The end is very near for our big dog.

[Stinky The Clown]

Big is 12. She's had a really great life but more to the point, she gave *US* so much more than we ever gave her.

A few weeks ago she started limping. We thought it might be hip displasia.

She should be so lucky. It is bone cancer.

We are not of a mind to prolong any dog's life. Instead, we will do what is most kind for her, not what might make us feel better. The vet described the situation and there really are no good life preserving options. The sunniest scenario is amputation and chemo. The other possibilities are worse.

We will be continuing her Rimadyl and today she will start with a week's supply of hydrocodone. We will assess at the end of a week. Rinse. Repeat.

Nowadays I have to carry her upstairs at night. She is almost 100 lbs, but she won't sleep anywhere but on the rug right next to me. I tried once to leave her downstairs but she stood at the bottom and cried. I couldn't bear it. Sparkly and I are doing our crying now.

Here she is in better days, not long after we got her. She was maybe 3 or 4 here. Happy and vital.

[fizzgig]

1. hugs to all of you

i am so sorry

[In_The_Wind]

2. I'm really sorry, Stinky.

May her remaining time be easy.



I slept on the floor next to Byron toward the end of his life. He was a golden retriever. The best friend I could have ever wished for.

[Auntie Bush]

3. Stinky, you and Sparkly have my deepest condolences and I wish all three of you

the very best painless solution.

That is the most beautiful Shepard I've ever seen. Makes me want to paint her.
I've saved her in my picture file and if anyone wants a painting of a GS I'll use her as a reference and make the necessary adjustments.

If only she wasn't still 3 years old and you'd have many more happy years to spend with her. I say that about all my dogs...myself too. lol

I'm so very sorry!

[get the red out]

4. I am so sorry

She is beautiful! I have so enjoyed your stories about "Big" and "Little" and then the little tiny furry dog that sits in Sparkly's lap. I vividly recall the one where Little pissed off the Fox and then Big rolled in the Fox pee he left behind. Such a beautiful pack.

Pets are our angels.

[Chemisse]

5. These days come so soon - so few years for so much sharing of love.

I wish you the best in getting through the hard days of tough decisions and sad farewells.

[alsame]

6. My heart is

breaking for all of you. I've been there, I know what you are going through.

I'm glad you are going to do what's best for her, it's the last act of love we can give them.

[williesgirl]

7. My heart goes out to you. This is so hard. hugs to you both.

P

[marzipanni]

8. She is beautiful

I hope her bone cancer progresses very slowly so that she, you, and Sparkly can enjoy life together longer.
We are a DU couple, too, and our dog is 13.75, and getting weak in her hindquarters. She barks at the bottom of the 6 steps to our back door, because she either wants a spotter or someone to accompany her up the stairs since she has tumbled backward from mid-stairs a couple of times. I use a wide canvas strap under her belly that I use to help support her hind legs when she seems hesitant.
Maybe a harness with a handle(s) on top would help you get your dear Big up the stairs, if she is doing well on her medications and can carry on.
http://www.seniordoggy.com/mobility-aids/?gclid=COWbzeTUvb0CFVBffgodVroAlw

[catnhatnh]

9. I sometimes think...

...that pets are to teach us the true meaning of life: that life is meant to be joyous and that when you live it that way it is too short...

[shenmue]

10. {{{Big}}}

I still love my Keisha, who is watching from Dog Heaven.

[TorchTheWitch]

11. oh no! I'm so sorry!

Having lost Boo due to bone cancer I don't doubt that you are heartbroken. If it helps there really isn't much that can be done other than to try to keep them comfortable with medication as long as that works. The only thing I can advise is to treasure every moment you can with her.

Oh man, this just breaks my heart. Over the years of your talking about Big and your other doggies I feel like I know her.

[Curmudgeoness]

12. Oh, Stinky, I am so sorry to hear this.

Never easy. I know this is a brutal diagnosis. Do what needs to be done. I hope that she can stay pain free or relatively pain free for a while yet.

[phylny]

13. I'm so sorry, and am sending

loving vibes your way

[Rhiannon12866]

14. What a wonderful photo and such a beautiful face!

I've been there, too...

[Phentex]

15. Quite a beauty!

We do what we can because we love them so much and we remember what they've brought to our lives.

Having gone through this myself, my heart goes out to you.

