"Why bother?" That's what our vet said to me when I took my paralyzed dog in for treatment. Paralyzed and disabled pets are failed every single day by our veterinary system. I believe that at the root of this failure is a pervasive lack of understanding that results in premature and unnecessary euthanasia for the majority of disabled or special needs pets. Vets receive insufficient exposure to the potential for high quality of life in disabled pets as well as insufficient training on how to competently and compassionately treat them.
I believe that we increase lifesaving through two steps:
1. 1. Educate vets that these animals can indeed have sufficient and even stellar quality of life.
2. 2. Educate vets on how – treatments, tricks, etc. – best to support owners in giving animals that high quality of life.
And that we accomplish this via two avenues:
1. 1. Lectures through an organization like Maddie's Fund or through vet schools.
2. 2. A certification for disability-informed vets to incentivize vets to receive training as well as to advertise to owners that certain practices are (or are not) disability-friendly.
Our story:
My German Shepherd has become unable to walk over the past three years from a devastating case of IVDD. She was misdiagnosed from the start (everyone just assumed she had DM, sorry for your luck). But at least her vet team tried at that point – to keep her walking, that is.
The day she went down permanently is the day the vet world stopped caring about her. Harsh, but that has absolutely, 100% been our experience with seeking care for a non-ambulatory dog. We've seen seven vets in the last eighteen months, each worse than the last. I tried to take a urine sample in to test for a UTI and the vet refused to test it. She said the words I'll never forget:
"Why bother?"
And there it is. The unvarnished truth about how the vet industry sees disabled pets. Why bother to treat any other comorbidities when it won't make them walk again? In my experience, vets are taught how to attempt to maintain a dog's ability to walk but there is little to no training on how to approach care for animals once the ability to walk is gone for good.
Not every single vet is like this – I have a few vet friends who have heard my stories and been appalled – but every single one we've seen has been, and I've heard enough horror stories from other owners to know that this is not a one-off, it's not a few bad apples – it is a majority. It is a pervasive, industry-wide problem that vets either don't know how to treat, don't see the point in treating, or are simply unwilling to treat disabled pets.
"No paralyzed dog can possibly have sufficient quality of life, and it is against veterinary ethics to prolong it."
Did they ever ask about her quality of life, you might ask? They did not. I never got the chance to tell them that she goes on three long walks a day, still has playdates, still gets in the kiddie pool, still plays with toys, even eats better than she ever has in her life. Her pain is controlled, and with the help of a prescription multiple vets refused to give me, her urinary incontinence – and the resulting scald and tissue breakdown – is a thing of the past.
"We'd hoped nature would have run its course with her by now."
Well, it hasn't. Because I've poured my heart and soul (and bank account) into making her life as full as it ever was, and so has she. These dogs and the people who love them are fighters. They deserve a vet community that will fight for them.
But that's not what we have. I've been lucky enough to find an online community of owners of paralyzed dogs and my story is not unique. Unfortunately, the disengagement of vets from the care of special needs pets is a pervasive and troubling issue that is needlessly costing animals their lives. They are recommending euthanasia prematurely, in all cases, regardless of pain control or quality of life.
In my opinion, there are two possible reasons for this. One, that vets are unfamiliar with the many examples of special needs pets living happy, healthy lives. This informs the incorrect belief that the compassionate choice is euthanasia. We solve this through the presentation to vets and vets in training of the countless stories of these animals thriving. I have contacted several special needs pets owners, advocates, and influencers who, given their own negative experiences with seeking vet care, would be thrilled to show their dogs off to effect change. One owner's down dog was voted "Happiest dog in the world," and another has FIVE wheelchair-bound pets who go for runs on the beach nearly every weekend. They are perfect examples of how, with owners who are up for it and who are taught the basics, these animals can and do thrive despite their physical limitations.
Two, that vets are taught only how to treat animals to try to maintain or regain their ambulation. It's not just a matter of teaching vets WHY to keep these animals alive – it's vital to show them HOW to keep them alive and to maintain quality of life for special needs animals. There appears to be zero education on how to help vets, owners, and pets effectively navigate the common challenges to paralyzed life. The most valuable resource to that I've experienced is those who have been navigating them, often with little to no professional guidance, for years – owners of paralyzed pets. They are a wealth of information and resources, tips and tricks, that have gotten them through those difficult first few months of paralysis and beyond. It is by far the most helpful, considered, empathetic, and practical advice we have encountered on our own journey and it is vital that it be shared with the vet community to be passed on to other owners considering taking on this mantle. We solve this problem through further education of the vet community, including by the owner community.
Vets need to be taught and retaught how to think about and treat disabled pets. This paradigm shift must be accomplished through educational opportunities like a lecture series through Maddie's Fund or through vet schools. I also believe that a certification for vets who have been through a course or lecture series on the compassionate and competent care of special needs pets – care geared toward improving quality of life, not just euthanasia – will help incentivize practices to seek that training and will guide owners of paralyzed pets into practices that will actually help them. It is expensive to have a down dog, and constantly shelling out for new patient appointments only to find out that, once again, this practice is not disabled animal friendly, is emotionally draining and financially devastating (not to mention the wear and tear on both owner and dog to shuttle back and forth).
Sorry for the long read. In sum: Ideally, organizations like Maddie's Fund or vet schools would include a lecture series or a standalone lecture featuring notable advocates for and owners of paralyzed and special needs dogs, to be marketed with particular priority to future or practicing vets, as well as to shelter personnel and owners. Emphasis would be placed on educating vets on the potential for paralyzed dogs to have high quality of life despite their challenges, as well as on the various tools, techniques, and modalities used by experienced special needs pet owners to help deal with these challenges. The goal of the program would be to demonstrate that these dogs can, in many cases, have sufficient quality of life and how best to maintain that.
Any ideas are welcome. I'd love to hear perspectives that would help us gain a better understanding on how veterinary medicine treats (or doesn't treat, in our case) special needs animals and how to help vets help owners help their pets. We've had a rough go the last few years but I still believe that there is a majority of vets out there who, once shown the potential for high quality of life in these animals, will apply themselves vigorously to ensuring they get it.
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Bethany Offutt
Student
Best Friends Animal Society
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