I went thru chemo treatment with the goal of healing from the cancer eight years ago. Don’t know if I would do it to live a short time more.
Sorry your pup is sick. Sounds like the treatment you are doing is making life better for her for the time she has remaining.
I believe in miracles. I’m praying for that for you.
Normal in the morning, had a sudden stroke right after his evening outside duties, and off to the crematorium by 7:45 p.m... He will not be replaced, as much as I would like to.
I would rather not have any pet outlive me.
We still have a chihuahua and two cats... all rescues.
What would the treatments entail, as far as putting your dog through needle punctures, trips to the vet, discomfort? How much time is the vet saying the treatment would buy? Will that give your dog a longer time of quality life?
If she’s not in pain, you don’t need to put her down yet. Try not to wait too long, though.
When my youngest daughter was born, her mama had been paralyzed on the left side from the waist down during the last six months of the pregnancy, and was walking with a cane as the daughter started walking. One day, going out to the car to take the older kids to school, she was menaced by a large and aggressive chow dog. A stray mutt that my wife (not, BTW, a dog lover) had been feeding attacked and drove off the chow. Wife called me at work and told me she had adopted a dog. Left me dumbfounded until she explained why.
We called the dog Shannon. She was a blue heeler mix, about 35lbs, and grossly pregnant. We had her spayed, and a good thing. The pups were much too large, and she would have died giving birth. Shannon stayed in the back yard most of the time, the kids loved her, and played with her, and she loved them. I tried not to get attached, and failed miserably, even though I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to keep her. Some years passed, and my wife wound up in a power wheel chair. Shannon still lived in the back yard. One day my wife came home from a “walk” with a little mutt in her arms, and said “It followed me home, can I keep it?” Flat nose, obviously from chasing parked cars. Coarse brown hair, with wirelike black hairs sprinkled all over, and a very fine white crest. Either a Belgian Griffin, or a mutt cross that approximated them. We called her Tupey, from “stupidest, ugliest little dog you ever saw.” We also called her the Velcro Dog, as she spent a lot of time stuck to my wife’s chest. Wife wanted to just let Tupey out in the back to do her business, and keep Shannon out there. I told her Shannon would get jealous and kill Tupey if we did it that way. So Shannon got to live in the house with us after that. She was so happy, just being near us. Any one of us would do, but I was her special favorite. Tupey was happy too, and my wife became a dog person. She’d always been a cat person, and I’d always been a dog AND cat person. IMHO, you need both to have a well-rounded house. A few years later, Shannon went deaf. Some time later, she went blind, as well, and was suddenly terrified when things moved around her. The girls and I took her to the vet and had her put down because her life was so scary and obviously unhappy, but we all held and hugged and loved here as she went. Told her she was a good dog, and we’d see her at the Rainbow Bridge. A couple of years later, Tupey got sick, and started puking blood. Took her to the vet, hoping to save her, but the next day the vet said “the little dog didn’t make it.” Probably arsenic poisoning. My wife as devastated, as were the rest of us. Our house was dogless. and unhappy. We’d had a lot of other problems by then, and money was tight, so no more dogs.
One day, a few years later, and after things had improved a bit, I was working again, and she was back to walking better, she decided she HAD to have another dog. She knew no one could replace her Tupey dog, but thought she’d be at least a little less lonely, and had found a pure-breed Border Collie puppy that she thought was just beautiful, and could be trained as an aide dog. We got him, and he was beautiful, and friendly, and sweet, and everyone fell in love at once. Only he turned out not to be pure-bred. Half at best, and the other half turned out to be Great Pyrenees. Dog that was supposed to be 45lbs max is upwards of 90lbs, Did not get the Border Collie brain, either. Makes Tupey look smart. But he’s still a sweetie, and we all love him still. He’s about 5 years old, now. I know someday my heart is going to be broken again, but for now I love him, too. And if there is no Rainbow Bridge, I’m not going.
Old Student
I would continue with the new diet since she has shown such improvement, and probably cancel the appointment with the oncologist.
Beautiful girl dog! Best wishes to you in regards to her medical care.
Oh how we love them there dogs.
Click on my name.
God Bless.
I am sorry. It is never easy to make these decisions regarding our beloved pets.
A friend of mine recently lost her dog to cancer. She tried the holistic route but her dog did not gain much time if any. I believe he did have better quality in that time than chemo would have given him.
Praying for your buddy and you.
My condolences to you. We adapted a stray Aussie that lived to 14. He developed a large lump under his jaw that was diagnosed as cancer. The vet gave him a month to live. We rejected the ideal of chemo for a variety of reasons - side effects, uncertain outcome, expense and the dog’s age. We monitored George’s condition every day for a sudden downturn. As long as he ate and seemed happy, we put off the inevitable. One morning about two months later, we suddenly saw that it was time. My wife cried for two days and I have missed him for years. The best remedy for a broken heart is a couple of new pups. Don’t wait as long as we did.
I am so sorry to hear about this Sam. My prayers... FWIW, if/when you have to make that dreaded decision.. know this. You will be able to stop any pain and suffering. You aren’t “ending” a life. You are ending needless pain. It is a gift of love from the owner to his beloved pet. I just had this talk with a good friend of mine. Her GSD has CA and the decision has to be made soon. Prayers for you during this horrible, stressful time. (((hugs))) Mom
((((Hugs))))
Condolences on your pup. The desperate finds end up being the best dogs. I believe, unfortunately, that a tough, malnourished early start leads to shorter life span.
The best dog I ever had was one I found as a stray at a remote campsite while canoeing the Suwannee River in FL when I was a kid. She was so manged up and ribs-showing starved that the vet didn’t think she’d make it but she did. She was still a pup when I got her and she made it for another 10 years without problems until she passed quickly.
I’m sorry, I know it hurts.
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.
