Live Life To The Fullest

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST.

Let that sentence sink in for a minute . . .

Perhaps you have recently learned that your pet - or a loved one’s pet - has cancer, the “c” word, the elephant in the room. Your mind has probably been reeling with a lot of emotions - surprise, fear, anger, guilt, sadness, and worry, just to name a few. You may feel helpless, stuck in a catatonic state of not knowing what to do or which end is up.

These feelings are natural; they commonly occur with anyone hearing the phrase “your pet has cancer.” It is difficult to concentrate on anything but that phrase when you are sideswiped with it. Every piece of information that comes afterwards sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher trying to explain things in the school classroom to him - everything sounds like “wah-wah-wah.”

But, you have to take a deep breath. It might seem far-fetched that that would be an easy thing to do. But, I have been in your shoes. I have been the receiver of that horrible news. I was and will forever be in that “parents of pets with cancer” club, the one that many people belong to despite never having wanted to be.

After you take that deep breath, look at your pet . . .

They don’t know that they have cancer. And, you aren’t going to tell them, right?

All that your pet knows is that they don’t feel quite right. Perhaps they feel tired, painful, or nauseated. But, they don’t know why. They don’t know how long they will feel this way. They know that, in this moment, they don’t feel well.

I wish that I had understood these concepts when my own dog was diagnosed with cancer. Instead, I spent two weeks - the last two weeks of his life, the last bits of time between his diagnosis and his passing - worrying. I worried that he would collapse and die when I wasn’t there, that he would collapse and die right in front of me, that he was uncomfortable and holding on to life just for my sake. I went through a myriad of emotions during that fourteen day time frame. What I should have done was live in the moment with him. That’s what he was doing - living in the moment, just like he always had.

His cancer diagnosis didn’t change his outlook on life; it changed MINE. I became filled with dread and worry, I couldn’t sleep at night, I couldn’t see past his cancer diagnosis and his impending passing. But, Potter kept living in the moment, he kept on going, he kept on being Potter until he no longer could.

My greatest regret is that I didn’t stop and enjoy all of those little moments with him . . . the smell of his “frito” feet, the softness of his fur, the little white freckle of fur on the top of his forehead, the happy whine he always exuded from the car when he noticed a familiar walking spot that we were driving towards. And, almost five years later, that is still my greatest regret.

I don’t want you to make the same mistake that I did.

Remember, your pet doesn’t know about the cancer diagnosis. And, we aren’t going to let them know about it, are we?

Take time to enjoy all of the little moments that you can with them. That might mean a lazy Sunday afternoon nap, a 15-minute fur-brushing session, enjoying some homemade treats, taking a quiet walk, or playing a short game of fetch. These memories may not seem as exciting as exploring a mountain range together, but they do all add up into so much more than a single adventure. After all, that is why they say that life is about the journey, not the destination.

If we took a piece of wisdom from any pet that we have ever had, it’s this: live in the moment, and live life to the fullest extent possible.

We don’t know how many hours, days, weeks, months, or years longer we are going to live. They don’t know the answer to that, either. What they DO know is what they can do in that moment to feel joy. We would be so intelligent to live by that mantra.

Yes, it will be difficult to suppress all of the worried feelings that we have about our pet’s diagnosis. Know that you are not alone. Reach out to others who are going through similar situations; they can provide a wealth of support and information to you. Feel free to reach out to us (paws4potter@gmail.com) if you do not know who else you can turn to. We would be happy to assist you with whatever support you may need.

Each small moment of happiness with your pet - no matter how small or how grand - adds up, and living life to the fullest with them will enrich both their lives and yours.

#LiveLifeToTheFullest