When to Make the Call

I generally thinking having pets in our house makes for a happier place. They are funny and force us to think about something other than ourselves. I never feel lonely because they are around and their fuzzy faces bring me a great deal of comfort. But sometimes it is so stressful.

This morning we woke up to Hannah the Dog whining every time she turned her rear end. I took her outside briefly, got her some breakfast and pain medication, and then she just leaned on me with most of her body weight, refusing to lay down. It's times like this when I don't know what to do. How do I comfort her and let her know we're doing the best we can?  

But then there are the questions - are we doing the best we can? Should she be on a constant regimen of pain killers? Is this the dreaded "change in behavior" that means we should call the vet right now?  There's no reason for the pain - we have her on modified bedrest, so she's only walking around the block three times a day right now and each trip around the block is only a quarter of a mile. She's literally not doing anything else since we've also basically stopped training her because it seemed like even sitting and shaking was causing her discomfort. For a dog her age, this is nothing, but she seems to be in so much pain right now that we're giving her painkillers every day. Should she be getting less exercise? More?  I don't know, my friends. I say I'm doing the best I can, but am I?

And then there's Zelda the Cat. She has started to become a Cuddly Cat. Zelda has always been a cat who is willing to cuddle on her own terms. If one of us is laying down quietly, she's more than happy to come up on our laps, but generally she's like a knickknack that moves about the house. However, these days, she's become clingy. If Dr. BB is reading at the table, she's meowing at him. If I'm working on my laptop, she's putting her paw on me to request pets. Her eating habits and litter box output haven't changed, but her behavior is slightly different. Is it because it's winter and she's cold? Is she secretly telling us she's sick? Is it worth a call to the vet? Imagine that conversation - so, my cat is demanding attention - is she okay? Cats demand attention. It's what they do. But now she's doing it slightly differently. Should I be worried?  

These micro-decisions. For those of you who have children, I have nothing but respect. I don't know how you make it through birth (epidural or no? circumcision or no?), let alone all the tiny decisions you have to make about the day-to-day life of a child. I am going crazy wondering if I am doing something wrong by not placing a call to a veterinarian and you all are out there raising up the next generation and you seem to be doing it with aplomb.

It is becoming clear to me that while I am doing my absolute best to stay on top of my SAD, it is really getting to me right now. I have constant anxiety (about my job, about the pets, about weather, about family, about everything). I am doing all the things - taking vitamin D, using a SAD lamp, walking outdoors in the daylight - but I guess this is how it's going to for the next month or so.  Hopefully I will snap out of this and return to normal soon. Everything just seems so oppressive and hard right now.

In the meantime, I'll just sit here and continue to fret about whether or not I should call the vet because man, this is one pathetic dog I have on my hands.