The time draws near for man's best friend.

[rayinpenn]

She’s sleeping at the foot of the stairs with her back pressed against that bottom tread enjoying the cold ceramic tiles. When I walked down those stairs she raised her head, as usual and gave a look as to say “You see me right?”. “No I wont step on you Dusty”. This morning there was a 4AM emergency walk, rare but it happens. It was a particular concern because of her breathing lately. Any amount of exercise and she will be mouth open and raspy Ill call it labored breathing. When she sits down it disappears, she is still eating and seeks her treats. So Im not ready but when i can home from work yesterday I noticed it appeared to worsened.

My fear is that there will be some kind of episode where we will be helpless to do anything for her. We will be monitoring her closely.
Ill do my best to do the right thing before that happens.

I guess thats all we can do... I wish I knew some kind of ‘rule of thumb’ for this kind of thing.. perhaps the vet or ER friend can offer one.

 

[Aerides]

Please call your vet today for thoughts, in my mind the rule of thumb should be evidence of pain and unhappiness and you know her best. Many vets now offer house calls for the "final" visit, which to me sounds so much more appealing.

i hope her last days are comfortable, and that she can pass them knowing she is loved.

 

[Scrapr]

Penny the Red (Golden Retriever) crossed the bridge about 4 months ago. She was about 15 which is old for a Golden. We gave her her forever home 8 years ago. She declined over the last year. There were at least 2 incidents over the last 6 months that I didn't think she would make the weekend. But she was tough and rallied. She started getting incontinent at the end. Last month or so. Some mornings we would have to help her get up. We debated several times. We talked with the vet several times and eventually decided her quality of life was most important. And that we would have her go on a high point rather than in crisis. So we scheduled it. Vet had some cheese wiz and oreo cookies for her last treat. We all held her and cried

They say you will know when it's time. But I don't think that is true. We were conflicted

 

[Kristinia]

We were faced with this very issue one year ago June 4th. It was an incredibly hard time and one I don’t know how I got through. Our 13 yo lab suddenly started losing weight and stopped eating. It was cancer and it had spread throughout her whole body. The vet left the decision to us as to when to put her down and I held on to the thought of not putting her down until the following Monday so I would have more time with her. The Friday before I stayed up all night with her and it was in her eyes that I finally saw she was asking to let her go. Saturday morning we let her go. She was suffering and it became clear she was only hanging on because of me and I had to show her one final way of how much I loved her and let her go. Never easy but we know when we bring home an animal of any kind that this day is coming. It is up to us to show compassion when it is most needed. I wish you peace as you make the decision of when to let your best friend go. As stated before get to a vet for advice on when that should be. I always ask the vet if this was your dog what would you do....

 

[Another Reader]

I always ask the vet if this was their animal, what would you do. Often you get a very different answer than if you asked for advice, which usually gets you a long list of treatments and supportive care options.

 

[VanWinkle]

Good luck to you and your best friend. I think you will know when the time is right, and if you don't know, she will tell you.

Best wishes,

VW

 

[Montecfo]

Rayinpenn-

Is she taking Lasix?

Our beloved pooch Riley has been taking meds for over a year and is enjoying the autumn of his life in relatively good health. We know the time is soon but as long as he can be a dog and enjoy life, we do too.

 

[Dash man]

Two years ago we lost Cruiser, a beagle/basset mix that was 12 years old, and my best friend. His body was also riddled with cancer. He let us know it was time when he stopped eating, and breathing became difficult. He went peacefully at the vet’s office and we spread his ashes in his favorite spots in our back yard. I haven’t been able to sand and paint over the scratches he made on our bedroom door.
I wish you peace for you and your best friend.

 

[rayinpenn]

I haven’t been able to sand and paint over the scratches he made on our bedroom door.

Yup.

