The Other Family Doctor

Adult nonfiction 

     At Veazie Vet they called Joey a miracle cat.  He was born with a condition that made him prone to urinary tract blockages.  From the age of three when an operation revealed this he'd been a medical special needs cat and a frequent visitor to his primary care provider, Dr. Julie Keene.  But when he wasn't ill he was one of the most robustly joyfully engaged in life, playful, loving cats you can imagine.  On a close to Christmas check up when he was twelve he was given a toy the practice was giving kittens: a little green jingle mouse.

     Before his sixteenth birthday he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  Dr. Keene prescribed an appetite boosting medication that temporarily restored his quality of life and bought us a beautiful last summer.  When he was unable to eat cat food he was able to enjoy baby food.

     We were well into August.  I walked into the kitchen.  Joey was lying on the floor.  He stood up and rubbed his head against my leg before collapsing at my feet.  I treasured this precious love connection, knowing it was the last time, knowing that he was ready to leave me.  My job was letting him know I understood.  I sat on the floor stroking his soft fur, talking about the good life we'd shared, thanking him for all the joy he'd given me, and telling him it was ok to go when living got too hard.  He was gone two days later.  He mostly slept but purred faintly when his people petted him.  One morning he called me and passed over that rainbow bridge with my loving touch being his  last experience.  I thought that at least he had a good death.

     Dr. Karen Fine, author of The Other Family Doctor, would have agreed.  She says that, although animals love life and can battle valiantly against threats, they know when their weakened bodies can no longer go on.  If we can let them go they are ready.  She would have agreed that a long joyous life followed by a short decline and a death surrounded by love was as good as it gets for a cat.  I needed that reassurance because for nearly four years I'd wondered if I'd rationalized my actual experience to be able to live with it.

     Dr. Fine not only is an experienced vet, but shares her home with beloved companion animals and the treasured memories of other.  She's experienced life on both sides of the examination table and generously shares both perspectives.  She candidly lets us in on the lessons she's learned as a professional and a human being.

     One of the most vivid ones for me concerned what she calls the Tuesday cat.  People would bring in a very sick cat with no clue of the seriousness of their condition.  Like me and Joey.  At first she'd chalked it up to human inattentiveness.  She later realized that cats are good at hiding illness symptoms.

     Another that I really appreciate is the idea that when a cat or dog dies of something like cancer there is no need to complicate grief with guilt, with if onlies.  Hindsight, she reminds us, is 20/20.  We did the best we could with what we knew at the time.

     In addition to wisdom on animals and the amazing animal-human bond, Dr. Fine gives us important insights into the challenges and pressures our other family doctors face on a regular, sometimes daily, basis with very little support for seeking help. Burnout, compassion fatigue, depression, and, sadly, suicide are becoming more common in the profession.  I believe that turning this around will require collaboration from vets and their patients' human companions.  

     After the semester I plan to order a copy of the book and donate it to Veazie Vet as a way of showing appreciation.  If you too have a stellar vet or practice you might want to do so.  It's a must acquire for public libraries.

     If you have a companion animal read The Other Family Doctor.  It will probably bring tears to your eyes.  But when things inevitably get tough in the path you and your animal walk together it can be a Godsend.

     A great big shout out goes out to the excellent veterinarians at Veazie Vet with great appreciation for all they've done for the Hathaway cats and humans.

Jules Hathaway 

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