因為一位朋友狗狗嘅病, 我又再深入去讀呢篇文章!
我們所有人都必須尊重一些前提. 動物不懼怕死亡, 這不是因為無知的幸福, 而是因為對自然的力量及其不斷循環的欣賞: 行星繞著太陽旋轉, 月亮繞著地球旋轉, 四季變化, 日夜轉移.一日復一日水變成了蒸氣, 然後又像雨一樣不斷地返回. 他們仍然與自然法則聯繫在一起, 不懼怕. 他們只是接受他們無法改變的東西.
There are some premises which all of us must respect. Animals do not fear death and that is not because of ignorant bliss, but rather an appreciation of the power of nature and her continuous cycles: the planets revolving around the sun, the moon revolving around the earth, the change of the seasons, night turning to day, water to vapor then back again as rain, and on and on and on. They are still connected to the laws of nature and know no fear; they just accept what they cannot change.
原文連結
google translate
Respect For The Passage
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on a very difficult topic - death. Each one of us pet owners will be faced with the loss of our companion. It is not unusual for our personal views regarding our own mortality to become involved in the decisions we make for our pets. Some owners are unable to let go of their animal companions and cling to every last shred of hope. These people need confident direction and understanding to allow their pets to die with peace and dignity. I have long ago realized, it is my place to let these owners know it is time to stop hoping and allow their friend to pass on peacefully.
我想藉此機會思考一個非常困難的話題-死亡。
我們每個寵物主人都將面臨我們同伴的流失。我們對自己的死亡率的個人看法會涉及我們為寵物製定的決定，這並不罕見。一些主人無法放開他們的動物同伴，並抱住最後的希望。這些人需要自信的方向和理解，才能使他們的寵物和平與有尊嚴地死去。我很久以前就意識到，在這裡讓這些所有者知道, 是時候停止希望並讓他們的朋友和平地離去了。
We need to take care of them in their dying. Because of the shorter life span of animals, I will outlive most of my patients. I see them born and I see them through their death. This is very different from human medical practitioners who still insist on treating death as a disease, rarely seeing a patient’s life cycle in its entirety.
我們需要照顧他們的死亡。由於動物的壽命較短，我比大多數患者的壽命更長。我看到他們出生，直到死亡。這與仍然堅持將死亡視為一種疾病的人類醫學從業者截然不同，他們很少看到患者的整個生命週期。
Owners often ask me how I can be sure it is time for their friend to die. In Chinese medicine it is believed dying is associated with the loss of shen, the vital life force that is seen in a patient’s eyes. Having stared into many dying eyes, I have come to believe this is true. I also understand the physiological changes a patient experiences from life threatening diseases – pain, weakness, nausea, respiratory distress, numbness, and unrest.
業主經常問我，我如何確定是時候讓他們的朋友死了。在中醫中，人們認為死亡與失去光澤有關，後者是患者眼中最重要的生命力量。凝視著許多垂死的眼睛後，我開始相信這是真的。我也了解患者從危及生命的疾病（例如疼痛，虛弱，噁心，呼吸窘迫，麻木和不安定）經歷的生理變化。
I also spend time talking to my owners who will give me a clear picture of their friend’s quality of life and his priorities in life. This is different for each patient – some dogs need to take that daily excursion to the mailbox while others are content to curl up on the couch with a view of Mom and Dad getting the mail. Your cat may find it very important to make the upstairs trek to the litterbox, while others will accept you moving it to the kitchen, underfoot and all. Each one with special needs and individual personalities, your pet will try to make these decisions very clear. And if you can’t understand or see clearly through your tears, we are here to guide you through this process.
我還花時間與我的主人交談，他們將使我清楚地了解他們朋友的生活質量和他的生活優先次序。每個患者的情況都不一樣-有些狗每天需要把旅行帶到郵箱，而另一些狗則滿足於在沙發上curl縮，以查看爸爸媽媽收到的郵件。您的貓可能會發現將上樓跋涉到垃圾箱非常重要，而其他人會接受您將其移動到廚房，腳下和所有地方。每個有特殊需要和個性的人，您的寵物都會盡力做出這些決定。如果您無法通過眼淚理解或清楚地看到它，我們將在這裡指導您完成此過程。
There are some premises which all of us must respect. Animals do not fear death and that is not because of ignorant bliss, but rather an appreciation of the power of nature and her continuous cycles: the planets revolving around the sun, the moon revolving around the earth, the change of the seasons, night turning to day, water to vapor then back again as rain, and on and on and on. They are still connected to the laws of nature and know no fear; they just accept what they cannot change.
我們所有人都必須尊重一些前提。動物不懼怕死亡，這不是因為無知的幸福，而是因為對自然的力量及其不斷循環的欣賞：行星繞著太陽旋轉，月亮繞著地球旋轉，四季變化，日夜轉移。水變成了蒸氣，然後又像雨一樣不斷地返回, 周而復始。他們仍然與自然法則聯繫在一起，不會懼怕。他們只是接受他們無法改變的東西。
Sometimes my patients are anxious, whining and restless, but I have come to realize they are worried about their people! Their Mom and Dad are crying, afraid, and unsure. Is it not the pet’s job to lick their tears away and wag their tail so hard that their parents will start to smile? But they can’t, they are dying and it seems like their parents need them more than ever. It is important for owners to know they need to let their friend move on; his duty of bringing unconditional love and joy has been fulfilled.
有時我的病人感到焦慮，抱怨和不安，但我逐漸意識到他們擔心自己的人！他們的爸爸媽媽在哭，害怕和不確定。寵物的工作不是要舔舔他們的眼淚，然後搖尾巴，以至於父母會開始微笑嗎？但是他們不能，他們快死了，看來父母比以往任何時候都更需要他們。對所有者來說，重要的是要知道他們需要讓朋友繼續前進；他帶來無條件的愛與喜樂的職責已經實踐。
必須提到第二個前提。我們的朋友們不希望永遠活著。他們不是在尋找數量，而是在尋找生活質量。他們在這裡有目的。它們是臨時禮物，必須退還。我們的寵物帶走了我們的痛苦，孤獨，自私，憤怒和不幸。他們以溫暖的呼r聲或快樂的叫聲，試圖教給我們每個人如何成為更好的人。如果我們聽聽他們安靜而深刻的信息，那麼寵物的生命將是永恆而有意義的。我們也要好好過自己的生活，分享我們從毛茸茸的同伴那裡獲得的簡單無條件的愛和接受。
Donna M.Raditic，DVM，DACVN，CVA
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