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Thread: Afraid of losing my dog

  1. #11
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    Quote Originally Posted by Jaqs2263 View Post
    Hi,
    I can totally understand your concern. We love them so much,and never want to think of any pain they are going thro.
    My dog is now 10yr, I swear I don't know where the time went, it only feels like I just bought her home.
    My thoughts also go there,that I can't imagine her not being here with me. She's been the one that has kept me going.So I don't know how I will ever be without her.
    I've had dogs all my life, also from rescue centres...and they have been so important in my life, my little nuggets of joy being in my life.
    But this dog now, I've never known such a sweet and soft dog as her ever before...I sometimes remind her...'you are a dog you know' ,all my dogs hold special meaning and love in my heart.
    We know they have their own individual character, and I often smile at memories I have of them, tho also little stab of pain. But I still talk about them, they will not go and we have to act like, oh that was the past, as often ppl except us to do.
    No they will never leave us, not from our memories, heart or love...that will always continue.
    I'm so sorry for what your little un is going through, but remember, as I do the one we rescued more so, but for them all...
    With your boy, you have given and shown him love, kindness and feeling safe...that is so special, and something he got from you to enjoy.
    You have given him love,which he deserved, give him a loving home, that is the best you can do for any pet.
    And, without doubt you will continue do so, just love him ,hug him lots.
    You'll always do the best you can for him, it's terrible to see them in pain, if you could take the pain from them, we would in a heartbeat.
    I am now the kind that will not something go if I feel there's more there. I would keep going to vet, keep asking to try something diff, that there must be something else,
    if they say 'we've given best medicine, anything else would not do much difference, I'd understand, but I would be a real pain in the butt and ask to try it anyways...I have even felt little embarrassed myself, as I knew they'd think, 'Oh not her again'. I don't care ,I keep goin till he gets the chance of some other painkiller and relief if he will let you put heated pads on his joints ,even if only for little while during the day,maybe if he's sat beside you cuddled in.
    But, always remember what you give him, just as he has given you.
    Thats way I look at my little one. I hold her and ask her to never leave me, I can't be without her.
    But, give as much love,time and hugs to him.
    It's sad and empty when they go that's deff truth. We all grieve so much...but you learn to live with it. And where poss, get another dog, I know the feeling of guilt for feeling you've let someone take their place...but for me, my dog is now pain free and running through fields,with other friends...looking down and always still around.
    After the love and caring you show him, he knows and it also gives it to another dog who may also have never known it.
    I will prob get an older dog, as I'm not getting any younger, ahem. But also breaks my heart whose owner has passed and it doesn't understand how its lost its best friend and home, only to be in a kennel and scared and worried.
    I'd love to give a home to those.
    I'm so sorry I'm talking so often past tense.. its not the past here and now,so you're doing all you can for him because of the love you have for him. Keep seeing what can be done to help, and keep him as comfortable as possible.
    Sorry past tense, think that's cause I'm feeling it too with my little darling.
    You are doing all you can...just also give him hugs and lots of cuddles.
    I'm thinking of him, and sending him the biggest, huggles, fuss and kisses...
    They are worth every second of it, and if you've given them a loving safe home, you've given him something so important that he may never had the chance of. So to know youre giving him love is the main thing.
    Sorry, if I've made this post ,way too long, and knowing me, prob repeated myself so often.
    But, when it comes to our babies/little uns..for them alone it's worth it.
    Sending love and keeping you both in my thoughts...

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
    I agree with every word. We lost our border terrier in March, he was only 8 when many terriers can live to double that age. He became ill quite suddenly, he was vomiting and I feared he had eaten mouldy nuts or seed from the bird feeders. We took him to our regular vet, she did some tests which showed an inflamed pancreas. She was concerned so suggested the out of hours vet, a further distance but off we went. They phoned us around 1am to say scans had discovered a tumour in his abdomen.

    The prognosis was poor, that they 'could' operate but it would cost mega bucks and the cancer would probably only come back. So we realised we had to let him go. We returned the following morning, myself and my 21 year old daughter. The vet gave us some time with him, then we held him while he slipped away. Both me and my daughter were crying, yes me a big 6ft 3 bloke. We brought him home wrapped in a blanket and he's buried in our garden next to our border terrier who died in 2012. I've planted forget-me-nots over their graves, they will all bloom in the spring. Crikey I thought I'd dealt with this but just typing it out has me welling up.
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  2. #12
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    1,492

    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    I understand your fears here. I think anyone with pets can sympathize.

    you might look into glucosamine. As well as CBD Oil. My 11 year old GSD/golden mix takes both and I’ve noticed a huge improvement in mobility!

  3. #13
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    Sep 2011
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    2,359

    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    I'm just reviving this thread because it's relevant and I didn't want to hassle by creating a new one.

