Poor Ed.
He’s been to the veterinary specialist again recently to have an ultrasound scan on his shoulders to try to ascertain the cause of his lameness.
He had to have a sedative again, which always makes him feel rubbish for the rest of the day, but to add insult to injury, they had to shave two huge patches of fur off his shoulders to be able to scan him.
He’s gone from “Hey, Mum, check out how gorgeous I am”:
To “Jeez, Mum! I don’t know what’s going on! You guys keep taking me to a Very Bad Place, where not only do they drug me and stick needles into me, but now they’re humiliating me with bad haircuts! When will this end?”
I nearly cried when I saw him looking so sad. He’s much perkier now, but his coat is going to take a while to restore to its former glory (not that his avant-garde buzz cut makes him any less gorgeous in my eyes).
Don’t worry - he’s getting lots of extra snuggles, and I slept downstairs with him on both nights of his sedation to make sure he was OK.
It never feels like a bother doing extra things to look after him, because he is My Best Friend, and he laps up all the attention.
It got me thinking that sometimes, people aren’t very good at accepting help from others. I know I’ve been terrible for it at times, and I still have moments of thinking I should be able to handle everything on my own instead of asking for help.
People close to me have complained that I never used to admit I was struggling until I was either out the other side of the problem or so utterly crippled with mental health problems that it was obvious I wasn’t coping.
We get so caught up in thoughts about not wanting to be a bother to people, and feeling like we should be able to deal with stuff that we forget how it actually doesn’t feel like a bother helping people we care about.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying that you need to become totally dependent on others because self-reliance is a good thing if you are of sound mind and body; what I’m saying is if your health isn’t 100% and it would be beneficial for you to take things easier, then get the help you need in order to make that happen.
Or, if you are worried about something, then talking things through can help you get a different perspective and make a plan, rather than just sitting there with the endless noise of your own thoughts in your head.
Being in need of help doesn’t make you not good enough or unlovable. (Eddie is still very much The Best Dog in the World despite being a bit poorly and looking like he’s lost a fight with a small lawnmower.)
Far from being a weakness, knowing when to ask for help is a strength.