Personally I think it could be more hassle than its worth. I know when I was in a proper flare all I wanted to do is sit around the house and sleep. A dog wouldnt be able to cook, clean etc for me but I would have to take it for walks twice a day, feed it, keep it company. Things that I could not be bothered to do when I was ill (I looked after my parent dogs for a weekend and that was enough)
What exactly do you expect from this dog?
So I was just randomly searching the Internet to see what I could do if anything to train my dog, or if a therapy dog even needs to be trained because in my personal experience with my dog I got around age 11, and he passed around age 11, and be passed 5 1/2 years ago, during my current flare that is the worst of my life and the longest I've ever had. I had read in many places how anyone with chronic illnesses should strongly consider owning a dog, even a cat if that's your thing. So when my dog of 11 years passed I didn't last 4 months before I needed a 4 legged companion.
I know this thread goes back to 2013, but I just came across it and this post stuck out to me the most, so I registered to this forum, I've never been apart of one of these before, but I really wanted to reply to this.
I am 27 years old and have terrifying memories of my Crohn's Disease at age 2, I was diagnosed at age 9. And I've been blessed that my flares have always been treated prompt and quick and I lead a fairly average life. But Spencer, my dog who passed away in the middle of my current flare that's nearing 7 years straight, I about died with him. He was never a hassle. From the day he came home with me - he sensed I was sick. On my really bad days he wouldn't leave my side... Playing, walks, fetch didn't interest him. Be naturally grew up as an indoor dog unless I was outside with him or he was going to the bathroom. I got a dog for the sole purpose for the therapeutic benefits. I didn't take him to training or anything but he just knew when I needed him, and he knew when we could play. My lip swells sometimes as a flare is coming and be would sniff it out, when I'd feel a pain in my stomach he'd be sniffing it out. Plus the cuddles and petting can help calm you when your in distress. My pain never goes away. I read how you said that when you're in a flare and I'll you don't want to move so how can you walk and play and feed a dog when you can't do those things for yourself, well my first dog, I was still a child and my parents did that stuff for me, and Spencer took care of me. When I had a long remission I was able to go off to college on time with the rest of my class, but he couldn't come to the dorms, and my second year it was too expensive of a deposit to have him, and I didn't know special training and/or letters stating my need for him could have helped him come with me. But I was in remission so it wasn't so hard. I never finished college. Soon after turning 21, my full course load, full time job at a casino which means 50+ hours, and an active social life - I spiraled into a flare. I was on Humira and the doctor confirmed it had stopped working, I didn't want to give up my college life so I commuted and tried my best to muscle through it, I've lived with active symptoms and pain my whole life but have never been a candidate for surgery because I was diagnosed so young that medication kept me on the up and up and if something stopped then there was always something else.... But this time the doc tried a few things and my body rejected them. My pain levels were higher than they ever have been and my doctor claimed she saw nothing in scans or scopes to cause that kind of pain - I knew she thought I was faking. As she had me admitted into the hospital for the 5 th time in 5 months, she told me I front of my mom and brother that the only thing left to do was remove my colon. My brother immediately started texting his wife who works at University of Michigan to use her connections to get me the best doctor, because we all knew that with the 20 ulcers in my mouth and active disease in my esophagus and having been diagnosed from the start with "stem to stern" Crohn's you don't just remove someone's colon that isn't blocked, when the disease is in places you can't remove. If we could all just remove our colons I think many of us would gladly take a bag over a colon to feel healthy and human. I think she was trying to see my reaction to see if I was faking and drug seeking. After discharge I never went to my scheduled appts with her again. My current doctor was contacted by someone who works with VIPs and instead of the well known wait lists for this doctor I was in within 3 weeks. He agrees to this day that my dog helps me. I've gotten a bit off track here.
