Senior Dog Health Issues - Grief, Loss
Hey everyone.
This is not a happy post, be warned. I just really wanna vent or let things out somewhere. And well, here feels like a pretty good place.
So yah, my dog, wonderful unique fella. Mix of Labrador, Dalmatian and Golden, is pretty much terminal. He's 12 years old so we (me and my parents) kinda figured he wouldn't have much longer.
It was just such a shock. We were at the vet last night, they checked him out and did an x-ray. I kinda just figured "we're in 2022, medicine has taken huuuge leaps surely they can do something to help him." And then we hear the opposite. He has arthritis, which we have known about for years. And it's like narrowing or "hugging" the nerves in his lower back. Not squashing but yah effecting them negatively. He doesn't walk well, sometimes it's like he forgets that he has hindlegs.
We have medicated him for about two years but it doesn't seem to be doing a lot lately. Sooo....we're in a predicament. The vet said they **might* be able to do surgery, which **might** help and give him more time. But his quality of life is of course also a factor.
I'd just love to get him a better ending. Like yah do a surgery which would make him better for a while. Just so he could at the very least enjoy the time he has left, walk properly for one. But we got a lot of "the odds are, chances are" etc. Surgery might not do much, then he might just have post surgery things to deal with. And at best it might only buy him a year.
Ahh man.......soooo we are like.....get him some more time. But what kind of time would that be, more discomfort?? Or maybe, put him to rest within 10 days or so. He's my first dog that I practically grew up with, so yah......this sucks! 😢😢😢
We don't really know what to do. Of course we don't want him to suffer, or get worse. But I don't want him to have a bad ending where he struggles to walk properly. I just want more time. Well who doesn't. The vet also said the kindest thing to do might be to put him to sleep.
I'm just super duper grateful I still got a cat, healthy cat. Senior cat, but at least cats typically live longer.
Anyone who has been in a similar predicament who has any insight?
Btw we live in Sweden. Soo yah treatment options, procedures etc is different from country to country. Maybe I'm silly, but feels like my dog would have more options in the US or even in the UK.
@VDarkAge It's hard to believe that Cosmos is six months old already! Holy cow where did the time go? And it sounds like he's doing great! I've heard that labs are really people oriented. So food and people lol. He's just a friendly guy! 😊 But yeah I know he needs to work on that but hey at his age I think he's doing great! Is he all gangly legs now? 😁
You could be right about the kangaroo and it being stress related. Stress isn't good for anyone - people or animals
Hopefully his test comes back good. I'm sorry he's having with the joint supplement though - I hope you can find something that doesn't upset his belly. Hope you all have a great weekend!
@mytwistedsoul
Oh yah time has indeed said swooosh! Wasn't it January yesterday? Feels like it. xD 😄
Cosmos is a very friendly guy. He is over the moon every time we pass someone on the street or gets to meet new people. And yes, food or candy is a big win for him hehe. Gangly legs, not quite. He is 18kg/40lbs now but he sure does have long paws. He isn't done growing yet, so he will get bigger!
He is for sure a little rebel sometimes. Like sitting for his food, done that since he was a tiny baby. Sometimes he "forgets" to do that, testing me, what rules this apply. 😊
Truls blood result came back, alllll totally normal. The vet doesn't think we need to come back for any more tests. So now it is 100% official, Truls is healthy and he defeated cancer. Yays! 😄
No more vet visits at all, well for a while. Truls is due for his annual vaccination in a month or so.
Got two healthy pets again! Woopie!😃
@VDarkAge Omgosh that's awesome news for Truls! I'm so happy for you both! ❤️ It will be a relief for you both to get back to normal days without having to run the the vets for all the blood work and tests
Labs seem like really great dogs. There's a few I watch on YouTube and they are just so awesome. Maybe when the time comes that's one I'll look into. They make great service dogs for all sorts of things. I kind of like the idea of getting into search and rescue but I'm not sure if it's something that I can handle. Mentally I think it might be hard
Lol! Oh yeah for sure he has to test you 😁 plus it's food lol! I keep seeing alot of people saying how much labs like food 😊 and they're really friendly but also really smart. When they learn what they need to and get older and work past the distractions they stay on task. They make wonderful service dogs and they do great in the field and stream stuff. So when you do the competition stuff I bet he'll be awesome
Yeah it definitely sounds like he's going to be a pretty big guy with those big paws. He's a small pony lol 😁
@mytwistedsoul
Indeed, it has been quite nice lately. Just living a normal life with healthy pets. 😃
Labs are great dogs! Yes I'm biased now hehe, since I got one. But before I got Cosmos I always liked Labradors. They are extremely common service dogs and guide dogs. Really smart, very trainable and very friendly.
