Love and Loss-Misha

Misha's last picture

This post has quite possibly been the most difficult to write for some reason.  I was able to tell Misha's story on the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society blog easily but I've been stalling here.  After the night on the kitchen floor with my old girl she had a better day on Sunday.  I was hoping she was getting better but at 3:30 am Monday morning she woke me up pacing and having a great deal of trouble breathing.  She would walk a few feet then collapse.  I knew she was ready.  I emailed Dr. Cutting and she replied around 7:30 am Monday to say that she would come at 11:00 am. 

That morning, I attempted to keep up routine for the other two dogs; they expected nothing would be different and still needed to be let out and fed.  Misha was able to get out and potty herself and eat a little breakfast.  I always imagined doing something special for her last hours, like feed her a burger or pull her around in a wagon on one last walk, but we just managed to quit pacing and rested a bit.  I needed to run to the bank to get cash for the procedure and I noted how difficult it was for me to concentrate on driving.  My ears were pounding and I felt like my head was splitting-everything around me felt unusually large.  I noted that this was likely the biological part of the stress I was feeling towards the upcoming procedure and subsequent loss.

Researching Veterinary Social Work Schools and Programs-MSU

Michigan State University

Searching for VSW programs and certificates, the University of Tennessee is prominent on the results list, but Michigan State University's Community Outreach Veterinary Social Work Services  also comes up.  As I checked the website I was not able to easily discern whether they offered a VSW certificate program, so I emailed the contact "Megan Spedoske" listed on the site.

According to the website (accessible through the link above) the Veterinary Social Work Services (VSWS) include:

• Grief and loss support for clients
• Veterinary hospice care
• Consultation with medical and support staff
• Community outreach
• MSW student field placement
• Research

I received a nice email back from Ms. Spedoske.  She is the new Program Coordinator for the VSWS at MSU Veterinary Medical Center.  According to her email, the MSU VSW services started 10 years ago as a partnership between the School of Social Work and the College of Veterinary Medicine.  Ms. Spedoske is social work faculty but is housed in the Veterinary Medical Center as part of the School of Social Work Community Programs.  She is the VSW on staff full-time.

Nanook not feeling well

She is involved with the "beginning stages of information gathering and visioning" in preparation towards developing a certificate program for VSW and is planning on having it ready in the next two years.  She stated they are "working on building something that will meet needs of social workers who are looking to serve in a veterinary setting".  It was at this point in reading this that I realized VSW may be a discipline that is focused on services within a Veterinary hospital or clinic.  As my thoughts about the link between animals and social work are much broader, I am wondering if this is actually the path I'm meant to take?

Misha

Not feeling well

As I sit on the floor in the kitchen with Misha in the wee hours of the morning, several things occur to me.  One of which is, that pain medication will only be effective if I can get her to take it.  Another is that the concept of a euthanasia at home only works if it's planned.  Also, as far as I know the services of a veterinary social worker are strictly conducted within the veterinary hospital, so perhaps the concept of animal home hospice is a bit far off.

We've been through a few rough days, today being one of the worse.  Several days ago we started a medication for her laryngeal paralysis; initially the pharmacy gave us the wrong medication, instead of doxepin we received doxycycline monohydrate.  Luckily, it was just an antibiotic and nothing that could kill her as she received a few doses.