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21. Love Your Senior Pet the Way They Need · Senior Pet Talk | for dogs + cats

• Amanda Steffen: You are listening to Senior Pet Talk, the show where we combine Western and Chinese medicine to give senior dog and cat parents the knowledge, the clarity, and the confidence to make sure that your pets' senior years are their best years yet. I'm Dr. Amanda Stefan. Let's get started. Hello, senior pet parent. Thank you so much for being here with me today. Today, I am here with my little dog, Emmett, and we want to talk to you about a little bit more of the emotional but still tactical component of senior pet care today. I want to talk to you specifically today about how do we care for them differently and how do we show love differently. For our pets as they become seniors. Okay. And this may sound like you don't need to hear it, but I challenge you to think about all those times where you said, ⁓ well, maybe we should go do this because we used to do this when they were younger. And now you realize they can't actually do that thing anymore. So Floyd used to go hiking with us. We spent a lot of our time in the Tennessee Mountains and Knoxville area. And then we would go up to the mountains and go hiking, right? So we would go hiking nine, 13 mile hikes. Like he was always in it. He loved it. And as he got older, that just wasn't gonna be rational for him. And it was really hard that first day that we decided to go and I realized actually we can't bring him with us. We we can't make that. He's not gonna be able to make it. And something clicks and you go, whoa. First of all, there's a big wave of grief that goes along with that, right? And I think some of that anticipatory grief starts up. And then it's guilt. And then you think, well, now what? You know, so that's what I want to talk to you about today is the now what part. How do you change as they age to support them while still making sure that everyone gets what they need, right? So I believe that as they get older and their brain changes and their body changes and how they want to be loved. And need to be loved changes, there's going to be alterations in us as well. And trying to navigate that pathway and trying to figure out what we need to be doing to support them, right? Because we would do anything for them. And I know you would do anything for your senior pet, but we have to figure out what that means. And that can be a little bit more complicated than we think, right? So that's what I want to talk to you about today is. What changes can we make that still let us show affection to them, but in a way that makes them still feel comfortable and in a way that still supports their body appropriately? So I am excited. I believe that loving a senior pet means that we have to adapt how we are connecting, not giving up on that connection all the way through. There is a large component of this that happens with a caregiver, right? We are becoming the caregivers for our pets. And we can get really wrapped up in that and forget that they're also just our best friends. And we kind of become like we transition from being their best friend to kind of being their parent and taking care of them as they get older. But I really want us to still have that moment where they're our best friend. And how we can still make those moments happen without as much stress and grief and guilt on our side as the caregivers. So for anyone who doesn't know, my heart dog was Floyd. And Floyd used to sleep on my bed with me, with his head on the pillow beside me, snuggled as close as he could get to me, always touching, like always in some way touching. He always wanted to be right next to me. And we were pretty much inseparable from like a month after I rescued him and brought him home. Right. So when he started to get dementia and I was trying to navigate how to care for him appropriately and how to still have that connection with him, it became difficult. Because he didn't want me to hug him and to cuddle up with him anymore. That actually kind of stressed him out. And I knew him very well and we had a really good connection. So I was able to pick up on that. But then you're sitting there going, Well, how do I still show him that I love him? And also in a way that I respect his boundaries and I respect what's going on in his world right now. So I think that's a really difficult place to be and trying to figure out where where do we go from here, right? So I had to get really comfortable with changes in how we had our relationship. He still loved to go on walks. So I would Try my best to make sure that every day we got a walk in. That walk changed a lot from the nine mile hikes that we were doing. It became a walk around the block, essentially. And with lots and lots of stops, it took us usually 30 minutes to an hour still, because it was very slow and steady. But he loved going on that walk. And I loved being able to still give him something that made him happy. So that was one of our moments that we would be able to just like go and wander around the block together. And I'd let him sniff and do whatever he wanted and got to spend that time with him. And it it helped me to to slow down because I'm not good at that. And I'm