To mark National Pet Awareness Month, we talk to four people about how pets have impacted their experience of Parkinson’s, from boosting their mental wellbeing to providing them with “unconditional” love – and why taking on a furry companion needs to be a “thoughtful decision”

Did you have pets before or after you were diagnosed with Parkinson’s?

Leslie Davidson, Canada: I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011. Our family cat had died before my diagnosis, so my husband and I decided not to replace her at the time because we were retired and travelling a lot. Now, I have a Ragdoll cat named Pearl. I brought her home as a tiny kitten in November 2022.

Wytze Russchen, Spain: I have a mixed-breed puppy called Foxy, whom I adopted one year ago and who lives with my boyfriend and me. I was diagnosed in 2008 when I was 37. I didn’t have any pets at that time; though the moment I was forced to stop working in 2016, I bought a puppy called Boni, whom I had for over five years, but who unfortunately passed away in December 2021.

Clare Addison, UK: My husband and I have a 12-year-old cat and a miniature labradoodle who is now seven years old. I received my diagnosis in 2016. We got our dog around that time, but that decision was made more because my children wanted one. As a couple, we’ve always had pets. We previously owned a hamster and two other cats who lived for 17 years.

Peter Schielzeth, Germany: Together, my husband and I have a nine-year-old Dalmatian called Basti, whom we’ve had for over eight years. I found out I had Parkinson’s in 2014. At that time, we didn’t have a dog, as our previous one had passed away a year before.

Has Parkinson’s affected your ability to look after your pet?

Leslie: I don’t feel it has, but I think that’s because I opted for a cat. I love dogs, but I knew I wouldn’t always be able to give a dog the exercise it needed. That said, I have younger, healthier friends and family who say they will look after Pearl should the need arise.

Clare: It has occasionally, so for that reason, I’m glad I share responsibility in case I’m having a bad day.

Wytze: ‘Thanks’ to Parkinson’s, I have time to look after my dog. Before my diagnosis, I was working so hard that I wouldn’t have had the time to care for a pet. Luckily, I can still take care of Foxy myself, although sometimes I wish I could walk longer and faster with him – fortunately, my boyfriend and I can share the daily walks. I promised my dog and myself that if I have a bad day, I will never project my frustration onto him.

How does having a pet impact your wellbeing?

Clare: Generally, it’s a huge positive. Our cat is a cuddly comfort; she’s quietly loving, inquisitive and soft, and she calms the whole household. Our dog is a bundle of fun and cheekiness, who drags you out for a walk even if you’re not keen, which is great for me – but she’s equally happy to sit around on a cold, rainy day.

Leslie: My cat is constant entertainment, and it’s lovely to be greeted when I walk in the door. I find nothing more soothing than a purring cat on my lap, a cup of tea nearby and a good book in hand.

Peter: Basti is just there for me unconditionally. He is my best fitness motivator and keeps me moving, regardless of my mood or the weather. He is there when I need a friend or someone to cuddle. He makes me laugh and take responsibility for our mutual wellbeing.

Wytze: Physically, Foxy makes me walk 15,000 steps a day. If I feel down or stuck because of Parkinson’s, he licks me, cheers me up and forces me to go out and move – which of course is very important in my fight against Parkinson’s. There have been moments he’s saved my life just by being there. The unconditionality of his affection is extraordinary.

Do you encourage people with Parkinson’s to have pets?

Clare: A dog is great if you’ve got a busy household and the care doesn’t totally fall on you. I wouldn’t be without our dog, as I’ve grown to love her, and she’s part of our family. But I feel it’s very important that dogs are well trained, not too noisy and respond reliably when called. The cats are easy and live alongside us without being too demanding. A pet share is also a great option, as is borrowing an animal for a short time, because you get the benefit of the fun but less of the commitment and cost.

Wytze: If you are able to take care of the pet, yes, I strongly recommend it. It gives you purpose and a reason to wake up and go out. However, you own a pet for the rest of its life, so make sure you have support and assistance from others when you need help with your Parkinson’s.

Peter: Yes, but be considerate of what pet you choose. There’s nothing worse than having to separate from your pet because you can’t manage it. It’s important to think ahead, as this is a commitment that will likely last for over 10 years. For example, if you have trouble walking, a cat might be less demanding. If you’re struggling with ‘off’ periods or other Parkinson’s symptoms, make sure to set up an arrangement with somebody that can help look after your pet.

