My dog is very ill

[andie73]

Hi everyone

I found out on Saturday that my dog has liver failure. I have had him for more than ten years. He's a beautiful Labrador called Rocky and he has been at my side through the worst times of my life. I just can't imagine how I will cope without him.

I was doing so well with my anxiety and now I feel as if I am back to square one. In some ways I'm not, as I forced myself to go to work today, but I feel tense and unreal all the time. This has only happened since I got the news, so I think it must be that.

I'm worried that I'm going to lose it completely. Work was so hard today and as I work with the public I have to try to keep myself under control. It's really really hard. I just don't want to be there. My dog is ok at the moment but I know that's not going to be for long. I don't know what to do, I'm heartbroken. It's like just when I start to feel ok something comes from out of the blue and knocks me back down again.

I have to cope for his sake as he doesn't like it when I'm upset, but it's hard being with him sometimes knowing what the future holds. And when I'm not with him I want to be, it's awful.

Has anyone had this situation before? Is it normal for my anxiety to have come back or does this mean I'm incapable of leading a normal life as every time something happens I go to pieces.

[milly jones]

i lost my lab right in the middle of my original breakdown and it was so hard, so i do feel for u andrea.

i lasted 6 days before getting a rescue lab as i needed that unconditional love and support by myself in the house.

my son really took it hard and we collected together photos etc to keep in a bonio tin for him to look at.
we also sent a photo to get a cushion made on the internet and that gave me much comfort.

enjoy the time u have left and take loads of photos. spend time with him and show him all the love u can.

losing a pet is as hard as losing a family member, rising anxiety levels would be normal for anyone hun. it is a difficult time.

take care andrea

love milly x

[debera]

hi andrea
yes it is very normal for anxiety to come back at a time likes this. when my irish setter was diagnosed with pancreatitis it was in my bad stages with anxiety. so i really do know how you are feeling hun. its hard but you will get through it
love debera:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

[Trixie]

Hi everyone

I found out on Saturday that my dog has liver failure. I have had him for more than ten years. He's a beautiful Labrador called Rocky and he has been at my side through the worst times of my life. I just can't imagine how I will cope without him.

I was doing so well with my anxiety and now I feel as if I am back to square one. In some ways I'm not, as I forced myself to go to work today, but I feel tense and unreal all the time. This has only happened since I got the news, so I think it must be that.

I'm worried that I'm going to lose it completely. Work was so hard today and as I work with the public I have to try to keep myself under control. It's really really hard. I just don't want to be there. My dog is ok at the moment but I know that's not going to be for long. I don't know what to do, I'm heartbroken. It's like just when I start to feel ok something comes from out of the blue and knocks me back down again.

I have to cope for his sake as he doesn't like it when I'm upset, but it's hard being with him sometimes knowing what the future holds. And when I'm not with him I want to be, it's awful.

Has anyone had this situation before? Is it normal for my anxiety to have come back or does this mean I'm incapable of leading a normal life as every time something happens I go to pieces.

I am a member of this board because of my cat. Normally I am an extrovert and have been able to ride the storm (people leaving, dying, becoming ill, etc) because of my sense of humour and laid back attitude.

But the other month my Siamese cat wasn't very well and the vet didn't know at the time what the problem was. Of course I went to pieces as I am an animal lover big time and the doctor put me on anti-depressents.

I am so sorry to hear about Rocky, it is a nightmare when one of furry friends becomes ill. My Labrador had bone cancer four years ago and :weep:

The way you are feeling now is natural behaviour for an animal lover, and I know how you are feeling. When my Labrador passed away I didn't leave the house for a month as I was so upset.

If you want to talk about Rocky why don't you go on http://www.understandinganimals.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0 They are all animal lovers on there.

Thinking about you and Rocky.:flowers:

[dawny]

andrea,

im so sorry to hear about your dog 'rocky', i hope you will be ok.

its very difficult to lose a pet, because we treat them like our family.

thinking of you

dawny

[SueBee]

Hi Andrea,

I was in your position last week and posted about it too. Sill struggling and missing him but I guess I'm still a bit raw.

Sorry I have no words of advice, I guess I just wanted to let you know that I know exactly how you feel :hugs:

Good luck

[Meewah]

Hi

Just lost my dog so I know what your going through. My heart goes out to you in this difficult time.


Mee

[pips]

So very sorry to here this.

I lost 2 cats last year and is so hard. It's perfectly natural for the anxiety to be there after what your going through, Sending you Big http://www.commentbuddy.com/images/Hug/04.jpg

Take Care,

Love Pip's X X

[alihud]

Hiya andrea,u r bound to be feeling bad,don't put urself down,anything like this is bound to get u down.i lost my bedlington terrier in december and it took a good few weeks to get over the worst and even now i think of him every day.Has the vet explained whats going to happen?
sending u big hugs
ali xxx

[Bill]

We lost our first dog after only 3 years which was very upsetting but soon after we got our black Lab who was just over 2 yrs old at the time and who will be 14 on Sunday.

