DNA: Does It Really Matter What Breed Your Dog Is?

Does it really matter what I was?  She always said it didn't. I was advertised as a Collie-Poo and that's what she came to accept. If it was any different than that, she said it didn't matter. She loved me no matter What I was. She loved me.

They said my Mom was a Bearded Collie.

They said my Dad was a Standard Poodle.

Some people would argue with her. "No," they'd say, "I can tell he has Afghan Hound in him from the curl in his tail... the length of his hair."  

"It doesn't matter," she would reply, 

"Whatever he is, I love him." 

But it did matter. 

One day she took me into the vet when I was about 5 years old. I had a small tumor growing on my eyelid that was bothering me. They scheduled surgery with general anesthesia to remove it.  

"Come back for him at 1 p.m," they said. 

At noon they called. 

"We've had a delay. Come back for him at 5 p.m." 

Eagerly she went to pick me up at 5. They had to tell her what happened. 

"He must have sighthound in him," they said. 

"He is definitely Afghan Hound."

Sighthounds are a certain group of dogs who have keen eyesight because of the way their eyes and noses are formed. In a puppy, the sense of smell develops first, but in a sighthound pup, the sense of sight comes first. The nose is long and thin and allows for greater peripheral vision for hunting and targeting. This is one of the things that makes sighthounds unique. They also have lean forms and can ran faster and longer than most other breeds. 

Here are some examples of sighthounds:

Borzoi

Greyhound

Saluki

Whippet

Afghan Hound

Sighthounds metabolize medication/anesthesia differently than other breeds. This is in part due to a lower percentage of body fat. Sighthounds also have a unique liver function and cannot process drug substances as quickly as other breeds. It takes them longer to recover and it is part of good veterinary care to manage this. 

I had a very bad reaction to the level of drugs they gave me. What started out as a routine surgery turned into an emergency. They almost lost me! But they didn't. They saved me and they documented in my permanent record that I am Afghan Hound; sighthound.  

For $60 you can order up a DNA testing kit. It may not matter to you what your dog is or how it came to be bred genetically through the years. As more and more people are adopting pets with unknown histories, it is not a bad idea to check it out. The more you know about breed-specific issues, the more you will be ready to handle them if and when they arise.  

Me - Afghan Hound - Collie Poo

Click HERE for a good article on the topic of Veterinary Care and the Sighthound

I Come To You in Dreams

She had a dream last night. In her distress she turned and I was there and then she knew she'd be okay.

We use dreams to connect with you. We find our way into your unconscious mind to remind you that we're always there. I know it's hard to believe right now, but someday you will find that nothing of the world was really worth being so upset about. One day you will wake up in Paradise just like she woke up from her dream today. You will see that it was all just a silly ride!

Hang in there. It will fly by in the blink an eye. Don't simply endure it; find a way to enjoy it. I'll see you in your dreams... and on the other side when the time is right for you to return to me.

The Wall of Fear

Dear Jack, 

I'm really struggling with not having his physical presence with me. I just miss everything about him! The grief process seems to change for me every day, after the initial three-week blur of intense tears. I've read a lot about animal afterlife and just wish I knew that he was okay. Two weeks after he passed I had an intense and overwhelming feeling that he was scared and that I wasn't there to protect him. I've asked for signs etc; I haven't dreamt of him, I wish I could see him again, even in a dream. 

Sheryl

Dear Sheryl,

He is not scared. He lives in Total Love where fear does not exist. If you feel he is scared, it is only because YOU are scared. Those we love are our mirrors and we see in them what we are. 

It is your Wall of Fear that blocks him from being able to reach you. Once you heal, the wall will come tumbling down and you will see him ...and you will see only LOVE. ♡

Don't worry. You'll get there. Try to stay in your heart and out of your head, because fear only exists in your mind. 

LOVE,

Jack

Max Has Lymphoma. When Do We Decide to Let Him Cross Over?

Dear Friends at Rainbow Bridge, 

I need help. My Max was diagnosed with leukemia and stage 5 lymphoma. Doctors have given him 4 to 8 weeks. Today has been 3 weeks. He is happy and eating well, although he is on prednisone, which makes him hungry and thirsty. At this point we are feeding him anything his little heart wants(for the most part). He is going on walks and car rides and trips to McDonalds. We are spoiling him every minute of the day and we feel blessed to have these last days with him. 

