He died shortly after we discovered bone and lung cancer. I dreaded a discussion about euthanasia, but was so glad we did not. The funny thing is that the vet recommended it when discovering the illnesses. She gave us a quality of life evaluation. It was about this time that Fredo perked up and started prompting my wife and licking her face, as if to say Get me outa here!
Well, I think taking him home turned out to be a good decision. We managed him with three medications, which seemingly put him as ease. A 4th medication was discontinued because it was likely causing GI bleeding. We could not detect any signs of significant pain or distress with the other 3 medicines. I don't know much about pain thresholds, but my wife has good instincts.
Fredo died Tuesday with us by his side. I knew he was fading and woke my wife, who was dozing on the couch. He took his last breath at 1:15am.
I hope this helps anyone who goes through the agony of making a decision about "letting go" of a pet. We had to sort of prompt the vet to increase the medication, since doctors often seem to be on the conservative side (I was really glad to have some old stash in the freezer to tide us over). One of the vets did not have much experience with one of the medications, but it worked out okay. I'd be glad to discuss the medications in this thread or a PM if anyone is going through this. It's not really that expensive and I think the extra care is worth it. Don't know if we will ever get another dog, but I'd like to hear others' experience with this.
Here's his pic from about two years ago.
Site Information
About Us
- RonPaulForums.com is an independent grassroots outfit not officially connected to Ron Paul but dedicated to his mission. For more information see our Mission Statement.
Connect With Us