Not long ago he appeared to be very ill but recovered but in the back of my mind I often wonder how much longer we'll have him and what we'll do without him because since I lost my father he has felt like my best friend.

I can understand how you must be feeling and my thoughts are with you.:hugs:

[andie73]

Thanks everyone for your knid words.

I took him to the vets yesterday to ask for advice as I had seen on the net that there were special diets etc for pets with liver problems. The vet would not advise me as he said he can't without an accurate diagnosis. He said that though he's in liver failure it could be caused by a few tnings. It could be cancer in which case there is no treatment. It could be a hepatic infection which can be controlled with medication and diet. But he can't give me a diagnosis without opening him up.

When he does open him up then if he finds cancer and it is widespread then I may be left with the choice of letting him go there and then. But if he doesn't open him up and it's an infection then left untreated it will damage his liver further.

What a dilemma. I don't know what to do. I can't grieve cos he's still here and I can't enjoy my time with him cos I don't know what's making him lose weight like this etc. All I know is that blood tests say his liver is failing. I think that I would rather know what I'm dealing with and since he's doing ok ish then I would get him brought round from the op even if he has advanced cancer as looking at him now it's not his time to go yet. But in the back of my head my anx mind always looks at the worst case senario and I'm scared to take the plunge and get a diagnosis. I've also been told that when air gets to cancer it can make it more agressive.....but this wasn't the vet it was a friend. Anyone heard this before??

Also I've got to go to work now and I've been having ectopics while I've been getting ready. Not just the odd flutter but a series of about four or five. This has scared me. Do you think this is stress??

[sheba2]

Hi Andrea

So sorry to hear about Rocky. It is such a difficult decision to make and I think you need to be guided by your vet as to what to do. Last year our Sheba (german shepherd) had a huge growth removed from her chest. We ummed and ahhed cos she was 12 and had bad problems with her legs. The vet said that with drugs it could buy her an extra 6 months to a year and so we went ahead. She recovered really well from the op but her legs deteriorated quite quickly and after two days of her not being able to get up it was obvious that her quality of life was not good anymore. five months after the operation we had to send her to doggy heaven. It was so hard as her brain was fine but you could definately see that she was not happy with things. Other family members thought we were ridiculous putting her through the op and also mad spending so much money on her. We felt that we did everything we possibly could for her and that it was certainly worth the expense. Knowing that made it easier when the decision had to be made.

As to the cancer and air thing I have heard this too but I don't know if it is medically accurate.

The upset you are going through is definately the reason for your escalating stress symptoms. Try and accept them as your bodies normal reaction to stress. It is behaving in a healthy way you are just noticing them more and reacting to them with pre programmed fear.

I hope things go well for you and Rocky

[sheena]

Hi

I am so sorry to hear of your stress at this emotional time.

6 years ago I had to have my collie put to sleep as he ended up very ill with a failed liver. At the end he was clearly in pain as he could not settle and kept walking around the house making stressed kind of noise.

I had to make the final decision. It was a horrendous time as his death completely put me over the edge and I lost it big time. But time heals. I had him cremated and have his urn, with a picture of him on top. The next year when we went in holiday we took his urn with us as he used to love his hols in Devon.

I think now, without trying to harm or upset you that through this painful time you have to think ahead and make plans for the future.

I many years ago had a really poorly cat that gradually deterioted into a bad state. I knew that the kindest thing was to have her humanely put to sleep but selfishly I keep her for another week. I learnt from this that if I had an animal that was in pain and would not recover that the best thing for the animal was to have it humanely put to sleep.

I am thinking of you during this emotional time. I did have another dog, still have her when I had to have lucky put to sleep. I have since also got a staffordshire bull terrier who is now three years old.

Love to you during this difficult time.

Sheena

[EmilyJane]

My heart goes out to you, I lost my wonderful Girl to liver cancer last year, I knew that after she was opened up, it was too advanced and I had to be kind and let her go there and then. It all happened so fast, she was 13 and had shown a little weight loss and then one day she put her head in my lap and gave me a look that told me volumes.
I had to stay strong for my other dog as He adored her he , was 10. 6 months ago I lost him too after an op to remove some tumours, no one realised that afterwards his pancreatitus had flared up, they thought it was the anaesthetic. The pain of losing him so fast was almost unbearable but we seem to have something deep within us that stops us going completed off the rails.
The pain lasts for as long as we let it, I know my pain is selfish, I miss them so much, even now.
I know also that they could never had a better carer, better food, better vetinary care. They had the best lives anyone could have given them. I don't cry for me any more, I rejoice in the fact that they were just loaned to me and I did my very best. They still live in my heart. Time will heal when it is the right time.
We never lose the memories, make them the good ones and the hurt will pass in time.
I hope you still have some happy times ahead with Rocky, my thoughts are with you,
Emi {{hugs}}

[andie73]

Thanks again for your kindness

This is so hard. I had booked him in for the exploratory op on Friday, and then went to work. I've talked to so many people at work and all of them had different answers as to what I should do, which was a bit confusing at times. But it made me realise that I am not ready yet to let the vet open him up as I feel the stress of the op could cut short the time I have with him now.

