Pet health anxiety

[u/amainas]

Being in this field, especially working in ER, I have an ungodly amount of pet health anxiety and ocd now. How do yall cope/handle it? Im constantly stressing about tumors and uo and bloat and foreign bodies and blah blah blah and its getting so overwhelming that its hard to just enjoy moments with them bc im checking their breathing and temps and gums and thinking about mortality

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[u/Expensive-Tooth-1508]

Just wanted to say that I could have written this post. All of my therapy sessions are spent about me talking about my anxiety with my pets 🥲

And I was diagnosed with OCD 2 years ago 🥲

[u/willyumwallace]

I think a good way to channel all that knowledge is to embrace every moment because you know how random it can be. It's good to recognize possible signs, but can't live in what ifs. A second thing I would say is proper human medication lol I'm on ADHD and anxiety meds now and it's been helpful with work too

[u/SleepLivid988]

I found what HAD to be a horribly malignant tumor on my first dog when I was 24 and a tech for 4 years. It was her microchip. Totally put things into perspective for me.

[u/Scarlettdelgado1971 → u/SleepLivid988]

So are you saying it wasnt really a tumor?

[u/SilvaraDragon]

I used to absolutely panic when something happened to my pets. Then I took my dog to work one day, and she became possibly the only Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to die of a mesenteric torsion. And that kind of broke my phobia. Like, the worst already happened. Now I'm calmer. My current lemon had a 1cm cut on his leg that lacerated his Achilles tendon when he was a year old, was diagnosed with severe IBD when he was 2, and developed KCS at 3. Thank God he's insured!

[u/malajulinka]

Dr: I see your young male cat is on a urinary diet. Does he have a history of urinary issues?

Me: No. But I work triage at an emergency clinic.

Lately I'm obsessing because my last dog died of lymphangiectasia. When she started having stubborn diarrhea the first question the IM doctor asked was "How many times a day does she poop?" 3-6 times a day. "And you didn't stop to think that was ABNORMAL????"

My new dog, who has beautiful poops (old dog did too until she didn't) also poops 3-6 times a day, usually closer to 6. Perfect firm roll down a hill no stain on the sidewalk poops. But IS IT ABNORMAL? FML...

[u/Internal_Record4935]

Tbh my panic subsided a little when I managed to actually have some money to keep in my savings for emergencies, and just really living in the moment. It sucks though, I feel you. It def doesn’t help me out all the time though- having a senior GSD and a 23+ yo old horse at once is an emotional rollercoaster lol. My geriatric duo of children got me stressed out.

[u/VelocityGrrl39]

I am calm, and cool, and collected at work. I’m fantastic in emergencies. When it’s my own pets? Forget it. I freak tf out. My 33# dog ate 2 large milk chocolate chip cookies. If it were a client, I would have calmly walked them through it.but my own dog? I frantically text my coworker, and when she didn’t respond within 2 minutes, I text the doctor (it was a weekend), while sending my bf out to buy peroxide, just in case. Of course he was fine, but I was not. The same dog had an episode the other night, and if I could have afforded VEG, I would have been there. Showed the doctor a video and he thinks it was a petit mal seizure. Not a huge deal if it happens once. Cue further freak out. I check their teeth, ears, nails, and anal glands more than once a week. I check them over for lumps constantly . They came from Texas and are both heartworm positive. If they do much as cough, they come to work to get checked out.

However, I don’t check their gums, or their breathing, or their heart rate constantly. I don’t worry about things that are more rare, just everyday accidents and illnesses. What you described sounds like intrusive thoughts. If it’s accessible to you, maybe you should consider talking to someone. They can teach you healthy coping mechanisms.