Maro: Hope and gratitude improve outlook for everyone – The Times

As the new year approaches, I cannot imagine how quickly 2022 flew by. This week I treated a pet which I’ve cared for throughout this year.
A few days before Thanksgiving in 2021, a dog named Maizie came into my office paralyzed. She was unable to have bowel movements and she could not urinate on her own. I was very concerned about how her owners would manage her care, AND recommended a surgical referral. They were not in favor of a surgical referral because they had already seen a spinal surgeon who had given them a bleak outlook for recovery and regaining use of Maizie’s legs. The surgeon also felt it was unlikely the pet would be able to eliminate without a catheter and assistance with bowel movements on a daily basis at home.
Though I hadn’t met her owners previously, they were very hopeful that alternative and integrative therapies, including acupuncture could help their sweet Maizie become pain free and walk again. I told the owners I would try my best, but could not guarantee the outcome of care.
Maizie spent the day in my hospital. The staff and I performed deep tissue massage to reduce her spinal pain and muscle spasm (drug therapy had not achieved this). We helped her empty her urinary bladder and bowels. Then, I performed acupuncture and attended to her medical needs. She was dehydrated, so she received fluid therapy.
At the end of the day, as I sent her out the door, I cautioned the owners that Maizie would need more care and may need to be hospitalized over the holiday weekend, if she didn’t start eliminating on her own.
Throughout the entire meeting, her family expressed hopefulness and gratitude. Though concerned, they said they knew my staff would try their best. They added that they were very grateful that we helped them get an appointment quickly and showed compassion, AND they took responsibility for their decisions and the outcome of her case, understanding that she may not walk again.
As Maizie left the building, I silently said a prayer that she could manage the holiday weekend, without the need for in-patient care at a large referral center. Maizie is a very energetic dog and tends to get anxious in a vet clinic setting, so hospitalization would be tough for her, and she would likely need to be heavily sedated.
Ten minutes after leaving the building, one of her owners came back inside. They decided to walk Maizie around the office (while supporting her with her rear leg harness).
She had both urinated and defecated without assistance! Though, at the time, I knew it may have been a one time occurrence, that ability increased everyone’s hope for Maizie’s recovery in response to acupuncture.
It’s now been 13 months since the pet was paralyzed, and she has full use of ALL her limbs and body functions. She stopped using her wheelchair cart about 5 months ago. Underwater treadmill therapy played a big part in her return to function. I now see her monthly for maintenance chiropractic care and acupuncture.
Maizie made a remarkable recovery without surgery, and I believe that her owners’ positive attitudes, hope and expressions of gratitude helped not only their pet, but also helped the staff and me have the ability to treat without excessive owner pressure, anger and second guessing every treatment decision I made.
Pressure on veterinary staff happens when clients ask us to treat their pet and then state that they want to do their “own research on Google” or “ask the groomer, breeder or cashier at the pet food store” what they think before agreeing to treat their imminently dying pet. These behaviors are not only stress inducing for the staff, but they delay possible life saving therapy.
The take away message from Maizie’s case is that every day, we have the choices to be kind, express gratitude, and look for hope in both happy and tense situations. The decision to be hopeful and grateful only takes a shift in our thinking. It costs nothing, but increases the value of all our experiences in life.
And in a healthcare setting, gratitude and hope create a healing environment for the patient and the healers. Reduced anxiety actually changes body processes, decreases inflammation and allows for healing chemicals to be released in the body to speed the healing process.
Even when a patient doesn’t make a full recovery, I have seen pets experience less pain and suffering in situations where owners maintain calm, peaceful, hopeful and grateful demeanors.
As we celebrate the holiday season and look forward to 2023, I pray that Maizie’s recovery and her family’s example can be an inspiration for others facing challenges with their family member’s, their own and their pets’ health.
I hope that the prospects of a wonderful new year motivate all readers to reflect on that which they can feel grateful for in their lives and spread loving kindness through positive interactions in 2023. Happy Holidays to All!
Dr. Cynthia Maro is a veterinarian at the Ellwood Animal Hospital in Ellwood City and the Chippewa Animal Hospital in Chippewa Township. She writes a biweekly column on pet care and health issues. If you have a topic you’d like to have addressed, email [email protected].

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