Hard Life, Easy Love: Caregiving for Iris, a High Needs Pet
Iris and Brit on September 24, 2023. Photo by Tailwagger Dog Photograhy.
Caregiving for a high needs pet is not something many pet parents knowingly sign up for. Yet, most pets will reach a point in their lives where they may need extra care. It can happen suddenly, or sometimes little by little as the years go by. And sometimes, they unexpectedly walk through your door in the shape of a puppy destined for a short life.
That’s how it was for our client Brit. After losing their heart dog Juno, they brought home a nearly three month old puppy and named her Iris. They were looking forward to all of the brightness she would bring to their lives, but were not expecting the medical adventure that would last Iris’ entire short life of three years, six months, and nineteen days — a life filled with medical advocacy.
We asked our client to share their experience with Iris and what it was like providing three years of around-the-clock care. They also shared the most important things they learned about advocacy and how we helped them provide the best care for Iris.
Iris in January of 2024.Photo by Tailwagger Dog Photography.
“Life with Iris” written by Brit Holmes.
Almost two years after I adopted my puppy Iris, I found myself on the floor of a hospital waiting with her for a specialist to come back with results. When the doctor came back in, I sat up and locked in. I was ready. This wasn’t our first specialist, it was our seventh.
I sat there as we went over her diagnosis and what we would need to do to help Iris feel better. The doctor shared that it could be a bit of work, but it should really help. The recommendation? Applying a medicated mousse to her fur and skin every three days. I laughed in relief. I remember telling the vet, “that’s it?! Thank goodness.That is so easy.”
The doctor had looked at Iris’ really long intake form ahead of time and had assumed we’d be overwhelmed by the diagnosis and recommended treatment. But compared to the intensive care Iris already required, this would be the easiest thing we’ve ever done for her.
Then she said, “you guys are angels.” But we weren’t. When I adopted Iris, all I knew is that I had finally found my adoptable, fluffy puppy. Deep in the shock of losing my five-year-old first dog and love of my life, Juno, it was clear that my current dog Onyx and I really needed a new friend and happy distraction. We didn’t knowingly sign up for a dog who had a high level of medical needs. In fact, I had been discouraged from adopting a dog with disabilities by my primary vet because it was even clear to her that we needed a break.
While caring for Iris, I was often praised for everything I did for her. But it never felt right. I was drowning keeping it all together. At that point, she needed medications four times a day, but she was highly skeptical and they needed to be ground with a mortar and pestle and hidden in melted cheese — a time-consuming task. She also had a debilitating fear of loud noises like thunder and fireworks, and weighing in at an impressive 123 pounds, nothing felt easy. We were so tired.
The vets we had were incredible and I learned more about medicine than I ever thought possible. Iris’ care was a whack-a-mole of medical concerns and despite our incredible care, she would continue to decline.
That’s when I started working with Gentle Journey Vet Care. Dr. Stephanie went through our hundreds of pages of records and talked with me about where I was feeling stuck. We discussed how to measure quality of life specifically for Iris, because her life looked a lot different from most dogs. We identified where she was struggling and formulated a plan to address all of those concerns to increase her quality of life. More so, I put Dr. Stephanie in contact with our vet team, and all of a sudden, the pressure to keep track of all of these moving pieces was lifted. My only job was to care for, love, and advocate for Iris.
Iris the first week I brought her home.
How did you meet Iris?
Iris was born on March 5, 2021. She was a small, poofy, black and white puppy from a rescue that pulled her and her siblings from rural Texas after spaying her mom. She was transported to Chicago and we drove three hours to meet her. It was love at first sight.
When did Iris start having health problems?
Her health problems started shortly after adopting her. During one of her vet appointments, she was breathing quickly and had a runny nose that resolved with antibiotics. After that, she struggled with gas and soft stool for months while we tried different diets and medicines. We could not figure it out. She even leaked urine around the house. She required frequent medical care when she should have been a happy, healthy puppy.