The thing I am worried about is his weight loss. It is bad. He looks like he is starving, yet like I said every day he is happy and eating well. He is still jumping and playing like Boxers do; he looks like he feels good 95% of the time. The other 5% you can tell he is uncomfortable and not feeling well. We asked the doctor if he is in pain and he said, "No." He said it's similar to when we have the flu or some kind of bug - we just feel "blah"

My question is at what point do we decide to let him cross the rainbow bridge? It's heartbreaking to see him turn into a skeleton but I can't imagine letting him cross over with him still showing us he is happy. 

Signed,

Dazed and Confused

Max and Me

Dear Dazed, 

Hi, I'm Ella. I'm filling in for Jack who has been called out on angel assignment today. He specifically asked me to reply to you because he knows I know more about lymphoma than he does. I know about it because I have had it too. 

Every animal is different, I can only talk you through how it was for us. I am an Airedale Terrier and I lived a wonderful life on earth with my heart partner, Lynette. 

Our life changed the day I was diagnosed. Lynette was reading and studying everything she could about lymphoma. When life gets out of control like it did for us, it's important to gather as much information and awareness as possible so you can go into the situation with knowledge and realistic expectations. Even though she was learning a lot, she still spent a lot of time in tears. She didn't really know what to expect because, like I said, every animal is different. She could not be prepared for the fact that she would have me for only a month after diagnosis. 

What I can tell you is that when you love like this, you will know when it is the right time, and when that time comes and you have made that decision, there is a kind of peace that comes with it. You WILL know when the right time is, Max will tell you.

Below is our story as Lynette tells it. I want her to tell it because I'm still not very good with the medical vocabulary.

This is me when I was a little tyke 

Ella was my beloved Airedale; she had been with us from 12 weeks of age, attended our wedding, honeymoon, nannied our two boys, and just after her 12th birthday, I noticed her lymph nodes were enlarged on her back legs. After a biopsy result confirmed our fears, we decided against chemo, and went down the prednisone route. I asked our vet the same questions, and no she wasn't in any pain, but would have days of being tired and lethargic. The tablets increased her hunger and thirst, but I was told when they stopped working, there would be a rapid decline. Ella was arthritic but still enjoyed her walks, right up until two days before we lost her. She loved her food. In fact my last photo was taken the day before she died, waiting for her tea.

We knew the end was near that Friday morning. She usually ate her breakfast first thing. That morning, she didn't get up for the first couple of hours, she did eat some of her food, went outside to do her toilet and came back to her bed. She didn't move and dozed all afternoon. 

We phoned the vet late in the afternoon and made The Appointment for next day, thinking we had that last night with her. However, at about 10pm, she lost control of her bowels. I spent the night lying on the floor with her, telling her how much she was loved, recalling our adventures. Just before sunrise, we called the vet out, and she slipped peacefully away. We watched the most beautiful painted sunrise, which I believe was her way of telling me it was alright. I felt at peace at that moment. We buried her on the hill behind our house, looking down the loch. 

Would I do things differently? Only in that I would have called the vet out the evening before. The decline was so swift. I can only advise if Max is happy in himself, wagging his tail and still eating, let him enjoy himself. If he stops eating, shows no interest in his surroundings, or has prolonged panting (a sign of pain), then think about letting him go.

I miss my girl every day. It will be 5 months tomorrow. I read Kate's book with tears streaming down my face, but it was very cathartic. I am sitting here again with tears streaming down my face.

I wish you and Max a peaceful time together in the coming days. I know you will tell him how loved he is, and how he always will be. 

Love and hugs from Ella and me to you and Max.

I Love You Mom. You Did Everything Right For Us

Dear Jack: Why Should I Read Your Book?

Ready for a Heart to Heart? I feel compelled to write this. I keep hearing your thoughts and  reading your comments and I say to so many of you: " Just READ my book, for the answers you seek are there!" 