My current dog, Jeffrey (I give my dogs human names
) was 6 months old the day we went to get him. He has never known any different than his mom (me) being stuck in bed most days... And he's 5. He loves being outside and when I have the strength to go play my parents tell me he's never that happy when they go out to play with him. I can imagine living on my own that some dog care responsibilities can be hard, but I am 27 and at age 22, doctors orders I couldn't live on my own and had to leave college and my friends to live with my parents. They're a huge help with my dog - I'm very sick every day, I have tried every medication available. I've been in 4 clinical trials. The medicines either don't work, or I've had allergic reactions to IV treatments like remicade and entyvio. Maybe if Jeffrey had been laying next to my infusion chair he would have been able smell the smells of my body rejecting it before the nurses saw the machines and my skin, I've gone into Rigors 3 times and they had crash carts called each time because they didn't catch what was wrong fast enough that my reaction was so bad the next step was cardiac arrest. My dog goes into deep depression when I am hospitalized, as do I wishing he was laying with me, when my stomach hurts he nuzzles his head right into it. He is an Australian cattle dog, 65 lbs. not exactly a lap dog, when I'm on the couch and my pain is rising he gets up and tucks himself on the couch with me his two right or left legs hanging off and lays there as long as I do. When the pain subsides he gets up and stretches. He does it like he has a job. I would love if there was some way he could accompany me when in the ER and admitted, for infusions and all.
Any small hassle that may come to get up to feed him (which could be only once a month with automatic food and water dishes) is worth what I've benefited from these two dogs that self taught themselves to care for me.
And I am about to start The Makers Diet - it's a book worth reading. Along with another book my mom just read called eat dirt. I will still take my medications that don't work and see my doctor who is head of research and I believe will help me one day, but I'm going holistic. In the book "eat dirt" it even talks about how having a dog is good for you because the dirt you can get into your body from petting your dog after they play outside is good for you, we are missing our good bacteria.
So I don't know how these forums work and if everyone on this 3 year old thread will be notified or what, or maybe I am supposed to make a new post with the info I'm now saying, even though I haven't begun yet but I have high hopes.
I just nod when people talk about my eating habits or say which diets I should try when they don't even know what IBD is, but they tell me their friend was "cured" by such and such. If someone was cured I think we'd all know and be cured too.
But two book recommendations..... The Makers Diet and Eat Dirt. My mom did it for a few months and lost 50 pounds but then I landed in the hospital followed by my dads triple bypass and she lost all her progress, and I was barely eating so I couldn't really participate. But I have a bit more of an appetite these days so we are re starting the makers diet, along with recommendations and all things in the Eat Dirt book. Which strangely talked about "grounding" which I was researching and telling my mom about before she found this book, it's about getting closer to the earth, getting the healthy bacteria in our guts. Taking epson salt and lavender oil baths every night helps you absorb magnesium which every time I'm in the hospital my levels are low.
We are also diving head first into essential oils, I've dabbled and felt relief and so I'm going full in to it. Western medicine is failing me, the holistic approach can't hurt, and that includes my dog, who as I write this not knowing if anyone will see it cas I don't know how these forums work, he's snuggled into my stomach right where the pain is, his body heat eases the pain I think.
Also, Crohn's disease has affected my mouth terribly, the dentist tells me if I brushed and flossed and used a water pick 6 times a day I would still have gingivitis. I have receding gums that are so annoying.... And as I've researched oils and such, I came across oil pulling, they say a healthy gut leads to a healthy mouth, well I can't make my gut healthy so I have to work on my mouth, just google oil pulling and it explains how to do it, it pulls toxins from your mouth and leads to healing of the whole body, it whitens teeth, can decrease and rid gingivitis, can stop your gums from being red and inflamed which Crohn's does to me, it affects my mouth tremendously, but it also can stop your gums from receding any further and even when your gums become healthy and toxin free the gums can grow back, certain oils like peppermint, myrhh, clove, can stimulate blood flow to help regrowth which sounds a hell of a lot better than the surgery I could have to have grafting my gums.
I may repost the info about the books and oil pulling elsewhere to see if anyone else has heard of it and or done any of it and gotten results if I can figure out this website. I've read through plenty when looking for opinions to questions but never joined the conversation.
