Whole Hog Holistic

Last September, my mare Jet Star injured herself somehow and could no longer put weight on her right hind leg. As a result, she was trying to bear all her weight on her right, and losing her balance, she was spinning continuously in a piteous and exhausting dance. First came the vet, then another vet/chiropractor. It seemed she had injured her hip very high up, and was very swollen on her haunch, and there was nothing to do but wait out the inflammation until additional body work could get done. We moved, Chloe came, Jet just slowly adapted to her new disability as the swelling went away.
Once life got back to a new steady state, we got Jet back into trying to figure out and resolve the situation. And now Jet enjoys regular massage and chiropractic. As of last week, she also receives acupuncture. It's a lot of care, given I often pass up the stuff myself for the expense! But .t's interesting to see Jet react, enjoy and absorb all these modalities. And yes, there's improvement.
And on nights when I get hounded by dark thoughts, I wonder how to handle the fact that Jet is a pet but also a living creature, and her years of "useful life" seem numbered, and the choice of giving her the best care, just enough care, or as my farm friends would say, curtains.