Kinda funny, my main "issue" with Cosmos is that he is to friendly. Wants to greet everyone, trying to teach him to approach and greet people calmly. But he is more or less a teen now, so it's a smidge difficult. 😊
Had a difficult day yesterday, somewhat. 😐Been six months to the day, since Ajas passed. Six months....I miss him. Sometimes it feels a bit odd and creepy when Cosmos lays down on the exact same spot Ajas used to like. Thought about Ajas a lot yesterday, he was a good boy.
Very glad I got Cosmos now, no idea how I'd manage without a dog.
He's a funny guy. He can behave perfectly well when food is in sight. But if it's "only" candy, it's not as valuable as food.
But he's doing well. 😄It's important to maintain routines and such now during his rebellious mini t-rex stage, so he gets plenty of training. As for distractions, if he smells something it is far more distracting compared to when he hears something. But that is no surprise, him being a hunting lab.
@VDarkAge Sorry it's been while. There's been things going on in my world that tbh I'm having a hard time with right now
@mytwistedsoul
It's alright, I don't come on here that often either. Since things are alright, more or less.
Eh a tiny little thing. Truls did something with his eye, maybe he just scratched it when he was cleaning himself, I don't know. It's a smidge red and he squints it. But going back to the vet next week anyways, for his annual senior cat checkup and annual vaccination.
Was a bit funny, a couple of years ago Truls had done something with his eye. I managed to treat it myself, just very careful rinse with water and such. I took him to the vet a few days later, only for them to confirm that he was fine. He could've had something, debris or dirt in his eye or a mild inflammation. But by the time he got to the vet he was fine.
Well it wasn't a super difficult day, but yah mind often strayed and looked at pictures of Ajas. I've never lost a close pet before. So for him to just be gone, all you have is memories....it's weird.
Right you planted a tree for him, so nice. ^^ 😍😊Curios, what species of tree?
Actually we don't have many squirrels. Cosy prefers birds or leaves. He still has his little quirks, goofy moments. But overall I'd say he's a very good boy! Sure gotta keep up with the training now during his teenage rebellion.
But I hope everything is alright with you and your fluffs. Nothing serious or any medical concerns?
@VDarkAge I hope Truls eye is ok. Hopefully it is just a scratch that heals easily. But I know that eyes can be tricky if not treated properly. I hope his check up went well
@VDarkAge 
Ajas tree is the one in the front 😊 I meant to post it earlier but forgot *smh*
@VDarkAge I'm so glad that Truls eye is ok! And he's doing great and healthy and all vaccinated! 🥳
I'm glad you like the tree 😊 They're kind of cute when they're little - I mean for a tree anyway lol
Tbh - he's not doing good. They're just trying to buy him some time but the chemo and radiation are really taking its toll. He's lost so much weight because he can't eat much. He has trouble swallowing - even just fluids. He can't talk above a whisper and he can't talk long. It's scary to see how fast he's declining 😞 It's a pretty long trip but I've been making it every other weekend to spend some time with him
@mytwistedsoul
Hi, been a while!
I hope everything worked out for you and that everyone is healthy. 😄
Personally for me, seems like my luck has run out. Truls started to cough a bit this week, not much like three times in four days. But to be safe I was just at my local vet, did an x-ray and......mega ultra crap.😫😭
Seems that Truls has a mass in his lung and fluid in his lungs. They recommend saying goodbye, kinda soon. Because the symptoms will only get worse. Let his last time be good you know, before the symptoms progress and make his life kinda miserable or life threatening.😕
Treatment options....none really. Because according to my local vet I just saw, nothing will actually cure him. Some things might buy him more time, but he will never be healthy. They don't really operate on these kinda things. And chimo is an option yes. But one has to weigh the pros and cons of him puking and having diarrhea for weeks. And for what? To maybe be alright for a week, or a month?