She had a few months of good health. She ran, played, and loved to climb and go on walks. At seven months old, I noticed she was limping — this would be the start of advocating for her for the rest of her short life.
What were the first few times you remember advocating for Iris?
The very first time I advocated for her was while we were pursuing a diagnosis. She had a really hard time waking up from her sedatives. We were told it was normal, but she was taking a long time to recover. I sat on the floor with her for hours, waiting for her to wake up enough that I felt comfortable taking her home. We waited for a long time. I remember feeling really scared for her and being told we could leave. She wasn’t acting like herself, and since I was concerned, I needed to advocate for myself and Iris, staying there until I felt okay to take her home.
It turns out that she had a hard time with a specific sedation drug and was given the higher end of the dose range. For the rest of her life, I would make sure the medical staff knew about her sensitivity to this common drug.
She was originally diagnosed with panosteitis — pain caused by growing bones in puppies, or ‘growing pains.’ So we put her on pain medication and let her rest as instructed, but it didn’t go away. This is when I advocated for Iris again, asking for repeat x-rays and further tests. Sure enough, after a second x-ray and a CT scan, we saw that she had elbow dysplasia in both of her front legs, meaning the bones of her elbow were misaligned and causing pain. The surgeon was happy it was caught early and we scheduled a double elbow surgery for Iris at just 10 months old.
Before the surgery, I expressed my concerns about her staying overnight for the surgery since she had separation anxiety. Because I advocated for Iris again, the hospital placed her in the “glass castle” — their biggest dog run with a view of the whole hospital hallway — so she could always see people and not feel alone.
Iris celebrating her third and final birthday on March 5, 2024.
What were some of the health challenges that Iris faced?
There were so many health changes. So much so that her nickname was “hot mess express.” Before her second birthday, she had already had surgery on all four legs — a milestone that none of her vets had seen happen this young! And, she completed over 200 physical therapy sessions. Her health obstacles included:
Elbow dysplasia in both elbows.
Luxating patellas, or sliding kneecaps, in both knees, requiring TPLO and knee cap surgery for each.
Sebaceous adenitis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the oil glands on the skin resulting in hair loss, dandruff, mats, and infections.
Osteoporosis, or weakening of the bone, in multiple locations.
Frequent ear infections.
Fear and anxiety related to handling and restraint. She had to be sedated for every medical procedure and handling including nail trims, ear cleanings, blood draws and vaccines.
Noise phobia to loud noises like thunderstorms, fireworks, or rain.
Osteomyelitis, or a bone infection, in her right front wrist diagnosed with a bone biopsy.
This final diagnosis led to deformation of her wrist joint, eventually leading to my choice to euthanize her. She was at high risk of catastrophic joint failure and I wanted her to avoid ending up in unimaginable pain.
What were some challenges you faced when getting Iris medical care?
Every time Iris had an appointment, it required everything from loading up the ramp and bringing all her medical records, to bringing yoga mats to prevent her from slipping on the flooring and planning what entrances to use to allow staff to hide from her, ready with sedatives. Beforehand, I would communicate with her medical team to be clear about all of her needs and boundaries around medical handling, which kept both Iris and her team safe and minimally stressed.
Injections were particularly difficult, so when she started taking an injectable medication for her arthritis, I worked with her team to try and administer it in the car to avoid a trip inside. But when that didn’t go well, we regrouped and my advocacy for Iris eventually allowed her favorite physical therapy nurse to administer the shot at the end of her rehab sessions, which she tolerated perfectly.
How did you advocate for Iris throughout her life?
My advocacy for Iris helped us form a team of veterinarians who were willing to get creative, compassionate, and collaborative. She taught us how to advocate and offer alternatives when something was not right for us or her, and that was not always easy. I was not willing to stress her for veterinary care, she had been through so much already.
