My beloved family dog was diagnosed with kidney failure 6 months ago.
We tried to offer her the special kidney food but she refused it and lost a significant amount of weight. We thought she would die any day.
We decided that we'd continue with the various medications that she's prescribed to keep sickness and pain at bay, but to give her the foods she likes best in her last days. Chicken, sausages, burgers, cat foot pouches (she loves these!).
She's since been hanging on for months and months.
She lives with my parents most of the time, but lives with my husband and me alternate weekends and for longer stretches when my parents go away (frequently). She is currently staying with us as my parents are abroad, and events yesterday have caused me to call an emergency vet to come and give her her last sleep today. I'm not 100% sure of my decision. Please help.
Here are her symptoms:
Loss of appetite (she didn't eat yesterday)
Very bad breath
Fatigue and lethargy
Cannot manage more than 20 minute walk- very slow
Does not get up for a wee
Shaking
Lots of drinking
Frequently wetting her bed or the floor
Collapses on longer walks (we limit these now)
This week, she's had 3 bouts of diarrhoea. 1 overnight on Friday and 1 yesterday. Both of these had blood in the stool.
I don't want her to be in pain, so I called the vet. She lay in bed all day and didn't get up.
Then in the evening, she started getting up a bit more and wandering around a little. She seemed more normal again.
My worry is, if this is the end, she will have her last week of being in nappies all day and on her own for most of it (I'll be at work from 8-4.30 but can come home briefly at lunch time).
Is it time to say goodbye or shall I carry on giving medication and hoping that she rallies round?
She goes through stages of looking ok again and it makes me feel like I am ready to put down a dog who isn't ready,
She's 15. I love her so much.
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The doghouse
Is it time to say goodbye?
18 replies
applesauce1 · 09/09/2018 09:13
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