Jim in Burlington

[Guest guest]

Jim,

We've been parents to black labs for the past 14 years. They're a

wonderful, gentle breed, but have served as great protectors since I

am alone four or five days each week. Service people and strangers to

the property don't know about their gentle nature, and have always

been afraid, even refusing to leave their vans or vehicles when they

see these large, black dogs in our yard. Our finest one, Zeke, was my

constant companion and caregiver during the hardest times of my CP, as

he could always sense when I was having episodes or attacks, and

wouldn't even leave the porch when I was ill. There aren't even any

pictures of me that don't have him sitting as close to me as possible

during the 13 year time frame that he was alive.

One weekend last year when my husband was gone, a sudden illness

overtook Zeke, leaving him paralyzed from shock. After getting help

from the fire department to lift him and lay him in my Jeep, I took

him to the vet and spent several exhausting hours trying to stabilize

him to get his blood sugars elevated. It was discovered that he had

an inoperatable pancreatic tumor, and I had to make the hardest

decision ever - to put him down. We found out that he'd had

undiagnosed pancreatitis for some time. (Why does that sound

familiar?) We still have a younger female, Katy, who we also love

dearly, but she'll never be able to take the place of our old dog, Zeke.

I imagine your lab, Layla, is a good companion and wouldn't be

surprised if she senses those days that your CP is at it's worst. But

you're right, having the responsibility of having to exercise her has

probably been a good motivator for you during those times when you

were feeling down from your condition. Getting out into the world and

getting some fresh air can do wonders to lift a person's spirits and

restore our health, even when we " think " we don't feel well enough to

do it.

My siblings and parent are scattered all over, too - Sweden, Virginia,

New Jersey and Lake Placid, so I know how that feels. I'm fortunate

to be married and have four adult children who are all (except one),

less than 3 hours away, so having them close enough to come home often

has helped me tremendously.

The weather in Florida will be quite a change from Burlington's fierce

winters and fast summers. I hope that you're able to get your housing

down there sooner than expected, and wish you much fortune in the

meantime.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

Bluffton, SC

SC State & SE Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pancreatitis/

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should

not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi, That is amazing that you say Zeke knew when you were

hurting, I've been sitting on the couch and holding my stomach and

Layla would often come over and lick my stomach to try and help. I

dread the day when she won't be with me anymore, but as Carlin

says, when you purchase a pet you are purchasing a small tragedy, we

live 70 years and dogs live 14. Zeke suffered from pancreatitis, that

is scary, almost like it's contagious. I got Layla from the Burlington

Humane Society on 4/12/95, and she had a limp. They were going to put

her down if the next placement for her didn't work. Thank God it was

me. It turned out that she had a bone in her front left leg that

stopped growing, the radius. The ulna kept growing and the wrist and

elbow keep them together and the same length. To make up the

difference in length, the ulna bowed out and she has a bent leg. It

turned out that when I played with her at first, she would get very

bitey, I guess the playing caused her pain and she associated it with

whomever was playing with her. I got her out of the biting habbit but

she still suffers from the leg. I buy natural food supplement anti-

inflammatory pills that help a lot. So, both Layla and I have learned

to deal with pain management.Jim