Post #395,426
10/11/14 1:40:31 PM
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rough weekend, might have to put my little boston down
Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep
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Post #395,427
10/11/14 4:55:07 PM
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Damn, that's hard.
All my sympathy and commiseration. I've been there. I have no other words but so sorry. "Religion, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable."
~ AMBROSE BIERCE
(1842-1914)
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Post #395,432
10/12/14 1:17:47 AM
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he has been blind for 2 years
had a bad ear infection 2 weeks ago that left him mostly deaf, he can't hear his beloved tennis balls bouncing any more to chase them. The only eye that could determine light and darkness on the same side as his ear infection became infected. Even after treatment it ruptured yesterday. The vet said they could remove the eye, but he cannot hear, would not be able to determine shadows (which he loves to chase as his only enjoyment) his quality of life would suffer beyond repair. As the people responsible for his well being my wife and eye decided that the best thing is to let him go.
So with some painkillers I will spend today and tomorrow treating him with human food which he wasn't allowed to eat, letting him sleep with me and taking a walk or two on the beach. Like most pets he was chosen for a kid but became mine. I will miss him. Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep
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Post #395,437
10/12/14 12:32:47 PM
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Been down that road a couple times.
The first was a spanielly mutt that was dumped on our tree lawn while my (now) wife and I were first living together. We figured we'd keep her over night while we found out what to do with her. We had her for 18 years... The last 5 or 6, she was running on Rymidal(sp?) for severe arthritis in her hips. Finally, the vet told us it was time to let her go. Reluctantly, we did.
We got a pair of golden mutts from a rescue place to replace her. One of them developed Addisons AND megaesophagus concurrently. It was shortly before I was "retired" out of Cisco in 09. Around Christmas, the vet gave her about 3 months to live. With rather expensive medications, she had reasonably good quality of life until June of 2012. Her sister had died the month earlier of bladder cancer, which popped up and killed her in a period of 8 weeks. Again, it became evident that it was time to let go again.
It is very hard, but we owe them that last responsibility.
I'm sorry for what you have to go through. "Religion, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable."
~ AMBROSE BIERCE
(1842-1914)
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Post #395,438
10/12/14 3:16:17 PM
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We've been fortunate.
J and I have only done it once since we've been together. Our Colleen had hemangiosarcoma when she was 10. :-(
We had a scare with our Sophie earlier in the week. She pulled a wrapped up loaf of raisin bread off the counter (that I had foolishly left too easy for her to reach) and ate about 1/4 pound of it. She showed no signs of distress when we got home about 9 hours later (she did it just as we left for work apparently) - she was happy to see us and didn't act at all guilty, but we called the vet to find out whether we should not feed her dinner. We reached them just before they closed. The vet said eating the bread wasn't the problem, but an indeterminate number of dogs will have severe kidney damage from eating as little as 1-2 raisins.
:-(
So we had to take her to an emergency vet and decide whether to give her IV fluids for 48 hours to try to flush everything out. We decided to do it, and fortunately all the subsequent tests indicate no damage, but unfortunately that doesn't mean that she isn't sensitive to them. (One of the vets told a story about a dog who has eaten raisins on multiple separate occasions and each time they went the IV fluids route...) It was an expensive lesson for me. I probably won't be getting raisin bread again anytime soon!
It's hard to have them leave us. The pain is less sharp over time, but it doesn't really go away...
Sincere condolences to you (and to Box).
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #395,428
10/11/14 8:40:57 PM
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Hang in there. That choice is hard. Condolences.
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Post #395,436
10/12/14 11:13:10 AM
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Condolences, Box!
Been there done that twice and it's never easy.
But, you need to let them go while they have some dignity left. Alex
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
-- Isaac Asimov
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Post #395,442
10/12/14 10:49:58 PM
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Most sorry
Always the same as for a family member, (except there we can't help as much.)
But he didn't rust out--he wore out; hope that's a small consolation.
Really nice ..your thought of the food treats.
Candle lighted.
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Post #395,444
10/13/14 10:03:01 AM
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Damn, I hate that for you.
I wish I could remember where I heard this and the exact quote, but it went something like, "Dogs. We give them the time and love we can spare and in return, they give us their unmitigated all."
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Post #395,465
10/14/14 12:34:24 PM
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I add my voice to the dirge
The last time we went through that, we summoned Dr. Dogvorkian to the house, because the aged pooch (a large dog at or near his 18th birthday) had learned to hate visits to the vet. Dr. D could not have been gentler or more tactful. The dog lost consciousness with his head cradled in my wife's lap, and five minutes after that an injection stopped his noble heart. Typing this, I tear up at the memory. Remember too, though, that it's a kindness we do them. I hope it's become feasible for me to expect a like courtesy when my time comes.
cordially,
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Post #395,470
10/14/14 1:47:50 PM
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you were lucky
the fucking vet told me he could do the eye operation cheaper, and he could find a new home for my dog, he was very lucky I didnt go off on him. It was hard enough to do as it was. Finally I point blank told him the dog had suffered enough, he was already blind just about deaf and afraid to walk around. I did what was best for the little guy, this fucker was one of the heroic measures types. Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep
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Post #395,471
10/14/14 2:31:14 PM
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You did the right thing
Everyone dies. Pets have the legal option to die comfortably; humans are frequently pinned writhing to life until they expire in pain. Give it a decent interval (decent for you, I mean) and then go out and rescue another goddamn dog and give the creature years of the love and care it deserves, please.
doggedly,
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Post #395,472
10/14/14 2:37:24 PM
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^^ that.
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Post #395,487
10/15/14 8:50:55 AM
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Re: rough weekend, might have to put my little boston down
I'm so sorry to hear that :-(
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