    I had posted on another thread of mine that my dog was having some issues. He has arthritis, and has had some pretty bad flares this winter, pretty much anytime it gets cold (where I'm at it will be very mild or warm weather and then suddenly cold, then warm, then cold, etc.). Last week he was lying the in bed and suddenly started screaming for at least 30 seconds, it was horrifying and I couldn't help him. He then calmed down, but I called the vet to get him looked at. The vet checked him over and couldn't find anything orthopedic, but he had a high fever so she sent him home with meds and ran bloodwork.

    When she called me with the bloodwork results, his calcium is a little high and one of his liver enzymes is as well. It's been trending upward apparently, it was high at his yearly exam and was even higher this time. So she had me get some liver tablets for him to take for a month, then we will reassess.

    It's been...hard. For one thing, the liver tablets are huge, so getting him to take them is difficult because they are hard to hide in really anything. He also gained a pound before the visit (he's still not overweight) but it put him into the "large dog" weight class, so the tablets are twice as expensive. The particular enzyme that was elevated could mean something bad, or it could be something totally fine - it's one that raises for any number of reasons, so it's hard to tell, but next steps if the tablets don't work would mean scheduling an ultrasound, which apparently will take months to get in and will also be expensive. He's also had bad breath, which is traumatic for me as I had an elderly dog pass away and I remember this bad breath accompanying that. Will ask the vet when we go back.

    He's otherwise fine, but I'm constantly wondering if he has a fever and I'm not noticing, or when he limps is it due to arthritis or is he sick again? Will this be an easy fix? Will it be extremely expensive? I'm reading about people who have senior dogs who are on this tablet for life, but the monthly cost is high and he's not even eight yet. Am I a terrible person for thinking about the finances of all of this?

    I know I am getting ahead of myself for sure, I just have to take it step by step. I just hate the idea that he could feel so badly and I may not even know.
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  4. #14
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    Poppy, could the bad breath be down to a dental problem? Hence the bad breath and pain episodes?

    So hard for you but try not to spiral into all sorts of scenarios when this potential ultrasound is obviously not a priority for his wellbeing seeing as it could take months to get an appointment?

  5. #15
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    Hi Poppy, I'm not sure I can help you out regarding the medical side of things. But I do know that our pets mean the world to us and you're no different. We have a black lab and she's getting on in years too, she's currently on arthritis medication (Metacam) and Mrs F just bought some tablets off Amazon. They contain 'green-lipped mussel' according to the label I'm just reading.

    You're definitely not a terrible person for thinking about finances. Unless we are extremely wealthy, it's just something we have to do. And yes I've felt that same guilt too, but please know you are doing all you can, that shines through by the very fact of posting it here. Also remember you are giving him a happy home, not all dogs are that lucky.

    Of course, there comes a time when we do have to let them go. It's awful which you already have experience with, though it never gets any easier. And we do have to weigh up the financial burden at such times and whether we are hanging on to them for our own benefit or theirs. You will know the answer to that, something the vet can help you with too. You're a kind and conscientious animal lover, be proud of that.
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  6. #16
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    Poppy, that exact same thing happened to our dog a couple of weeks before Christmas. It was awful. We didn't check temperature so not sure about that. He was asleep then got up whimpering then started to bark hysterically. Then he was pacing around the house for about 30 mins until he calmed down. And outside. He didn't seem to know what to do. He did know us but was having a panic attack.

    We called the emergency vet who said to try to calm him down and book in with our usual vet first thing. If he won't calm down they would see him to give him something.

    He has been losing wait in recent months but that can be age and we had just changed his diet. My GF had weight loss with cats and dietary change sorted it.

    We thought it might have been his worm & flea treatment as it was given 24 hours before and others online have had the same. He's on a large dog dose (just over the minimum weight) but his weight loss put him into medium. The vet disagreed.

    So he checked him over and did a blood test. Some elevations connected to liver and kidneys. Then a urine test which found traces of blood and protein. Last week he went in for a bile fasting liver test and a feed and repeat test. The results were liver enzyme issues. The vet said liver problems can cause these fit like episodes.

    So he has advised a med and we are awaiting them. The tablets won't be easy with our dog either. He said a scan could check for lumps on the liver if we wanted. We decided to start the meds for a week, re assess and decide on the scan. They said at his age they wouldn't bother an intrusive examination.

    I will be really interested how it goes for your dog. I was hoping it was the wormer but now you've had it too the vet must be right. It really was scary, I've never seen him like that.
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  7. #17
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    I think also there are some vets who will push for expensive treatments/therapies to boost their finances as opposed to thinking of the animal's quality of life and the chances of significant improvement in their condition. The best vets are the ones who are realistic and mindful of their client's finances all the while keeping the animal as comfortable and stable as possible.

  8. #18
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    Thanks, all of you.

