Need Some Support Friends, My lab is sick Options

[terio]

********** Hi! We thought it best to bring Terri's post to the "Death & Dying" area, for more exposure, so that she can
receive more love, comfort & help........ I know that Marcia alluded to this in a post, but I "spoke with Terri",
and she agreed to the move.........
Lightning-Strike is a wonderful place, with exceptional human beings who love people, and the "furry family"
who loves them...(or...finned...winged....rodent-type, etc., etc., etc....) LS is for all of us!!!!

God Bless You All..............Love, Denise (Muffins)...xo

P.S. PLEASE DO NOT WORRY YOURSELF OVER "LONG POSTS", MY NEW FRIEND............. I FEEL THAT
I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO TAKE UP MORE SPACE THAN A LOT OF THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE ON HERE.......********
ALWAYS BE SURE THAT YOU SAY AND GET OFF YOUR CHEST WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY...........
WE ARE ALL HERE FOR YOU...........JUST REMEMBER THAT..........OKAY?????????****





Hi everyone,
This is my first post here...so I'm just figuring out how to post ect. My dear 9 year old lab is very sick and I need someone to talk to and go thru this with me. About a month ago I found a lump... it was a cancerous tumor that was removed and the margins were clear so I hoped for the best.
She seemed normal for about a week...but then she went into a decline. She was having a lot of trouble with her back legs and her arthritis prescription didn't seem to help. She was whining a lot and I knew things weren't right. I took her in for one vet visit where they didn't run test or in my opinion investigate completely. She had a hernia and said she needed hernia surgery but that wasn't what was causing her pain.
The morning of her scheduled surgery I told them she wouldn't be having hernia surgery because she wasn't eating and seemed to be in pain. She was diagnosed with diabetes... the vet said all would be fine and we could take her home and give her insulin ect. She then went back into the back room and came out to tell us that she just got the results of another test and things were much worse... she was in a bad stage of it.
After several days of trying to regulate her diabetes she again took a turn for the worse...vomiting ect... Today she had ultrasounds that revealed probable stumach/liver cancer and she is requiring anti nausea meds to see if she can hold food. I feel like I'm paralyzed and can't leave her side..my couch ect. Luckily I work at home so won't have to leave her but I do licensed day care so worry about if she starts dying while I'm at work with the kids.
With her diabetes and cancer and who knows what else..her condition could decline rapidly. I feel sick to my own stumach and am just coming to terms with this...
I think this is too long for a first post..but hopefully I can share more about some of the anxiety's I'm feeling and get some support and offer support to others too.
I do believe in the rainbow bridge. The bible tells us that God will give us the desires of our heart and that we can't even imagine the wonders he has prepared for us...so I believe our wonderful pets will be there.
Thankyou for listening and Blessings to all... I have another dog, and two cats but Dutchess is the senior pet and it is heartbreaking. Terri

This post has been edited by Muffins: Jan 1 2005, 01:32 AM

[BabyHannahsMom]

Oh Terri,
I am very sorry to hear about your girl. Your post isn't too long at all. Please say whatever you feel like saying. Some of us are well-known for long posts, but that's just fine. A lot of people here have been dealing with the diabetes, and they will come on to offer their thoughts and support.

I know how frightened you must feel. So much bad news. I noticed you said "probable stomach/liver cancer." Is that not something the vet can give you a definitive answer about? What did the vet say?

I am glad you don't have to leave her. Is there another adult there with you when you have the kids?

I made a post in the "Death and Dying" section here for the others to come here to see your post -- simply because that's where most of the "traffic" is here so you will get some more responses from the others. We will support you and help you in any way we can. I'll say a prayer for you and your girl.
Marcia

[Ann H]

Hello Terri, I am so sorry that your little Dutchess and for the pain you and she are both going through. I know that the ultra sound shows masses but often does not show it clearly.

I just lost my little girl, a miniature schnauzer on Sunday. She had cancer and cushings she had been fighting for her life for 10 months. Last month she was ill and I took her to the vets he said she had diabetes and was kept in the hospital for a few days.

After she came home her health declined, the vet said she was hypersensitive to the insulin and to stop giving the shots. She could not eat and she tried to drink water but she threw that up too. The vet thought her pancreas shut down and we lost her, she died on her own.

I know the pain of taking care of one's baby and the fear that it might happen that day. It was heartbreaking and tears came often and the thoughts of Snookie dieing was always with me.