 

[Red Badger]

I always ask the vet if this was their animal, what would you do. Often you get a very different answer than if you asked for advice, which usually gets you a long list of treatments and supportive care options.

rayinpenn. Best of everything during the trials and tribulations ahead. I think the advice here is very sage and thoughtful.

Out fur-kid is a 12 YO Peke. He's still chugging along, but has given up a step or two. 12 is getting up there for a Peke.

 

[Luvdogs]

We lost our sweet Boxer on August 14.
I haven't taken his bowl away and haven't washed the slobber off the window where he would watch for us.

 

[KCGeezer]

I hear you Ray and empathize completely. Our ‘old guy’ is a 15 yr old Weim. He still has more good days than bad. He even wanted to go all the way around the block yesterday. All about comfort and balance at this point.

 

[hesperus]

I guess thats all we can do... I wish I knew some kind of ‘rule of thumb’ for this kind of thing.. perhaps the vet or ER friend can offer one.

You know her best, and I trust you will know when it's time. I'm sorry raypenn. We have a 16yr old, and she's getting close, too. When her quality of life diminishes to simply avoiding pain and suffering, we'll know it's time.

 

[ohyes]

Ray,

Be extra kind to yourself; this is such a difficult time. Please give Dusty an extra hug - from me.

We waited a little too long to let our last dog go and I thought we had learned not to do that again. But, I am not sure of that. at all....

 

[ncbill]

Yeah, please don't wait too long.

I was clueless when my 20 year old kitty's kidneys stopped working.

She was just so tired...by the time I took her to the vet's she had dropped from 8 1/2 to 5 lb.

 

[calmloki]

It just ain't easy. I've allowed nature to take its course, thinking that life should be allowed till the very end and that a cat should die at home with us. I've had vets put cats down when I thought the animals were struggling with life. I've had a cat put down before it was struggling. I've killed the cat myself, taking full responsibility for the death and thinking if my cat was to die I should be the instrument. It all hurts and second guessing is a big part. Best wishes to you Ray.

 

[Choices]

I try to be more in tune these days. I am going with “ better a month too early than a day too late” as I have been too late in the past.
At our House, I am always the one that says “ it’s time” and it always hurts like hell. I look at my big dogs and panic every time one of them is off their feed. I don’t worry about DH at all....

 

[COcheesehead]

So sorry to hear this. We went through the same thing last summer. Its hard, but we noticed the difference quickly. We took our friend to the vet and had an ultra sound done. Her body cavity was filled with fluid, most likely from tumors. She was having a hard time breathing. That's all we needed to hear. The vet agreed. We put her down that night.
Its hard to lose a pet, but its harder to not have ever had the joy of having one.

 

[rayinpenn]

The time draws near for mans best friend.

We lost our sweet Boxer on August 14. I haven't taken his bowl away and haven't washed the slobber off the window where he would watch for us.

We call it doggie nose art..

 

[pacergal]

Ray--such a difficult decision! I am assuming she has been checked by the vet for any respiratory illness.
Our fur babies have such an important place in the family. It is always hard to let them go.
Peace and blessings to you and Dusty.

 

[hesperus]

Its hard to lose a pet, but its harder to not have ever had the joy of having one.

well said. It's what gets us through the hard days following the loss.

 

[Fishingmn]

One June 2nd, our dog Cooper's birthday, I asked Alexa what the average lifespan was for a Lhasa Apso. "13 years" she said. It was Cooper's 13th birthday.


Last week after some heavy breathing we took him in and found out he's got heart failure and most likely has 6-9 months left. Very sad...


Wife is already thinking about her next puppy. I'm not so sure. We haven't been without at least 1 dog for 29 years.

 

[Dawg52]

Always a tough situation. Getting advice from a vet is the best advice.

 

[Retch The Grate]

too early is MUCH kinder than too late, and yeah, sometimes you get lucky and know when it will be time, but a lot of the time, you don't. I'm sorry you are at the stage of having to worry about this.

 

[Red Badger]

We call it doggie nose art..

Drawn with more love than we might know.