{"id":1805,"date":"2015-09-08T22:57:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T22:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1805"},"modified":"2015-09-03T23:12:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-03T23:12:00","slug":"when-your-beloved-pet-is-ill-and-you-are-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/09\/when-your-beloved-pet-is-ill-and-you-are-too.html","title":{"rendered":"When Your Beloved Pet Is Ill and You Are, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Keattikorn\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our pets bring much joy to our lives, especially if we have a serious illness and are house-bound or otherwise limited. those furry friends can cheer us out of a pain-induced down mood, give us exercise as we take them out for walks, and help us remember that keeping a sense of play and humor is essential to raising our spirits.<\/p>\n

But it can be a very different picture if our pet gets ill. Instead of that unconditional love that we feel, the bond between companion animal and us, we might be forced into decisions driven by stark realities: How much money can we allot to our pet’s treatment? How much effort (and what kind of effort) can we give to treatments, operations and post-operative rehab? Is it ever right to sacrifice our health or an aspect of our medical treatment\/doctor’s appointments in order to turn these resources to our pet?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. In some cities, private foundations might be able to help defray costs or provide physical support (rides to the vet, for example) for people who are disabled and have companion animals or service animals. These can be wonderful resources, but because they are individual to geographic areas, it can take much research and time to locate them. Friends and family, too, are good places to turn when you need help or at least a sympathetic ear to hear your concerns and the issues involved in the decisions you have to make. But, you might find that even the available resources pale in the face of the reality of your limited money, abilities, and, yes, emotional resilience. This is a very difficult place to be, an agonizing place.<\/p>\n

If you find you are facing a difficult decision regarding a sick, beloved pet, I encourage you to draw close all of the members of your support system – friends, family, medical team, online supporters, and faith family. Pray for strength and wisdom. Understand as much as you can about all the various aspects of the situation – your health and needs, your pet’s health and needs,\u00a0the realistic timeframe involved, etc. Color all of your prayers, thoughts, and decisions with love and compassion – for yourself and your beloved pet. And know that God is with all his Creation – people, of course, and animals, too. As it says in Genesis, He sees all his Creation and calls it “good.”<\/p>\n

Let that goodness inspire you as you move forward. And let God’s comfort and wisdom envelop you and your beloved pet each step of the way.<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our pets bring much joy to our lives, especially if we have a serious illness and are house-bound or otherwise limited. those furry friends can cheer us out of a pain-induced down mood, give us exercise as we take them out for walks, and help us remember that keeping a sense of play and humor…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1242,1047,578,1420],"tags":[1909,1908,29,1910,1907,1109],"class_list":["post-1805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food-for-thought","category-good","category-goodness","category-pain-2","tag-a-beloved-pet","tag-a-sick-pet","tag-chronic-illness","tag-limited-money-to-treat-a-sick-pet","tag-our-pets","tag-pets"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Your Beloved Pet Is Ill and You Are, Too - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/09\/when-your-beloved-pet-is-ill-and-you-are-too.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Your Beloved Pet Is Ill and You Are, Too - 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1805"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1806,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1805\/revisions\/1806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}