Posted on 09/20/2017 8:49:19 AM PDT by AuntB
As much joy as a pet can bring to the life of its human, when a beloved dog or cat falls ill, the emotional toll can be high.
In fact, caring for an ailing animal often ends up placing a significant "caregiver burden" on its owner, new research finds.
"Think of the phrase, 'Giving until it hurts,'" said study author Mary Beth Spitznagel. Essentially, it's the heavy emotional burden one can experience when the act of caring stretches a person's physical, emotional or even financial capacities to the breaking point.
"We found that individuals with a chronically or terminally ill pet showed greater caregiver burden compared to those with a healthy pet," said Spitznagel, an associate professor in the department of psychological sciences at Kent State University in Ohio.
To explore the idea, her team focused on 238 adult pet owners. Nearly all were white and female, at an average age of 48.
Most had a dog (174), while the rest owned a cat. Half of the pets were deemed healthy, while the other half of the animals struggled with a chronic or terminal illness.
A series of surveys and mental health tests were administered to assess each owner's overall state of mind.
In the end, the team determined that symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress were notably higher among those caring for sick or dying pets. Quality of life was also impaired, while overall "caregiver burden" was characterized as "elevated."
The findings were published Sept. 18 in the journal Veterinary Record.
"Most pet owners consider their pet to be part of the family, so it was not a surprise that the pet caregiver's emotional response would be similar in nature to the response we often see in people providing care for a sick family member," Spitznagel said. "However, I was surprised at just how high the overall level of burden was in this group."
"Because this is the first study to demonstrate that this problem exists, we do not have any data to tell us how to best solve the problem," Spitznagel acknowledged. But she suggested that it's critical to educate pet owners about the illness at hand, and make sure they have solutions for any problems that may arise.
For example, Spitznagel noted that when caring for a person one problem might be, "How do I prevent my father with dementia from wandering when he becomes confused?" The pet caregiver equivalent, she said, might be, "How do I get my cat to take its medications?" or "How do I get my dog to tolerate wearing a diaper?"
"We will need to do more research to determine what is most helpful for pet caregivers," she added. "But I think interventions focused on problem-solving will be key."
Spitznagel also noted that the issue may also apply to vets as well, although her study didn't explore that possibility.
Veterinarian Dr. Katherine Goldberg, author of an editorial that accompanied the study, noted that the "conclusions are not surprising to me, given the level of pet owner stress and grief that I see.[snip]
I once had a dearly loved horse who injured his shoulder at the age of 2. Vet told me to think more of the horse than myself and put him down. I didn’t and I should have. I did him no favors by keeping alive.
I once had a dearly loved horse who injured his shoulder at the age of 2. Vet told me to think more of the horse than myself and put him down. I didn’t and I should have. I did him no favors by keeping alive.
Sorry for double post.
WOW, there's only one vet in America???!?
Been there, done that. You are 100% correct: you are doing Everyone a favor, pet included.
Yes, you are. We had a corgi boy for almost 14 years. He was a wonderful companion, and he was a very healthy dog, until about the last year of his life. He had a tumor, and it grew so quickly even the vet was surprised. We took him home, and had about another 2 weeks with him. But, he wasn't eating, he wasn't taking in any water. He could barely walk.
Finally, we had to take him to the vet to have him put down. He was suffering, and as his owner it was our responsibility to do the right thing by him, no matter how difficult it was for us to say goodbye.
It has taken us a very long time to even think about another dog; but, we are finally there. That little corgi was just a delight while he was with us and it took a long time to stop thinking about him, or opening a door and expecting him to be there. They will crawl into your heart.
When I look back, though, I know we did the right thing by him at the end. He was in pain and suffering, and it was our duty to help him pass. I still miss him.
The operative word here, I think is She. I think female vets tend to want you to spend as much money as possible on your pet, no matter how old or how serious the problem.