Leslie: It has to be a very thoughtful decision that considers the needs of the animal. For example, I no longer keep my pills on my night table but in the drawer – accidental poisoning never occurred to me until I spilled pills in Pearl’s presence, and she bounced over to check them out. But I think caring for a pet can shift our focus off of ourselves and our Parkinson’s. As long as we’re able to care for them, I think pets enhance our quality of life.

Lead image: Peter Schielzeth (right) his husband Daniel, and their dog Basti.

Music teacher and artist Cecilia Gordon discusses how Parkinson’s has impacted her relationship with art – and shares how others can incorporate the craft into their lives

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born in Oslo, Norway – my mother was Norwegian, and my father was English. I spent most of my school days in England, apart from one year in Norway when I was growing up. I think the time spent over there must have contributed to my appreciation of art because it opened my eyes to the magic of colour. I loved the multi-coloured houses that were set against the white snow, the blue skies and fjords, and the dark green fir trees.

I eventually enrolled as a mature student at the Anglia Ruskin University, England. I had been all set to do an English degree but switched to music. One evening, while strolling through a French village, through an open window I suddenly heard one of Beethoven’s string quartets being played beautifully and I knew that music was to be my destiny.

Since my school days, my career has been in music, with the piano being my main instrument of choice. I’ve been a piano teacher throughout my career and have taught a range of people, inside and outside of school settings. My passion for all types of art was initially stimulated by my home environment. Over the years, it has grown to include poetry as well.

Please tell us about your experience of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

I was diagnosed back in 2003. My doctor suspected that I had Parkinson’s and sent me to a specialist who later confirmed it. The specialist was encouraging – his positive attitude did a lot to help me come to terms with the condition.

Following his lead, I became rather blasé and played down the seriousness of the condition.

You are an artist. What forms of art do you like to work in?

I’ve loved music since I had my first percussion lesson in kindergarten. This has grown over the years, and I have made it my life’s work. Nowadays, I play the piano, the bassoon, and I’ve had a go at the double bass, the viola, the cello and the oboe – as is often the case with music teachers. Music can elevate your mood and your mind. One can lose oneself in it.

I also like painting pictures. I don’t seek inspiration; it comes to me. Once I start a picture, I don’t know how it is going to turn out. It seems to have a will of its own, almost as if someone else is painting it. I don’t seem to be in control – it controls me.

How has Parkinson’s impacted your relationship with art?

As I am now less mobile, I have developed greater powers of concentration and observation. This means that I can become fully absorbed in what I am painting – something that has proven to be very therapeutic. I am also able to observe people with a new level of intensity, which has led to a deeper level of understanding and, consequently, richer relationships. Painting people can help you learn about how they are feeling.

Since I have developed Parkinson’s, I have become increasingly absorbed by shape and colour. A dominant colour always informs the composition. Shapes interest me. I often make shapes and patterns in my mind out of seemingly ordinary, disconnected things around me. This has made me more imaginative and given me great satisfaction in creativity.

How can people with Parkinson’s incorporate art and music into their lives?

I attend local art groups where I get a lot of encouragement from the people around me. I also attend musical concerts. Creating art helps me to relax, which makes me happy and benefits my personal wellbeing. I play music, which satisfies the soul. I listen to poetry being read aloud because it is rhythmically musical.

My advice to others would be to go out and explore new avenues. There is so much to see and learn. Parkinson’s is tough, but I have been touched by the incredible kindness of people who have helped me along my way.

Five women share how their experiences of pregnancy were impacted by Parkinson’s, from uncertainty around medication to increased symptom severity – and offer advice to others in the community

Tell us about your initial experiences of pregnancy and Parkinson’s.

Caitlin Nagy, Canada: I was elated to find out that I was pregnant. It was something that I had wanted my whole life, and it was finally happening. But that definitely came with some fears and concerns from me and my husband. I had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years prior. I chose to not go on medication prior to getting pregnant because my doctor had advised that there was not enough research around pregnancy and Parkinson’s medication.

Dr Annelien Oosterbaan, Netherlands: I was diagnosed at the end of 2016. I already had three kids before my Parkinson’s diagnosis, but in 2021, I experienced my first pregnancy with the condition. I had already done my own research before deciding to become pregnant. Still, this didn’t really help me or reassure me, since there is so much we still don’t know. It felt risky, not knowing whether my Parkinson’s would become worse. Little information was available on aspects like medication use and breastmilk.

Richelle Flanagan, Ireland: I thought I had Parkinson’s when I was three months pregnant with my daughter. But I had to wait until I had finished breastfeeding my daughter to get a dopamine transporter scan, which confirmed my diagnosis. So, while pregnant, I was in the weird position of not knowing if I had the condition or not. Thankfully, it was an uneventful pregnancy. I was not concerned for myself but rather about how the condition would impact my daughter’s life.

