I have three dogs and one cat. One of my dogs has a condition called Megaesophagus. Basically, the action that allows food to be moved down the esophagus to the stomach doesn't work for different reasons. My girl has to be fed in a special chair called a Bailey chair (named after a dog who had this condition). It is a high chair for a dog. She has to be fed her food, now limited to wet food, from a spoon and must remain upright for 15-30 minutes depending on the day she's having. It's such a hard condition to manage that many vets recommend euthanasia rather than subject the dog to such a difficult life. We have been working hard to keep her fed well and from developing aspiration pneumonia, which is what often takes these poor babies. My husband and I joined a support group on Facebook to get advice from more experienced fur-parents. It was a game changer to have their support and advice. The sad part of being in a group like this one is that you see not only the success stories, but also the one's who lost the battle. They post almost daily about their sweet four-legged children crossing the rainbow bridge. It is heartbreaking to see the pictures and read the stories. Often, they do not have a professional image to remember their pet by. I offered my humble skills as a digital artist to those in the group who have experienced loss. If they have an image that I can work with, I will try to create a painted portrait of their fur baby. It isn't a Rembrandt, but it's something and I like to think that I am part of their healing journey. Some images I receive are easier to work with than others but I never turn down an image, I just apologize if the result is less than perfect. It's sad to see this loss so frequently. God gives us what we can handle, though, and thank goodness he gave my girl to me. My CC is still with me, but I was sad to only be able to meet the others pictured in photographs their owners submitted for portrait creation. #caninemegaesophagus
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