calliecritturs
Posted : 12/4/2007 2:25:01 PM
I'm sorry the easy things the vet tried didn't work. However I am thrilled you have taken her to Philly. It can be THE best thing you can do to take them where there is cutting edge treatment being taught, learned and practiced.
When Billy was up at UF last year, I was devastated that I couldn't be WITH him. I asked the vet if it would be ok for me to fax him his posts every day. She giggled and said YES.
I did -- I cut and pasted everyone's posts to him (and a few hello's from emails) and every day I would fax them over.
His student went every day and fetched them and READ THEM TO HIM. Billy developed quite a relationship with this young man (now graduated and on his way to being an intern) but HE TOLD ME how much Billy enjoyed this. "Mrs. K you could really see how much this ENCOURAGED him ... he was happy. He knew those names and when I came with the paper he would wriggle ALL OVER!!! Even when he felt awful he knew it was 'news from home' and that you were thinking of him!!! IT was a ***wonderful*** idea!!"
I really thought they'd think I was crazy to suggest it -- but they know how important it is for them not to get discouraged and they get so homesick.
In fact, when Billy went back up last fall for his last "check up" before his release (over a year later) the vet contacted this former student and he came all the way across town just to SEE Billy. It was then that he told me how much HE thought this had helped encourage Billy and that he had actually kept them. "Someday when I'm a vet in my own practice, I'm going to encourage such communication from owners. I learned a very valuable thing with Billy -- never underestimate the power of love and communication!"