Coming to grips with reality
When I took Keiko to the vet last Saturday, I learned among other things that she is almost totally blind. We’ve known she had vision issues for some time. She used to be able to do all these crazy off balance catches while running. She’d never miss if you threw food at her. Now she never notices anything flying through the air unless it hits her or she hears it fall.
Keiko’s pushing 10, and problems like this are common for dogs her age. However, she’s always been exceptionally fit, so watching her turn into an old dog practically overnight has been more difficult than I expected. Two years ago, she loved to play fetch for hours on end and could literally run circles around dogs half her age. Three years ago, she sent an intruder leaping over the fence minus a size 14 shoe. Now, the dog that waited anxiously for me to wake me up at a quarter to four so I could take her for a 2 mile walk every morning must be coaxed out of bed and wants to quit playing fetch after one or two throws.
The vet told me what I have been expecting for many years, but talking to him reminded me of how few opportunities we have to do things. Keiko’s favorite activity in the whole world — playing fetch at the beach — will never be the same, and the number of times she will even see the beach again is very limited. In reality, there never were going to be that many opportunities to go in first place. In plain English, this means that it’s a good idea to make the most of things when you get the chance.
In many ways, dogs are better at dealing with life than most people. Dogs are very good at working with what they have rather than worrying about what was or could have been. They enjoy the moment and don’t feel a need for extra sympathy as they decline (even if they like the attention). Even though Keiko can see next to nothing and is suffering from the usual ailments that accompany old age, she seems perfectly happy.
We’re going to see what can be done for Keiko. I’ve been told that it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to do anything, but it still doesn’t hurt to at least get a second opinion to verify the diagnosis.