I fear Bentley's "time" is drawing near :(
 He's very weak in the back end. It's hard for him to get up. I have to help him up almost all the time. He falls maybe 50-70% of the time he's on his feet. He doesn't move around much. Pretty much lies on his bed all day. When he does move, it's very slow and not very far. He can't do stairs anymore. I have to carry him up & down stairs. He's not drinking anymore. He eats VERY little nowadays. And in actuality, he hasn't eaten anything since Friday (Jan. 10) morning. He's been losing weight pretty quickly now.. When he was healthy, he weighed 85 lbs. He's now down to 50 lbs. He's lost just over 10 lbs since the beginning of November. His poops are not good. Just small amounts. Seems very mucous-y; almost gelatinous. Vomits from time to time. There doesn't seems to be a rhyme or reason as to when. Actually, he's vomited every time he's gone out since yesterday afternoon. He gets laser and sub-q fluids every Wed evening and Sat mornings. He perks up a bit after that and even eats a little bit, but within a day and a half after the treatment, he's back to being more quiet and not taking anything in. He got laser & sub-q yesterday but there was no subsequent perk-up. The decision would be easier if he didn't react the way he does when I come home from being out. I open the door and he picks his head right up, ears perk right up, and tail is wagging. People say, "you'll just know", or "you'll just see it in their eyes" I fear that I won't. I don't think I see that vacuous look in his eyes that everyone mentions. But I think it has to be sometime this week. I was hoping we could get to Saturday. That would be good for me because I wouldn't have to take time off from work. Plus it's a long weekend, so there would be time to grieve and decompress from it all before going back to work. I know, it's selfish of me to think like that. I just don't think he'll last till the weekend. The last thing I want is for him to pass at home while I'm at work. I'll be calling the vet in the morning to determine next steps. This is REALLY hard. I'm really struggling here. I feel like when he looks at me he's saying, "I love you dad. And as long as we're together, I'm happy and content and everything is all right".  |
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| I am so sorry you are going through this again. |
| To illustrate the difficulty, when I had to run a few errands today, I told him that I had to run errands and that I'd be right back. He got himself up, walked to the door, and stood there waiting to go. I should have been happy but it broke my heart. |
| He did take a few sips of water this evening. That's the first time in probably a week that he's drank water. I thought he might eat something. We had a veal breast for dinner tonight. I gave him a couple pieces but he just turned his nose to it. He hasn't eaten anything since Friday morning. He seems to be in OK spirits. He is getting up by himself this evening. But the hardest thing to deal with is, every time he goes outside, he vomits. But since he hasn't eaten anything, it's just some frothy liquid. I'm in knots. I'll have to call his vet in the morning. I need some guidance. |
I feel for both of you. Have you tried some baby food? I would give some to Virginia and Mady when they had lost their appetite. Beef with broth and chicken with broth, just the stuff in the jar, Gerber. It was easy for them to lick up and provided a bit of hydration. I would also boil up a chicken, skin, bones and all to give it as much flavour as possible, as well as some calories. They loved that. If you really are struggling to make the decision, ask your vet for a referral to a palliative vet. One came to our home, so that she could see Virginia in her own setting. The first time she came, she told us that she didn't think it was time yet, but gave us some things to look for. With Mady, we knew we had no choice, she was in organ failure and so we had to let her go before she suffered. Makes me bawl just typing this out. The simple truth is that they are not with us for long enough. Sending you big hugs.  |
| Thank you, Kim. Truth be told, I didn't have to make "THE" decision with Zeke and Brick. They pretty much made it for me. Zeke had lymphoma and the last couple days of his life, he was lying on the floor and breathing heavily, hardly could move. Brick started having some kind of neurological event, like maybe seizures. So it was somewhat "easier", relatively speaking. With Bentley, his spirits seem OK. When he's lying down, he seems comfortable. He can get up by himself. But of course, if Airedales are known for one thing, it's their stoicism. If he was eating and drinking, even if just a little bit, and wasn't vomiting, I wouldn't have started this conversation. We would have just been plugging along. |
| He didn't have what I'd call a restful night. He got up probably every 20-60 minutes to go outside. While outside, he either vomited, had a runny BM, or both. I think I know we're there. I just wish he'd give me "the look" that so many people mention to help solidify the decision. |
| He has an appointment with the vet at 9:45 AM EST. I don't expect a positive prognosis. Hopefully I'll get some solid guidance. |
| The vet said without him eating or drinking, it would just be a matter of a few days before he passed on his own. I don't want him to pass without me there so I made the decision to do it this morning. Please say a prayer for him for an easy, painless, peaceful passing. |
I do not know what the time of day is with you compared to us. I saw a bit of your post this morning and have had to wait until now to read any more- I am probably to late but I do send you my most biggest hugs/boxes of tissues and thoughts for you-you are a most wonderful dad to your doggy family and I learnt an awful lot from your advice when I got a laptop and found you on the best oes dog site. I just saw the updated whatever you call it after your name but that is on the first emails about Bentley. They make it so damn hard to make that decision when is the best time-there never is an "easy" time, not when you own our breads of dogs.   |
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