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the end of the dog
May. 22nd, 2008 10:42 pm(To be perfectly clear, we're not talking about the dog in the icon - that's ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lyonesse's dog. We're talking about a black greyhound, last pictured here.)
Empress Josephine is a dog of very advanced years. She's 14½, and has been noticeably declining for the last couple years. She's lost a lot of weight, and, more importantly, she's lost a lot of muscle mass in her hindquarters. She can't stand up without assistance. She can't climb stairs without assistance. She has to be carried down stairs. She has a number of mysterious lumps, skin tags, etc, and a big fluid sac on one elbow. OTOH, she still eats and drinks, and appears reasonably content. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I really can't say for sure, since she's never been one to complain.
She's prone to falling on her butt, and recently gashed her tail. I bandaged it, and it seemed to be doing okay, but the other day she fell on it again, and opened it up to the point that the wound went halfway around her tail. We got to the vet 10 minutes before closing time, got it stapled shut, but the vet suggested that we might want to consider her "quality of life", which re-opened a discussion we've been having for about a year.
I want to do the right thing by my pets. I'll do my damndest to keep them alive and healthy, but I'm willing to euthenize when it seems appropriate. The thing is, how do you tell? Our first dog developed lupus about two months after we got her, and died at the vet's while undergoing treatment. The second dog lived with arthritis for years, but declined rapidly when he finally started to go - it was a matter of days from "can't get down the stairs without falling" to "can't lift his head". With Josie, I've been looking for some obvious sign that the threshold has been crossed, but it's all been so gradual.
We talked about it, Francie and Kylie and me, and decided that this really is the time. Saturday is the day. I think it's the right thing, but it feels like hell.
lyonesse's dog. We're talking about a black greyhound, last pictured here.)Empress Josephine is a dog of very advanced years. She's 14½, and has been noticeably declining for the last couple years. She's lost a lot of weight, and, more importantly, she's lost a lot of muscle mass in her hindquarters. She can't stand up without assistance. She can't climb stairs without assistance. She has to be carried down stairs. She has a number of mysterious lumps, skin tags, etc, and a big fluid sac on one elbow. OTOH, she still eats and drinks, and appears reasonably content. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I really can't say for sure, since she's never been one to complain.
She's prone to falling on her butt, and recently gashed her tail. I bandaged it, and it seemed to be doing okay, but the other day she fell on it again, and opened it up to the point that the wound went halfway around her tail. We got to the vet 10 minutes before closing time, got it stapled shut, but the vet suggested that we might want to consider her "quality of life", which re-opened a discussion we've been having for about a year.
I want to do the right thing by my pets. I'll do my damndest to keep them alive and healthy, but I'm willing to euthenize when it seems appropriate. The thing is, how do you tell? Our first dog developed lupus about two months after we got her, and died at the vet's while undergoing treatment. The second dog lived with arthritis for years, but declined rapidly when he finally started to go - it was a matter of days from "can't get down the stairs without falling" to "can't lift his head". With Josie, I've been looking for some obvious sign that the threshold has been crossed, but it's all been so gradual.
We talked about it, Francie and Kylie and me, and decided that this really is the time. Saturday is the day. I think it's the right thing, but it feels like hell.