Throughout her life, she saw over 17 veterinarians: general practitioners, physical therapists, a behaviorist, surgeons, an anesthesiologist, an internist, a dermatologist, emergency vets, a palliative care vet, and an in-home euthanasia vet. She also had a board-certified vet tech nutritionist, her beloved physical therapy nurse that was there with her until the very end, and so many other vet techs, assistants, and coordinating staff that helped along the way. For every challenge I had with Iris, there was a veterinary staff member that helped us. Without my advocacy, I don’t believe that Iris would have been as comfortable as she was for as long as she was.
Iris in her favorite red wagon on September 21, 2024. She had just gone on a ride around the neighborhood and did not want to get out.
What was it like caring for Iris?
Caring for Iris was the most intense, prolonged experience I have ever had. While constantly watching her every move and behavior, I saw a sweet, baby girl that just wanted to cuddle and get head scratches. The smart puppy that wanted to explore and see the world was still there, but not physically or mentally able to any more. We did so much enrichment with minimal movement for her comfort. Together we watched movies (her favorites were Elemental and The Emperor’s New Groove), listened to coffee house music, and watched nature shows to help make her small world a little bit bigger. Sometimes I’d load her up in the car and drive her on her “walk.” I even got her a wagon and pulled her 120+ pounds around the neighborhood.
Despite her needing so much care, and being such a complicated patient, everyone loved her. Caring for Iris was hard. Loving her was easy.
Why was it so important for you to advocate for Iris?
We are our pet’s entire world. We know them best. We see them day in and day out. We are their voice.
My job wasn’t to know the medicine, it was to know Iris. My advocacy was rocky to start, but it is a muscle worth developing and it got easier.
At the end of the day, Iris knew it would be me holding her head during all her sedated care. She knew if she became too stressed, I would opt her out. And when the world got too scary, she knew she could trust me. Earning the trust of my scared and painful dog is one of the biggest honors of my life. That trust was such a precious gift that I worked her whole life to earn and advocating for her allowed me to keep it.
I even advocated for Iris up until her very last breath and in her after care. During the euthanasia appointment, I advocated for Iris by booking additional time for the appointment – I didn’t want to rush anything. And I advocated to minimize her stress by reviewing a plan with the in-home euthanasia vet, a new vet to us, by speaking to her prior to the appointment and explaining best ways to handle Iris at her pace. Even in her aftercare, I made sure her body was handled the way we needed and again advocated for us by booking additional time to complete all the last memorial products that we couldn’t do when she was awake. I’m so thankful I had years of practice, because my baby got the best treatment she could with a dignified ending surrounded by people that loved her in her favorite place — at home in our yard.
Iris spent the day mostly in the yard soaking up the good weather on September 20, 2024. She looked so cute in her Gentle Journey Vet Care bandana.
How did Gentle Journey Vet Care help you with Iris’ care?
Gentle Journey Vet Care was absolutely key to providing care in the last 6 months of Iris’ life. Dr. Stephanie excelled at looking at all the advice from our specialists and synthesizing it — summarizing it for us into understandable pieces. She had excellent follow up questions for other team members and engaged them in Iris’ care which helped us find the best path for her.
Once Dr. Stephanie joined our care team, I witnessed incredible collaboration. A big example was when she spoke with Iris’ anesthesiologist and together they created the perfect sedation ‘cocktail,’ a customized protocol to ensure full and complete sedation with a smooth recovery. She also made herself available for virtual follow ups to check in on each symptom, diagnosis, and treatment and ensure we were not missing anything and on the right track.
And, as Iris’ life neared the end, Dr. Stephanie was there for us. She had tips for our in-home euthanasia vet to help in sedating Iris that provided her comfort and reduced her stress on her last day with us. Having her support and expertise was a great addition to our team and life changing.
Joining Your Journey
We are so thankful for clients like Brit who love their pets so deeply and are willing to share Iris’ story to help others along their care journey. It was an honor to join their medical journey and work with so many of their local vets along the way.
If you are struggling with or need more support in your pet’s care journey, we can help. You can schedule a virtual consultation where we will review your pet’s medical records, discuss their current health status, and come up with the best set of options for you and your pet. We look forward to helping.
