The Power of the Mind

Humans and animals encounter very similar disease conditions ranging from arthritis to kidney disease to cancer.  Do the conditions themselves vary between the species in terms of manifestation and cause?  Possibly on one end, but not the other.  After all, a broken bone is a broken bone and a failing kidney is a failing kidney...right? 

After 18 years of clinical veterinary practice, it has never ceased to amaze me the conditions that animals tolerate that humans would never endure, at least not without major pharmaceutical intervention.  I have been witness to dogs that have been hit by vehicles with pendulous rear limbs due to femoral fractures, but yet they are often times fully ambulatory and wagging their tails.  Almost as if they know they have had a mishap in life, but are just looking for a quick fix to get them back into the game.  The same often times holds true for other conditions such as arthritis, renal disease, cardiovascular disease and even cancer.  In many of these situations, by the time the pet is presented to us, the disease is far advanced and leaves one wondering how in the heck they managed all along based on human standards?

This raises, at least in my eyes, the power of the human mind and how we need to learn from our animal counterparts.  I think in many instances, we are often times so consumed in our lives that we become very distraught and lose focus over what is truly important.  Our animal companions are focused on the moment, the next treat, the next ball toss and an opportunity to get out and chase the neighbor's cat.  They don't worry too much about their next meal, the weather, their jobs or what the neighbor's dog is saying about them, much less about what they are going to wear tomorrow when they go outside.  They are focused on the moment and most of the time, that revolves around happiness and what they can do to please us as their caretakers.  Now, I know this doesn't hold true for all pets or even horses and some of them do seem to worry about their next meal and whether or not it will be there.  Some even get concerned about the weather and express dissatisfaction that they have to go outside when the weather is cold.  As veterinarians, we often times see pets that really don't know what the hard surface of the ground is like and prefer to be carried every where they go.  Is this normal?  Nope, but when you think about it, these behaviors are produced as a result of humans.  I don't feel that it is natural for a pet to worry, but it is an inferred trait by their owners.  We create these situations, which are manifestations of our own feelings and beliefs. 

Now, I am not immune from this as my own horses are accustomed to coming in from pasture at a set time each nite, which I try to keep, but if I am late, they are quick to start pawing at the gate and arguing with one another due to impatience.  Did I mean to create this schedule?  Did I mean to create a 2000 lb. draft horse monster that is a little peeved that she is 10 minutes late getting to her nightly grain?  Nope, but it was created as a manifestation of my own schedule.  Guilty as charged!

What I do question is how these animals deal so wonderfully with medical conditions that you, I and many others would never tolerate.  How does an aged Golden Retriever deal with severe hip arthritis to the point that radiographically, there is no recognizable hip joint, yet she still goes about her business, wags her tail and never complains?  How does a beagle with obvious breast cancer involving a tumor the size of a grapefruit, dragging the ground, still continue to go about her business as if the tumor is only a major hindrance not a systemic disease?  And most recently, how does a Coonhound mix go for almost 4 weeks with a broken front leg to the point of nerve impingement, continue to go about life playing with his housemates while dragging his injured limb with no complaints?

I think the answer to all of these questions lies in the mind and how we, as humans, interpret life's events and circumstances.  We often times look at our animals companions as being the lesser species, but in fact, we have a lot to learn from them.

Just my thoughts.

Tom Schell, D.V.M.