The past month has been hellish because my dogs had health scares with one being a little dazed and not eating, one having a growth which required surgery and my beloved arthritic Juliet had a worsening heart condition which led to retention of fluids and as a result, coughing which frightened me half to death for a week. I couldn’t eat or sleep properly for almost a week and walked around in a trance-like Zombie state. I had lunch with a couple of people and must have been miserable company because I looked seriously glum. Heck, I wouldn’t even have wanted to have lunch with myself.

When a dog develops a hacking cough, it is cause for concern and so I didn’t sleep the entire night when it first happened. The vet prescribed anti-inflammatory, heart medication and antibiotics. He said her heart would have to be strengthened and also prescribed an Omega 3 and 6 Salmon Oil liquid to be taken once daily.

Although Juliet’s cough decreased gradually, I was still terribly worried and thought the worst. I can be very pessimistic and paranoid. No time to waste, booked an appointment to see Dr Susanna of Asia Paws this morning as I needed a 2nd opinion and discuss holistic remedies to supplement the heart medication. I’d only be relieved once I saw Dr Susanna. She is like chicken soup for my soul. If the same words came out of any other vet, I might be skeptical but if Dr Susanna told me something, I will believe her wholeheartedly. Let’s just saw there is something about Dr Susanna which is different from other vets, she treats each animal as if it is her own and I haven’t seen that quality in any other vet.

I told Dr Susanna that I have been a nervous wreck all week and I have not been functioning like a normal human being. I have even lost interest in food and everything else. All I can think of is how bad can my Juliet’s condition be but when Dr Susanna, patient and kind soul that she is, took Juliet’s pulse, she said it was quite normal. I felt like a ton of bricks had been removed from my chest. Before, I couldn’t breathe properly and I’d gag when I tried to eat anything but once I heard Dr Susanna’s diagnosis, it was as if the heavens had opened and a ray of light appeared – honestly, it was that important to hear what Dr Susanna had to say.

As for supplements to Juliet’s heart medication, Dr Susanna recommended hawthorn (I already knew about this because I read about its benefits for dog hearts), CoQ10, Vitamin E, Selenin, Manganese (from dark green leafy vegetables) and Polonium from bananas.

Hawthorn strengthens heart muscles and lengthens the time for the heart to rest in between beats and relaxes arteries surrounding the heart muscle (increase nutrition of heart muscle). CoQ10 supports heart muscles cell oxygenation, modulates blood pressure and cleans toxins from the body. From today onwards, I am feeding my dogs leafy green vegetables to relax their arteries and reduce blood clot tendency.

My dogs may be super senior citizens but I want them to have a happy and healthy life for as long as possible. I have been praying like crazy since last week. I know that I can’t have my dogs around forever but for now, please let them all be healthy! I think that a consultation with Dr Susanna was more for my benefit because if I hadn’t spoken to her, I wouldn’t have had the peace of mind I have now. After dropping Juliet home, I had lunch at McDonald’s and I even thought it was rather tasty whereas I couldn’t even tell what I was eating in better places the past few days. If that doesn’t mean I have a burden off my mind, i don’t know what does.