always so caught up in what else can I do for him? How else can I care for him? What else? And then just to be slowed down and to be in that moment of saying, No, right now I'm just I'm here. I'm out on this beautiful walk with him and I'm enjoying the moment that I have, that he is still here with me and we are still doing this. And he still wants to do this every day. It was a simple thing that was I was able to change in my head to just say, this is the moment that we need to have each day. And I would give anything to go back to one of those walks with him. So I had to learn. How to just hang out on the couch with him and be near him, but not always cuddled up with him. He still wanted to be petted and things like that, but we just had to find other ways to connect. Sometimes that was in the form of like a special treat or trying to work on different brain games and things like that. And we're gonna go through a couple of these in more detail, but I think it's important to understand that how each pet changes as they age is going to be different and you're going to navigate and have to kind of pick up on those cues and figure out the best way to do that. I think another really important component to this is to make sure that we're having them checked very well for things that could be causing it, right? So things like anxiety and potentially unaddressed pain. could cause some of these alterations that they have. So we want to make sure that we've addressed all these other potential problems that could be going on before we're saying, ⁓ well, this is just their aging changes, or it could be dementia, ⁓ like it was with Floyd. So making sure that we've kind of ruled out other things is very important in this scenario before we, you know, alter a lot. So I just think it's important to know that like if you are grieving your pet. In the way that they used to be loved. That is absolutely okay. And you're not like a bad person or anything like that because of that. That's absolutely normal. You get now the opportunity to find a new way to love them. It's just a progression in a relationship, just like it can be in a human-to-human relationship, right? We're trying to figure out a way to still have a very strong bond. with our pets. So still strengthen that human-animal bond while respecting both parties' needs and wants. Right. Okay. So now I want to talk to you about a couple specific things that have worked for me and some of my clients. And I think would be a good idea for you to put into your lineup and to think about and try out and see how that interaction goes on the other side of it. Number one is The thing that I did with Floyd that I explained, a sniff walk. So just getting out in nature, getting out with your pet is so good for both of you, right? And if your pet can't go on an actual walk, or you have a cat and you're worried about them being able to, you know, potentially getting attacked or something like that, or potentially they're blind, all those types of things, you can still go out on a walk. If it stresses them out, I don't want you doing that. I understand that. Maybe that's just going out on the patio together then. But smelling lots of new smells is so good for their brain health. And it helps to just give them new senses, to increase all of their senses. So their hearing, their sight, all of those things as well. And it's going to help everyone a little bit. So a stroller. Is perfectly fine if you need to use a stroller. I have plenty of clients who have these like large dog strollers now. And a lot of people think my pet's not gonna handle that. And I urge you to just try it because most people that I have here that I do in homework with, they may think that and then they actually start doing it. And the pet is actually really receptive to it for one reason or another. So It is still okay to do like a stroller walk. And just a side note here, it does not matter what anyone thinks about you in life, right? Nobody knows your story. Nobody's going to be with you your entire life except for you. So the only person's opinion who really matters is yours. And I say that because a lot of people think about a stroller or think about, you know, having their old dog walking, you know, and and people are looking at them like, you know, they get muscle wasted. They get a little bit, they can have some weight loss. They can look not super well in their super senior years and in those like hospice end of life years. And a lot of people tend to get in their head about what did people think? When I'm walking my my pet or when I'm pushing them in a stroller, like do people think that I'm crazy? I am gonna tell you right now, it doesn't matter what they think. Okay. I could care less. We just lost one of the most amazing humans on this earth, Dolly Parton. One of the best things that she taught me was the world needs exactly who you are. And you need to show that to the world so that your people can find you and you can repel the people that don't need to be around you. So if someone walking down the street sees you pushing your dog in a stroller and gives you a funny look, who cares? What matters is that pet that you've had their entire life and that relationship, right? It does not matter. If somebody