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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

My dog is old and poorly,

13 replies

craftysewer · 03/02/2015 20:19

My Cocker Spaniel is 13 years old, the vet says he has a heart problem, so is having a scan on Thursday to confirm. His blood pressure is very high, his heart beat is racing and now he is peeing blood. They've done tests thinking it was a UTI, but that has come back clear, so now they are also going to scan his kidneys. I don't know if I am over thinking this, but it just feels like so much is going on that maybe we are coming to the end and may have to consider the possibility of having him put down. DH is very pragmatic, so I just feel I want to talk to other dog lovers.

OP posts:

mylaptopismylapdog · 03/02/2015 20:54

So sorry to hear that crafty, very upsetting. I have no experience of this stage as my dog is my first. My only thought would be that if the dog was clearly not himself I would think serious about having him put down at 13 but we would all find it a huge loss.

atonofwashing · 03/02/2015 20:54

You poor things. I am a dogless dog lover. We lost our girl at the end of November. She was 14, with a heart problem and other old age related issues.

Our story won't cheer you up, but I know how you feel. Hope tests come back with a more positive outlook. The Doghouse has lots of supportive posters for those going thru stressful times with beloved doggies.

(((Hugs)))

Original poster

craftysewer · 03/02/2015 23:10

Thanks for replying, will just have to be patient and wait for the scan on Thursday.

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EasyToEatTiger · 04/02/2015 09:05

It's awful when you realise that dogs aren't immortal. We lost one at the end of 2013 at the age of 13 or 14. There was a massive dog-sized hole in the house which we decided to fill. We have many happy memories of our old boy, and he's still there in spirit. I think the Dogs Trust have information about loss and grief. Big hugs to you during this difficult time.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 04/02/2015 12:25

We lost our working cocker in December. Turned out he had a liver tumour and there wasn't a lot we could do by then. He was 11 and apparently their average age is 10-12 so you've done well to get to 13. As long as he's still eating and drinking and is his fairly usual self, he's probably alright. It might be something that you can medicate.

Our old boy started drinking and weeing a lot, going off his food and weeing in the house. Within a couple of weeks he'd gone completely off everything, he just looked miserable and kept going and laying down at the bottom of the garden. He went downhill over a weekend and that was that. He'd clearly had enough and all we could do for him was let him go. It broke our hearts but it was his time. You'll know when. Your dog doesn't sound too bad to me so hopefully he'll be ok and you can keep him going for a bit longer. As long as he seems happy.

bluebirdonmyshoulder · 04/02/2015 14:44

As much as I hope that this is just a blip and he'll recover, we all know that 13 is a great age for a spaniel and sadly it may be time.

As hard and awful as it is, sometimes love means letting go.

Wishing you strength for whatever lies ahead and plenty more cuddles with your boy.

Original poster

craftysewer · 05/02/2015 22:29

Well DH took him for his heart scan today and they are pleased that due to the blood pressure tablets he is taking the valve in his heart isn't leaking as much (I think that's right) and they scanned his kidneys and they are okay too. His bladder isn't right though, he has no infection but they can't decide if it's blood clots in it, or a mass. We have now been referred to a specialist vets at St. Helens (about 3 hours away) for a specialist scan on his bladder. I phoned the vet to discuss it with her and asked if it could be cancer, she said we won't know until the scan. They are reluctant to do GA/biopsy as this scan will be less invasive. Thought he had gone off his food today, turns out he's decided he no longer likes his tables ground up in the meat, so now he has then wrapped in cheese!

OP posts:

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 05/02/2015 23:00

Well that's not too bad. It might still turn out to be something manageable. Fingers crossed for you.

Original poster

craftysewer · 08/02/2015 22:50

I just thought I would let you know that Sam was PTS this morning after having a massive bleed into his abdomen. It was very dignified (much like Sam) and although we are all devastated, we know it was for the best.

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Inarecentsurvey · 08/02/2015 23:22

As a fellow cocker spaniel owner I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you have lost your dog. What you are going through is something I dread happening but I count myself lucky to have shared part of my life with such an amazingly loving breed of dog. Take care.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 08/02/2015 23:32

Oh crafty I'm so, so sorry.

It sounds as though you did as much as you could. You just get to a point where you can't do anymore for them except let them go. It hurts but it's absolutely the right thing to do.

Take it easy on yourselves. You're grieving. Please do come back if you want to talk about him. There's lots of us grieving owners on here and we all understand how you feel and we'd all like to help if we can.

Big hugs.

EasyToEatTiger · 09/02/2015 12:54

Oh no. So sorry to hear that. Big hugs to you.

atonofwashing · 10/02/2015 14:58

Im with ms adorable.
Very sorry for your loss. You did all you could.
(((Hugs))) to you at this time.

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