QotD: It's Complicated

What's the most complicated part of your life right now?

The most complicated part of my life, right now, is just taking care of my dog. He became paraplegic in July of 2007. It may not sound all that hard, taking care of a dog that can't walk, but when it happens, it's not always just the walking that's effected. First, there's the surgery. Then, in Jerry's case, there's the Cushing's that develops from being left on steroids too long post-surgery. Then there's the incontinence, and the digestive problems that develop, later. Pressure sores, being more prone to infections, and the realization that he can never be left at home, alone, because he can't feel whatever damage he might be doing to his back legs.

And, at the moment, the most complicated part of all is feeding him. It got to the point that his normal dog food was passing through almost as quickly as he ate it, so we switched him to a high-quality, grain-free food. But the nearest place we can get this food is 30 miles away, it's expensive, and it's winter. Sometimes, the weather won't permit making the trip, so I end up cooking for him until either the roads clear or we can get the food delivered from PetCo online. I don't mind cooking for him, at all -- and he seems to like it! -- but I don't know what I'm doing in terms of balancing calcium and phosphorus, or in terms of getting healthy, non-pancreatitis-producing fats into his diet.

There are times when I feel like there's no way I can fix the situation, and I just want to sit down and cry. Ultimately, though, I guess it comes down to experimenting, finding whatever works, even temporarily, and then being flexible enough to find something new when that solution stops working.

I'm hoping that his new vet can help sort the situation out. It's very difficult for me to accept that there may not actually be a solution.