It was hard for some people to understand the pain somehow they thought it was good that she was still alive and it should not bother me that someday she would pass away. I am thankful for every minute I had with Snookie but still I was grieving all those months before she left me.

The vets thought she would not live past August. I held her, smelled her fur, and loved on her every minute. I had always did that but did it even more often when I found out she was sick and there was nothing they could do to save her.

I clipped some of Snookies hair to put in a locket, I bought play dough and made a foot print of her. Everyday I took pictures of her knowing I would never have enough.

I understand your pain and I care as well as the wonderful people here on LS do. Maybe you should take her to one more vet to see what else might be done. Take the blood tests and the ultra sound results and anything else you may have had done. I am so sorry, just so very sorry for you and your baby. Now this is long!
Ann

[terio]

Thankyou so much!! I just want to have a place to come to with questions and concerns and to share with people that understand and have experience with this. The dogs ultrasound showed build ups that are consistent with the mass cell tumor that she had previously on her belly... The only way to have a 100 percent diagnosis would be to operate and she is much too sick for any procedure. Right now she is sleeping peacefully on her big dog bed by my feet..and her boxer friend is cuddled up next to her.... I rescued the boxer from the shelter 3 years ago and they are the best of friends. I've been kind of short with the boxer...cause she keeps trying to get Dutchess to play. We are all hurting. It was heartbreaking seeing my boxer "Faith" bring one toy after another to dutchess to see what could get her to play... I know that I should be thankful for the time I've had but this hurts as all of you here know only too well.

[terio]

Thankyou Ann! It sounds like you know what I'm going thru... The vet said that we may be able to keep her comfortable for a couple of months. When I got the news over the phone today a big part of me felt she should be put to sleep now... can't stand to see her sick. Eating was always her favorite..she would get soooo excited when it was mealtime that I sometimes thought she'd have a heart attack if I didn't get it to her quick enough!! So seeing her start to eat and then throw up is the worst... she did keep her feeding down this evening for about 3 hours now... so we will see... She has been hospitalized during the day the last few days and allowed to come home at night... but now we are on our own for the weekend and it's a wait and see if she'll be able to eat, take insulin ect. Thankyou Ann for sharing your story... I will go back and read about your baby and pray for your healing. I am so glad to have found this place and your support and care. Terri

[Romeo's_daddy]

Terri,

I have no experience in dealing with sick animals but I will tell you how I would try to handle it myself. Firstly, I am making the assumption that the cancer is terminal. I pray that it isn't, but I need to make that assumption based on the advice I am about to provide. If it was my dog (child), I would always put on a brave face. Animals more than people have the ability to sense despair, sadness, anxiety, anger, etc. in people. So I would do my best not to exhibit anything but happiness and love and cheerfulness around my animal, even if it is a charade. Unfortunately if she is terminal, you will have lots of time when she is gone to let your true emotions out (obviously when you are posting to this website you don't need to wear that mask of braveness). Now the diabetes can take weeks or months before the insulin dosage is figured out correctly. It will be tough seeing her struggle with the diabetes and you will have to be vigilant in watching her for signs of insulin shock, but at least the diabetes can be managed. I think if i found out one of my animals was terminal, I'd spoil them to the extreme. I mean they are already spoiled, but I would give them whatever they want, whenever they want it, 100 times over.

As far as the day-care issue, I don't have a solution for you. Chances are, however, that if your baby declines that rapidly, you will have the opportunity to end her suffering for her. It is the ultimate sacrifice. The minute I find out that one of my pets is in pain that I can't lessen, or no longer has a meaningful quality of life, I will do what I so dread doing. My personal opinion is that it is the ultimate act of selfishness to allow one of my babies to suffer so that I can spend one more day with them. I also know it is so much easier to give this advice than it is to follow it. But again, this is my thought process if it was one of my own babies.

I don't know or feel like I've done a very good job of helping you and I've probably done nothing to make you feel any better. I've just told you how I would respond if I were placed in your situation. For whatever it is worth, I truly feel for you and your baby. I am sorry I cannot do more for you. I wish you the best of luck and we will always be here for you during these very trying times.

God Bless.