else sees you and judges you. Just doesn't matter. I promise. Okay. Okay. So number one is a sniff walk. Along with that is if you have any rehab exercises that you feel like they can do and they can do comfortably, this is something that can be a really nice bonding experience. I know people tend to think, well, I don't think they're gonna like it, you know. We know it's work, quote unquote, but our pets really do like to have a purpose, right? They spend 95 to 100% of their life in the little box of our home. And we know when they were younger, they loved to go chase a squirrel up the tree, or like maybe they tried to get out of the yard because they were trying to go find something to do. Like they're adventurous. two and they want to go see and do and feel like they have jobs and things to do. So it can still be really awesome to do rehab exercises with them because then they come to expect every day, like, we're doing them. I had a wonderful client and patient, Fonzie, that I've talked about a couple of times on here. And Fonzie was just such an amazing cat. And his mom was She is such an amazing pet parent. And she started doing these exercises with him. And she was like a hundred percent committed, right? And she started doing them and he got to it. He he picked it up so fast and he loved it. He would ask her to do the exercises when she would get the treats and like start to put out the like little tube and all the little bars and things that they would do. He would start screaming and following her around and like demanding his exercises, right? I've talked about Betty on here too. Betty's this very cute little scruffy dog. Betty also now is doing some PT exercises and her mom says like she demands them every day, right? They want to have something to do, even if even if they do have signs of dementia, even if they do have other things going on, they want that activity and they want that purpose in life. So if you have some rehab exercises, those can be a really nice thing too to bond. You guys get to do that together every day, right? And also gives them some happiness and some purpose and some positivity and a good exercise routine. This can definitely go for dogs and for cats, but brushing. So For cats, especially, we know that our senior cats tend to get like some oily areas along their back end, or maybe they get some matted fur, maybe they start to get some dandruff. These can all mean different things in Chinese medicine as well, like some spleen issues or stagnation or liver, all these different dynamics. However, helping to brush them gives them. that bonding experience with you and also helps them their comfort level, right? So whenever we brush, we're activating oil glands to produce what they should. We are doing the things that they can't do naturally now, maybe because they have arthritis back there and it hurts to bend over and like get to that area. Or maybe just because they're tired, maybe they have organ damage that's going on that's, you know, making them not want to do it as much. But If we are able to use a very soft light brush, I've even seen people use like the one that just is like a glove on your hand, those can be really nice. And you're just lightly petting them and stimulating those oil glands and also bonding with them. So that can be really wonderful as a way to support them, but also to have that bonding experience with them. Another thing that I like to talk about that helps them and also gives you some quality time together is massage. So you want to make sure that you're doing massage in a way that they're comfortable, right? Like if they're turning around at you or like scooting away from you, like stop it. Then you're probably not doing it in the right place or you're doing it too firmly, or it is in a painful place that they do not want you to do it. But we start with some very light massaging over. usually bigger muscle groups like the spine or the shoulders or the hips. And they usually do kind of relax into it if if they enjoy it. So if you're sitting down with them, you know, you're then sitting on the floor with them, watching TV, whatever it may be, just doing some light massaging that can help their body. It helps to move things from a Chinese standpoint. We're moving stagnation, we're moving blood, we're moving qi. But also we are bonding in a way and we are helping. These are all wonderful things that you can do together, right? Honestly, I can't say enough about just having some petting and some quiet time together where you're really focused on them. You're not looking at your phone, you're not looking at your laptop. I promise you they know just like kids do when you're not paying attention to them. But when you're truly tuned in and you're just taking that moment to maybe you just I have a couple pictures of me and Molly where my dog Molly, I've talked about her. She was a 17-year-old chow. I had her from the time I was 12 until I was 29. And Molly was what I called my cat dog. Molly did not want to be hugged or cuddled. She was very much like an independent Dog who loved me and wanted to be near me and followed me everywhere, but also did not want to be, absolutely did not want to be like picked up in any way, did not want to be like