Good news and bad news

[BookNut]

I am so very sorry to read your news. Have you thought of taking him for a second opinion? I have a friend whose dog was diagnosed as having cancer, but another doctor said no - and he was right. Just a thought. If you do have to eventually make the hard choice - I have another friend whose vet came to the home to euthanize her dog, so he could pass on in familiar, non-scary, surroundings.

Again - I am so sorry. I know how hard this is, having lost our 4 kitties to old age in the past few years. It is so hard - even if they have lived their full life-span.

[Debbie C]

Carrie, I'm happy for you on the pred thing but so sorry for you to hear about your dog.I know how hard it is,I had a German Shepard that had cancer and I spent ALOT of money on her surguries and meds and she was fine but it came back again and the vet said there was nothing to do this time. I had her 15 yrs and I can still see her face when they had to put her down.She is now buried in my back yard with a flower garden around her and I still go back there and say Hi to her. Just love her alot while she's with you that's all you can do.

[rebekah]

I’m so sorry to hear about your poor puppy, Carrie. He looks so precious in that picture you shared. A few weeks ago my cat passed away, he had cancer too. It’s so hard because pets become part of the family. I know it is hard, but I hope you can spend some quality time with him while he's still here.

I know it doesn’t make things better, but I’m glad to hear you’re down to 2.5mg Prednisone.

[carriej22]

Thanks guys. Means a lot to me. I have no children, so the pets are it... Oh what I wouldn't do to save him.

We had several different vets look at the X-ray. It's on the head of the femur bone where it hooks into the hip socket on the left back leg. 25% of greyhounds die from bone cancer; but you hear it in older dogs.. 12+... Sometimes 10. But rarely 8. I am so mad at the world. Why take such a beautiful soul from me...

[BrianR]

So sorry to hear this Carrie.

I know how you must be feeling as Marta and I had to put our black lab, Ben, down when he contracted cancer. He too was only 8. It was very hard for us but was the best thing for him. We had the vet come to our house so we could be with him when he went for the big sleep. I am not sure if you have this option or not but if you do, you may want to consider it.

I took Ben, all 75 lbs. of him, (35 kilos) to a remote location in the forest where we would often run together. I spent about two hours digging a hole under a spruce tree for him. At one point the shovel hit a rock and jarred my shoulder. To this day I still get the odd jabbing pain in my shoulder and am of course reminded of my buddy Ben who ran hundreds of miles with me on the trails through these mountains.

You will have wonderful memories of your big buddy and please know that we are thinking of you.

[annekat]

All these posts about losing animal companions bring tears to my eyes. I've been through it with several cats, who are also buried on my property. Having them with us in the first place comes with such a high cost eventually. I also worry about what will happen to them if I go first. But there are so many that need us, and we need them! In any case, Carrie and Eric, and anyone else having to lose a beloved pet this way, my heart is with you.

[Debbie C]

My vet mentioned to me they used to come to peoples homes so put their animals to sleep but no it is illegal to do because some lady vet in S.C. I believe he said, brought the medicine home and killed her husband with it. I thought that was pretty funny ( in a sick way !n ) but I don't know if it is legal in all states.

[annekat]

My vet mentioned to me they used to come to peoples homes so put their animals to sleep but no it is illegal to do because some lady vet in S.C. I believe he said, brought the medicine home and killed her husband with it. I thought that was pretty funny ( in a sick way !n ) but I don't know if it is legal in all states.

That sounds crazy. I would think the lady vet could bring home the medicine anyway and kill her husband with it, whether bringing it home was legal or not. I guess I'll do a little research on this. To me, having the vet come to the home seems the most ideal, and I've heard of vets who do housecalls for other things, too, not just for euthanasia.

[annekat]

Did a quick search.... home euthanasia by vets is available in my area and I found a recent article about one in SC who does it, too. There were also some items about pet owners, non-vets, acquiring the drugs or whatever methods to do it themselves... I did not spend much time on that because it creeped me out, but am wondering if that's where some of the controversy would be, possibly making that illegal in some areas. Maybe someone knows more.....

[Marilyn]

I'm so sorry about your dog. I have 2 and I wouldn't be able to stand what your going through. I am praying for you now. Marilyn