Today I ran about 14 miles roundtrip to a famous mountaintop temple overlooking Chiang Mai. The view was good, but I was more interested in the many dogs just chilling around the temple. They seemed so content. It made me think about Laika and seeing the dogs brought me joy like when I was taking care of her. One was even full-body dreaming like she used to do!
Looking at the photos I have of her, I almost completely forgot about the amount of care she needed since my last trip to Thailand. What stood out the most was the amount of pills she had to take; first with peanut butter, then with pumpkin puree. She was a pill taking champion of the highest order and was very seldom difficult about having to take them, which was good because of the sheer volume of pills she needed morning, noon and night. These included 2 kinds of antihistamines, prednisone-ish stuff, Prilosec, antinausea pills, probiotics, chemo meds (at times), Chinese herbs and other various pills. I even had to get a daily pill organizer to keep it all straight!
Life was hard for poor Laika, but her wagging tail and upbeat outlook were contagious. The pills she needed to take just became part of life and provided some comfort in routine. It was one of the aspects of her treatment that seemed daunting at first, but led to a regimen that helped sustain her quality of life as long as possible. I was also glad that herbal alternatives were also included. Here are two pics of the monumental amount of pills she took!
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