On the Thursday between Christmas and New Year we noticed Harry's breathing was erratic. We took him to the vets who put him in an oxygen cage and told us they suspected he had a blood clot as his legs were stiff but there was no way of knowing for certain as it could also be arthritis. After a long discussion we took him home with some gabapentin for the pain and he seemed fine.
The following day I noticed he was really out of it and confused, pacing and circling, so we took him back to the vet and we decided after yet another long discussion he'd gone through enough and the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep. The vet was about to get him ready and she ran through our options again, which included upping his heart meds as much as possible. At the last minute DH said 'we'll do it, let's see how he goes'.
I'd already asked if the gabapentin could have caused the confusion but the vet said it was unlikely but I think it was as, touching wood (and anything else for luck!) he's not been confused since. His back legs are also back to normal so I'm wondering if he jarred himself jumping down from a chair.
He's an old boy and I'm not stupid, I know he won't be here for that much longer so I'm trying to enjoy being with him and not stress too much - it's not easy!
Heres the man himself in his new bed!