Saying goodbye to my Best friend

[disco]

Yep, you say No till the next one shows up with those sad eyes and half wag of the tail.  *sigh* "Aww... DANGIT!  Get in here."  I dogless at the moment but I know I'll get another. 

[dick-84]

Sorry to hear man. The familly had a dog for 15 years and had to put her down do to old age. That was the worst day ever. I said my goodbyes and had to leave. Their was NO way i could stick around to see her put down. I feel your pain. Just be happy you gave the dog a great life. Agian sorry for you loss and keep your chin up and think of all the good memorys you had together.

[russ-russ]

I'm going through the same thing right now.  My Aussie/Border Collie mix is almost 14 (next month if she makes it) and she has gone downhill fast in the last week.  We took her to the vet Monday and found horrible arthritis in her knees and a "mass" in her bladder.  Started her on meds.  She got worse, stopped eating, we took her back.  Blood tests showed her kidney function was near failure.  They did an ultrasound, turns out the "mass" is a large tumor nearly blocking the ureter so her kidneys can't pass urine to her bladder.  She started chemo yesterday, but this morning she can't walk on her own.  The only positive is she seems not to be in any pain, and she is alert and bright eyed.  We've been having to nearly force feed her.  I know that sounds terrible, but the vet thinks she can recover if the chemo works.  Monday it was just x-rays and some meds, then Thursday just an ultrasound and some more meds, then it seemed like we were already in that far (in for a penny, in for a pound, right?) and the vet said chemo isn't like chemo for humans, little to no side effects for dogs, so we said OK.  But now it just seems worse and I feel awful for putting her through all this.  I swore I wouldn't force her to stick around once her time came, but now I'm afraid I may be doing just that.

I've had her since she was a puppy, a little ball of fur riding around inside my jacket.  Longer than I've even known my wife, longer than I've been in my house.  I am a wreck too Blair, you're not alone there.

[russ-russ]

Well, two days after that last post, I had to put her down.  She took a turn for the much worse, couldn't walk on her own, wouldn't eat anything, wouldn't go to the bathroom.  The vet came to our house and put her to sleep right here.  Worst decision I've ever had to make, but it was the only one left.  Getting choked up even now, weeks later, thinking about it again.

[disco]

You did the right thing.  Sucks, hurts, but you did the right thing.  She was with family to the end and not a strange place filled with strange smells that wasn't her home.