Ranger Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I feel like such a pussy for writing this, but don't any other place to express and won't dare let my wife or friends see me like this but here goes.....my dog is not doing well. As I sit here I am contemplating putting her to sleep. I don't remember tearing up over anything in a long time...Hell I didn't cry when my buddy died in Afghanistan...She is a Jack Russell terrier and the first dog I could truly call my own to where she would follow and listen to me and only me. I had a dog when I was a kid, but really it was my parents. However she is only 6 years old, so it's not like I can right off old age. We first noticed her losing weight about 2 weeks ago, so I decided to bring her into the vet. they ran some blood work and found that she was having liver problems. We did some research on liver problems with dogs, some are treatable and some are not. results were not good, but she was still active and wanting to play so we saw it as a good sign...then just last week she would barely eat..we have run more tests to narrow down what exactly is wrong (yes vet bills are expensive)...just this weekend she was eating well again and has actually gained weight, but we still had to find out what was wrong with her liver. Monday she went through surgery to get a liver sample. she came back yesterday and had the natural reaction a dog would from surgery...she ate some and just slept most of the day/night..I work nights and talked to my wife this morning who said she wasn't doing good...I come home and she looks like she has been through the holocaust (don't know any other way to put it, she is that skinny now)...The worst she has looked and I can't get her to eat anything. She is just laying on her bed..I am really just sitting here waiting for her do die and praying she is not in pain ( I know she is)..never felt this way about someone or something in this situation, so trying to deal with it the best I can. Anyway..that's my vent and this was the only place I knew of to do it. p.s. **** off about the spelling (my attempt at humor right now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boozer76 Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I grew up with a Husky/Malamute mix. I loved that dog to death but it was clearly my dad's dog. Today I have a black Lab/German Shepherd mix. He is clearly my dog abnd follows me around like he's attached to my hip. I don't know what I would do if something happened to him. I truly feel your pain and hope that everything turns out ok with the little pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Animals really become a part of your family and are more appreciative for the things you do than any person on the planet. Sorry about what you're going through man, here's to hoping for the best for your dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Animals really become a part of your family and are more appreciative for the things you do than any person on the planet. Sorry about what you're going through man, here's to hoping for the best for your dog. AF1 is right-do what's BEST for the dog NOT letting them suffer is the humane thing to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 RBL.... Sorry that your dog is sick right now. I have seen the toughest men on the face of this earth get torn up over their dogs. It is strange how it works. I guess it is because they are so loyal to us. So do not feel bad for being bummed out by this. I hope your dog isn't in any pain. That has to be the worst thing they can go through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJ Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 RBL - sorry about your pup. Anybody who doesn't understand where you're at either hasn't been there, or has some issues I wouldn't want to have. The feelings you carry for a dog can quickly become close to those you feel for a child. Not the same, but more similar than different. It really pays to have a good vet and take their advice on how to go through these things. Theres always a balance scale of $$$ vs. probability of recovery but if you're like me the $$$ don't carry a lot of weight if theres any reasonable chance of recovery. When the vet tells you yes, theres a chance of recovery, but it's small and it would create a lot of suffering for the dog - then you know what you have to do. I had to put my 14 year old Samoyed down 2 weeks to the day after my wife died. He'd been mine before my wife, daughter, or any of that came into the picture. He went to college classes with me, all my ball games, the bars, sometimes even work. He was a great hound and it ripped what was left of my heart out, but I had to be unselfish and put him out of his misery. I feel for you man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alk Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I feel for you man. I still have "my" dog. But the first dog my wife and I owned together was a miniature poodle. We inherited him from her good friend that passed away. He grew up in a house full of women and completely hated all men, that included me. I wanted him to like me but it just wasn't going to happen, we butted heads the entire time he lived with us. About a a year and a half ago, we almost lost him. We took him in because he wouldn't eat or anything and told the vet that if it was time for him to go, we understood and didn't want to wind up with a huge vet bill for a dog that had already lived a good life. He died on the table but against our orders, the vet brough him back. He was diagnosed with Attison's (spelling?) Disease. We had to give him a pill every day and give him a shot every month. Those shots cost us roughly $80 a month. Finally a couple months ago, he started going downhill. He wouldn't eat his food so I started making him scrambled eggs and stuff like that. He ate that for a few days but then wouldn't even eat that. It got to the point we couldn't even give him his pills anymore and it was time to refill his injections which cost $250 per bottle. We decided right then that it was just time to give it up and have him put down. So he spent his final day in the office with me. A dog that I swore I hated laid at my feet under my desk that whole morning. When my wife came by to take him in, I completely lost it. He took his last ride in her car with the window down and his head out in the breeze. I followed behind crying liike a freakin' baby, the hardest I had cried since my son was lying in the NICU. I will say this, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever had to make but to this day, we still know it was the right thing to do. One other thing, you should NEVER be embarrassed to cry in front of your wife. That's what she's there for and that's what you're there for. To share those kind of feelings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green DNA Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 rbl, Sporry to hear about your dog, I went through a similar thing years ago and I felt like a member of my family had died. I also had a lot of self doubt about putting the dog to sleep. Good luck, time heals all wounds. One important thing: Do you feed your dog Diamond dog food? My sister in-law's dog recently had organ failure due to tainted food that was supposed to be a premium brand . The dog had to be put to sleep and the company acknowledged that the food was bad. They actually made her a settlement offer (medical bills) that she refused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetFanByMarriage Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I am really sorry about your pup!!! I hope things work out for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Bro that's horrible. Only thing I could think of other than trying a diet change (a worthwhile try) is just to do what your vet says. If the vet is certain it's the right thing to do, then I suspect you knew the answer before you posted. Maybe you just wanted to hear a number of people tell you "it's ok" if you do. You love this dog. You know when she's in pain & when she's merely exhausted. You can give it a little time to see if it turns around, but more than that is cruel & that is why pets get put to sleep. As I said, I think you already know. And it's ok. All my best. SE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 15, 2006 Author Share Posted August 15, 2006 I would like to thank everyone for their kind words...that was the hardest thing I have had to go through...We finally got the results from the Biopsy surgery friday morning...Prognosis was not good...with heavy medication we could only extend her life for a few months to a year at most. Needless to say, we put her down that morning. My initial fears were true, but between the time I had posted and her final resting place she was doing better and even slept with me her last night here. she is in a better place now and I know she is no longer suffering..again thanks for understanding...I feel alot better now but still miss her. R.I.P. peanut (don't have a pic, am at work) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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