So Much Going On

I can’t believe it’s been more than three months since my last post. Still, considering all that’s been going on, I’m surprised it’s only three months.

Where to start? Well, August was fairly normal – crazy busy trying to keep Bogie from being too much of a pest to Ducky. Bogie is an absolute love bug…sweet, loving, gentle…but still very much a puppy. And his youthful exuberance makes Ducky nervous at times. Frequently, to be totally honest.

Unfair Advantage

Then came September. Things were changing rapidly at our long-time vet’s office. Staff members that I had worked with while doing my vet assistant course externship had started leaving over the course of 2018, 2019 and 2020, but by the beginning of September only two remained. I knew from one of the last to leave that things had turned toxic. It was breaking my heart as well as my friends’ hearts.

Ducky had her annual wellness visit on September 23rd, and I could feel the tension just walking in the door. While the techs ran the various tests in the treatment area, hubby and I spoke with Dr. Simpson about Ducky’s hip dysplasia, discomfort, and frequent avoidance of Bogie. Dr. Simpson and I shared an unstated understanding of the sadness we felt over the changes. I told him I would stand by him, and I sealed it with a hug. And then the tech brought Ducky back into the exam room. A week later Dr. Simpson was gone as well. 😥 But we remain in touch. We’re like family to each other. He’s been Ducky’s primary vet for most of the last five years. And he’d been Bogie’s vet, too, since we first brought him home.

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been busy managing hubby’s dementia issues, Ducky’s and Bogie’s relationship, Ducky’s hip issues, and Bogie’s “growing pains”. At times I’ve felt like running away from home, but the adult in me kept me from it.

Meanwhile, Dr. Simpson has been working on a project that he asked my help with, and I’m delighted to be a part of it. I feel so strongly about it that I offered to publish a blog post and ask for feedback from you, my pet blogging buddies.

After suffering the heartbreak of losing his beloved chocolate Lab, Nestle (Ness), he started thinking/wondering why he was expending so much energy on mediocre pet owners. He wants to help pet parents who love and treat their pets like beloved family members. And help protect them from the bad, sometimes dangerous misinformation they might find on “Dr. Google”.

The project involves building a community of likeminded pet parents; and eventually building a by-referral-only clinic to serve them and their beloved pets. One where he and the pet parents would work together to help the pets lead their best possible lives. One where mutual respect and trust is what drives the partnership between vet and pet parent.

For my part in this project, I agreed to reach out to my fellow bloggers for help. So, I have two questions for you:

1) As true pet parents, what is your biggest fear?

2) What makes you turn to Dr. Google for answers to your pets’ health issues? What are you searching for?

We all know there is a lot of misleading, sometimes dangerous information out there in cyberspace. Dr. Simpson would like to make a difference in pets’ lives by helping their humans find real, safe information when they need it.

I realize the holidays are right around the corner and that you’re probably already busy with preparations. So, if you could take take a few minutes to answer those questions for me I would greatly appreciate it. So would Dr. Simpson.

Finally, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the USA, so to all who celebrate it, I hope you have a safe, wonderful holiday!

13 thoughts on “So Much Going On”

  1. Becky W says:

    Like Monika I fear not being able to afford what my pups need. We adopt older pups so health insurance is not really an affordable option but it did save us thousands when we had it for our two year old. I highly recommend it. I do look up a lot of info on the internet but use it to ask my vet questions. The better my questions the better the results! My vet is the best resource I have and I’m glad you’ve found a good one.

    Liked by 1 person

    • My Golden Life says:

      Hi Becky! Thanks for visiting and for leaving your answers to the questions. I actually have insurance for Bogie, but for Ducky it’s just not an option.

      Like

  2. Tails Around the Ranch says:

    LOVED the video! Bogie’s playing with Ducky and her giving as good as she’s receives was adorable. So sorry about the loss of your vet but kudos for staying in touch and helping him out.

    My greatest fear is worrying about being able to afford what my two Ranch hands may require. Elsa with her epilepsy and Norman getting older. After he suffered a very expensive bloat surgery last year, the thought of losing him because I couldn’t afford treatment is always at the back of my mind. Having had another dog that passed from it, I knew what to do as soon as I saw the signs and it was that quick reaction that probably saved his life. It’s nothing to ignore, even for a few minutes. Good luck helping your vet out and give the two fur kids ear rubs from me. Happy holidays!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Brian says:

    I’m not sure where Dr. Simpon was but that’s really too, too bad. I’ll try to answer your questions. My biggest fear is that I’m not doing all that could be done to treat a particular illness. Brian has IBD, Dolly has lymphoma and Simon and Seal have asthma. I get really nervous when they are having an “off” day. I quit checking with Dr. Google a long time ago but I do visit groups on Facebook that have moderated user input as to what really worked with their pets, live the Feline Ashtma and Feline IBD groups. I’m glad Dr. Simpson is trying to focus on those who really care about their pets, ours are family.

    Hugs to you and your hubby and Happy Thanksgiving.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. edgar62 says:

    I hope I have answered your questions. My biggest annoyance in this place is that fact that there are too many dog owners that are too lazy to clean up after their dog and that helps the spread of the virus….

    Liked by 1 person

  5. edgar62 says:

    My biggest fear in this place is Parvovirus. This is South Australia where there is an attitude of ” She’ll be right, Mate” The virus is common in this place and I made sure that my dog’s vaccinations are up to date.
    Secondly, I do not consult Dr. Google for my dog’s health. Dr. Mustafa is my Vet and has been for more than 20 years. He has always looked after my dogs and I trust him. When Benji was attacked at Easter I called him and told him what had happened – he opened up the clinic to attend to Benji. I have a good relationship with my dog’s Vet.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. easyweimaraner says:

    we are so sorry that you lost the vet you trusted, but it is great, that you will stay in touch and that you are involved in something what is absolutely important.
    we mostly search for people or opinions who (maybe) had the same symptomas or signs we noticed and what cause sorrows.
    and our biggest fear is bloat, but that is in the breed…sadly…
    big hugs to you all and a special one to da ducky ;O)

    Liked by 1 person

    • My Golden Life says:

      Thanks Katty! After you lost Easy to bloat, I started watching for telltale signs in Shadow and warned my brother about it for his “pup” too.

      As to losing our trusted vet, I count his friendship among my blessings. He recommended a truly awesome local vet and I have since shared Ducky’s and Bogie’s medical records with her. And I can still reach out to Dr. Simpson should the need arise.

      Like

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