Her cough was getting horrendous...we had lost her pills and she went without for over a week. So she's back on her medicine now. It makes her even more incontinent than she is without them. This morning I found three big puddles in the kitchen. She missed all the pee pads. :(
And I stepped in one of them! I've stepped in Quinn pee every day this week. I swear I'm looking for it but it blends in and gets me every time. No...I don't wear shoes around the house. And I'm generally barefoot - though stepping in pee in socks is way worse.I'm not sure what to do for her, if there's even anything I could do. We won't put her outside at night. She's the only dog who loves warmth and being outside would be bad for her arthritis. Plus, she has been an indoor dog for as long as we've had her (2002).
I know that everyone and every animal ages but it really sucks to watch. The last few years I kept thinking we were going to lose her any time but she's held on...even as she's slowed down.
How would you want your pet to die? In the middle of the night just all of a sudden after a long life? I don't want her to suffer or be in extreme pain. What if she can't walk any longer? I think that might be the point that we take her to the vet to say goodbye...which will be a miserable and sad day.
I used to have a sweet dog named Hobbes. She was some kind of mix, shepherd and greyhound, we think.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, she had epilepsy, which was controlled fairly well with phenobarb. She would have a mild seizure every so often, even on medication.
She went into seizure one morning when she was about 7 1/2. When she didn't come out of it right away, I took her to the emergency vet. By the time I got there, she had been seizing for almost an hour. They put her on valium and kept her under surveillance. Everytime she awoke, she seized again. They told me she might have to be put down, because even if she recovered, her brain would probably be damaged.
I went to see her before the vet closed that night... it was so hard to see her attached to all of those tubes and unconscious. She passed away the next morning. I was heartbroken that she was gone, but I am so glad that *I* didn't have to make the decision to put her down. That would have been so much harder, I think.
I gave my Hobbes a good life, and she died without pain. I guess that's the best we human companions can hope for our furry friends.
Gosh, that was 10 years ago, and I'm crying writing this. They really are such a huge part of our lives, aren't they? I'm going to go hug Sloane and Groo, and tell them how happy I am to have them to share my days.
I hope Quinn takes the decision out of our hands as well. I just can't imagine having to make it. Hugs to Sloane and Groo!
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