Steve

[terio]

Hi Steve,
Thankyou for your input... you have made some wonderful points that I agree with. As sad as this is... she is the star of the house right now and everyone is lavishing love on her and she is enjoying it!! I am thankful that during the last week that her condition has deteriorated both my husband and I are off work, my human babies (20,19 and 16) are on school break and our routines have been fixed around dealing with this. Nurturing sick animals seems to bond us even tighter to them which makes the grief more intense.
And I know that people that lose their pets abrubtly don't have the time we are having to say goodbye. There is no easy way to lose a loved one. I am hoping that we will settle into a new routine that is the "new" normal for us... and I just pray that we are able to have her put to rest before she does any real suffering... I feel that if she can't eat her food without throwing it up there isn't any need to prolong things..but the vet sent her home with 3 meds to take half an hour before meal time to help her keep her food down. We will see if it works...
I'm wondering if these meds keep her food down if she still feels nauseated. I think that feeling sick to your stumach is very unpleasant.
You say you don't have any experience with sick animals... what brings you here? Thanks and God bless all of you! Terri

[Romeo's_daddy]

I lost my cat Romeo about a month ago. If you click on my name and view all my posts and go to the last page of posts, the first 2 or 3 will tell Romeo's story. All the other posts are responses to other people's posts. Please don't be too hard on the boxer

[Pamela]

Hi Terri,
I'm so sorry your girl is sick. I lost My Moose rather quickly in a car accident. I dont know how I would have handled an illness like you are having to. I only know about the love that you feel for her. And now I know about the loss, it is a painful journey. I am glad I found LS and have come to care for many here and feel sometimes like we are all sitting around a coffee table with our picture albums, It has helped me alot.
I also have faith that the Father will give us our hearts disire and much more, animals are special to the lord, why, they even witnessed the birth, and knew. I can only encourage you as you travel this journey to post your feelings and let the blessings pour to give you strength. You are in my prayers. Pamela

[terio]

Thankyou Pam.... the picture of your black lab makes me cry... He is so beautiful... much more "buff" than Dutchess!! I just love the image that I'm getting of all these animals playing together at the bridge. I've told Dutchess that she'll be playing like a little pup again, taking long snoozes... eating all kinds of treats and endless tail wags. My son calls Dutchess "moose" because she grew so fast as a puppy and she's a big girl so your pets pic really tugs on my heartstrings. You people here are wonderful.... it has helped me tremendously tonight... I think I'll be able to sleep soon..i'm exhausted..this is all so draining. Thankyou everyone!!! What a wonderful site this is.

[Muffins]

Dear Terri:

Please, my newest friend...............please take care of yourself, and if you are tired......then, you need to go to sleep.

I am extremely sorry that your sweet girl is ill..............It's such a terrible thing when one of our furry babies are ill....
Believe me Terri..............WE ALL FEEL FOR YOU!!!!(AND YOUR FAMILY!!)

Our sweet Ernestine was put to sleep on February 7, 2004....at the age of 19 years and 10 months..... WE KNOW THAT WE WERE SOOOOOOOOOO BLESSED......

A month later, we adopted two furkids who desperately needed a home, and were terribly abused by their former owner.

Mr. Yoster is roughly 9 years old, and Ms. Lucy is about 8 years old............... Our sweet Ms. Lucy has asthma, and about 5 months ago (+/-), was diagnosed with insulin diabetes.......

My husband Ben and I ----- these two sweet babies are our children...... We don't have "the human kind".....

But, I'll tell you..................I was helped soooooooooooo very much by soooo many people here at LS after our Ernestine was put to sleep..................that, I just HAVE TO STAY!!!!

I LOVE LIGHTNING STRIKE VERY, VERY MUCH, AND I LOVE ALL THE PEOPLE THAT POST HERE!!!!! I stay here now because I have a sweet girl that has a couple of illnesses......and, all of the wonderful people here do give me such wonderful help!!!!!

If I can ever help anyone at all..............I am sooooo very happy to do so!!!!! That makes me soooooo happy!!!!

My sweet girl Ernestine, who was put to sleep in February, 2004..............her passing has been a journey for me.....

And, I love everyone here.....Everyone here has helped me "get through" immensely!!!

