Well, I've gone back and forth, and back.
It's done, i'm not going there. His symptomatology is working its way.
I'll admit we don't know if it is slipped discs or myelopathy, but it is progressive.
I finally looked up the carts, the hoisting thingies - and the getting of them and using of them over time is just too weird for me and Pacco, oh, say five or six times a day. Little catchalls so his feet don't scrape on the concrete as they 'knuckle' or 'knee'...just to pee or poop, all propped by wheels to move x number of feet. waaaaaah.
He's my treasure, and me his, I'm not going there. He has always ruled his domain. I'm going to let him go.
Not sure quite when, but not all so long.
You're his person.
That's how it works.
Offering a knuckle drag across his peanut.
~~~~~
Thought of the two of you today. Set, the dogs, and I were driving back to Toronto after a long weekend with the hamburgers. Highway stop. Lotsa other dogs - including one absolutely gorgeous wheaten-coloured corgi. He was clearly a much-loved travelling companion.
Well, the vet and I have a acknowledgement that I'll warn him, preferably, and then go there. It's in Corrales, good place and kind vet.
I'll try to avoid posting more on this until such time.
Can't guess when, now.
Meantime, I go to Walgreen's for some light bulbs, weeping.
Well, everybody here knows about the leavetaking.
Quibbling, but Tartarin called Pacco a ranch corgi (she knows corgis at large). He is only occasionally fluffy, wheaton-ly. Well, like, never.
She said she thought he might have been from some place in Oregon, which raised ranch corgis, which makes sense for a dog found by folk allied with the humane society, walking 101 in Eureka, which is near Oregon. Me, I think he was tossed out of a car, at KMart, for barking. He always favored one leg, and I figured it was from the car tossing, or his own jumping.
I've met a number of what I think of as powder puff corgis. Different dogs than Pacco.
Uh, I don't mind talking about corgis and Pacco and other a2k dogs.
I don't want to dwell on how I deal with putting him down just yet, thank you. Will let you know.
Finally glanced in here and saw what's going on with Pacco. So sorry for what the two of you are going through, osso.
I've been reading along for some time now, but haven't had anything to say. Just want you to know my thoughts are with you, Osso. I know Pacco's in good hands. (He knows it, too.)
Osso
Osso, you know how much we both love our dogs, which makes me respect you even more. You are thinking of what is best for Pacco instead of your own feelings of loss. That is real love.
BBB
Thanks, all, with a hug to BBB.
Sorry, ehBeth, I seem to have gone riffing on Pacco not being wheatony; weird tangent, and thanks for thinking of us.
And hi, pdawg. We're going through some of the same stuff. So is Noddy with Iffy, I think.
(wheaton, as in, the color - not the type of corgi- the one we saw, that is)
osso, You're in my thoughts a lot.
Osso--
Your decision is a wise one. I think I mentioned the Beagle Pup With Wheels in a PM? On Sunday I went down to the vet's to pick up Iffy's pills and the Kennel Techs were trying the same sort of gadget with a old, arithritic mixed breed dog who was very unhappy.
With Pacco in mind, I checked with the Head Tech who supervises getting dogs used to wheels on a regular basis. She said that the older the dog, the more difficult the adjustment.
Iffy still has moments of High Indignation at Top Volume, but she's napping more and more. She's managed to train Mr. Noddy to feed her Super Cookies on demand. As a result she's not eating much dog food, but she's very happy with a Super Cookie diet.
Dear Osso,
I don't know if you will find this helpful, but about 22 months ago our Vizsla Sadie was having trouble getting up the steps, she stopped wagging her tail and generally seemed to be suffering from general back pain. We did take her for a MRI and the first neuro-surgeon called with the results while we were driving home from Virginia where the MRI was conducted. He said it was degenerative myleopathy (sp?) and gave us a grim picture of the near future. But when his report came in the mail I read his remarks and he had noted that the dog had 10 bulging discs but he determined that the discs were not a problem because when he pushed on the ruptured discs the dog did not cry out.
The thing that was wrong with this picture is that animals are very stoic, when they display weakness they become prey so a dog in an unfamiliar place being poked and prodded by a stranger is not going to react in a weak fashion. Since I have had back surgery for the same thing I know I didn't scream with pain when my disc was examined. So now we are off to another specialist, this time in Westminster, Maryland and the moment the surgeon looked at Sadie, he said Oh, that dog has a problem in her neck her middle back and toward the base of her tail. He could see this without even looking at the MRI. He stated after he reviewed the MRI was that he could do the surgery, explained the risks and we decided to go for it. The surgery was incredibly successful, the afternoon after surgery, Sadie was able to hold her head up straighter than before the surgery. The recovery was lengthy, I needed to assist her out with straps supporting her body every two hours to relieve herself, because the steroids they used to control swelling and pain also caused her greater urgency to relieve herself.
She did make progress and was actually playing and prancing around in a few months but about 9 months after surgery, her liver began to fail and we couldn't save her from that. We still are not sure if the drugs they used to alleviate her discomfort caused damage to her liver, but at least she had about 7 to 9 months of a more comfortable existence. Bottom line is I'm not sure we did the best thing for her in the long run. We put her thru a lot in an attempt to save her. I think it made us more comfortable to have her with us, and I feel she was in less pain, but ultimately the result was the same. The experience with Sadie was still fresh when Chloe began to fail, and we knew she would be too stressed to undergo any long trips for fancy tests that probably wouldn't help any way. So we kept her comfortable for as long as possible. They were both wonderful girls and I enjoyed every minute we had with them.
Dog companionship is a wonderful gift, I know how much Pacco meant to you, it is clear in your description of him. I even feel like I knew Pacco. I hope within time, all of us who have lost our furry companions can find room to welcome in another companion. Everyone of the companions are different, I don't belive in replacement, but I do believe in enjoying life and enjoying friends of the 2-legged and 4-legged variety.