We had a female vet for one of our dogs, and that dog hated that vet. We had a male vet for our corgi, and he just loved the guy. He never pushed anything at us; but, he let us make the decisions. Before we went to this vet, I had brought the corgi puppy in, and was seen by a female vet. She immediately started pushing the expensive food as a cure for the puppy's paw fungus. We live in the Seattle area, it rains, the dog's paws get wet. Next visit, I asked for the male vet and we stayed with him and were very happy with the way he handled the dog.
Honestly though, I find whatever "professional" I am talking to at that moment, whatever it is that THEY do and provides their livelihood is the one area you shouldn't ever scrimp on. Veterinarians and eye doctors seem to be the worst.
I go in for the eye exam and my $100 eye glasses magically get up to about $700 when they add on all the extras I must have. Then I get frowning looks of disapproval when I tell them to take all the extras off.
“You are placing a greater value on a dog than you are for your own parents.”
I didn’t take it that way. I thought she meant that the pet was more dependent on her than her parents were. It had nothing to do with “value”. At least, that was my take.
We have had cats for over 20 years — 6 at the moment. Spoiled rotten indoor cats. As they’ve become so old and/or ill that they couldn’t function or were in distress, we’ve had them put down. Having them suffer was out of the question for us.
I have outdoor cats. They never get sick and if they die, I rarely know it.
Agreed; it’s a terrible decision to have to make, but sometimes it has to be done if you really care for your four legged family member.
Late 60’s here, and with the exception of 5 years in the Corps I have had dogs for my entire life.
Loved them all dearly and have lost way to many due to the simple fact that I have outlived them.
Some went just by old age, some by cancer.
Neither way is easy for the human being involved in the decisions that have to be made.
Wish they could all outlive me but that just isn’t going to happen.
Currently have 6 four legged boys and girls, don’t know if I will outlive these guys and girls, but I have made provisions for their welfare after I am gone with trustworthy relatives.
YUP; and just like this old Marine, you cried like a 6 year old school girl when they died, didn’t you.
My vet says no also.
That is just wrong.
If I decide it is time to put my pet down, the vet should provide that service.
I have have had to deal with indifferent vets and what I consider to be bad vets.
Now I have what I consider to be the best vet in the world, he understands both his patients and his human clients.
Doctor Nickerson is without a doubt the kindest, most compassionate, knowledgeable and professional vet I have ever dealt with.
Any body who has dogs as part of their family should be able to tell in one office visit whether their vet is good, bad, or indifferent.
If their not the best look elsewhere.
I lost my rescue dog a couple of years ago after he had a stroke and over the years many cats: most recently-about 4 weeks ago- Molly who we adopted as a kitten 18 years ago. Yes we have emotional ties to our pets and should treat and care for them as best as possible.
However, the decision of what is best for one’s “other” is most often in conflict with the strong desire to continue the relationship on the human side of the equation.
I have been keeping him alive with TLC and special food and medication.
He has no way to communicate pain and discomfort, but he is my constant companion and has trouble getting on the bed at night, on on the Family room couch and ia content to just sleep next to me moat of the time.
He seems to be incontinent, but usually always around his litter box.
He spends hours next to his water and food bowl, staring at their content, but refuses to eat anything but kitty treats.
His silent determination to "hang on" makes it heartbreaking to think of "put him down," although, clearly slowly starving to death.
An on line mutual support group might help, but I haven't found one.
I am prepared, just need to know the decisive sign.
The only gunshot ever fire in my house (garage) was for a dear old kitty in diabetic shock. His suffering was over.
Agreed. But how did you know that they were in pain or distress.?
I have no trouble making the "right" decision, but it's not always that clear.
We agonized about putting our guy down for a long, long time. He was really my wife’s dog, so the decision was hers. Our daughter (the vet tech) was very close to him, too, and it was great she was able to give really good advice to my wife. Our guy was almost completely deaf, close to completely blind, and obviously in a lot of pain from arthritis. But he had a sunny disposition and was cheerful to the end. That’s what made it so hard to decide to put him down. But, as they say, he had a great life.
That’s outstanding that you have made provisions for them when you’re gone. Not many people seem do that. It’s always sad when adoption agencies take pets from elderly people who can no longer care for them or afford to care for them.
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