GinnyG
03-17-2009, 05:10 AM
I'm a "dog person", not ashamed to admit it, fully expect to be a crazy old lady surrounded by her dogs. Currently I am owned by a 13 year old English Sheepdog and a 4 year old Maltese. All my plans (as well as those of my DH) center around "the boys".
Our kids are grown and spread to the winds and we love them dearly, but don't see nearly as much of them as we would like.
So the puppers are the center of the world for us. They go everywhere (but work) with us and even spend the weekends at the Firehouse with us.
I thought I was going to loose my sheepdog this weekend and cannot believe the way it shook me. He is very old and for the last couple of years I have tried to prepare myself for the inevitable outcome. I always thought I would handle it with grace and dignity. NOT SO.
Sunday morning Tasker (my sheepie) woke and could not bear weight on his back end. We rushed him off to the Emergency Vet (who is not my regular Vet). She examined him carefully and informed me that it was a degenerative neurological problem and that I basically needed to accept that "the time had come".
I decided that I needed to hear something that important from MY VET, who has cared for Tasker since he was 6 weeks old. So I went home and pretty much spent the next 24 hours on the floor by him crying. I tried to go to work yesterday but couldn't make it through the day. Last night we took him to his Vet.
She is cautiously optomistic that with strong pain meds we can get his pain under control and give him a bit more quality time. I know this is not a long term solution and don't want to keep him alive if he is in pain but I am not ready to lose him and judging by the way he is eating everything in site and playing with his brother (while laying down), he isn't ready to go either. So last night we started the medications.
WOnder of wonders, this morning he got up on his own and actually walked outside to "do his business". We have a sling to help him but he walked on his own!! I am ecstatic.
Sorry for the long post but I really wanted to share my excitement with someone. I know that this is only buyiung some time but even a few more months with my big boy is worth more than I can imagine.
Our kids are grown and spread to the winds and we love them dearly, but don't see nearly as much of them as we would like.
So the puppers are the center of the world for us. They go everywhere (but work) with us and even spend the weekends at the Firehouse with us.
I thought I was going to loose my sheepdog this weekend and cannot believe the way it shook me. He is very old and for the last couple of years I have tried to prepare myself for the inevitable outcome. I always thought I would handle it with grace and dignity. NOT SO.
Sunday morning Tasker (my sheepie) woke and could not bear weight on his back end. We rushed him off to the Emergency Vet (who is not my regular Vet). She examined him carefully and informed me that it was a degenerative neurological problem and that I basically needed to accept that "the time had come".
I decided that I needed to hear something that important from MY VET, who has cared for Tasker since he was 6 weeks old. So I went home and pretty much spent the next 24 hours on the floor by him crying. I tried to go to work yesterday but couldn't make it through the day. Last night we took him to his Vet.
She is cautiously optomistic that with strong pain meds we can get his pain under control and give him a bit more quality time. I know this is not a long term solution and don't want to keep him alive if he is in pain but I am not ready to lose him and judging by the way he is eating everything in site and playing with his brother (while laying down), he isn't ready to go either. So last night we started the medications.
WOnder of wonders, this morning he got up on his own and actually walked outside to "do his business". We have a sling to help him but he walked on his own!! I am ecstatic.
Sorry for the long post but I really wanted to share my excitement with someone. I know that this is only buyiung some time but even a few more months with my big boy is worth more than I can imagine.