Are you someone who takes the bad with the good? Do you think there’s a positive side in every situation?
Do you still believe in the big picture out there even though you don’t see it in the first place? Or do you tend to take things with a grain of salt?
It was a bittersweet feeling when my dog was diagnosed with Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) or dry eye.
Bitter – My dog needs to be on medication for life and the on-going treatment is notoriously expensive.
Sweet – Finally there’s a way of managing his eye condition and keeping any serious consequences at bay.
Following my mixed emotions, I came to realize: After all, it’s only money.
Perhaps my vet had seen it all before. Therefore, my reaction didn’t seem to surprise her, not in the slightest.
While I got myself really worked up over the cost issue, she then quickly pointed out a couple of blind spots I didn’t see when she first broke the “bad news” to me.
- Only one eye is affected, not both.
- It happens when he’s 11 years old, not when he’s 6 months old. The medical expenses could’ve been a lot dearer.
Those words of hers may be a little bit cold comfort but they did help me keep things in perspective. Most importantly, they stopped me from dwelling on the negative side.
To set the wheels in motion, I’ve come up with an excellent money-saving plan to be incorporated into my daily commute and exercise together: To get off bus two stops earlier.
It’ll save me a small amount of money in a year time, enough for me to buy my dog a two-month worth of medicine. A great trade-off!
This experience is another reminder for me – Health always comes first. Money can wait, but health can’t.
All I wanted is for my dog to feel 100% again. That’s all any dog owners could ask for…
Ted Tsai 