You got osteoporosis, hearing problems, cognitive impairment, hypertension, and aches and pains in about every joint in your body.
Dude.
Being a senior citizen is tough. My dog. She’s a member of the club.
I’ve known her since she was two, she’s currently 14 going on 15 and apparently the life expectancy for Dalmatians happens to be around 16.
My dog Pinta … hanging out at the fire house
She’s walking The Green Mile.
It saddens me to see that her clock is slowly winding down. Earlier in the week she was having problems walking. Her hind legs weren’t really doing their job — they weren’t being very supportive so I found myself picking her up and helping her get outside. But she only needed a little lift and then she’d get the hang of it again. One foot, and then another and another. However yesterday … yesterday was quite different.
The Thanksgiving feast was well under way and the aroma filled the house. This aroma would usually get her up and trotting towards the table, hoping that someone would drop a piece of turkey. However she didn’t get up and in fact when she tried, her hind legs wobbled and she fell.
My dude gave me the look. The Dr. Kevorkian look and I strongly suggested going to the doctor and getting a professional opinion before he made plans to pull the plug on her. He initiated the “I-know-what-I’m-doing” conversation. The one that included his speech about having owned dogs before and how he just knew what would come next.
This began the heated conversation about veterinarians. I felt we should go to the office and have her assessed by one … you know to see if there was anything I could do to help improve my dog’s situation. He felt differently. He felt there was no need for doctors, you know seeing how he knew everything there was to know about dogs. He felt the need to tell me this repeatedly. However I still insisted we visit the doctor.
Unfortunately everyone was closed on Thanksgiving. They were closed the entire weekend, so we had to take her to urgent dog care. This is where our heated conversation continued. For a minute I thought she wasn’t going to come back with us, and I got extremely depressed about the whole situation. I started imagining the worst-case scenario and started thinking about the past and all the things we’ve been through. She was part of my family. I had plenty of time to think. We were there for three hours. Three, and they weren’t even that busy. We’re going to see our regular vet on Monday and run some tests.
I guess it’s probably old age, but it could be something else. The hopeful possibility occurred to me, but it failed to enter the imagination of my dude. And that just burned me out. I was stressed out and so worried about the dog and there he was with his Dr. Kevorkian mentality and sassy attitude, which of course didn’t help. Now I know that we don’t want our dog to suffer, and we don’t want her in pain, but I would like all the facts before making that tough decision that all pet owners have to make. I mean people say “putting them to sleep,” because I imagine it sounds less drastic. But it still sucks. It’s still death.
I’m hoping for some good news on Monday, but I’m preparing for the worst. I bought an extra bag of Greenies and a large bag of Snausages.
She’s living it up this weekend.
The Wish Factor 
Thank you for sharing what must be a very sorrowful blog; I have had too many animals pass to number – we live on a country road where people drive like bats out of you know where. I have also sat through the deaths of numerous pets — a pot bellied pig with a twisted gut, puppies with a mysterious disease that claimed all but on of a litter of 11 (even the vet school couldn’t figure out what was wrong with them), and a beloved cat that developed a blood disorder. I know the prayers (pleading) for them to pass without any more pain and suffering that seem to go unanswered and I know the heartache that comes when they do die.
Some people say that pets are like our children, but I think it is more than that. For me, they are my heroes, comforters, even saviors at times (my horse was all that made me feel safe growing up in an abusive situation).
My prayers go out to you and your beloved Pinta. Try not to be too hard on your “dude,” he is trying to be the practical one in this picture, knowing that vets can suck your pocketbooks dry. Try to have a good weekend.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and kind words. Sitting through that is very painful and emotional. And thanks for the tip…I’ll try not to be too hard on my dude. I guess he’s in the right frame of mind just not good with the delivery. Thanks for the advice and for stopping by 🙂
that’s harsh, my teaching partner lost her pup of umpteem years and still talks about him with me. She wanted to get a new one, but hasn’t yet. It will happen when it’s time. Our pup is not quite three and I get a lot of joy when I climb into bed and she jumps up with me curling up snuggling against my legs, just to have have contact with me. I see it when she sleeps in my kid’s beds, too. She’s a part of the family, and important part. I am sorry to read of your pup’s illness and I hope you find comfort in the joy you have brought each other over the years.
She was part of the family and awesome part. It was terrible to have her in that condition. And thanks so much for your awesome supporting words “hope you find comfort in the joy you have brought each other over the years.” this was very helpful. Thank you.
This is so sad. Pinta looks like such a sweet dog. It must be so awful to watch her getting weaker. I hope the vet can do something for her. Hugs.
Thanks for stopping by my friend. I appreciate the kind words.