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The doghouse

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

Original poster

Couldn’t say goodbye :(

17 replies

honeyandbutterontoast · 14/06/2023 13:36

Had a post on here a few weeks ago about my dogs persistent cough. My vet was saying it was a dental infection.

Her breathing became much worse over the weekend and we took her to the emergency vet. They had to rush her through for oxygen as soon as we got there. Her lungs were full of fluid.

Monday she was transferred to the hospital for cardio scans. Not her heart. She was transferred to the medical department of the hospital for more tests.

Yesterday she had a bronchoscopy and ct scan. Finally got the results at lunchtime today and the vet advised euthanasia- lung cancer.

I was on my way to take DD to a gcse exam and said we could get there late afternoon, but the vet said it would be fairer for it to be done straight away :(

im so so sad that she had such an awful few days and I couldn’t be with her.

OP posts:
Chowtime · 14/06/2023 13:39

I'm so sorry.

All I can think of to say is that every single day of her life that she was with you was a happy day when she was loved. At the end, she would have been very very sleepy and unaware and possibly on pain relief. She wouldn't have known.

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 14/06/2023 13:47

Yes she was on oxygen and sedated. I just hope she hasn’t been scared being away from home. She was almost blind and deaf so it must have been a lot for her :(

OP posts:
CandlelightGlow · 14/06/2023 13:54

Chowtime · 14/06/2023 13:39

I'm so sorry.

All I can think of to say is that every single day of her life that she was with you was a happy day when she was loved. At the end, she would have been very very sleepy and unaware and possibly on pain relief. She wouldn't have known.

This is exactly it.

I am so sorry OP. This happened when my dad died during COVID, I wasn't there and hadn't been able to see him for a while due to all of the strict visiting regulations. The way I got through it was by reminding myself that a few days of not being there at the end, when they are already very poorly and incoherent, is nothing compared to the life of love that was shared.

She was in good caring hands and wouldn't have known much about it bless her, now you need to focus on your own feelings and closure for yourself. You were her whole world and nothing will change that, you made the right decision Flowers

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 14/06/2023 14:00

We had no idea she was so ill. She was still eating, running around in the garden like a puppy. It was only when she was eating an ice lolly on the Sunday that we noticed her tongue was blue and realised that the odd breathing was actually super serious.

She went off into the emergency vet room tail wagging, she was always such a trouper, never made a fuss.

It’s almost 12 years to the day that she has been ours. She was a truly good dog.

OP posts:
Moanycowbag · 14/06/2023 14:28

honeyandbutterontoast · 14/06/2023 14:00

We had no idea she was so ill. She was still eating, running around in the garden like a puppy. It was only when she was eating an ice lolly on the Sunday that we noticed her tongue was blue and realised that the odd breathing was actually super serious.

She went off into the emergency vet room tail wagging, she was always such a trouper, never made a fuss.

It’s almost 12 years to the day that she has been ours. She was a truly good dog.

I am so sorry for you loss and yes she will have gone peacefully, and animals hide illnesses so well, my cat missed 2 meals and was a bit lethargic, so we took him to vet, I expected them to say he was fine and I was ridiculous for bringing him in for missing breakfast and lunch and being a bit sleepy, but they listened to his chest rushed him off for oxygen and scan and he had a huge mass in one of his lungs and they were filled with fluid, many options were discussed but the only one that seemed fair was to let him go there and then, utterly broke my heart but he honestly had shown no signs of being ill.
I did struggle with the guilt for a while, which I'm sure you will too, but you got her help as soon as you noticed and she obviously didn't feel bad in herself, and sounds like she had a good life with you.

Missingmyusername · 14/06/2023 14:34

I’m sorry. My dog had an operation recently to remove a mast cell tumour, he’s elderly, suffers with arthritis and I asked the vet to let him go peacefully if need be, don’t bring him around for him to be pts just so I could be there.

It’s heartbreaking, but you gave your dog a good life, you caught it before she started to suffer.

Naimee87 · 14/06/2023 14:46

We went through something similar with our ddog she was only 2, was running around 1 week then the next in for tests as she wasnt eating. Turned out her red blood cell count was dangerously low, after numerous tests they confirmed an auto-immune disease where her body was attacking any red blood cells that were being created. We had visited her the afternoon before, which was so heartbreaking the vet had said to come back the next day but at 5:30am she went into respiratory failure and he had to put her to sleep. I am glad we saw her the day before but it would have meant a lot to have seen her moments before she was pts. So sorry for your loss! 🌺

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 14/06/2023 14:52

We last got to see her on Sunday. We weren’t able to see her after that.

Our cat died at the beginning of this year (pts) and at the time the vet said to me that pets always look for their owners at the end. I let her down :(

The alternative would have been for DD to not do her gcse and us to race over to the hospital.

I suggested euthanasia to the vet yesterday but he was insistent we should do the tests, I just had a bad feeling about it all. Plus omg the costs of it all. It would have been worth it to save her but it just prolonged her suffering.

OP posts:
Starsandrain · 14/06/2023 14:58

Im
sorry to hear this. Can I ask what her breathing was like at the end? My elderly dog is breathing deeply and panting and wondering if she is coming to the end of her days. She also seems to be losing her mobility now.

Paperbagsaremine · 14/06/2023 15:01

As far as DDog knew, she was sick, the vets and nurses were caring for her and fussing her. Had you been there she would still have been sick, not aware of much due to the sedation.
It's sad for you that you weren't able to say goodbye. DDog is beyond suffering now because you did the least worst thing you could have in the situation you all found yourselves in.
Look after yourself and please don't think you did anything wrong. Just a shit set of circumstances.

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 14/06/2023 15:03

Her breaths were up to 50 a minute whilst laying down and she was having to use abdominal muscles to breathe. She had a couple of episodes like that but then was like it a lot of Sunday.

(Whilst still scoffing her food, running around in the garden, playing with my other dog etc, so not obviously “ill “)

OP posts:
Starsandrain · 14/06/2023 15:56

Thanks. Listening to mine now and it’s probably the same. She’s struggling to get up today but still happy for food treats. I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring. I guess she will get to a point where she can’t get up at all but I don’t want her to get to that point.

Starsandrain · 14/06/2023 15:56

As in I think it will be too stressful and time for her to go before she gets to that point.

Starsandrain · 14/06/2023 15:58

She’s did 20 breaths in 30 secs so assuming 40 in a minute. Think she’s falling asleep though so slowing down a bit. Trouble is she is following me everywhere I go and I want her to relax so I am sitting still as much as I can.

ErrolTheDragon · 14/06/2023 16:12

Flowers I'm so sorry OP. But of course you did the right, kind thing to let her go then while she was sedated rather than 'saying goodbye'.

Moanycowbag · 14/06/2023 19:32

Starsandrain · 14/06/2023 15:58

She’s did 20 breaths in 30 secs so assuming 40 in a minute. Think she’s falling asleep though so slowing down a bit. Trouble is she is following me everywhere I go and I want her to relax so I am sitting still as much as I can.

There is a really good app called Cardalis where you can monitor heart rate/breathing rate and it stores it for you in graph form, but I was told to do the count at rest for my dog that had heart problems but not during dream phase. I was told if I remember correctly 16 - 20 good over 30 not good.

Starsandrain · 14/06/2023 22:03

Oh. That’s not good news then. We are going to see how she is tomorrow and see if we need the vet.

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