Unwell Dog

beyondbelief67

I'm so sorry for your loss, Tegan Will always be with you and Rani.
Its one of the hardest things to go through I know, thinking of you, stay strong.

Ms Tootsie

kylith wrote: »

What a coincidence! Her name was actually Tootsie when she came to me!

There were a couple of thoughts that helped me come to the decision I did - one was the advice that it's better to go a day too early than a day too late. The other was that, for her, the consequences of me deciding to put her to sleep and being wrong were better than the consequences of me putting her through surgery and being wrong. All the time I expected the vet to say they'd found that she'd swallowed something she shouldn't have and, if that were the case, it would have been surgery without a moment's hesitation, but the idea of putting her through a surgery and giving her only a few months more (and a lot of that spent recovering from surgery) was too much.

That is an amazing way to look at it. I hope when the time comes I am be as selfless as you were and 100% do what is best for the dog rather than thinking of how hard it will be to miss them and say goodbye.

kylith

Ms Tootsie wrote: »

That is an amazing way to look at it. I hope when the time comes I am be as selfless as you were and 100% do what is best for the dog rather than thinking of how hard it will be to miss them and say goodbye.

Oh the temptation to be selfish was very strong, believe me. I wanted to keep my Teegee for as long as I could, but you can't be like that. Dogs trust us to do what's best for them and to look after them. The odds just weren't good enough for me to risk it. Like I said; if she spent her last morning alone and afraid in a cage in a vet's office and I couldn't be with her at the end, or she couldn't know that I was with her at the end I wouldn't be able to stand it.

She came to me for help when she had something caught in her teeth, she came to me for help when she got tangled in her lead, and she came to me for help when she got sick. It wasn't about what I wanted, it was about what was best for her. It has to be.

beyondbelief67

kylith wrote: »

Oh the temptation to be selfish was very strong, believe me. I wanted to keep my Teegee for as long as I could, but you can't be like that. Dogs trust us to do what's best for them and to look after them. The odds just weren't good enough for me to risk it. Like I said; if she spent her last morning alone and afraid in a cage in a vet's office and I couldn't be with her at the end, or she couldn't know that I was with her at the end I wouldn't be able to stand it.

She came to me for help when she had something caught in her teeth, she came to me for help when she got tangled in her lead, and she came to me for help when she got sick. It wasn't about what I wanted, it was about what was best for her. It has to be.

Oh my gosh, in tears at your last post. As it was so like my old pup Tina she was 13 and like Tegan went down hill in days, but if she had a problem such as her fave toy had rolled under the couch or her chew bone was out of reach, or the birds had flown out the garden, ( which she seemed to think I could control !) She would come and look up at me or keep pawing my arm till she got my attention then show me what the problem was. It's those little things about them that plant them firmly in our hearts and memory.
Its to early yet but they do have some lovely memorial head stones in some garden centres, but I just got a tree similar to her fave one in the park, to keep growing and always be there.

ACD

So very sorry for your loss, Kylith, it is heartbreaking to lose a beloved pet, stay strong. Sleep well, Tegan

smilerxxx

I'm really sorry to hijack this thread. My lovely giant schnauzer jack has just been diagnosed with multiple tumours in his chest cavity.

The vet just said it could be a week or a month. He said he's not in pain. How in gods name can I let him go... I love him so much. I have two other younger dogs but this old man owns my heart.

kylith

smilerxxx wrote: »

I'm really sorry to hijack this thread. My lovely giant schnauzer jack has just been diagnosed with multiple tumours in his chest cavity.

The vet just said it could be a week or a month. He said he's not in pain. How in gods name can I let him go... I love him so much. I have two other younger dogs but this old man owns my heart.

How is he in himself? Is he still interested in going for walks and eating and drinking? That was the main thing for me. I would keep going, as long as he's in no pain, for as long as he has a decent quality of life. You'll know by his eyes when he's ready to go. Don't be afraid to be emotional in the vet's, they understand. My vet said that it's the people who don't want to let them go who care, and he's right.

My heart is breaking for you.

angeldaisy

When we lost Rusty almost a year ago now, we buried him in a corner of the garden and made a little memorial garden for him. I planted wild flowers and placed a solar light and a little butterfly that flaps in the wind.
Every evening I look out and see the light and say goodnight to him. He was my soul dog and I miss him so much. It's not as painful now, but I still think of him every day.

smilerxxx

He is tired and not lively. But he is drinking lots. He was never a bowl pusher (ya know the little fellas who eat all around them) he always only ate enough. His weight has gone from 45kgs to 39kgs. The vet said we can assess again in a week but his heart is strong.

