Dingle has been having problems with her back legs since this spring. It's gotten progressively worse and has really gotten bad these past few weeks. She now has trouble getting up and down the stairs most times and she pees on the floor at least once a day, if not more. She hasn't seemed to be in any pain though. Her legs just fall out from under her and lately she just drags them at times.
I finally got her into the vet this morning just to get a clearer picture of what exactly is going on and to see if there was anything we could do for her. She had an x-ray and bloodwork done. Her bloodwork was just fine; the x-rays, not so much. She has two slipped discs and a third one that's heading that way. There was another disc that didn't look quite right (I forgot what the technical term was) that was just due to aging. She also has some arthritis in her hips. The vet said the slipped discs are what is causing the incontinence.
He gave us some non-steroid anti-inflammatory medicine and some pills for the incontinence, so we'll see if we can keep her comfortable and keep my carpets pee free. She doesn't seem to be in any pain right now, which is part of the reason I put off taking her in, but as soon as she isn't able to walk or if the meds don't work, we'll see about putting her down. I asked if this meant she was pretty close to the end and the vet just nodded. He didn't say how long she had, but I got the feeling she'll be going downhill pretty quickly. We definitely won't be prolonging her life once she's in a lot of pain.
Honestly, I've thought for awhile now that I was ready for her to go (like when I'm cleaning up pee for the third time in a day). When I actually think about the reality of taking her in and watching it happen though, I get teary. I don't want to do it because she's inconveniencing us, but as soon as she's hurting, I'll be ready. Or more accurately, I'll be ready to send Chris to do it.
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Down Low on Dingle
Posted by Kelsey at 10:58 AM
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3 comments:
Remember that you can always drop her off in my back yard. She is more than welcome to stay back there until she looks like she is in pain, and I will take care of the rest. She is still one of my favorites.
Awww. So sorry to hear that Dingle is having problems. I know how special those 4-legged kids are to all of you, and how difficult losing one will be. Let's hope that the meds work well for her.
That was a nice offer, Json (is that aka J-Dawg?).
Awww, thanks Jason; that's very sweet of you. We'll see how the meds work and maybe by the time baby gets here we'll have made a decision. We'll definitely keep that in mind if she hasn't shown much change.
Linda- I really think I'll be ok when Dingle's time is up. I'll be sad at first, but I think I'll get over it pretty quickly. She's been a real handful lately and I'm not looking forward to dealing with this and taking care of a new baby. Clara on the other hand..... if it happens close to the baby's arrival, I don't know how she'll take it. This is going to be a hard couple of years for her as the other two are getting close to their life expectancy as well.
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