<p>^^ I agree with EK on all points. Tramadol is a good thing.</p>
<p>
I think Skype is a good suggestion if you find that you just can’t put it off until they come home.</p>
<p>So, so sorry about your dog. It’s really hard. I’m glad it looks like you might be able to wait for your kids to come home. I think it will be worth it if at all possible to wait. In the meantime, I hope your dog has more good days between now and Father’s Day weekend. Big hugs.</p>
<p>whitepicket…glad to hear that your dog is doing better.</p>
<p>dadx3…so sorry to hear about your beloved (and young) lab. so very sad. I hope that your treasured memories can help you thru this time.</p>
<p>our 12yo doxie has me worried. he is diabetic and has some vision loss, but had (treated) cancer 2 years ago, but I think it may be returning. He is such a sweetheart…but arent they all? :)</p>
<p>When our dog was ready to go he stopped eating and I had to hoist his back end to go outside. Before that he was limping but still quite chipper (bone cancer). There was a real, obvious tipping point. Fingers crossed that your kids make it back while he is still comfortable. I’m so glad that you got the vet who will come out. I found one with our dog and it made all the difference. We went up to my sister’s place - she had a couple acres and could accommodate burying a giant breed dog. Extended family was there and we kind of wheelbarrowed him out around the yard to sniff and do his thing until he found a spot that he wanted to lay down by the flower border. I had a sheet to put out under him that I was happy to bury with him and he just settled in and held court for a bit. When the vet came the kids were able to lay down with him and he went in peace and surrounded by family - not stressed at all. <em>tears</em> DS laid there with him and sobbed for 45 minutes while DD and grandpa dug a grave, one nephew painted a marker and the other collected flower petals from the yard for a service. It was horribly hard, but the best that it could have been.</p>
<p>Our vet said that by the time you notice the limp the cancer has almost always already gone to the lungs so we chose not to treat it and just let him live out his days “as is” as long as he was happy and fairly comfortable. He was still wanting to take walks up until 3 days before he died - he would just hold his leg up and do a 3 legged hop down the street to see his doggy best friend.</p>
<p>Good luck . . . hoping for the best with timing and comfort</p>
<p>^^^
wonderful story, but still heartbreaking <em>tears</em></p>
<p>BTW, I talked to my girl on the phone a few times in the weeks before her death, and right before. I wanted to reassure her that I cared about her. I don’t know if it helped her, but it helped me.</p>
<p>StFan, I still remember burying a dog on acreage and my then 2 year old threw herself into the hole to hug the dog and sob :(</p>
<p>Man, it seems like ALL pet-passing stories are sad!</p>
<p>My D had a cat she adored, and the cat adored her - it would follow her around like a puppy, it slept at the foot of her bed until she left for college, and then it moped around the house until D would come home to visit. One summer while she was home from college, D came in from running an errand and found the cat seizing in the middle of the kitchen floor. </p>
<p>Of course D was hysterical, but she grabbed the cat and drove to the vet, who determined that the cat had some kind of massive blood clot. D stayed with the cat while the vet put the cat down. Although it was traumatic, D said that in a way, she was glad that she was there when it happened and she was glad that she was the one to take responsibility - it was HER cat, and she wanted to be there when it passed away. </p>
<p>It makes my heart hurt just to think about it. Hugs to you, whitepicketfence…</p>
<p>My 16 1/2 year old Westie is on borrowed time. His arthritis is bad and his liver enzymes are sky high. He recently cannot hold his urine longer than 2 hours and sometimes he dribbles/leaks. Amazingly though, he is continent all night still (10:30 pm- 6:30 am). We started him on Tramadol a few days ago. I think he is feeling better. His tail is wagging more and he is now lifting his leg again to pee instead of squatting. We also give him antioxidant tablets, Dasaquin tablets and frequent Adaquan injections (dog glucosamine for the arthritis). </p>
<p>My criteria for euthanasia is when he no longer wants to eat, stops wagging his tail, seems generally not enjoying his life. Also, if he becomes completely incontinent I believe it will be time. </p>
<p>For now we are still enjoying what time he has left. </p>
<p>We put our lab to sleep not quite four years ago, and i still miss her a lot.
She was 16 and she had a really good life, but she also was a big part of our family.
We planned our vacations or lack of around her, especially in her last years when we didnt want to leave her.</p>
<p>We now have a 21 mo boxer/ beagle, that we have had for 9 mo and he can be a sweet dog, but he can also be a handful, and in a way that isnt as disarming as a lab can be a handful.
Our lab never ate our comforter or gave the postman what for, for instance.
I think it would have made a big difference if we had this dog as a puppy. ( he was one when we got him)
His behaviors are puppy like but he is 55 lbs.
But hes learning.</p>
<p>I have nothing useful to add, but it’s curious that people commonly and routinely euthanize their pets, but almost never except in extraordinary circumstances their relatives. </p>
<p>I have 2 fourteen year old dogs at my parent’s house, as far as I know they’re both still doing alright but they probably won’t last a whole lot longer. One has been relatively inactive since about age 7 or 8 but has persisted, the other is still as active as she ever was. </p>
<p>Mobile vet will be here tomorrow to help us plan. As much as I hate knowing what is going to happen, I have been able to write down all info that may help her help us regarding all those Quality of Life markers. Our Lab has been better today than he has in weeks…but I have video of last week to show the the vet so we can deal with reality. </p>
<p>I think he will be okay for another week till the kids get home. If not, I know what needs to be done. If he is better past that it will be bonus time!</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of you sharing your stories…I will add to this one and I hope other CC members share about their pets.</p>
<p>Glad that he is doing better. We lost our dog a few months ago. He was old. He deteriorated fast at the end. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Update from OP. Hospice vet came about 10 days ago and prescribed our lab Tramadol and anxiety meds. She was incredible and to be able to avoid taking him in to the conventional vet was the best gift I think we could ever give him. I feel so relieved that she will be the one to come to our home to perform the euthanasia.</p>
<p>Kids made it home and it was the BEST weekend! It was just the five of us all weekend which doesn’t happen often. Our sweet lab soaked up all the attention. Today was horribly sad as they said good bye one last time. Over the course of the weekend, we took lots of pictures/video and looked at our old ones. </p>
<p>I am a mess now…missing my kids and grieving my dog who is still here. I look over at him sleeping on the couch and am so relieved that we have a plan and he will pass without fear. Thanks for listening.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of a hospice vet, whitepicketfence, but it sounds like a real gift. I’m glad your kids got to say goodbye. Sending good thoughts for you and your sweet dog that the passage is an easy one. </p>
<p>OP, you are a good dad and a good doggie dad. </p>
<p>We had to put our kitty down while D was at a friend’s out of town wedding weekend. He had cancer but was doing OK. D left on a Friday morning, and when we got home from work that same day, it was obvious that it was time. We didn’t really debate about waiting even that couple of days for D to get back; in fact, we took him in that evening. What we did wonder about was whether to contact her while she was out of town to tell her. We decided no. She understood. </p>
<p>Our lab was euthanized on his favorite couch late today. Wow…I kept waiting for him to move again. But it was time, almost past time, and I will sleep well knowing I honored him. </p>
<p>To be able to do it at home was the best gift for all of us. Now I will go cry…</p>
<p>I’m so very sorry. What a great life he had. Hugs to you.</p>
<p>Im glad he got to see his family.
You did good.</p>