[Sparkly]

16. Another picture of her, with a "stick."

(She'd mulch sticks like this!)

I really expected only to hear that she had hip dysplasia and arthritis.

Thank you all for the kind words and wishes.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Thank you, everyone.

Really. Thank you. I know the people who come this group really do understand. We have three dogs. This one decided she was mine. My life has been full of dogs, but this is the first one who is such a strong one-person dog. True enough, she is a family dog and is affectionate to all of us, but she is singular in that really close affection.

This is harder than any one in the past.

[hamsterjill]

18. I am so sad to learn this.

I can literally feel the love coming through on this post.

I wish you both peace and comfort, and I thank you for caring so much for Big. They do tend to make marks on our souls, don't they?

[Judi Lynn]

19. So sorry for your wonderful Big's condition.

There's no easy way to go through this, it hurts horribly.

Your photos are wonderful. What a fine, good, intelligent face.

You are lucky to have had this beautiful companion in your life.

Best wishes to you and your family, and your good, good friend.

[virgdem]

20. I'm so sorry to hear this...

Hugs to you as you care for your precious dog in her last days.

[alsame]

21. How is she doing? Has the

hydrocodone helped alleviate her pain?

[Stinky The Clown]

22. Thanks for asking. Actually, it has been a good week.

We are, of course, under no false illusions that she's getting well. But the meds have clearly made a difference. We were supposed to dose her twice a day. I am watching her very, very closely, and after her morning meds - and the resulting nap from the harder drugs - she has almost no limp. She even gave chase to some deer, but that ended pretty quickly; it looked to me like she felt the pain and just slowed to a trot.

She is able to navigate the stairs again and makes several up and down trips a day. This is a good thing since it means I don't have to carry her. In fact, I'm thinking that when get back to that, it might be time to help her across The Bridge.

Anyway, based on how she's doing, I have not given her the second dose since the first day. Better, I guess, to hold it back and let her take more only as she shows a need.

She seems happy and is pretty much still on her normal routine and doing routine things. The only difference is no daily walk. I want to ask the vet about that when we speak on Monday. If it is just a matter of pain, I can monitor for that and not walk or return home sooner. If it is doing harm, then I don't want to do it at all, even though she loves her walks.

[alsame]

23. That's good, I'm glad she's

not suffering. I hope her life is as normal as possible for as long as possible.

My dog Beauty was on Rimadyl and several other meds for the last year of her life, she had spinal degeneration. In her case, it wasn't so much a limp as it was her back legs completely giving out on her from time to time. At the very end I had to walk her using a large beach towel as a sling.

I was able to manage her pain for quite a while but it became obvious when it was time to let her cross the Bridge. We know our dogs and their normal behavior so well and are the best judges of their quality of life.
I'm sending out good vibes for all of you.

Please keep us updated.

[TorchTheWitch]

24. I think you should be ok with the walks

Boo lasted for many months on only three legs, and he wanted his hop along walks so badly that he started refusing to eat his dinner unless we went out. My biggest worry was him slipping on ice and hitting his bad leg since where the tumor was made him vulnerable to a bone fracture in that leg. He never slipped even once though I ended up on my butt pretty frequently. It's amazing how fast and agile they can be on only three legs. Out of curiosity which leg is it and which part has the tumor? Is it visible yet (like a swelling?). Boo's was in his knee joint in his left hind leg.

Other than pain, check for signs of metastasis. Bone cancer tends to metastasize to the lungs though that wasn't how it went with Boo. He started suddenly getting broken capillaries inside that were draining fluid into his abdomen though apparently that's not the usual thing.

The hardest part for me was keeping weight on him. Cancer just eats you. I had to stuff him like a goose with higher calorie food so that he ended up eating nearly 3 times or more what he did when he was healthy. My vet also said that for cancer a higher fat content diet is better for some reason. I'm not sure if that's because of the calories or something having to do with fats in general though I think it might be both. Because of his weight loss I really really wanted him to be more calm and lazy and would have been thrilled if he would forgo the walks, but he was having none of it until the last day or two. I did manage to slow him down some on the walks and cut them a lot shorter than usual though I had to do some elaborate fakery so he wouldn't notice they were shorter (but he did catch me out a few times with my doing that and would stop in his tracks and give me the stink eye).

