The importance of human behavior and state of mind.
Several of our readers have expressed heartbreak over the unfortunate diagnosis of SARDs/IMR for their pets. So, we wanted to write a posting about this topic, partially as therapy for ourselves, but also with hopes that it will help those of you who are having a more difficult time coping with SARDs/IMR than others.
This particular posting was quite difficult to compose because even within our own relationship we have different ways of coping with Oscar’s SARDs condition, and we both want to express different emotions, sentiments, and thoughts on how we are affected, and how we should deal with Oscar’s condition.
First and foremost, we want to recognize that for those pet owners who view their pets as if they were like their own human children, that the diagnosis of SARDs/IMR for their dogs is emotionally traumatizing, heart-breaking, and mind-numbingly depressing.
For those of you who are kind and sensitive enough to feel this way, you may feel hopelessly saddened to the point that you feel you have no way to help your dog in any way whatsoever.
However, we are here to remind you, that while your feelings are quite legitimately affecting you in manners described above, there are considerations that you must make for the sake of your dog if you desire your dog’s behavior to return to any semblance of normalcy prior to the diagnosis of SARDs/IMR.
You must realize that your dog is completely dependant on you for existance and for its quality of existence.
By existence, we mean the basic necessities of life, such as:
- Clean Shelter
- Healthful Food
- Maintenance of Good Health
By quality of existence, we mean the aspects of life that go beyond the necessities, such as:
- Participating in activities :
- Playing.
- Exercising for Health.
- Exercising for Recreation, such as walking in the park, or taking a stroll.
- Enjoying snacks and toys.
- Enjoying fulfilling and emotionally bonding relationships.
We are going to assume that any pet owner diligent enough to seek out SARDs/IMR information on the Internet, and that has found our site, will be adept at providing for the basic necessities of life.
However, we realize, through our own experiences, no less, that despite our ability to provide for the basic necessities of life, sometimes it is difficult to provide for the other aspects of life that improve the quality of life for our dogs.
Our dogs are absolutely completely dependant on us — our behavior, our mood, our emotional and mental states of mind, to live a happy and fulfilling life.
If we get stuck in a state of depression and stagnate in the quagmire of feeling sorry for our dogs with SARDs/IMR, we are doing absolutely nothing for them to improve their quality of life.
We are both fans of Cesar Milan’s show, The Dog Whisperer, and we both feel that there’s considerable amount of truth and wisdom to his advice — that humans need to let go of our own sadness if we want our dogs to be rehabilitated.
As difficult as it may feel to you, we urge you to behave confidently and in a happy manner with your dog, and to continue to look for ways to stimulate your dog in ways that rely upon his senses other than sight, such as tactile, taste, smell, and hearing, so that he can enjoy engaging in life.
We all love dogs for one critical thing that they provide to us — unconditional love. And for that gift, we owe them nothing less than our own very best in behavior, and mood, and state of mind.
As we end this posting, we would like to bring your attention to a new SARDs/IMR Patient page for Charlie.
Please have a read of Charlie’s story on his page, and see how he is coping with his SARDs condition.
Click here to view Charlie’s page.
