Just a gentle reminder to us all to look after ourselves as we look after our pets with a cancer diagnosis. While looking into something about dog anxiety I tripped across this helpful study about how a pet cancer diagnosis often leads to higher rates and levels of depression and anxiety in pet owners.

This is even more true for folks with an anxious personality (called trait-anxiety), the owners of pets with a poor prognosis, and people who are employed. (That last one surprised me a bit and the researchers didn’t speculate about why. My guess is that it’s the juggling act that so many of us have experienced with job, [family,] vet appointments, recovery time if any, and wanting to spend as much time as possible with our pet!)

Anyway, around our house in the early rollercoaster days we often reminded each other in the spirit of the airline preflight safety instructions to “put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others,” and while it was tough to do at times it did seem to help us make it through. Tears and tough times are normal, yet let’s all make a pact to look after ourselves well and get help if we need it, okay? Our pets need us as whole and healthy as we can be.

In the US you can find a therapist to suit your needs, location, and insurance, and even reach out for help online if location or money is an issue. In many other places national health services may have good options available.

In this with you, and sending care