You've been doing great though in keeping a close eye every day on Big's condition and preparing for the big decision (as much as one can prepare for that). I'm so glad that the meds are helping so much... there's a lot more they can add or increase, too. Toward the end Boo was taking quite a cocktail of meds, but they did a fabulous job for him and for much much longer than even the vet thought they would. And they didn't have any side effects like his being loopy or potty issues or anything... they just dealt with the pain.

[nadine_mn]

25. All I can do is offer a virtual hug

I am so sorry about her diagnosis. There is something so magical about love our pets give us and the way they make our hearts so much bigger.

She is so pretty - oh my look at those gorgeous ears!

[doxydad]

26. As a dog lover to another

Stinky,

You're not alone now, even though it feels you are. I've been there more times than I want to think about it. We have 3 rescue dogs, well, they have us, and I have found solace when we lose one of them with the Rainbow Bridge.
Here it is, and my heart goes out to you today. Hope it helps. Find peace:
~~~ Rainbow Bridge poem~~~
Many of us know this-but for those who don't, it's a moving and touching poem that can help when we've lost a dear friend.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

[RebelOne]

27. I totally feel your pain and I am so sorry.

I have lost 3 dogs within the past 15 years and I still fell sadness when I think of them. I have the ashes of my two Rottweilers and grieve whenever I look at the containers. My first Rottie, Bear Bear, died of an immune blood deficiency disease. It killed her within 2 days. She was 12 years old. My last Rottie, Legend, died of bone and liver cancer. She was just 2 months short of her 13th birthday, so she and Bear Bear had long and happy lives because I spoiled them.

[eridani]

28. Safe passage for this lovely animal

[CitizenLeft]

29. what a beautiful happy face

Hope you all have happy moments before you have to make that move. I read just this weekend about a couple who created a bucket list for their beloved. They had a blast, and so did their baby. That might help you all get through these last weeks.

[glinda]

30. Oh Stinky. I am really sad with you on her illness. In Feb. my shadow

passed on, Hattie the cattle dogx. She was 15. She had C and even up to two days before she passed in my arms, in the sunlight, in her favorite spot at home. She was still eating biscuits she saw in a jar on the table at the vet's office three days before, even though she could no longer walk and husband and I carried her on a blanket to each room we were in. Diapers, cleanings.....but she went where she wanted to go and on her terms.
Just love and hold her and tell her how much she means to you. Cry.
My heart is with you both. Hugs.....glinda

[Stinky The Clown]

31. Update 04.12.14

The diagnosis remains the same: some form of bone cancer.

She is now nearly two weeks into this. She still gets one Rimadyl but the hydrocondone has been cut way back. Originally she was dosed at one and a half pills twice a day. That is now down to one pill in the morning.

She has no limp and is in great spirits. We are watching her closely for strenuous activities like chasing deer. The vet said it is possible to get a "pathological fracture" that just won't heal due to the bone being diseased. I throw a stick (she LOVES to fetch) every day or so for a few trots, but that's it for running. She gets her walks every day, accompanies me outside for any and every reason, and gets lots of attention.

I asked the vet how long we can expect. I told him I knew it was just crystal balling, but what his best guess. He said "they" say this is a two to four month thing. But he said "don't tell the dog, especially if she's around at six months, eight months, or even more."

We're under no illusions that things will get any better, but we'll take every day we can get with her.

[shenmue]

32. Sending good thoughts

[Judi Lynn]

33. Wish the best for you all, and your wonderful big friend. n/t

[sadoldgirl]

34. It will be hard, so

enjoy every minute and day you have with her. When my rescue standard poodle two years ago had digestion problems the vet and I thought it might be a tumor; however she was sixteen then, so an operation would turned into a terminal event. We kept her alive with medication and I made sure to hug her every day. Well, last May I had to say good-bye to her. In spite of having to do this over all the years at times, it still hurt like hell. Still, I am glad for that one more year we were together. So, keep enjoying her company as long as you can with quality time.
Best wishes !

[Mz Pip]

35. So sorry

It's so hard watching them suffer. They don't understand what's happening.

She certainly is a beautiful dog.

[Judi Lynn]

36. You won't stop missing you great friend, but her suffering has ended, and that helps to know.

Had to see her photo again. What a lovely, bright being she was. It radiates from her image.

Very best wishes.