My daughter phoned last week to get my opinion about her friend’s dog. She was upset because the little dog had developed glaucoma and was scheduled to have one eye removed. The worst part of the story is that the friend’s veterinarian warned that the other eye would become affected in the future. Glaucoma is a nasty disease and very difficult to treat in animals. Perhaps that is because our pets cannot tell us when they get a headache or other symptoms early in the course of the disease. Once the eye becomes red, teary, and the dog is squinting in response to pain, usually the disease is advanced.
This particular little dog reminded my daughter of our dog whom she grew up with and lovingly called her little sister. She could relate to her friend’s grief in knowing what his pet would have to endure.
This led me to think about the many times I had to deliver bad news to my clients about a beloved pet. It might be a cancer diagnosis or another progressive, incurable disease. No veterinarian wants to give bad news to their clients, especially when the pet has been a part of their life for many years. Often it belonged to a child growing up or the last link to a family member who had passed away. This type of connection compounds the grief.
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I shared something with my daughter that I used to say to my clients in that same situation…