You think Kate is some kind of "expert"? She is not. She may have worked for hospice for much of her career, but she is really just a person who loved a pet, just like you loved yours. She was as Deer-In-Headlights as you are until I figured out how to reach her; how to get her to connect with me. You can learn it too. Once you learn how to pierce the "veil" it's like riding a bicycle. You will never go back to Not Knowing and you can apply it to every two legged and four legged relationship in your life as long as you live.

I see those of you in Kate's Bereavement Group. You ask desperate questions and you get answers that someone tries to fit inside a little Comment box. Why don't you read my book, if you haven't already. Do you have a Kindle? It's two dollars and ninety-nine cents. I am not here to sell the book, my friends, I am here to HELP those of you to get to a higher place. We wrote the book to help, not to get on the Best Seller List. We started our Facebook group for the same reason. We don't get paid for any of it. Our reward is watching people we have come to love rise from the trenches of grief, back into living full and happy lives. We've seen it happen and it makes us very happy.

Available at Amazon.com

Kate was as low as any of you have been and, as her beloved Best Friend, I pressed through, pushed through the veil to reach her through her tears and deepest grief to write "our" book. Our story is your story. Your pet wants you to read it because it is your pet's story too. It shares all the stages that take place after a loss. It helps you know what to expect and it helps you to know how to rise up to your own healing. Don't think it can't help you. You can learn as you read about the frustrations and mistakes we made along the way. 

Unless you are not ready to receive it's message, "Jack McAfghan: Reflections on Life with my Master" will help you. I promise. It comes with a Money Back Guarantee. Buy it on Amazon and if you read it and don't like it, just return it. You'll get your money back, no questions asked.

The One Thing We Can Control at the End of Life

When a human being stops eating due to illness and decline at the end of life, it can often indicate that they are ready to give up the fight. When one is helpless, frail, disabled and infirmed, they must rely on someone else to meet their basic needs. Sometimes the only control one has at this point is to clench the teeth and refuse to eat. 

So many people who are caregivers don't understand this. They force feed or think that the patient is being uncooperative or unreasonable. It is not true in every case, but often the patient is communicating in the only way they know how. Refusing food is the only choice they have. They are saying "Enough Is Enough". 

Us animals often do the same thing. This is one of the clues for you, of knowing when the time is coming to help us on our way. 

Dear Jack: Who Can I Turn To? No One Cares for Me

Dear Jack, 

Since my dear girl left me I've been very sick both emotionally and physically. Life has no more meaning to me because my sweet girl was my life and I feel so lost without her!!  I'm very very depressed and sick please help me. I need to know that someone cares for me.

Betsy

Dear Betsy, 

     You have written me many times and, despite my sensitive recommendations and encouragement, your pain and suffering continue. 
     Maybe you are looking for support in the wrong places. Many humans are very surprised when their old friends and family members don't understand or honor their grief. They need the love and care and it just isn't there. It's not that they don't care; it's that they don't really understand the level of grief and love experienced with a Heart and Soul pet. This is why it is good to seek out a support group like mine and become acquainted with similar and like-minded others who are grieving too. 

     That aside, do you know who cares the most for you? Do you have faith? Do you know that God is taking very good care of your little girl? He is taking good care of you too, but you can't seem to see that now. These times are designed to take us to the very bottom of depression and loneliness so that we become desperate enough to turn to Him. Most of us forget Him most of the rest of the time! Kate learned this and many other people are learning this too.

     What do people do without faith?  Kate has it now. She hit bottom when she lost me and her father the same day. She felt she had no one to turn to and when you have no one, you turn around and there He is. He is waiting for you! God is ALWAYS there.  24/7. He is waiting for you to ask HIM for help and it's my responsibility now to redirect you to Him. This is how much I care about you. The greatest gift you can possess is that of knowing that God is waiting to comfort you in your time of need and that He is waiting for you to ask Him to do that. 

Go be quiet with yourself. Get in a space where you can have a conversation with God and just see how it goes. I can pretty much guarantee that it won't get worse! Bless you Betsy. You'll get through this and when you learn all you need to learn here on this earth, God will bring you back together again with everyone you ever loved...and if you haven't read my book yet, you need to. This is why we wrote it -- to help people just like you. 

Love,

Jack