Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone, I haven't been on here in a while. I do check in on you guys and see how everyone is doing. Tucker, Gracie and Hoyt send their love to all their friends!
Question... Tucker has gone down hill really fast. Ryan and I went out of town for the weekend on Thursday night and my sister kept Tucker at her house. I noticed earlier in the week that he was getting a little slower but I thought it may just be the heat so I kept him inside more. Over the weekend my sister said he slowly stopped eating very much, he would pick at his food but not eat all of it. For those of you with labs, you know that's NOT normal! When we got home Sunday night we tried to feed him some canned food which he picked at but wouldn't eat it with us standing there. When we left it in his cage and left him alone he ate most of it. Over the last couple of days I have made him chicken and rice, canned food soup, cooked ground beef, anything I could think of that would entice him to eat. He will eat a little bit if we hand feed it to him but he won't go to the food himself. I find that he eats a little more if we leave the food in his crate but he still won't finish it completely. All this has happened so fast! He has been completely normal up until now. He's panting really hard and seems to be weaker than normal. We have an appointment with the vet this afternoon and hopefully we can figure out if its the cancer or maybe hes just sick. Ryan and I both knew this was coming but we didn't expect it to be so fast! We don't want him to suffer, he has been the best dog so he doesn't deserve that. Did anyone else have this occur? If so, was it at the end or did they ever get better before getting worse? I just feel so bad for him! I don't want him to suffer. What can I do to ease his pain? (other than pain meds, because we started him on those Sunday night with some we had left over from his surgery)
Sending good thoughts to both you and Tucker for the vet visit.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
caseyr said:
Did anyone else have this occur?
Sadly yes, but you'll never know it's the end, until you nake that call for Tucker. These beautiful creatures are so good at hiding their weakness that when "the end" comes, it is usually a rapid decline. But there are things you can do to maximize quality of life together.
- Know when to say when. This two-part post summaraizes our last weeks, days, and hours with Jerry.
- Reconsider your prescriptions for advanced canine cancer care. Ask your vet about changing Tucker's treatment, and understand what it might get you.
- Prednisone will get his appetite back. But watch Tucker, and understand what it is that is making him eat.
- Ask yourself this. Is Tucker still having more good days than bad?
- Question yourself to prepare for loss. Ask yourself how you want to remember Tucker.
I hope these links help. We kept our promise to Jerry, to never let him lose his dignity. It was the hardest thing we've ever done. But it was the least we could do for him. And, by doing our homework and knowing what to expect when "the end" came, it didnt have to be such a tragedy. Nothing but peace and love going your way. Enjoy every moment with Tucker and give hime a big hug for us.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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