Dr Soania Mathur, Canada: I was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s when I was 28 and pregnant with my first daughter. I was blessed to have two more daughters in the years that followed. Not surprisingly, there was no consensus to inform me about the risks I needed to be aware of. So, the expected joy of pregnancy was marred by a feeling of uneasiness and a fear of the unknown. I was worried about the effects of the condition and the medications I was taking on the health of my unborn baby.

Ellie Finch Hulme, UK: I was diagnosed at the age of 29, almost 10 years ago. I got married the following year and became pregnant soon after that. Knowing that I had a neurodegenerative condition made me decide to try for a baby sooner rather than later. Thankfully, everything looked pretty normal throughout my pregnancy, and I was well looked after with extra scans and appointments.

How did pregnancy impact your Parkinson’s symptoms and vice versa?

Soania: I was unsure how my Parkinson’s would respond to the physical and psychological demands of pregnancy. I wasn’t able to find much research on how symptoms are impacted – and the reports I did find were conflicting. Although many women with Parkinson’s had their symptoms return to typical levels after birth, others reported a deterioration in their condition that didn’t improve.

Personally, I found that my symptoms worsened a bit during my pregnancies, primarily because I reduced my medications substantially. But they returned close to baseline once I gave birth. 

Caitlin: My first trimester was tricky. My tremors were in hyper-overdrive – I was shaking all over the place to the point where my friends’ kids would call me ‘the shaky lady’. This was so heartbreaking as a mum: to wonder if my daughter would have to deal with these kinds of comments. In the second trimester, my symptoms were even worse – I lost my energy and had a lot of fatigue and pain in my body. By the third trimester, I was pretty much bedridden.

Annelien: My Parkinson’s symptoms got more and more severe during the course of my last pregnancy. Before, I only took my medication once every four hours. By the end of my pregnancy, I was taking my medication once every three hours.

In the first trimester, I was vomiting a lot due to pregnancy hormones, which totally sabotaged my medication intake and made controlling the condition a real challenge. I struggled with sleeping issues, suffered from more ‘off’ periods during the day and dealt with longer periods of tremors in my hands. I worried more. Though the delivery was not negatively influenced, the whole experience was very different to my other pregnancies.

What more needs to be done to support pregnant women with Parkinson’s?

Ellie: Something that really should be given more thought and sensitivity is bottle feeding. I was told it would be unlikely I’d be able to breastfeed due to the medication I was taking – not a risk I was prepared to take. But I was not equipped for the emotional trauma that this caused me. Yes, my babies were fed. But I felt this choice was stripped from me (because of the condition), and I was resentful of this. Some emotional support and signposting of where to get advice would be excellent, as frankly, I had none.

Richelle: I know women with Parkinson’s who have been told not to have a baby because they wouldn’t be able to cope and women who were told it was okay to take agonists while others were given the opposite guidance. This advice can make the difference between choosing to have a baby or not. That needs to change. The risks need to be discussed on an individual basis.

Soania: Ultimately, there needs to be a change in the way we treat women with Parkinson’s during pregnancy. We need to develop standardised treatment guidelines, and this will only happen when the appropriate research is done. If these were developed, it would ease some of the worries that women have about the effects of the condition or the impact medications might have on the health of their baby. Women should feel confident that their care is based on sound research or an informed expert opinion.

What advice would you give to other pregnant women who are living with Parkinson’s?

Annelien: Don’t be afraid. After delivery, I quickly got back in shape and my sleep immediately improved. Doing lots of physical exercise has helped me, and I would advise every person living with the condition to exercise. I am also working on an international registry for pregnancy and Parkinson’s, which will hopefully lead to the production of guidelines and management advice. 

Richelle: Connect with support groups for women who are going through or have gone through the same journey. Though it was bittersweet to have my daughter delivered alongside news of my diagnosis, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Like most people with Parkinson’s, we can worry about the future, but that only takes away from today. I choose to keep myself better today so there’s a greater tomorrow for me and my family.

Ellie: Listen to the healthcare professionals, but also listen to yourself and your own body. We self-manage our Parkinson’s a lot of the time: you know what’s best for you. Don’t benchmark yourself against or compare yourself to others, whether they have Parkinson’s or not.

Caitlin: Trust your gut. Some days are going to be tough and that’s okay – because the good days make up for the 1,000 bad ones. Remember how strong you are, and focus on how amazing you are for being able to grow a beautiful baby in your womb.

Lead image: Dr Annelien Oosterbaan