Our Beautiful Shepherd Mik

Hello to old and new friends,
I discovered this wonderful site last October 1st when we had to say farewell to our 21 year old purrpaw, Miss Mew. The support and empathy that I received was incredible.
Sadly on June 15th 2005, we had to have our 14 year old Shepherd put to sleep. Again the members of LS were there for me. Although I thought that I was coping with this second passing pretty well, the last few days have been particularly difficult. The rational side of me tells me to get over it, however the irrational side of me is not coping so well. I feel a mixture of great sadness, depression and numbness. I read many of your posts before writing this and chastised myself because we did not lose Miss Mew and Mik due to a cruel or senseless accident, nor to some insidious disease that took them to the Bridge in the prime of their life. My heart breaks for so many of you tonight because your losses occured in terribly tragic cir%%stances.
My sister breeds miniature horses and is arranging a consultation with an animal communicator, an empathic who can supposedly also communicate with the spirit of animals that have passed. Feeling the way that I do, part of me is sceptic but another part is curious to know if this could bring some kind of closure to our recent losses.
Thank you for being there and listening.
Nicole

Mik Got His Angel Wings Today

I discovered this site last October when my 21 year old kitty, Miss Mew, crossed over to the Bridge. Today, sadly, the second senior of our clan, our 14 year old Shepherd Mik has joined his step-sister. We are now left with 4 purr-paws, the eldest being approximately 8 years old, so hopefully the painful leave taking is over for a while.
I had been posting in the Disease Forum, describing the challenges of dealing with Degenerative Myelopathy, an unfortunately common disease afflicting mostly older Shepherds. In a nutshell DM is the canine equivalent of MS in humans. An auto-immune disease of the spinal chord that slowly paralyses the dog's hindquarters. There is no cure yet, but there are protocols that can slow down the progress. Two years ago we were told that we had perhaps 6 months before paralysis set in. Thus began our battle and we won a major victory, 18 more months of quality time. I welcome any owner of a Shepherd to contact me if you want to know more about the symptoms of DM as it is an insidious disease that is often mis-diagnosed as arthritis or hip dysplasia. Believe me the breeders of GS dogs do not care to discuss it. The earlier the protocols are started the better and many vets are not aware of the measures that can seriously extend the dog's life.
Although still not paralysed, Mik's mobility was seriously affected during the last 3 weeks and he had been incontinent for the last month. Poor baby just could not feel the urge to void. My husband and I did not make a big deal of it, just cleaned him and the mess up and soldiered on. Thank God for disposable incontinence pads. But in the last week Mik seemed weary of the whole process and that special spark was missing from his eyes.
Today at 3.20 pm, with the assistance of a wonderful vet that we had never met, the only one that would agree to come to our home because of Mik's physical challenges, our special pupster was deftly sedated and with absolutely no distress, was released from this earthly world. Tonight he is running on 4 legs again. Despite our remaining furbabies the house is eerily empty now. We did not choose to bury him here at Grand Lake ( we would have had to rent a backhoe as this is very rocky terrain) nor to have his ashes returned to us. As I told the vet when we made the appointment, his body is only a shell, the essence of Mik and his spirit or soul will always reside here and in our hearts.
Having called the vet last Friday and he could only come today, Wednesday, gave me so much time to enjoy him but to privately cry often. As well as conventional medicine we also used homeopathy to extend Mik's life. I had never used homeopathic remedies for myself until today. I used a Bach Flower Remedy called Rescue. I know this sounds very "new age" but it works, don't ask me how. Rescue is a mixture of 5 remedies- Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem- which together help deal with any emergency or stressful event. Safe for adults, children, babies, animals, even plants, it is not a drug, but is a remedy containing a positive natural energy. If you have an injured or fearful pet that you have to transport to the vet, you simply rub a few drops on their gums. For adult humans 4 drops under the tongue as needed. Don't get me wrong, this does not make the pain of grieving disappear, however it makes it bearable. It is a remedy that comforts and soothes. I have read many posts from members in such acute physical and emotional pain I just had to share my experience in the hope that it might help someone who feels caught in the quicksand of despair. After today my medicine cabinet willl never be without it. And if it is beneficial to any of you, please thank Mik, the most loving, intelligent, gracious and courageous Shepherd that we had the privilege of being owned by.
As I write this in my husband's home office, I look to the right at the loveseat where Mik spent so much time relaxing, looking out to the lake and I swear that I can see him lying there with a doggy grin on his face, saying " we did good Mom..."
Good night my sweet Mik, thank you so much for sharing your earthly existence with me, I so hope we meet again.
Nicole

Euthanasia

Hi all,
It's me again (aka Miss Mew ) had to re-register as the site did not seem to recognize me, will ever be computer savyy?
As some of you know, after losing Miss Mew last October we were still owned by 3 1/2 cats (now 4) and a Shepherd named Mik. Mik turned 14 on April 22nd 2005 and has been battling Degenerative Myelopathy for the last 2 years.In a nutshell, Myelopathy is an auto-immune disease, prevalent in Shepherds, that attacks the spinal chord resulting in a gradual paralysis of the hind quarters. Upon being diagnosed 2 years ago, the vet said we might have 6 months. I won't bore you with all the details, but after much research we found protocols that could slow the progression of this insidious disease. With myelopathy there are good days and bad days but in the last week the bad days have started to outnumber the good ones. Thankfully Mik is is no pain however walking has become a chore and he has had many "accidents" in the last few days. I don't think that he can feel the urge when it is time to attend to bodily functions. We have armed ourselves with numerous disposable incontinence pads and we don't make a big deal of it when and if he has an accident. Our are carpets are old and can be replaced and that is just "stuff" anyway. His appetite is still fantastic and despite his reduced mobility he still seems to enjoy life. The only measure that we have not taken is purchasing a special cart for him. We do not live in a terrain that would be friendly to a dog cart and it could only be used outdoors. Even then lifting a 100 pound dog into a cart is not an easy matter. Also my husband objects to the principle of putting "wheels" on a dog, his opinion is that it robs the animal of its dignity. I don't know what to think, only that we are faced with the prospect of euthanizing a disabled dog. I told my husband that the decision was his to make, and I know that it is not a decision that he will make easily. He works from home so that the dog is really never left unattended.
Have any of you ever dealt with such a dilemna? This is not like dealing with cancer or another life threatening disease. What can we do when his quality of life still seems fair, he is not in any pain but merely physically challenged? Mik's front quarters are still strong but his hindquarters are betraying him.
I know that 14 years is a good long life for this breed, but I am just not prepared to say goodbye yet as selfish as that may seem. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.
Nicole