Pets

[wurwolf]

I think you're right re: antibiotics first.  If it is cancer and it accelerates, that just quickens an inevitable process. I can't advise you about spending money to prolong his life, because that's got to be the decision you guys and your vet make.  I kept my dog alive a long time when she was kind of sick because I didn't want to let go.  I finally had to when her kidneys started failing and she couldn't keep down water anymore.  It's an issue of the pet's comfort and quality of life, and I think that's really where the owner's responsibility lies, in trying to make that decision.

There's a little plaque in my vet's office that is the "Dog's prayer," and it basically goes through the dog's life cycle; there's a bit at the end that always makes me cry, so I try not to read it, but it goes basically that "I trust my master will protect me and keep me safe when I'm old and can't do it for myself, and will ease my pain when it's too great."

Dammit.

Oh goddamn you.

[Tripe]

And back to

[Mrs. Dick Courier]

Poor doggie!  Hopefully the antibiotics will work.

[wurwolf]

I'm sorry.   I had to go have a time-out.  I just meant that to be about balancing your needs financially with the pet's quality of life, and that's not a decision anyone can make but you.  I got side-tracked I guess.

No, I understand. But it was touching all the same, and thank you for sharing it.

I'm waiting to hear back from the vet. I'm hoping the antibiotics will do the trick and he'll be fine, but if it turns out to be cancer we will have to make that hard choice.

I am wondering if I should let the shelter know about this. I guess they should know, but if he's got inoperable cancer and we have to make the choice to put him down, will they give us a hard time about it because we've only had him three months? Will they think that maybe we made the decision rashly and didn't do our best to keep him alive, especially given his destructive tendencies?

[Tripe]

I got side-tracked I guess.

That's understandable, those of us who regularly post in this thread at the very least, all understand the emotions of owning a dog and how that can be all consuming at times. Just ask Byron

I would let the shelter know about the situation, it's probably best they know what's been happening.

[Smoky]

I'm really sorry to hear your doggie's sick, Wurwulf. It's really hard when a pet falls ill. My two cents that I reccomend to everyone is to get a second opinion and if possible to see an "alternative" practitioner.  If you can find a more "holistic" vet in your area, you could get some good alternate advice. Sometimes changing food to a more natural brand can make a big difference for some animals. I just wanted to throw that out there, I'm not saying I know of any miracle cures.

Good luck with this very trying situation. I agree that you should let the rescue you got him from know...  Perhaps if financial situations get too bad the former foster would even want to help out or something.

[wurwolf]

Chance is really not doing much better. I boiled up some chicken thighs the other night and we mix it with his food, and I have to stand over him to get him to eat. He's skin and bones and lethargic. His cough isn't as frequent and I haven't seen any blood, but it still sounds pretty awful. We're taking him to the vet for some additional blood work on Thursday but we won't know what the problem is until he can see the internal specialist, and that's not until January 7. To make matters worse we have house guests coming tomorrow.

So yeah.

[Tripe]

I'm really sorry Faith.

[LucasM]

I'm sorry that Chance, and you, are having such a difficult time now, Wurwolf. 

[wurwolf]

Chance is gone. At about 7:15 tonight he took his last breath. We were with him as he passed.

He'd been declining for a few weeks but today he was in really bad shape and I knew he wouldn't be with us much longer. About a half hour before APGIL was due home from work, Chance (who had been lying in one spot all morning) got up and waited for him in the kitchen. When he didn't come home at the expected time, he went into our bedroom and laid on the floor by APGIL's side of the bed.

We were going to wait to take him to the vet tomorrow, but he'd been struggling all day and when he tried to stand and collapsed we knew he was in a lot of pain. We took him to the emergency care clinic and there we made the decision to end his suffering. And as we sat around him, our hands in his fur and telling him what a good boy he was and how much we loved him, he passed on.

I'm glad we had him for the short amount of time we did. Even when he was being a bad dog by acting out when we had to leave him alone, he was still being a good dog. He did it because he missed his humans. I don't know if we will ever find a dog who was so great to take camping and out on hikes. He was friendly and liked by everyone who met him.

[Lemming Howard]

I'm so sorry.  They seem to ask so little of us and in the end we can't give enough.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 

[LucasM]

I am so sorry for your and APGIL's loss, Wurwolf. 

It is so sad to let go of a friend you've enjoyed such wonderful times with.

[Lembach]

oh god, I didn't want to cry today...

[Bob]

Sorry to read that, but the dog will always remain in your brain for your entire life and you have photos that you will enjoy forever.