/day – room, board etc. If he ended up saving money it wouldn’t contribute to the next place. I reacquainted myself with him after many years by finding his blog regarding his travels. So very interesting. In Afghanistan for example, he was asked by the vets he encountered how to spay a cat. One can imagine the difference one would make for the larger population of animals globally than just the one in my exam room that has a caretaker paying for all of its needs. Similar reasons that I enjoy (USA) shelter medicine so much.

This may be the beginning of my travel journal to be updated. We shall see.

#animaltravel #rabies #noblevet #safari #kenya #africa