Want to thank everybody who responded to this thread (and on private mail). Sorry I did not respond to all of you but I do appreciate the kind words and advice.
I do believe my raw diet/holistic approach improved the quality of Dixie's last days. Her appetite returned with a vengeance and her weight loss was reversed. But in the end, the lymphoma cancer was already too advanced when it was diagnosed last month. We did not catch it in time. But even if we caught it earlier, there really is no cure. Best case is that the raw food/holistic approach would have given her more time.
Things were going reasonably well until around mid-week. I noticed her breathing heavier and not wanting to go on walks. I attributed it in part to the humid warm weather so we cranked up the AC in the house and kept her comfortable. But when I got home from work last night, it was obvious that it was time. She had the sad eyes and was barely able to walk on her own, her front paws were giving out on her. She was panting heavily all night and did not eat her normal amount of food.
The earliest appointment I could get for her euthanization was 12:30 this afternoon. So she slept near us and we woke up at around 6 this morning. We did not want to hang around the house all morning so we put her in our car and went driving. We drove over 100 miles on back roads all over Connecticut with the windows open, letting her have the air blow over her. We visited several farms (where she used to love walking) and let her smell the fresh air.
Soon enough, the appointed hour came around and we went into the vets. It was all very well done and professional. We spend her last moments in the room with her as she first got the sedative and then the final injection. Went very peacefully and is hopefully in some sort of "dog heaven" as I type this.
Dogs are truly man's best friend. I rescued her back in summer of 2006 on my parent's farm in Alabama. Found her as a small puppy down by the creek, obviously abandoned and covered with ticks. At first sight, we thought she might have been a baby cub. Against everybody's wishes at the time, I took her back home with me (lived in Massachusetts at the time) and she turned out to be quite a great dog. She loved the woods and we spent many days hiking the woods of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and most recently Connecticut. Chased lots of rabbits, turkeys, deer, etc. Never caught a darn thing but it was always about the chase!
Lot of great memories.
Perhaps in another world we will meet again.
