Understanding all aspects of your health can be beyond complicated. There is a lot of things you are just not going to know or even be ready for! When people first learn they are going to get an ostomy surgery things can be difficult. Lots of things happen all at once. You meet lots of new people and get to know your ostomy nurse and surgeon really well. They give you massive amounts of information to learn and are generally really good at teaching you what you need to know in a very friendly way. The learning curve is something that just seems super hard at first, but then it starts to get better. When you are at the hospital they will give you great suppliers to get your ostomy gear from. I personally like a few different ostomy suppliers because they are really informative and easy to work with. What most people won’t go into detail about is how having an ostomy works with having pets. Especially when you have dogs. It can be a whole different story.
Dogs, cats, and well just pets have an incredible sense of smell and are generally very acute at picking up that something has changed. Dogs for instance generally have a sense of smell that is 40 times greater than ours! They know that you have a stoma and some are a little too excited about it. In general, many pets get along just fine and match your emotions and become a great asset and friend for the situation. So for my life, it is a bit furry in real life. Now I have two dogs and they both reacted very differently. One pet was almost indifferent and really went along with life as absolutely normal as could be. He was what I will call a very good boy. On the other hand, one dog was not so good. They all come in different temperaments and some are good for one thing and simply not another.
The ones that are interesting can be just fine for other situations. My other dog is a Yorkie breed. He is a fast-paced dog that is always on the go. That dog breed is also known for being very one-track-minded or hard-headed. This pet would simply not go away or stop pestering what he smelled. Even when everything was perfectly sealed and working great thanks to using ostomy supplies gear the dog would still try to jump all over me when I was on the couch. So I ended up having to train him very quickly. I suggest you start by purchasing a lot of your pet’s favorite treats.
Training animals to deal with your medical issues is complicated. The easiest truth to know is that you simply won’t win and train your dog by being mean or forceful. At this time in your life, it’s not a good idea for you either. Your abdomen muscles are not what they used to be and you are likely more prone to hernia situations as well. So use kindness and lots of treats to work with your pets as soon as you get home. They know something is different so treat them for being good with it! I hope this helps you with your stoma and pet’s!
Stoma Health Blog 