I didn’t have pets as a kid. A combination of bad tonsils and adenoids, frequent colds and other respiratory issues led my pediatrician to determine I was allergic to dust - and that meant pet dander, too. Not even stuffed animals were allowed - I distinctly remember receiving a pink ‘dog” made of crinkly cellophane-like material one Christmas, a supposedly “allergy-free (and very disappointing) stuffed toy – but no dogs or cats or birds were allowed in our home. I did keep fish, but somehow my fantail goldfish, aptly named “Jaws” because he grew to nearly pond-sized in his solitary five-gallon tank, really didn’t count.
You can’t talk to a fish, nor hug it when you need comfort.
All that changed when my husband and I got married and bought a house. We decided to give pet ownership a try. We adopted a cat – working opposite schedules we knew a dog wouldn’t work with our lifestyle at the time – and Simon became my companion and company on nights when John was working, and I was home alone. Simon led to more cat adoptions – we took in a stray hanging around our yard and she gave us kittens and we soon had three cats. When we lost those furry friends – shortly after adopting our son, Evan – we acquired another kitty – Merlin. Sadly, he came to us with an undiagnosed illness and passed before we realized he was sick. That led us to our most recent pet – Carmen-Cocoa – a beautiful Tortie (tortoiseshell pattern coat cat) who brightened our lives for over 20 years before passing this past June.
I bring this all up because I know how much a pet can mean to a person – my experience of being home alone when we first adopted Simon – and what a pet can mean to a family, and especially a child. Carmen-Cocoa literally chose Evan when we went down to the local animal shelter to look for a new pet, and she was his cat (she tolerated John and I) for the majority of his life.
I also bring up Carmen-Cocoa because it was an experience with her that makes me understand the frightening pet health challenge that motivated Kim George to begin Kane’s Krusade, our feature story subject this month. One morning when Evan was about 8 years old, I came downstairs to find Carmen-Cocoa staggering and drooling and struggling to breathe. It was a day off from school – I don’t remember why – and Evan was frantic. I tried calling our vet, but it was too early, and the office was not yet open. At the time there was a 24-hour veterinary hospital on Boston Road in Springfield, and I bundled the cat – and a crying Evan – into the car for an emergency visit.
If you’ve ever had to take a pet to the vet in an emergency, you understand the flurry of activity – and the shock when they start talking about the cost of tests and treatment. With a mortgage, Catholic school for Evan and gymnastics lessons, the potential bill was a big nut to swallow financially, and my husband and I were grappling with what to do on the phone. But also, I had a crying child, frantic about his pet and her life. I was frantic too.
Fortunately, I was able to reach my vet for advice, who suggested that I ask the hospital to administer a specific shot to Carmen-Cocoa, saying that “It will either help, or not make a difference at all.” Luckily, it made a big difference. She did still need a day in an oxygen cage, and medication – still an expensive $400 bill in total – but it was far less than the nearly $1,000-plus I was originally quoted.
I wasn’t in a position to remortgage my house to pay for care – as Kane’s Krusade founder Kim George had done when her dog was diagnosed with cancer – but we both faced the same issue. Pets are family, and not being able to do what you can for them is devastating.
As a dog person, keeping dogs and their owners – especially the elderly, disabled individuals and veterans who need service or emotional comfort dogs – together soon became George’s mission though Kane’s Krusade. She battles pet surrenders through help with food and equipment, veterinary care and most recently, locating pet-friendly, affordable housing.
I hope you enjoy her story, and all the pet-themed advice in this issue. And as always, thanks for reading,
Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
