I apologize for not posting for a few days... But after work on Friday, I hopped in my car and headed for Las Vegas! Fortunately for me, some friends from home were going out to Vegas to celebrate her brother getting married. It was really good to see people from back home! We had a lot of fun, and I am super exhausted! Here's a picture of my best friend, Amanda, and me before Alex's (her brother) wedding. It was a short but beautiful ceremony right at the hotel we stayed in, the Excalibur. Congratulations Alex & Meghan!!! :)
To finish my week in cats, on Friday we had a presentation by Dr. Frank on quality of life. It was a very interesting presentation, and once again, I learned a ton of new information! In both the human world and the animal world, we tend to equate quality of life with health and only health. But Dr. Frank encouraged us to also consider happiness as a large component of quality of life. Doctors and veterinarians tend to only look at the physical well-being of the subject, and they disregard the mental or emotional well-being that can have just as much of an impact, if not more, on one's quality of life. Overall, when assessing an animal's quality of life, it is never "black and white". There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration before the veterinarian and the owner can make the best possible decision for that animal.
Another good point that Dr. Frank brought up was how many people say, "All my dog does is eat and sleep, he's got it made!". And in reality, it means anything but. Just like humans do, dogs can use sleep as a coping mechanism to deal with stress, boredom, fear, etc. When you're sleeping, you can escape your stressors or your fears. The same goes for dogs. If a dog has a lot of anxiety, or even if he's just really bored... He will probably sleep more often in order to rid himself of those unpleasant feelings. Now this isn't to say that every time your dog is sleeping, he's stressed out or unhappy (because obviously animals need sleep to function), but it's important to recognize that sometimes it may be more than just fatigue that is making your dog sleep.
I think a lot of us, including myself, take for granted that our pets need so little to survive. But I believe that every single one of us wants our pets to do way more than merely 'survive'. Everybody wants their pets to lead healthy, happy, enriched lives! Something as simple as going for a walk, reading to your pet, trying to teach new tricks, grooming, etc., can make a huge improvement to your pet's quality of life. Thanks to Dr. Frank, I am much more cognizant of all the things that are required for my baby girl, Lola, to live the best life she possibly can. There's no greater feeling than knowing when she is truly happy and at peace. She deserves more of those joyful moments. I am going to be a better dog mom! I love and miss you so much Lola Bean, 13 more days until I can give you a BIG HUG! :)