cuddled or anything. So I have so many pictures with Molly where I am just we're laying down. She's like laying down and I lay down kind of face to face with her, with a little distance between us, because you know, too close made her uncomfortable. And I'm just kind of looking at her and I'll pet her in the places that she liked to be petted. And we would just lay there. And she was really comfortable with that. You know, she wanted to be loved in her own special way. That was kind of her whole life, but seniorhood too. So I think it's important to understand like, how do they want us to love them? Right. Same goes for senior cats. Like maybe they do want to sit on your lap. and curl up. Maybe you put a heating pad on your lap and that way they want to come like curl up on the heating pad on your lap, or maybe you put the heating pad right beside you and they want to curl up right there and you can pet them. And that way you can have that time to be together, but not to force too much that it stresses them out in any way. Right. Even if that is how they wanted to be loved before, maybe it's it's just not what they need at this stage in their life in seniorhood. And I understand this is really hard. I get that. But I also know that you are gonna do anything you can to make them comfortable and do the best you can for them. So these are some really wonderful ways that we can still love them in the way that we need, but in the way that they also need, right? Doing some other enrichment type activities can be really beneficial. So I am a huge fan of like what I call doggy sudoku or kitty sudoku. I want them to be doing brain activities that activate their brain and help to keep things moving because that is how we keep them from having severe dementia or help to postpone that and those types of things. So this can be as simple as like a lick mat where we smear some food in it that they like, maybe some peanut butter, yogurt. cottage cheese, you know, maybe some of their dog or cat food, whatever it is, blueberries, if they like berries, those are really good for them antioxidants, all that stuff. If they are very good at lick mats, you can always freeze it in the freezer for a couple hours. Or you can give it to them like that. And having them just do that stimulation to and you can sit there with them. Like sometimes my pets get a little bit they like it, but then they seem to get frustrated after a while. So I'll sit there with like a little baby fork or a baby spoon. And if they are having a hard time getting stuff out of a certain area, like I'll I'll sit there and I'll like get it out for them. Right. And it's kind of cheating, but also like you're just getting to have that time with them. And it's almost like to them, you're hunting together or you're foraging together. So you can do this for dogs and for cats. And you feel like you kind of get to like do this together with them. That can be a wonderful way to do that. That's also something really nice that you can do when you leave for the day if you have to go to work or you have to leave the house for a couple hours. It's something that you can do where you leave that for them. And then they can do that while you're gone, right? They also make these really wonderful things called snuffle mats, which are similar, but you can just put little pieces of like hard stuff, like kibble or hard treats throughout it. Those are really fun. I have one client, they have like five, four or five pets now. And they have all these different types of maze games for their dogs and their cats. And they put all these little treats in there and the like there are these little jars that the cats flip over and these different little openings that they have to kind of squeeze their hands into and stuff. And you have to be aware of are your cats and dogs able to do these types of movements? with their comfort level and where their arthritis is and things like that. But ⁓ cats especially, they love to to pray. Like they want to be someone who still hunts, right? So if we're giving them something to do that normal stimulation, it's gonna help their brain and also their happiness level and hopefully then decreasing their anxiety levels. It sounds crazy to say that just giving them a maze game or a snuffle mat is going to help with dementia, anxiety, and you know, longevity of life. But I promise you there's a lot of studies and data behind these simple things that affect their life and their lifespan and their quality of life and their health span, which is that time frame that they're living healthy. And that's really what we're going for, right? Like that's the thing that we really want for our pets. Another thing would be like a scent box. These are really fun. You can just use like a shoe box and you can fill it if, like, say your cat does get stressed out by going outside or your dog doesn't like to or has already been on a walk, doesn't want to go, whatever it may be. You can actually go outside and pick some grass from the yard or pick some like dandelions that you find or whatever it may be and some leaves off of a tree. You know, you want to make sure nothing's toxic and double check those things. It's very easy now to just snap a picture of it with whatever AI tool that