I always feel terribly bad when someone new comes along....................BUT, I WILL BE HONEST AND TELL YOU THAT -----

"IF YOU HAD TO FIND A PET-GRIEF SITE, I AM GLAD (VERY, VERY GLAD), THAT YOU STUMBLE UPON US!!!!!!"
*******THERE IS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BETTER PLACE FOR YOU TO HAVE COME...........******

So, I welcome you and your family with open arms, as I KNOW EVERYONE ELSE DOES!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Love, Denise, Ben, Ms. Lucy and Mr. Yoster xo

[Pamela]

I was and am still so proud of Moose. As Lab's go he was so handsome and polite, and vocal! I miss him with all my heart, he was my love. Pamela

[terio]

Thankyou Denise!! You are wonderful and I'm so relieved to find this site. Just knowing that I have people that understand and relate to what I'm going thru and are willing to talk and listen. Cause I love to talk!! (lol) I volunteered at the animal shelter for a year.. mostly working with the cats. We had so many cats come in around 8 or 9 or older and I always just fell in love with them. I would take them in the get aquainted room and make friends with them. It took very special people to adopt these "older" (lol) cats so many wanted kittens. We rejoiced when the older cats got adopted out. The boxer I adopted is also special needs and requires dailey medications ect.. she was badly neglected and is the most loving girl. She cuddles like a baby!! Animals are so awesome.... and so are the people that love them! Terri

[Miss Mew]

Hi Terio!
I hope that you were able to get some sleep last night. I was posting you shortly after midnight when we suddenly had a power outtage- oh the joys of living in the country and depending on Quebec Hydro.I must admit that the weather didn't help either-freezing rain kept us captive in our homes yesterday.
How is Dutchess doing today? I agree with Romeo's Dad, the diabetes can be managed. We treated our Main Coon Sidney for more than 2 years and and when he passed 4 years ago the cause was unrelated to the diabetes. Mind you the after giving him his first insulin shot, I sat down and had a stiff drink I was shaking so hard. I did it while he was eating and he never even noticed! We were also fortunate in that we never had to deal with insulin shock. This might be because at the same time we were treating his diabetes with the help of a homeopathic vet. I still don't fully understand all the principles of homeopathy but I have become a great beleiver in it's power to help many of our furkids.it is not expensive, not invasive and I like one of it's tenets " first do no harm".
We are presently owned by 3 felines and a 14 year old Shepherd named Mik. He was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy at age 12 and the vet that saw him at the time said " you might have 6 months before his back legs paralyse". I'm sure everyone here at LS knows the sick feeling in the pit of the stomach that was produced by that diagnosis. I won't bore you with all the details of the research that I embarked on, vowing to wage battle against DM. Well here we are 2 years later and Mik is not paralysed yet. His walk is not perfect, he needs a "boost" to get up and lie on his favorite love seat and his condition has deteriorated but very very slowly. Conventional medicine has little to offer patients with DM but homeopathic medicine is responsible for him still being with us.
Terio, I am not suggesting that this could cure Dutchess, but if you can, I would encourage you to consult a holistic or homeopathic vet. Two years ago I was simply trying to "buy" an extra year for Mik, and here we are 2 years later! Thankfully DM is not painful, it only hurts us to see him stand on the top of his feet occasionally and walk as if he was treading on a field of landmines. As well as the DM, because of his age, he also has some arthritis and for this condition the homeopathy HAS been nothing short of miraculous. Hope this helps and as everyone here has said, please keep us updated and post as often as you want.

Take care, Nicole

[Miss Mew]

Hi everyone,
I tried to post in " Death and Dying Support" forum but could not access. Keep getting "error' Message. What am I doing wrong or is anybody else having problems? I am not very computer savvy......
Nicole

[terio]

Thanks Nicole... Dutchess seems stable today. She kept last nights feeding down. This morning I gave her her 3 stumach meds...half an hour later her meal...half an hour later insulin. No vomiting so far.. praises. She seems comfy..but I'm still wondering if she feels crummy. She was up and nuzzling me this morning for food. I've been sleeping on the couch downstairs with her right next to me on her dog bed... Faith the other dog with us too...sometimes on Dutchess bed with her..sometimes on her own. I'm not getting much sleep...but it's the only place I want to be right now. I can reach over and pet her any time. Our main problem looks to be that she's got a tummy full of cancer, which is causing eating problems that don't combine well with the diabetes. This site is helping me not feel so overwhelmed. I'm hoping to get past the sadness of the illness and just enjoy having this time to take care of her needs. Best wishes to you and your dog.... He's lucky to have such a wonderful mommy/caretaker that has given him such wonderful treatment.