Anything we try will be like more for me, to get me more time with him. And well....that doesn't seem fair. I don't want to be selfish and prolong his suffering just so I can have more time with him.
Right now I am debating if I should get another opinion. Take him to the larger hospital which operated on him and cured him for the cancer on his leg. Figure it couldn't hurt. At the same time I don't wanna drag Truls around to one hospital after another if they're all just gonna say the same thing.😐
Just thinking right now.......jeeez. Well right now he is alright, mostly. Right now he isn't coughing, he hasn't coughed in like 30 hours or so. His worst symptom is that he is breathing more heavily. He's outside sniffing and enjoying the sunlight. If it turns out that this is his last week or month, I want it to be good. Let him do whatever he wants.😊
I guess I should be grateful that he made it to his 14th birthday, got rid of the cancer and had all of these months since. But mhm yah, it's difficult to be grateful right now.
He's gone.😭
We saw three vets at two different hospitals. Wanted to really get a second opinion from those who cured his cancer in spring.
He couldn't breathe properly, he was struggling. No matter what he would never get better.
So we made the extremely difficult decision to say farewell. Now Truls and Ajas are gone. Ohh I miss him so much! But I mean, he couldn't breathe properly.
Super glad I got Cosmos.
I will sooooo miss Truls. Now just my first cat, my first pet ever. He was with me half my life. Farewell my boy!😭💔😭At least you're no longer suffering.
@VDarkAge Oh no 😞 I am so very sorry to hear about Truls! This hits hard because I know how much you and he went through when the lump on his leg was found. You gave him more time and you always did what you thought was best for him. I know saying good bye to him was so hard. It's one of the hardest decisions to make as a pet parent 😞 but in cases like this it's the greatest act of love because like you said - you didn't want him to suffer. Chemo would have maybe bought more time but it would have been so hard on him and as tempting as it might have been - I'm glad you didn't put him through that. You let his last day be filled with sunshine and the outdoors ❤️
Yah he had options. We could drain the fluid, but it would just return. And any cancer treatment would for sure make him feel very sick. We could have done chemo, but what would we have gained?? Would it have been worth it? Nope. Truls would just spend time in the hospital with needles and tubes and machines all around him. He was also starting to lose weight and he was dehydrated.☹️
The last vet I saw yesterday said I made the kindest decision a pet owner can ever make. To end their suffering and pain, it's the kindest thing we owners can do. And yes we tried everything. After the cancer in spring it felt like a victory, like nothing can get him now, he will be alright for years.
What is terrible is how fast it went. I know cats are exceptional at hiding symptoms. But just a week ago he seemed totally fine. It was on Monday he was starting to show symptoms, eating less and "talking"/meowing less. And the coughing which he didn't do many times, but it really alarmed me. A bit later I began to notice he was breathing heavier. It went so darn fast!☹️🙁 I thought I was being cautious taking him to the vet, like rather safe than sorry. Better to take him to the vet at the first sign of any changes. I had no idea he was so unwell. I was really shocked to see the x-ray, like it was so unbelievable. I thought it was something minor.
But this, letting him go at home, was far better than in a hospital. When he left the vet yesterday he got a little medication to take the edge off, so he wouldn't feel so bad with his breathing. He seemed better when we were home, but it was only temporary, the medication would wear off.
Truls got to enjoy a lovely sunny afternoon.🌤️ 😸He sat and just enjoyed the sun outdoors for a good long while. He got his favourite candy, literally all the cat candy I had at home. He had a better appetite after the medicine so he ate his favourite food as well. Later he got tons of snuggles and cuddles, I got to hear him purr and meow a bit one last time.
Now it's been 24h.....I miss him so much! I held him after, it was awful! To hold him lifeless.....I can't even put it into words.....
He will come back, his ashes in an urn like we did with Ajas.
But yes, this is the worst part of owning pets. They give us so much. However one day, we have to say farewell. 😭😢
@VDarkAge How are you? I'm sorry it's been so long. Kind of got some things going on here that I'm struggling with
One I know you can relate to. The time has come to say good bye to sweet Taz. Her health has been slowly declining and her quality of life sucks. I hate this and I dread this. I know she's had a good long life but well - you know 😞 Having to say goodbye to Ajas and then Truls. It never gets easier and it breaks your heart every time
* hugs to you and Cosmo* ❤️
Ohh no, Taz. 😭I'm so sorry. She has been so strong for so long, fighting so hard. I'm sorry the time has come for her.