    My vet can't do the ultrasound, it would have to be the vet school. It's hard because with this specific enzyme apparently it can really be so many things causing it to raise. It's just worrisome because I've put things down to "arthritis" but what if he was actually ill during those episodes and I didn't notice? The only way I can take his temp here at home is via ear, which isn't as reliable, but I've been watching it anyway.

    His breath could be his teeth, I've been working on keeping them clean. They're not perfect, but not too bad. It's just such a specific smell, which may still just be down to dental issues but is triggering.

    Terry, I hope your dog fares well on the tablets and that they get some answers. It does sound similar. My boy hasn't had wormer and is off his flea/tick stuff for the winter, so I don't think its anything there. I constantly worry he could have gotten into something in the yard, but it's just so subtle and for something to be slowly increasing I doubt it - poisoning would be quick or nothing at all. He takes anxiety medication but I don't think that would do it either, or the vet would have mentioned?

    I'm going to go off to the store tonight to get some Cheese Whiz - Google suggested that as a good way to hide this particular pill to get pups to take it, so hopefully it will work. Otherwise I'll just have to ask the vet if she has any thoughts.

    I guess we will see where we are at in a month and go from there. I never really thought that Chisum would be my "heart dog" since I always imagined that position would go to a dog that is much....easier . Nothing with him is ever easy, unfortunately, but we have a bond I've not had before and it's just so scary to imagine him unwell. As I'm sure all of you can absolutely relate.
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    It's a sweet, sweet, sweet dream; sometimes I'm almost there
    Sometimes I fly like an eagle, sometimes I'm deep in despair.

  9. #19
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    We are still trucking on. In about 10 days I'll call and make an appointment for the follow up blood test. He absolutely hates taking the pill - it's large so hard to hide, and I think it tastes terrible - so I really hope he doesn't have to be on it long-term. I've tried hiding it in things he loves, like ice cream, but that really is just starting to turn him off of those kinds of things. And he's already so picky.

    He hasn't had any more incidents of prolonged screaming, but there have been a couple of times that he has been playing and just yelped, so the pain is there. He's also a lot more sensitive/grouchy when it comes to things that cause him pain - before he might grumble if you stepped on his tail, now he lashes out. Laying down for any amount of time leads to a prolonged limp, so again, he's clearly in pain still.

    There have been a couple of times where I've thought he felt hot and his temp is at 102. That's high end of normal, but it's also with an ear thermometer as he won't let me do a rectal temp check, so for all I know it actually is higher. I give him carprofen because that's what the doc gave for fever + pain and hope for the best, but I'm going to bring it up at our appointment.

    And honestly, the saddest thing is that he doesn't lay in bed with me really at all any more. My dad built him a ramp a couple of years ago to get up, and he usually will sleep on the floor or in his own bed by choice, but it used to be that every single morning when he heard me wake up he would come up the ramp and we'd have morning cuddles. He doesn't do that anymore. Even if I call at him he won't come up, best case is he'll stand at the bottom of the ramp and cry. I know he can get up it because he does sometimes, just very rarely.

    It's....hard. It's hard because I feel like something is wrong but I can't tell what. And it's hard because he really does have good days and good times when he gets really excited and happy and I think that he's fine and that I'm just overreacting.

    It also doesn't help that I haven't been feeling 100% the past couple of days. We've had weird weather and I think allergies are cropping up; I took a Covid test and it was negative.
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    When you're looking for space and to find out who you are...When you're looking to try and reach the stars.
    It's a sweet, sweet, sweet dream; sometimes I'm almost there
    Sometimes I fly like an eagle, sometimes I'm deep in despair.

  10. #20
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    Re: Afraid of losing my dog

    We had our follow up appointment today. They won’t have blood results until tomorrow, but I asked if they could check his temp because he’s felt warm but I’m not sure how accurate my ear thermometer is. He has a significant fever, and I double checked with my thermometer - it’s about two degrees off. So he’s definitely had them off and on all month.

    They noted that random fevers aren’t a great sign, but we will see what the blood results are. Next step is probably an ultrasound.

    I just don’t know what to think/feel beyond blind panic. I’m afraid of bad news. I’m afraid of an answer that is “we can fix this but it will be expensive”. The vet tech there has a dog who today was undergoing surgery for a liver mass - $8k. I don’t have 8k. I paid 3k two years ago to fix his knee and that nearly killed me. I could borrow but even my parents I don’t think would justify that. I am just so afraid that it’s all going to come down to me not being able to help him.
    __________________
    On the road of experience, join in the living day. If there's an answer it's just that it's just that way.
    When you're looking for space and to find out who you are...When you're looking to try and reach the stars.
    It's a sweet, sweet, sweet dream; sometimes I'm almost there
    Sometimes I fly like an eagle, sometimes I'm deep in despair.

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