you use and make sure that's not toxic to dogs or cats. But it is really nice to make put all these things in just like a shoebox or even like a toilet paper roll that you kind of crinkle the sides on after you put it in there and then let them move it around and open it up. and sniff all the things inside of it. And it's like they they kind of got to go on a little bit of a walk without going, right? So these things can be really easy to do and can still give them some functionality and some cognition health. And it's something you can kind of sit there with them and, you know, help them open the box and like help them sniff different things. So we obviously want to make sure with like sync games and things that we're always monitoring them with anything that we give them, that they're not going to ingest something they shouldn't or anything like that. But it can be a really nice way to still have that interaction with them. And you can again just sit there and be with them during those activities. Maybe you're refilling treats or things like that as they go about it. If they need to not have a lot of treats, you can always just use their actual food in these games. For cats especially, I really like this because our cats are so they they want to hunt and find things, right? So to just put their food in this like stainless steel bowl and have them eat it is not how they were made to do this. So, you know, maybe we do take their dinner and we disperse it into these different little containers and we move it and we have it around the house for them to kind of hunt and find it. And we have to keep a very close eye on them and how they respond to that and make sure that it's what they they actually enjoy it and it doesn't stress them out. But again, they really like to have a purpose and they like to have interactions. You imagine if we think about a dog or cat out in like quote unquote the wild. We know our domestic dogs are very far-fetched from wild animals at this point. However, they would travel very long distances in a day. They would scavenge things and find things. They would hunt things. They would do all these things that are more natural for them. So why not give them the opportunity to do those types of things in their home while you're there with them? And make it something where you have that bonding time together and you have those interactions together with them. It's a great way to build your bond and also be able to keep them comfortable, right? This is also a nice time to talk about the idea of a predictable wind down routine or a bedtime routine. This can help a lot with like sundowning type dementia. So if They know, you know, the lights start getting dimmed around eight o'clock. And then we know that we get our little pre bed snack at nine o'clock. And then maybe we get a sniff mat at nine thirty to tire us out a little bit. And maybe we get to go on our very last like pre bed walk or going outside at nine forty-five. And then we know we're gonna be getting into the bed at ten. Then if you are doing that the same every night, they're going to be able to predict that routine a little bit better. And it does help them to know, like, okay, well, I just ate dinner. It's 5 30. So now we're going to have our massage couch time or we're going to do our PT now, or I know this is coming next. And then I know kind of what is what to expect. That helps a lot, especially with these guys that have dementia symptoms because they're going to. learn to predict what's happening next. And that will help them to not be as stressed out by changes. We do want to mix things up, you know, throughout the day or sometimes one off. Yeah, we want to take them to the pet store if they still love to do that, or take them on a special walk if we have a longer time or it's a nicer time of day. But Overall, try and keep most everything the same. And then maybe you change one thing, you know, a couple of times a week. And that way they can still catch back on to how everything's going to flow and how their night's going to go. Right. I think that can be extremely helpful for them in how we're always going to wind down and hopefully helping them not have any night waking and those types of things that go along with it. This is also a moment where I want to just say from experience, try to exist in that moment the most that you can. It's really difficult because I know we're always thinking about their next pet visit or how we're treating things or like they're panting more. Does that mean they're in pain or does that mean that they have something going on with their heart or, you know, whatever this means? But try maybe just set a timer. It's almost like meditation, right? I've been trying to get a lot more into meditating and I'm working through how to heal my rheumatoid arthritis more naturally so that I can come off of medications. Whether you agree with that or not, ⁓ doesn't matter. It's what I'm doing. So in learning meditation, I have it's really hard for me. I am not good at sitting still. So what has helped is setting a timer and just closing my eyes and and being in that moment and trying to be as present as I can be. And I know I don't have to watch the clock because I know the timer's going to go off. So