RIP Fred

Mom has been well since coming home from respite care. She has been careful about her medications and logging everything she does since her last accidental overdose last Wednesday. She is terrified that APS will come and force her onto MediCAL and take her house and put her in a home, so she is motivated to keep up on it. She has a doctor's appointment Wednesday to fill those medications that hospice threw away (which chaps my hide because they are only allowed to discard medications they prescribed and one of those meds was cash-only from a special pharmacy and will cost ~$75/month and they tossed a 2-month supply....thanks) and figure out a game plan on how to tackler her various medical problems.

Today will be hard on Mom. While in respite, she made the decision (FINALLY) to put down the sick dog, Fred. Fred is a female, about 10 years old. Her sister is healthy, but Fred had spinal surgery when she was five years old and has had numerous medical issues since. She is in pain daily, on four medications, and is incontinent. She is a walking health hazard for Mom (and anyone else) and causes so many problems in the house - physically, financially - combined with the fact that the dog is in pain daily....it's way past time to put this dog down. Mom is extremely attached to this dog and today will be a very difficult day for her. I think she finally realized that it's necessary for her health, for her to live a good life, to change what's not working in her life. This is a good thing. I will be with Mom and we will put Fred down together. She will be cremated and put in a little box with a paw print (I know, it's overkill, but it makes Mom feel better about it, so we're doing it).

I want to mention to those who are thinking that this is just some stupid dog and get the hell over it and something hostile and annoying toward Mom or myself: shut the hell up. It's not your dog. It's not your life. And you don't know what that woman has been through or what that dog has seen her through. As annoying as I find the dog, I understand how much this means to her and how her heart is breaking right now. So if you can't find words that aren't asinine, keep them to yourself. She needs support and love right now. Provide it or don't, but don't make it worse by discounting her feelings.