Boy is my head spinning. We have so many things going on I may soon collapse, face down in the dirt......but, I am hoping not.
There those garden and household projects we continue to try to tackle every weekend. (If only there were more than 2 days in a weekend.) Then, last week one of my canines went stiff in his hind end, which progressed to constant pain and limping. We took him in, had some x-rays & blood work done, but nothing concrete was ever diagnosed. He was kind of stumping the Vet. Then his bladder went next, or at least his ability to empty it. And his discomfort continued to grow. I did lots of crying.
The good news is after many, many sleepless nights and vet visits we have our old boy peeing again (yippee!!), and he is comfortable. Conclusion? Neurological stuff, a slipped or ruptured disc, blood clot, or most likely a spinal tumor. Not sure how long we can maintain him in his current state, but every day we have with him is appreciated. If the steroids hadn't helped get him the ability to eliminate back we would have had to 'put him down' by week's end. And when he again loses that ability that will be the only alternative to twice daily catheterizing him at the vet's office. We did that a couple of days, but long term it is not financially feasible. It just plain sucks when our pets get old and sick.
On a brighter note I sowed some peas, carrots, and greens out int he garden this weekend. My daughter keeps asking when we will grow our own food, I keep telling her I am trying. Lol, I think after she planted the seeds she expected instant snap peas.
Turns out most of the potatoes I ordered are out of stock, which is beyond annoying being I ordered them the second the 2011 catalog became available. Something is fishy there if you ask me, but I scrambled and was able to find others to take their place from another New England supplier. Thank goodness for that, no spuds would have been another thing to cry over.
I have been trying to read some blogs while up at all hours of the morning with the dog, but if I go missing again for a while you all know why. I am not spell checking or proof-reading before I post this is I am about to late for a vet appointment with my sick boy- happy gardening and wish my boy Travis luck as he hopefully hangs on to his precious life a bit longer here.
12 comments:
Oh gosh, it was only about 2 years ago I went through what sounds like the same thing with our old Bernese Mtn Dog, ours too got better for quite awhile so I hope you have the same experience. It's so hard to lose our canine friends or see them hurting, since all they do is give, give, give to us so much love and acceptance.
I'm with your daughter, I want those snap peas NOW! Sadly they are only about 4 inches high :)
Good vibes heading your way. Yes, it's terribly difficult. I went through it with my golden Lab, with a cancerous tumor on his colon. Surgery extended his life by a year, but then he lost the battle. Making that decision to put him down was so terribly difficult. It took about ten years before I could let go and get another dog (s). None could replace my old boy, but Annie and Otto come pretty darned close to filling the void.
So sorry to hear about your dog. It's so hard when a pet gets ill.
Thanks ladies. Turns out my excitement was in vain, his bladder was still distented and therefor he still needs twice daily emptying. I can't keep this up for more than another day or two. Doc said we can see how he does w/out the cath in a couple of days, but he will likely be in pain, and of course infection will eventually set in. :(
I'm so sorry to hear that. Stay strong, and I know you'll do what is best for him.
Kelly is this the border collie or the lab/water dog mix? Trying to remember... keeping you in our thoughts!
It is so sad when our pets start to show their age. They put their trust in us to take care of them and sometimes there is nothing we can do.
nellie
That is the truth Nellie, I hate that we have to be the hand that causes his death. But, it is better than extreme suffering.
Erin, this is one of my labs. If I wasn't shelling out so much for the vet bills I would have bought that doggy DNA kit on one of my recent Petco trips. Andy is my only mixed breed, and I am dying to know for sure what he is. It would be such a hoot if he turned out to something totally different than what all doggy folk say he is.
Granny- thanks. xoxo
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog...we're sort of in a similar situation with our 18 year old cat. So sad...they're a part of our family! Take good care...xoxo
I'm sending positive thoughts your way. Hugs. It's so terrible to hear about pet illnesses, even when we all know (logically) that it's all eventually inevitable. Kudos to you for keeping up with your garden planting, though. I'm just like your daughter, I really want the "food" just as soon as I sow those seeds.
I'm sorry to read about your dog. Hope he's feeling much better soon. I'm jealous you got to sow peas and carrots already. We haven't even cleaned out our beds yet. I need more than 2 days in the weekend also.
Glad to hear your four legged friend is on the mend. I know what you mean. I feel like there are a million things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them.
Post a Comment