Your Disease and Your Animals

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Hi All,

I just started a blog about dog fitness (which you can visit in my signature, if you’re so inclined) and today I posted about how my dog has impacted my fibromyalgia. I’ll admit I got a bit teary eyed while writing it because that wonderful creature has no idea how much she helps me. She is quite literally my reason for getting up in the morning and a Maizy hug can always make me feel better.

So I’d like to hear about your animals and how they’ve helped you. I’m not talking about service animals per say, but if you’ve got one please share your experiences too.

[CHT]

I agree that animals are a big help. My cats get me up in the AM (and keep me company for nap time) the dogs make sure I take them out during the day, and looking after the horses & riding encourages me to keep using and flexing joints that want to get tighter. Having the animals means I can’t let myself take a sick day, which I think is a good thing. Some days it would be easy to give up.

[downen]

I feel as though my animals literally are keeping me going. I have both MS and Addison’s disease plus a hefty dose of arthritis to add to the mix. I have little to no energy most days, and sometimes staying in bed seems like heaven. However, when there are mouths to feed and chores to be done you just get going. I’m afraid if someday I lose that, I’ll just freeze up like a piece of old machinery!

[walkinthewalk]

22 years ago, I lost my 19 yr old son, and only child, in a car accident.

I already had my healthy TWH that I trail rode extensively but, my lifelong friends (also my trail riding buds) weren’t quite sure how to help me, since we lived 30 minutes apart and we all had full time jobs.

These Quarter Horse gals ran across an Arab that was neglected and hungry, bought him, then called me to say he wouldn’t stay in the one sisters fence and I should take him or he was going to auction. It was a new trick and it worked.

I brought Streeter home and so began a healing process that would go much deeper and have more meaning than I could have ever imagined.

My TWH was broke and healthy. The little 13.3H Arab was hungry and neglected, he needed help, something for me to focus on and that is what I did during those early days of wondering why the birds had the nerve to sing when my son was gone.

Streeter saved my soul and my sanity. He is now 29 and I still owe him more than he could ever owe me. That TWH of mine passed last Fall, they had been buds for 22 years. My little Arab took the loss very hard, Winter was rough on him, and I almost lost him.

He has tumors in his hind area so, his days on earth are getting shorter. The farm vet is attached to him and is doing her best to give quality time. He gets free fun of the barn and yard. Tonight he tried to get past my husband, when he opened the driveway gate to come in. The little trickster is feeling better - a good thing but he is 29 so I don’t look thru rose colored glasses.

As long as he feels good enough to play his tricks, I am sure I have summer with him. When he can’t do that anymore, I will lay him next to his BFF of 22 years. An era of my life will have ended that may have been so much different had it not been for the little “worth a million dollars” horse who stumbled into my life, right when I thought it had ended.

I will miss his intent stare and the gentle blowing of his nostrils on my face, telling me “it will be ok”, until then he will continue to be the horse who saved my soul and my sanity.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Walkinthewalk, that is a very touching story. My heart goes out to you and Streeter. He truly sounds like the horse of a lifetime.

[Zu_Zu]

Lovely stories presented ~ our beloved ‘treasures’ push us onward ~

Lovely stories shared ~

Yes ~ it’s wonderful how our beloved ‘treasures’ pull us through the lowest of times ~

[Jackie_Cochran]

When I was diagnosed with MS I still had horses.

I remember coming home from my diagnosis talk with my neurologist wondering if I could ever ride again. I had retired my first horse because he was showing too much weakness to be safe to ride faster than a walk. As we drove down our driveway Hat Tricks looked up and “told me” “you retired me because I’m not safe beyond a walk, you are too crippled to go beyond a walk right now, let’s ride!”

Of course when I got up on him he decided to prove to me that I could trot too! I was too tired and physically worn out to ride much (getting the horse ready was EXHAUSTING), but whenever I managed to get up on one of my horses they would cooperate with me, even if it had been 2 YEARS since I had ridden them.

It took me many years to find people who would help me ride (catching the horse, grooming the horse, tacking up) at a price I could afford. But without Hat Tricks’ comment, and the fact that there were days that I HAD to get out to feed and water the horses I would have curled up in bed and given up. I wore out an electric wheelchair feeding the horses.

Now I no longer have horses (I couldn’t really take care of them–big feelings of guilt about that) other people’s horses still help me, keep me walking and put up with my many faults while riding them.

Bless the horses!

[LoriW]

I actually bought my horse Albie AFTER having my first brain surgery. My doctors were not very happy when I told them I rode but I told them I needed to ride for my sanity. I have now had 3 brain surgeries and unfortunately am looking at a 4th due to ANOTHER screw coming loose from my new and improved plate in my head. I say everyday, if it wasn’t for Albie, I would have no reason (besides my family) to have the energy to get out of bed, let alone get up on a horse and ride (and an OTTB at that!).

When I bought Albie, he turned out to be a lot more horse than I expected but together, we have formed a bond stronger than I have with most people. After my surgeries, I am not allowed to ride sometimes for 4-6 months but just being out there with him, touching him, smelling him, grooming him, all is right with the world. I know everytime I climb on, I’m risking what is happening in my head (same Chiari surgery that our friend Laura had but with lots of complications, hence the need for additional surgeries) - but hell, I could trip on the sidewalk and smash my head just as easily. AND IT KEEPS ME SANE! He keeps me from crawling in a corner and crying about how crappy I feel. He gets me outside and alive. And when I’m sitting in the hospital recuperating, the one thing I think of is … how soon can I ride again!

Sometimes I feel guilty about the amount of time I spend at the barn, to the detriment of my family, but I think they understand that without him, I would be lost. No matter how crappy I feel (which is all the time) - I go out there, see his silly face, and all is right with the world.

[PNW_AMTS_Dealer]

I’ve always had animals, so when I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2013 my first thoughts were…how will we afford the farm? and Who will take care of my animals when I die? Luckily my 23 year career qualified me for a medical retirement and some insurance, which isn’t as good as when I was working, but enough to survive with my husband still working. I got sick, very VERY sick with chemo. I had multiple hospital stayed with IV’s and blood transfusions as all my red & white blood cells were killed. When I would get released from the hospital I had a long list of “don’t do’s” which always included “stay out of the barn”. Ha! Not a chance. They could keep me out about 2 days then I’d just glove and mask up. My riding friend or my husband would groom and saddle for me on my worse days, but just getting in the saddle for a few minutes was a real boost to my hope.
A couple months ago I stumbled across a picture of a border collie that needed adopting. We already have 2 farm dogs, I like them, but they are very bonded to my husband. I lost my 16 year old border collie 5 years ago. There was something about the rescue girls picture that just called to me. I put in my application and 6 weeks ago got to get her. She is awesome, almost an instant bond. She is my shadow and her eyes are always on me. I know it is crazy, I needed another animal like a hole in the head. But I am completely in love with her and she makes me so happy with her devotion. Plain and simple, I just can’t die. I want to live long enough to spoil my animals rotten and watch them get old and grey and totter around. All of us, old and grey and creaky.

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