[Rusty's Mom]

Hello Terri,

Just read about Dutchess and want you to know I am thinking of you. I recently lost my bunny, Rusty (he actually was more like a dog/cat than a rabbit). He was elderly but was helped greatly by herbs/glucosamine. I had consulted a terrific herbalist and she set up a regimen that really worked well. He'd been having trouble with his back legs, where we'd have to give him a boost after he'd been laying down awhile. My hubby at the beginning of last summer, tried to "prepare" me for Rusty's passing. He knew I'd be a mess. Even he was suprised at how well Rusty did when he was on those herbs.......so that is another route you might want to pursue.

We currently have a German shepherd, 3 other bunnies and 3 birds.

Will say a prayer for you.

LS truly is the best place to be.

Love,

Lynn

[kimberlyheide]

Terio, My heart reaches out to you and duchess. It is so hard watching our fur babies decline and not being able to heal them. We nurture, love, and protect them as best we can from danger all their lives. When they get sick and there is nothing we can do to heal them it brings up many different emotions.

Dealing with the death of our loved ones brings up so many different thoughts we have to come to terms with. With Bubbas death it seemed to be a marker in my life where I realized that 14 1/2 years has passed very quickly and I am that much older. Bubba was very sick with cancer. He declined very rapidly. Bubba loved to eat and when I saw him refuse food for 2 days I knew it was time. He was very uncomfortable and his hip bones were starting to show. This cat was perfectly healthy 4 weeks previous to this. I took him to the vet the next day and bubba went into surgery. The vet called me and told me he needed to go... I gave my permission for euthanasia. I knew bubba was dying and that surgery was a last ditch effort for a miracle. He is not hurting anymore and is free from the body that was causing him so much pain.

I always know that one day I will have to say goodbye to my special friends, since we do out live them. I know that they were loved unconditionally and our bond will never die. I know they are with us in spirit and we will meet again.

[CheriAnn]

Dear Terio,

My heart just breaks for you, your family and your precious Duchess. I just lost my beautiful little lab, Rachael, on October 2nd to cancer. She was almost 12 years old. Cancer is such a devastating disease and so unpredictable.

Rachael had tumors removed years prior, so we knew she was vunerable, but always hoped for the best. She started developing arthritis two years ago. We treated her with home remedies and vitamins which seemed to help her. We dreaded using the prescription drugs because of possible side-effects. Then, three days before she was put to sleep, she suddenly had trouble getting up and down. We took her to vet, thinking it was her arthritis and were horrified to discover that she had become so weak from internal bleeding! She gave us no signs of pain or suffering. Her poor "little" body became so weak finally, that she could no longer hide it from us. We prayed for an ulcer and treated her for that. After two days, she became worse and worse and our worst fears were true....she had cancer that was beyond help.

She went down hill SO fast! She stopped eating and eventually stopped drinking. She could no longer lift her body up and we would carry outside and hold her up when she needed to relieve herself. I had to make that terrible decision to end her suffering. It was SO hard to do! She was still very much alert. She would ALWAYS raise her head to look at us each time we approached her and wag her tail. Our 3 year old lab boy, Danny, seemed to sense her pain too. He would cuddle up against her and lay there with her. We knew he would miss her as much as we would. I'm sure Faith must be aware that Duchess isn't feeling good.

I share this with you, not to take away from your terrible dilhema, but to share in your pain of watching a loved furbaby suffer from cancer. Our vet also said that exploratory surgery was just not an option because she was so weak and sick. It is such a good sign that Duchess can keep her feedings down! When my Rachael would no longer eat or drink, I knew then that she was extremly weak and suffering. I pray that your precious Duchess can recover and you can get her stable with her insulin. I believe that we all can sense when a furbaby is suffering and needs help. Please don't worry about your Duchess and what to do. She sounds like a fighter! If a day comes when she needs your help, you will be able to sense that from her. I do believe that, because I have read so many stories in here, where we all seem to go into "auto-pilot" and take the best care of our furbabies, right to the very end.

God Bless you and my prayers are with you!
Cheri

[Kathleen032]

Dear Terri,

I know how devastating the diagnosis of cancer is. My Shiloh was diagnosed with lymphoma in May, we did chemo therapy all summer long and Shiloh tolerated it very well. I was just heart broken when Shiloh came out of remission in late August. I had to have her put down on Sept. 17th. I am all too familiar with the heart break one experiences when you watch your beloved pet go through the pain and suffering of cancer. I'm so sorry.

You and Dutchess are in my thoughts and prayers.
Kathleen