He says he believes he is not in pain. I don't think he is either. But its his breathing that is bad. He sounds like he has copd. I will do everything I can for him.

Im crying as I write this. My old buddy must not suffer. Thank you so much for your kind words. Not a lot of people understand.

kylith

smilerxxx wrote: »

He is tired and not lively. But he is drinking lots. He was never a bowl pusher (ya know the little fellas who eat all around them) he always only ate enough. His weight has gone from 45kgs to 39kgs. The vet said we can assess again in a week but his heart is strong.

He says he believes he is not in pain. I don't think he is either. But its his breathing that is bad. He sounds like he has copd. I will do everything I can for him.

Im crying as I write this. My old buddy must not suffer. Thank you so much for your kind words. Not a lot of people understand.

We understand, don't worry. You'll know when he's ready to go by his eyes. It was like Tegan was looking straight through me, there was no light in there any more.

And don't worry, I've been in tears for the last few days. Everyone's been so kind.

aonb

Smilerxxx, as Kylith said, you WILL know when its time.
My poor old boy was diagnosed with a growth on his liver, but was in great form, still eating and happily pottering about. We had a great few weeks with him, appreciating every moment we had him, knowing it was borrowed time.

He started to slow down very quickly, and once he stopped eating, we KNEW we had to let him go.
He started to LOOK at me with a look, like Kylith described... my boy too used to come to me for help when there was a problem - bone stuck in his teeth, thorn in his paw etc etc - he knew I would help him when he was ill - that stare and that look told me it was time.

You cant let your boy suffer, you will know when its time to take the final step - for him....

kylith

kylith wrote: »

Thanks for your kind words everyone. Tegan passed in the vet's at lunchtime. It took longer for the sedative to take effect than it should have because her abdomen was so swollen she couldn't lie down. She went very quickly and with no pain or struggle once the needle was in. We wrapped her in her blanket and have buried her in the back garden.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

Inexile

Kylith - sorry to read about your little dog. Its so sad to lose them.

Smiler - I hope you have some more time with you fella but are able to let him go when the time is right.

On a slight off point - when deciding when is the right time to let your dog go you also have to consider can you nurse them if they have a terminal illness. For many its not possible to do so as with work commitments you simply cannot be there all the time and when you are away you worry about them. In such circumstances it may be kinder to let them go a little bit earlier than you wish.

kylith

I took Rani up to bed with me last night. She wasn't sure about going upstairs because the last time she did I wasn't there and she wound up locking herself in the bathroom. A few treats coaxed her up and once she realised her bed was there she was happy to settle down for the night after having a sniff around and eyeballing the 'other' dog that lives in my mirror. There wasn't a sound out of her all night, which was a huge relief for me and for her too I'm sure.

My parents will give me the 'you're mad' lecture when they find out, I'm sure, but for what time she has left I'd rather be mad with a happy dog than 'sane' with a stressed one.

It still feels like Tee is going to walk in from the kitchen any minute.

Pretzill

Kylith I have been following this thread hoping all would be ok with Tegan, so sorry for your loss - your story particularly brings it home to me because I had two sibling dogs who were together for 14 years when my girl passed it was quick she had liver disease and we had to pts and her brother was watching on as she faded within a week before - but he didn't seem affected by her passing - she was pts in the vets and cremated.

It wasn't until about a month later we had to bring him to the same vets for a check up - he had slowed down considerably since his sisters passing - when we entered the vets he perked up, running around, sniffing etc ... I thought (probably wrongly but it gave me comfort) that he sensed his sister had been a there - he got a second wind after that with help from new pup and lived a year after his sibling. I cried for a week when my girl died and unapologetically so - when my boy passed it was expected and I coped better - still miss them both but smile about them now and all the joy they gave me for such a large part of my life.

It will get easier for you and Rani.

smilerxxx

I let jack go today...fly over the rainbow my old man. I'm forever in your debt. You've no idea what you've done for me.

I'm so sorry kylith xxx xxx big hugs

kylith

smilerxxx wrote: »

I let jack go today...fly over the rainbow my old man. I'm forever in your debt. You've no idea what you've done for me.

I'm so sorry kylith xxx xxx big hugs

So sorry for you smiler. You did the best thing you could for him, and he'll have known that. Big hugs to you, and be good to yourself. Don't be afraid to cry if you need to.