maybe that's what we do if we have a really hard time being in that moment with our pets is okay, I am going to set a five or 10 minute timer. And for this five or 10 minutes, I am not going to worry about tomorrow with them. I'm not going to worry about their next Fed appointment. I'm not going to worry about their illnesses or their ailments right now. I'm not going to worry about the fact that they didn't eat all their dinner right now. You know, for these next five minutes, anytime my mind drifts to one of these things, I go, okay, I see you, but not right now. Right now, I am looking into the beautiful eyes of my pet. And I am just soaking in, holding their paw or massaging them or petting them or giving them this moment. Like I am just so right here right now. And I would also urge you, in this day and age, I didn't get as many pictures and videos with my pets. I got a lot of pictures, I guess not as many videos. Maybe just post up your phone somewhere and record sometimes those moments because Those moments are also the ones that when you do get to the other side of having to say goodbye, it'll be really wonderful to go back and just watch those pure moments where you were just existing with them. So, you know, don't make it theatrical. If you're gonna be like nervous about being on camera or something, that's fine. But like these are never things you're gonna show anyone else unless you really want to. It's just something for you to be able to go look back on and have that moment. I wish I had a lot more videos than I do. So I think being in that moment, setting a timer for five or 10 minutes to just say, anytime I think about something else, I'm gonna just appreciate it and then come back to where I'm at. And then also maybe recording some of those interactions to just be able to come back to whenever you may need to. Okay. Those things are really important. And I very much remember, even if I don't have them on video, very much remember the moments with Floyd where I was truly just like existing with him and able to just love him and appreciate him and not be his caregiver in that moment, but just to be his best friend again. Have you ever left the vet with more questions than answers? And then you drive home and you go straight on to Google. Yeah, I hear that a lot. And honestly, it's exactly why I created my senior pet virtual consultations. Imagine we have 45 minutes where we go through everything, your pet's full history, their specific challenges, their daily life, no rushing. We're gonna cover nutrition, integrative options, whole modifications, and quality of life. And I send you a personalized plan after so that nothing slips through the cracks here. But don't just take my word for it. Chelsea called it a senior pup therapy session and said she felt so much better afterwards. Adiba got recommendations her own vet had never thought to suggest, and Denise said that the consult was incredibly informative and helpful, giving her many options to help her dog Loki feel better. This is the conversation that your senior pet deserves. And honestly, The one you deserve too. The link is in the description. I'd love to help you. Okay, friend. So this is what I want to leave you with. Loving a senior pet well does not mean loving them the same way that we always have. Okay. It can mean noticing how they've changed and finding the version of that closeness that fits who they are right now. So we need to find the way that they need to be loved and we need to focus on that right now. It might be Slower walks, brushing, just sitting on the floor next to them, you know, enjoying snuffle mats, whatever it may be. It may be caregiving for them, like it may be giving them a bath after they happen to have an accident on themselves or something like that, but trying to do that in a way where we really just in appreciate that moment and they really notice when we are present and when we are really just soaking in the time that we have with them, right? So, how our pets want affection is going to change likely as they get older. And that is going to be hard for us to handle. And it's okay that those things change. You know, it doesn't mean that our love is any less. It just means that we have had to kind of change how we are going to show that affection at this point, right? I think it is also important to talk about at this point, like we need to make sure we're rolling out. pain, anxiety, other things that could be causing the changes that they're having. I know with Floyd, one of the big changes that happened with him was I think he slipped a disc and he didn't show a lot of overt neurologic signs. So we didn't catch it right away. And one of the things that had changed in that moment was that he had he was doing less on walks. He wasn't able to go as far. And that should have been a red flag to me to realize, ⁓ I need to get this checked up. And it's not that we didn't. It's just that we didn't do, you know, an MRI right away, which I think is valid. And it took us a while to find to kind of get to the bottom of is this arthritis? Is this neurologic? You know, trying to navigate all of those things, which is exactly why I do what I do right now to try and educate you, because there is a way to tell the