I got home yesterday and my wife greeted me at the door with the news that something was very wrong with our older dog. She was vomiting almost continuously, not eating or drinking, and hunched over in pain. Our vet has walk-in hours late on Wednesday so I took her right in. The vet examined her, took some x rays, and noted that her spleen and liver are huge. We leave her there overnight for observation and bloodwork. Today we get the word that her liver enzymes are sky-high, that she needs an ultrasound and biopsy because she likely has advanced liver cancer. It was just devastating. We woke up one morning with a dog that seemed perfectly healthy - getting a bit creaky and sedentary in her advancing age, but happy and normal. 24 hours later, she is rapidly approaching the end. Apparently, this suddenness is typical of liver cancer - they don't show symptoms until the cancer is in advanced stage, and then they deteriorate rapidly. We'll get the official diagnosis tomorrow when they get the biopsy results, but the vet didn't give us any other possibilities.
She's not a young dog, but she's a small one so we assumed she still had some years left. The idea that her remaining time is going to be measured in days, not years, is hard to take. I think the missus and I are taking it even harder than the kids, and seeing her in such pain was enough to make anyone cry.
It just really really sucks.
let thy food be thy medicine...but for real, try feeding her better stuff and maybe she will turn around in health a little, or atleast feel better in the twilight of her life.
he was a bassett hound-all white with black spots
he was a character and lovable
I miss him and always will
ps he was 12
They absolutely are better than most people.
Same here.
So sorry Greg. Hang in there, bud.
Brett, no, the mutt. Actually had to take the doxie into the vet today, believe it or not. She was whimpering and limping this morning, and it turns out that she has a calcifying disk in her spine, a common ailment in older dachshunds. Painful but treatable with some painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
Is this serious?
It happened really quickly, just like with your dog. I was petting his head when they gave him the shot. He seemed happy feeling my hand. It was like 5 seconds and he was gone.
Really tough. But it was the right thing to do. You don't want them to suffer.
Anyway ... never easy to lose a dog. I saw a great saying and I don't have it quite right, but it went something like the only reason dogs live 10-15 years is that if they lived longer we'd have an even harder time parting with them.
Hang in there and remember that you gave this dog a good life.
I loved having him around so I wanted to make sure I didn't prolong his life and suffering for selfish reasons. I had discussions w our vet abt it for a few years so when the time came I was confident in the decision.
Good Luck . . .
Not out of the woods yet, she's still very sick, but any reason for hope is a relief.
Not out of the woods yet, she's still very sick, but any reason for hope is a relief.
That's great news. Your dog is going to live a little longer and with some luck, a lot longer. Is it possible she ate something she wasn't supposed to ?
Our dog is aging, and I've found myself wondering how much of a difference a food upgrade would make. People are kind of predisposed to save money on food for themselves at the expense of their own health, and we probably do the same for our pets. But if we pay, I dunno, 100 bucks for a two month supply of food instead of 50, would the benefits manifest themselves in a longer, healthier life?