JudoMom Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 We've had Maggie for 11.5 years (we got her when I was pregnant with my oldest). She's a sweet little American Eskimo. She's been getting old over the last year or 2 (she's going blind, her hips hurt her quite a bit--but she still acted like a puppy when she got up and going :)), but last night we noticed that she has lost weight, so I dropped her off at the vet this morning. The vet just called, and it's looking like it's congestive heart failure. We could take x-rays to confirm and treat her and give her a few more months to maybe a year of comfortable life, but we won't do that. They're sending her blood work off, so we'll know tomorrow if anything else is going on. It looks like we'll be facing a hard decision in the next couple of days to months :crying:. Her little brother, Chewy (10.5), will be very sad without her, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 :grouphug: It is hard when our animals get sick. We had a cocker with congestive heart failure. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I am so sorry. We just purchased our first family dog and while he's still a puppy and we've only had him for 9 months, it's hard to imagine what it would be like without him. Praying for your family.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I'm so sorry, you and the little are having to go thru this right now. He is obvioulsly well loved!!! We just lost our dog, and it was so hard seeing my dd go to bed without her shadow. This weekend we went on our first camping trip without her, and it was hard as well. I say that to say, it's getting easier. Kids are resilient!!! At first I kept looking at new puppies, but we are actually doing ok. Lots of :grouphug:'s!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoMom Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 One of my wiener dogs (11 yrs) has CHF right now. He was diagnosed in May and literally I thought he was going to die that day. We put him on medication and he's like a puppy - running up and down the stairs no problems at all. But I know his time is short - I'm just glad he's still having a good time and who knows, maybe he will live several more years? Sorry for your dog, it is so hard to see them get old. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 :grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Our dog had congestive heart failure last year. We treated it with diuretics and it helped A LOT. But, he then developed a tumor in his neck and we had to put him to sleep. It was absolutely heartbreaking. I still cry thinking about him. :grouphug: to you and your family. We had had Joe for 14 years and I still miss him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in the Kootenays Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 My almost 15 yo Lab/Rottie has CHF and has been on heart meds and diuretics for about 6 months now. It helped a lot at first but I see him getting worse again. I know his time with us is really limited but we're still enjoying him. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 :grouphug: FWIW, my now 15 year old dog, Oliver, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at least 2 years ago now. We give him a chewable pill (Vetmedin) twice a day, and he's doing great (well, for a 15 year old dog). So it doesn't necessarily have to mean the end of the road for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 Thanks for the hugs, guys. If medication could cure her, we'd do it. But we can't justify the cost of medication just to extend her life for an undetermined amount of time, especially considering the fact that she's got arthritis in her hips and the fact that she's going blind. She hasn't eaten today (thought she has drunk a lot of water). I bought her some wet food, thinking that might entice her (she ate a bit of steak scraps from our Sunday dinner), but she mostly drank the gravy and ate a few bits of meat. Then she went outside and vomited. I'll hear the results of her bloodwork tomorrow, and then we'll need to tell the boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 I'm so sorry. We had to put one of our cats to sleep last week. She was 15 (got her at 8 weeks) and had been on medication twice a day for hyperthyroid for a bit over a year. Then she started losing weight again despite free feeding and adjusting her thyroid meds, then she quit eating even with the appetite stimulant. The vet said it was likely cancer on top of the hyperthyroid. It was incredibly hard, especially as she was my husband's cat and his first really-his pet---she wouldn't let me even pick her up for 8 years! It was some comfort that she had 15 incredibly good years and could not have been more loved. In our case we knew the meds wouldn't cure her, but she had no other issues and her quality of life was great until the last week. It was the most merciful decision we could make under the circumstances, as she went into multiple system failure. Now we only have the other 15 year old cat who has been on seizure meds twice a day for two years (got him at 11 weeks) and the 10 year old cat (he came at 5 weeks) on the prescription diet for urinary tract problems. They are both doing well, thank goodness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 We've had Maggie for 11.5 years (we got her when I was pregnant with my oldest). She's a sweet little American Eskimo. She's been getting old over the last year or 2 (she's going blind, her hips hurt her quite a bit--but she still acted like a puppy when she got up and going :)), but last night we noticed that she has lost weight, so I dropped her off at the vet this morning. The vet just called, and it's looking like it's congestive heart failure. We could take x-rays to confirm and treat her and give her a few more months to maybe a year of comfortable life, but we won't do that. They're sending her blood work off, so we'll know tomorrow if anything else is going on. It looks like we'll be facing a hard decision in the next couple of days to months :crying:. Her little brother, Chewy (10.5), will be very sad without her, too. :grouphug: That is such a hard thing to go through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Thanks for the hugs, guys. If medication could cure her, we'd do it. But we can't justify the cost of medication just to extend her life for an undetermined amount of time, especially considering the fact that she's got arthritis in her hips and the fact that she's going blind. . Although the newest heart medications are expensive I THINK Lasix on its own is cheap and can improve the quality of life in the short term. Katie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 I'm so sorry -- that hurts so much.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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