Take comfort in the knowledge that you did everything you could for her! You fought to give her the best and longest life she possibly could have. Remember the good times. 😊
If you can, take some time for yourself.
That time in a pets life is dreadful I agree.☹️ It's the worst part of having pets, the goodbye.
I'm doing okay I guess. It's been over two weeks now, I should get Truls ashes any day now.
Sometimes it just feels so empty without him. His adorable little paws, his purr and meows.
I have thought of getting another cat...but idk, feels to soon.
With Ajas we knew what was happening and when, we decided when it was the time. We had time to prepare and plan. Which lead to Cosmos. Truls was so extremely sudden, all vets kept saying he had like hours...ish. Definitely not much time to prepare.
Hugs from me and Cosmos!!
Well I guess I can say that Truls story is over. He's home now, his ashes and urn. Felt really sad placing him next to Ajas.
I suppose their chapter is over. But I will never forget them. Ajas will always be my first dog, Truls will always be my first cat. Truls holds a bit of a special place because he was my first pet ever. No one can ever replace them.
I have started to think about getting another cat, considering it. I wonder if any cat will ever be like Truls, or even come close to him. All animals are unique so I doubt it. It is quite strange to not have a cat after 14 years. No one sitting on the cat tower, no meows or purring. I will probably get another cat, eventually, in time.
How are you holding up?
@VDarkAge It's almost as hard picking up their ashes as it is saying goodbye. He's with Ajas now. I'm not religious or anything. Spiritual maybe. I like to think that they find each other. That Rainbow Bridge poem. ❤️ They're healthy young and whole
Their chapter closes but a new one begins. Cosmos might like alittle kitty friend - someone to keep him company and someone to play with when you're not home. And it's definitely not replacing them. And they were your very first pets. It's definitely hard getting used to them not being there 😞
Which - I still haven't made that call. Taz is still here. We're figuring things out I guess? She's more vocal when she wants something - it's a matter of figuring out what she wants. It freaked me out when it started. It's not far off tbh. Realistically I know this but for now she's comfortable and isn't suffering in anyway. I won't let her suffer. She just needs more help and I've been kind of spoiling her. We just go day by day. Some days I feel selfish for not making that call. Alot of people probably would have - idk. She gets alot of my time right now. When she sleeps I get things done that need done. When she's awake we go outside and enjoy the sunshine when it's out. She likes to sniff around still and the vet said it helps stimulate her mind. Idk Dark - I just don't know what to do
Do you have a certain breed in mind for a kitten? or a rescue?
*sends hugs for you and Cosi* I really am so sorry about Truls ❤️
@mytwistedsoul
Oh yah picking up their ashes is terrible, ish. You go to this clinic where there are injured, sick but hopefully lots of recovering pets. And you're there to collect your pet's remains.....ish.😕
I'm not religious or anything like that either. But yes I'd also like to think that pets that have gone are together. Running on eternally green grass under clear blue skies. So Ajas and Truls are chilling in the sunlight. Well it's a nice thought, offers some comfort.😊
Cosmos and a new kitten.....0.0...he has never seen anything so small. He had a thing for Truls ears, he often wanted to lick them. But yah it's weird not having a cat around, getting used to that. What breed hmm, idk. There are so many! Truls was like a "farm cat". I might just go for another "farm" cat. Rescue animals have pros and cons, hmm haven't thought about all this a lot.
Ohh I'm relieved. I'm glad Taz is still around! It sounds like she is doing better and that is great. 😄I can relate to your situation. Do not think that you are selfish. I know it's easy to think that, not wanting to let go and say goodbye. As difficult as this sounds, try to put emotions aside. She is not suffering she is happy and comfortable. Those things matter.
I'd say enjoy every moment with her. Do the things she loves. If she loves to chase a ball do that, or go for a swim do that. On Ajas last day I had him out and we both just sat down and looked at the horizon for a while, was really sad but also kinda nice.
I'm not a fan of this topic, but it's important. Quality of life, I heard that a lot the past year. As long as her quality of life is good she should stay with you. You are doing everything for her. 😊
@VDarkAge I'm sorry it's been so long. I just wanted to let you know that Taz crossed the rainbow bridge on Saturday