BusynMember
Well-Known Member
Most of you know I love dogs as much as people and more than some people!!
I had raised three dogs since they were puppies, but when we had to move to a small rental house without a fenced yard from a huge farm house with many acres, the dogs got very upset with each other. They started fighting, biting each other, peeing all over, growling at everyone who came over, and in general were clearly crowded and unhappy. Because of the landlord's carpeting, they were confined to as pretty small tiled room and could onlyl go outside when on leash and walking (we don't tie our dogs outside).
After a year's research we found a doggy sanctuary which we felt would offer them a better life than in our little rental home. The owner of the rescue is a vet. One of the dogs was diagnosed with Cushilngs just before it was her turn to leave for the sanctuary, and the owner took her anyway and has loved her ever since. She has had a good life there. (The other two were adopted as only dogs, which was best for them). The dog with Cushings is named Lucky and she was always the smart one of the three, the one who would have rescued us if our house had caught on fire and the alarm hadn't gone off.
I write to Karla the vet to find out about the dogs, especially Lucky, once a month. This month Karla told me Lucky is very happy, loves her walks and playing with staff and visitors, and chasing her ball, but that she is getting sicker. She said Lucky has lived longer than a ny Cushings patient she has ever treated and that maybe it would be a good idea to visit her one last time, which we planned on doing. Karla will not euthanize her...she only does that if a dog or cat is in extreme pain, but she did say it is common for a dog who has fought so long to stay active and is so sick to just die very suddenly without warning. So we are going Saturday so that we can say good-bye. I'm not sure how to do it.
For dog lovers only, how would you say good-bye to a dog you know you'll never see again alive, and love very much, but who no longer lives with you? I'm thinking of bringing some special toys I know she loves and some treats and of course walks and hugs...it doesn't seem like enough. I have never known a dog was sick and dying in advance. Frankly, I think she had Cushings a few years before diagnosis as I noticed she was drinking excessively, panting all the time, having her first pee accidents ever, getting sick in the car, and she had an episode where her eye looked as if it were popping out of her socket and it was red...that can mean a tumor, but it responded to treatment for conjunctivitis. She is twelve years old now. I thought she'd keep going until sixteen because, in spite of that, she had a lot of energy. She did not act like an elderly dog.
I had raised three dogs since they were puppies, but when we had to move to a small rental house without a fenced yard from a huge farm house with many acres, the dogs got very upset with each other. They started fighting, biting each other, peeing all over, growling at everyone who came over, and in general were clearly crowded and unhappy. Because of the landlord's carpeting, they were confined to as pretty small tiled room and could onlyl go outside when on leash and walking (we don't tie our dogs outside).
After a year's research we found a doggy sanctuary which we felt would offer them a better life than in our little rental home. The owner of the rescue is a vet. One of the dogs was diagnosed with Cushilngs just before it was her turn to leave for the sanctuary, and the owner took her anyway and has loved her ever since. She has had a good life there. (The other two were adopted as only dogs, which was best for them). The dog with Cushings is named Lucky and she was always the smart one of the three, the one who would have rescued us if our house had caught on fire and the alarm hadn't gone off.
I write to Karla the vet to find out about the dogs, especially Lucky, once a month. This month Karla told me Lucky is very happy, loves her walks and playing with staff and visitors, and chasing her ball, but that she is getting sicker. She said Lucky has lived longer than a ny Cushings patient she has ever treated and that maybe it would be a good idea to visit her one last time, which we planned on doing. Karla will not euthanize her...she only does that if a dog or cat is in extreme pain, but she did say it is common for a dog who has fought so long to stay active and is so sick to just die very suddenly without warning. So we are going Saturday so that we can say good-bye. I'm not sure how to do it.
For dog lovers only, how would you say good-bye to a dog you know you'll never see again alive, and love very much, but who no longer lives with you? I'm thinking of bringing some special toys I know she loves and some treats and of course walks and hugs...it doesn't seem like enough. I have never known a dog was sick and dying in advance. Frankly, I think she had Cushings a few years before diagnosis as I noticed she was drinking excessively, panting all the time, having her first pee accidents ever, getting sick in the car, and she had an episode where her eye looked as if it were popping out of her socket and it was red...that can mean a tumor, but it responded to treatment for conjunctivitis. She is twelve years old now. I thought she'd keep going until sixteen because, in spite of that, she had a lot of energy. She did not act like an elderly dog.