I looked for another option. I even asked a GP at work, as I work in a hospital, and they said that with a person they would do an ultra sound scan. I went to my vets and asked a different vet, one I have saw last week, as I felt the other one is too keen to go for the op. She said I could certainly have a ultra sound scan. This has made me feel slightly happier as I now think that I am trying to find more out but without cutting him open.

I am very worried about what the results will say but at least I know that I won't lose him on the table and that I can enjoy whatever time I have left. Obviously I will not let him suffer but at the moment he is eating, toileting and having short walks. His personality is still the same even to the point of barking at cats and other dogs. Though I know that this will not last, these signs tell me that it is not his time to go just yet.

I've had a very stressful time at work thinking about all the options and have found myself acting odd, dropping things, stumbling about, getting my words mixed up, forgetting stuff, feeling shakey etc. I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to cope with this and that I will lose the plot all together. Then I keep thinking God what if I'm ill or something and I'm going to have a heart attack?? All my anxieties seem to have flooded back since I got this news on Saturday. I don't know how I have managed to get through work at all, I think it's cos I've got some very supportive colleagues who have spent ages talking to me about it. I only work part time so I am off now until Monday. This is a relief in many ways but also a bit scary as I haven't got that support there, though I know I can always ring them.

Thanks so much for reading this. I appreciate all your halp very much.

[milly jones]

andrea, keep us informed how rocky is doing

there are loads of keen dog lovers here who care

milly x

[andie73]

Hiya

Rocky is going in for his ultra souns scan at half ten and I'm a bit nervous to say the least. My husband is at work, and normally I try to arrange stuff like this for his day off as I hate leaving the dogs at the vets. I know it is silly because they know what they are doing but I can't help it. I always come out crying. Then I get really nervous and feel really sick when I have to go and pick him up as I am scared what they're going to tell me.

Today I've got to do all this on my own. I know that I have to do it for Rocky but this morning I just didn't want to get out of bed. Nevertheless, I didn't feel settled enough to stay in bed. I was up at half six and doing my Asda shopping at eight( I go then cos it's quiet and the only way I can cope with it). I'm back home now and clock watching. I have been reasonably ok but now the anx is starting to build which is why I'm on here trying to distract myself a bit.

The vet phoned yesterday to say they are going to try to do the scan without anesthetic ehich is even better as last week he had an endoscopy and the anesthetic really made him wobbly. It took a two days for him to recover fully. Sorry for waffling on like this, I'm just having a nightmare at tne moment. My dogs mean the world to me and I just don't know how I'm going to cope. I'm so scared that my anx will come back to such a level that I'm totally incapable of functioning.

[milly jones]

andrea

u keep posting if it helps hun

were all here thinking of u and rocky

my girls mean the world to me too

i understand completely

one of mine was spayed a couple of weeks ago and i was vomiting all day

then i was paranoid when she came home that something would go wrong

they are the most unjudgemental friends u can have

love


milly x

[josinger]

Hi hun.
What you are feeling is perfectly normal. I sometimes thing our animals understand us more than people [lol] My beloved rough collie Jake who was my absolute best mate suffered a massive stomach bleed in mums kitchen. He had never ever been ill in his life. He was only 9 at the time. We rushed him to the emergency vet and he died in my arms on the table. It was so sudden it was like a bad dream. It happened at the height of my depression, and it was and still is soo painful.
Try your very best to enjoy your 'best friend' as he may be around a long time yet. Don't forget you can only do your best.
Thinking of you hun,
Jo. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[SueBee]

Andrea,

i hope you had good news today. thinking of you and rocky :hugs:

[andie73]

Hi everyone

It was good news in so much that the ultra sound showed no cancer. The vet was really nice and said his liver is just old and not functioning properly. He is now on liver support medication and a liver support diet, which is very expensive but hopefully will help to take the strain off his liver. I've also ordered some milk thistle supplements as it is supposed to help liver function.

I feel a bit calmer though I know the long term prospects are not good. He is still doing his usual doggie things, apart from being unable to get up the stairs now or get in the car, which has happened in the last two weeks. As long as he's in no pain though I'm ok-ish!!

Thank you for all your support and advice, I really appreciate it. I will keep you all posted as to his progress.