Wonder how many of us who are animal lovers have entertained the thought of becoming a veterinarian? That is, until we find out that it's even tougher to get into veterinary school than medical school--and we realize we'd have to see a great deal of animal suffering in the course of doing the job.
I had a chance recently to speak with one of Hawaii's respected veterinarians, Laupahoehoe-born Billy Bergin, who for 25 years was the chief veterinarian at huge Parker Ranch on Hawaii Island. At a taping of PBS Hawaii's Long Story Short, I thought we'd talk mostly about Parker Ranch history and Hawaiian cowboy culture--and we did.
As Dr. Bergin spoke, I tried to put out of my mind my worry about my family's dog, a sweet and formerly athletic German short-haired pointer named Kaena. He's 13 years old and has been diagnosed with a degenerative disorder. There's no recovery. It's a silent heartbreak for my family as we watch Kaena closely for loss of movement and for pain.
Dr. Bergin had wonderful stories of Hawaiian ranch life--noble horses, brave cowboys, quiet leadership, sunsets, campfires, food, bonding, faith, the vaquero connection, the easy detail of phrases in the Hawaiian language to describe animals' conditions.
Finally, I asked him what his greatest reward has been in taking care of animals. His answer brought Kaena to my mind right away. Dr. Bergin said he is able to do something that physicians cannot legally do--and it is a source of great peace to him. When an animal is seriously hurt or ill--and its remaining life will be full of suffering--Dr. Bergin can painlessly euthanize and spare the animal. It's quality of life, not length of life, that counts most, he said.
After talking with Dr. Bergin, I called the Vannatta family, my former next-door neighbors in Niu Valley, who've taken care of thousands of animals over the decades. I asked family matriarch Mrs. Joan Vannatta, a devoted animal lover, what she thought.
"I've had many of our animals put to sleep when they became very ill," she said, "maybe hundreds of them. It's the responsible thing for humans to do for animals who can't tell us of their suffering. The injection doesn't hurt them--it's very calm and peaceful. But continuing to live with their pain would have been awful."
"I've never regretted putting one of my animals to sleep," Mrs. Vannatta said. "But I have very much regretted not doing it sooner."
I appreciate the experience and wisdom of ranchman Dr. Bergin and suburban Mrs. Vannatta.
Kaena, with his terminal diagnosis, still has quality of life. When he no longer is able to enjoy his life, my 'ohana will do what we now realize is the right thing--take him to our vet, hold him in our arms, and have him receive that painless injection.
It'll be difficult to lose Kaena no matter when we lose him. I hope we have some satisfaction in knowing that it's his timetable that we value, not ours.
(You can watch Dr. Bergin on Long Story Short at 7:30pm Tuesday, Dec. 2, on PBS Hawaii. See video clip at
http://www.pbshawaii.org/ourproductions/longstory.php
Irish by ancestry, Dr. Bergin learned to speak the Hawaiian language from native Hawaiian cowboys.)
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