My mom is somewhere in her 90's. We don't know her exact age for sure because, as she claims, "The courthouse burned down and destroyed the original records." She lives pretty much on her own with help from my sister and others.
She's still sharp as a tack but she has trouble getting around due to chronic back pain. The loss of mobility is the hardest part for her. She loves to go out but the pain is too much, sometimes. She tells me it's tough when the mind is willing and the flesh is not.
I'm guessing animals experience the same loss and I was reminded of that by a sad note a few weeks back.
Chai, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever with degenerative myelopathy, passed away in late February.
I got an e-mail from Chai's person, Pam and a
link to her blog. I read the last few posts about Chai's life and Pam's remarkable efforts to keep Chai as happy as possible for as long as possible. In the end, it was pretty obvious that the time had come for Pam to call in a veterinarian to end Chai's suffering.
Chai started having trouble over two years ago. Pam first noticed that she could hear the clicking of Chai's toenails. Chai was beginning to knuckle over on her rear paws, one of the first signs of this progressive neurological condition. It took Pam about another year to get the definitive diagnosis and, it appears, a recommendation from her veterinarian to put Chai to sleep. Pam would have none of that. She could see that Chai was happy and had plenty of life and love left.
For the last nine months Chai got around in a specially made cart from the folks at
Doggon Wheels. These carts offer dogs and cats the option of mobility. They may be unable to use their back legs, and even front legs, for a variety of reasons. For some the problem is permanent, but for others these carts can be part of the therapy on the way to recovery.
Dachshunds and Basset Hounds can have
spinal disk disease that leads to temporary paralysis. They may need assistance with mobility following back surgery. When I was in Vet School we would make primitive carts to support their back end after surgery. They were nothing compared to what is available now.
I ran across another maker of rehabilitation products at The Western Veterinary Conference. Going by the name of Pet Mobility Rehab Center of
Pet MRC, these people have been in the business for forty years. I spoke with the owner and she had heard many stories like the one I told her about Pam and Chai.
Along with specially designed carts they have a full line of helpful products for dogs like Chai. They have harnesses that help the owner support the dogs front or hind end. I see another dog with DM going for "walks" around town with his owner supporting his hind end in this fashion. They are considering a cart.
In the end it was really the incontinence and mental decline that led Pam to make her decision about Chai. She did have almost another year with Chai in large part due to rehab products like the cart. Reading her blog posts there is no doubt that it was worth it to both Pam and Chai. Lot's of people would not have been there, like Pam. It was hard work caring for a big dog like that. It is nice to know that there are tools available to help. It's nice to know there is a market for these tools, too.
Pam has entered Chai's photo in a contest at our local humane society. You can vote for Chai on
this web page. It's only a buck a vote and it goes to a good cause.