Jump to content

Dogs III - the return of the furbaby thread


Which Tyler
 Share

Recommended Posts

Maggie has stopped eating dog food. It all began on Christmas Day. Instead of her usual Nature's Menu pouches, she got full Christmas dinner. Turkey, opast spuds, sprouts, pigs in blankets, stuffing, gravy. The works.

Now, every time I put her dinner down she just sniffs it, gives me the side-eye, and walks away in disgust.

 

 

Edited by Spockydog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Spockydog said:

Maggie has stopped eating dog food. It all began on Christmas Day. Instead of her usual Nature's Menu pouches, she got full Christmas dinner. Turkey, opast spuds, sprouts, pigs in blankets, stuffing, gravy. The works.

Now, every time I put her dinner down she just sniffs it, gives me the side-eye, and walks away in disgust.

Are you sure she's not a cat?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So he’s not perking up. Yesterday he was still himself, he still went for a walk and sniffed around and had a nice time. Ate, drank, attended his biological needs and he walked around house, resting on various mats as he usually does. Then today morning came and he is very different.  He could barely get up all day. He ate some and drank some, but he collapses back on a blanket after walking 5 meters. He won’t go out to do his business, probably because he doesn’t have any. He is getting slightly puffy, and we think his kidneys have eventually failed. We didn’t want to torture him with emergency “care” as he is visibly beyond help. I don’t think he will wake up tomorrow morning but if he does, our regular vet will put him to eternal sleep. My dad came over and literally sobbed over him, I didn’t think my heart could break so much. Well… I don’t know what else to say. I will probably post how tomorrow goes and to remember the extraordinary and beautiful life of our beloved Prince William. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all, really. Thank you. 
On January 31 2022 Prince William was helped to eternal sleep. Sunday was full of struggle, pain, restlessness. I don’t think he slept a wink, he was up at 11pm when I managed to get him to drink a bowl of water, he was up at 3am when I checked on him because he was groaning and he was up at 5am when my mum checked on him. But on Monday morning, he stood up and wanted to go outside. He walked around the garden and managed, after several attempts and quite some struggle, to empty his bladder. He also drank from the outdoor water bowl. Then he came back inside and ate a small breakfast of dog food mixed with rice soup and boiled carrot with relative gusto. He seemed relieved and so much more peaceful and calm than on Sunday, even though weak and tired. 
We carried him out into the car, drove to the vet, and he was ready to walk in on his own paws. He was dehydrated, anemic and had a very swollen prostate. They ran some bloodwork to see if there was major organ damage, or only an acute prostate issue that we could attempt to treat with steroids. While we waited for the results, I walked him on leash around the street. No pressure, we went wherever he wanted, as long as he wanted. He did a little wee here and there, sniffed around and eyed up other dogs. I think we walked for some half an hour before he agreed to get back into the car. Then he just lay on the back seat wrapped in his blanket and he was really tired. Then the results came in. He had kidney failure and 100 times the normal values. We left him wrapped in his brown blanket and talked to him and caressed him while the anesthetic kicked in and he fell asleep. Then the vet suggested that we wait outside while he gets the second injection. We went back in a few minutes and he was on the other side. We carried him back into the car to take him to the pet cremation place. I had thought it’d be bad to have him there but it was nice because he was still with us, as though he were only sleeping. Leaving him to be cremated was the worst of it. We laid him on some white mat. He looked so young and peaceful and absolutely beautiful. 
We received his ashes today. I am all in all glad that he went this way. It was the second best we could have hoped for. He didn’t suffer for long and he lived a quality life up until the very last days. And even on his last morning he was able to take a goodbye walk around the garden which reigned over for 14 years, have a nice breakfast and he spent even his last hour sniffing around and exploring. 

I was neither closest to him, no his primary caretaker, and still, it’s devastating. The house is so silent and empty without him, and we miss him so terribly. I can’t imagine the pain of my sister who grew up with PW and lived twice as many years with him than without him. Or that of my mum for whom he was the first living creature to see in the morning and the last to see at bedtime for the past two years. 

PW’s bed was inherited by Miss Molly and his other belongings are being collected into a memory box. His ashes will be separated into three parts to be scattered along the walking trail, buried in the garden and kept in the memory box. He lived a long and beautiful life  that was filled with love, joy, adventure and freedom. No dog could wish for a better, more fulfilling life than his and we are so fortunate that we got to spend 14 beautiful, fun filled years with him, to take care of him and to watch and rejoice over his extraordinary life. 

 

Edited by RhaenysBee
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all! <3 

A bit more on the other dogs because it isn’t just my family that lost PW, his did too. 

Miss Molly is so sad. I’m not sure when she realized that PW is no more, but I’ve never seen her like this. She just lies in his bed and grieves, which is as uncharacteristic for her as anything. We are trying to give her a lot of love. She had always been PW’s favorite, they were forever allies and closest to each other. I feel so sorry for her. She lost her beloved dad.

Chubs is sad too, even though she had her fair share of conflicts with PW and they weren’t favorites with each other at all. But in his old age, she always looked out for him, waited for him during walks, went back to fetch him, signaled to him. PW always followed her to know which way we were going once his hearing and sight had started to fail. 

I’m sure the Chancellor knows PW is gone, because animals know these things. I don’t suppose he cares, as they quickly became nemeses once the Chancellor had realized his strength and refused to be bossed around by PW. But he feels our restlessness. I wonder if he will be calmer and not so obsessed with proving his superiority. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it helps, Talisker took about 2 weeks to emerge from her hiding place after Guinness died; and held a grudge against Beli Mawr for about 3ish months.

She's only just returning to her normal self this side of Christmas.

Beli Mawr was too young, and too new to us for us to be able to tell if he changed at all when Guinness died - the expected 12-18 month overlap only last 2 weeks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

Mast cell tumour - operating tomorrow.

My beautiful little Jack Russell, Polly, had a big old mast cell tumour removed at the age of ten. She lived to seventeen.

Best wishes, man.

 

Edited by Spockydog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sending all the good vibes to Talisker.

So last week I thought I'd felt a breast lump on my Fibi. Thankfully, the Vet today said it was only a pimple. Sounds stupid, but it's my first dog, so I don't know what to feel for, and I was a wreck. (She's 6 ys old.) Anyway, Heart etc seems fine, too, and she got her yearly vaccinations too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tal is fine and bouncey (nervous energy) after her op; but calmed down over night and settled. Some fever, but it seems to have broken this morning.

 

Keeping her away from Beli is the more awkward thing - or not so much awkward, as just a PITA - but the last thing she needs is an 11 month LabX jumping all over her.

No need for the cone of shame, but she is wearing her dressing gown as she tries to scratch at it with her back leg.

 

Vet thinks it's a grade1 tumour; but can't be sure (aspiration indicated the same, but not confirmed) - so they've sent the tumour off to the lab for further tests.

From what I can tell with mast cells:
Grade 1 = 30% = nothing to worry about, but better out than in.
Grade 2 = 40% = completely undpredictable, can go either way in terms of nastiness.
Grade 3 = 30% = oh shit!

Hoping early indications are accurate.

 

Costs about a grand, all in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...