difference in these things. And There is a way to make sure that you have someone on your side. I had an epiphany. I am in a brain building company called Brain Builders Group. And I had an in-person event a couple weeks ago in Nashville. And I was giving kind of my talk of why I do what I do and speaking to all these different people in this room. And what I realized is there's so many different ways to help people online. You know, a lot of people want to create a digital course or create this AI version of themselves, or maybe they do a a six-week program or whatever it may be. And I really had the epiphany for me that what I do with clients through my online work is exactly what I would have wanted in that timeframe. And It feels so good to me. I don't want to give you an AI version of myself. I don't really like it that much. I use it for some things, but it's kind of taken over. I don't want to just give you a program because yeah, that I mean, you can learn a lot from that. But what I think people really need is to talk to other humans and to have a community and have support. every week to be able to talk to more people. And what I wish I had with Floyd was someone who had sat down. You know, he had a neurologist, he had an internist, he had an oncologist, he had all these people. But I really wish that I had one person, what I would deem like a geriatric specialist, which hopefully becomes a thing in the future in veterinary medicine, who like sat down, looked at his whole picture and talked to me about all the things to do for him as a senior. Which is exactly what I have decided to create in the space that I'm in and what I have with my program, because it's it's a place for people to support other people. And then also for us, me and other veterinarians that I have in there to support those people as well. And for us to all have a place to come and talk and bounce ideas off of each other and truly just this like never ending community. There's no end in the program, you know, is a set time frame for me, but there is ongoing. You get to stay in as long as you want to. And I hope that people stay in as long as they feel like they need that support. And hopefully as long as their pet's a senior, because it's a place that I want people to feel seen and heard and I want to give what I didn't have with Floyd. Right. So small rant on that, just, you know, saying, I think this is what I wish. I had seen and that's why I created it because be the change you wish to see in the world, right? Okay. So there are plenty of everyday routines, sniff walks, brushing, enrichment. These can double again as bonding time. So being present with them, calm, predictable routines for bedtime, especially, but morning time too. Like if we can give them like a general guideline of what every day is gonna be like, that can be really helpful for them. And then try your best to not worry about the future. Try your best at least for five or ten minutes a day to really exist in that moment with them and record, record, record. Get senior pictures taken with them. Do all those things because you're going to want those moments to look back on. You'll remember them. But with time, it is nice to be able to go back and just watch those moments over and over again. Okay. Thank you so much for being here with me. I know this can be a little bit of a hard topic and I appreciate you getting through all of that with me. I would love to know how your relationship with your senior has changed. If you want to let me know in a comment or DM me, I would love to know if this helped you. I've in so much enjoyed this podcast, watching it. improve every week with the amount of views that we get and getting all these comments from people that say they're really enjoying it and they're learning a lot from it. This is exactly what the point of this is. And I really love doing this. It's really cool to me. I get to come on here and give you longer form information and really get to kind of work through an entire thought as opposed to like a very short little, you know, eight second clip ⁓ reel. So This has been amazing and I hope that it is as amazing for you. If it is, please let me know. Please review, share this with a friend, anything like that will help me. And let me know what you want to hear about next because the whole purpose of this is to be here for you and to inform you as much as I possibly can. So if you let me know what you need to know about, I will make a podcast on it, I promise. Okay. Have a beautiful day and know that you are doing the absolute best that you can with the information that you have in this moment and that your senior pet would choose you over and over again. I am so proud of you. I love you. You are doing a fantastic job. Bye. That's it for today. If this episode helped you, please leave a review or rate this podcast so we can get the word out to more pet parents who need to hear that they are doing a good job. And if you're interested in working more with me, you can find me on social media or at senior petconnection.com because we all need to stay connected. Remember that you are doing a great job with the information that you have in this moment. And I am just here to give you more of it. See you next week.