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Toby....my dog needs to be put down....:(

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gabagoo

gabagoo

New Member
The last 2.5 weeks have been hard for Toby, our shepard border collie mix dog.
At first I thought I had poisoned her by giving her almonds and when i did a search on the net some sites were saying they contain cyanide and can be dangerous for dogs. I gave her 5 or 6 every day or so for about a 2 week period as i was into them and she followed me around and loved them. I stopped and her condition seemed to be getting worse.
It all seemed to have started one day when she jumped off our bed and I heard a wimper and figured she had hurt herself while jumping. For the next few days she basically slouched around and looked sad and could not get to excited or want to climb the stairs.
I thought a nice long walk in the woods would cure her and I took her out. As much as she loved to run free off the leash, this time was different and she basically lagged behind me for the most part and sometimes she would just stop and sit.
I figured this injury was still preventing her from running and having her usual great time.

Now 2 weeks later she has good days where you think its healed and then the next day she is all gloomy again.
She was at the vet a week before this all happened and they said she was in good shape for her age (10 years). I had no idea how ill she really was.

Finally today it was decided I would take her in to get looked at as her stomach seems to be swollen and she is not eating much. I go to my regular vet of over 20 years and the regular doctors are not in and some new doctor comes in the room and looks her over and says she definately needs an xray, but there xray machine is broken and he then suggests that I have to drive downtown (1 hr drive and who knows how much for parking) to some clinic that can perform surgery if need be blah blah blah.
I looked him squarely in the face and said "You telling me no other vet in this area has an xray machine?"
Maybe this guy gets a commision to send people down there... In any case I told him i would go find a vet closer who could xray the dog.
He then tells me he will give me a reference to a vet close by. Fine he tells me where phones ahead and off I go. Oh wait that will be $45.00....bastards!!!!
This vets office is even closer to my house than the other one and the doctor is a really nice guy.
I told him I was very unhappy with what occured at the other office and to deal with me and not make me wait to get xrays read at the other doctor. he agreed and took a look at the dog and then looked at her gums and was concerned and said they were pale and this generally means she is anemic. He said her stomach looked bloated and that usually means fluid is building and possibly blood.
I told him to take the xrays and do what was needed and i waited.
he came out and we looked at the xrays together and he showed me that her stomach or around her stomach something, probably a mass, was causing the bloating.
I asked him whats next and he said you can go to a special surgery doctor and they can do surgery on her and remove the mass.
I looked at him and I told him I cant make that decision myself and I need his opinion if this is just going to prolong her life for a few months or what.
he gave me the nod, that told me that ...it was time....

Ok I started welling up and told him to generate the invoice and I would take her home and discuss this over with the family. I would most likely be back Monday to say farewell.

I decided to bring her to the office one last time and she seems relatively ok but just lies there. I then told my receptionist to go across the street to the restaurant and ask him to cook her up one of those real thin steaks and put nothing on it. This dog munched it down so fast it was like she was all better. Tonight I am going home and I have a whole package of those thin steaks and I will bbq them for her. I guess I can spoil her all I want now.


Toby has been such a good dog all these years and I feel somewhat guilty to have to put her down.
We will miss her.....
 
saktrnch

saktrnch

New Member
Sorry to hear your friend isn't doing well. It never is easy to say good-by to such a friend. Glad you got the steaks, spoil her all you can.
 
Billct2

Billct2

Active Member
Really sorry to hear...I lost Molly in Sept, similar situation, she had an abdominal tumor that there was no sign of till it ruptured...I didn't have any time to really think about it.
But we're obliged by our love for them to do the right thing as painful as it is for us.

I unexpectedly got the chance to adopt a "new" girl in Jan. She's the same age as Molly was when I adopted her. I hesitated but it's been really good to give her a home and me a new companion.
 
Tim Kingston

Tim Kingston

New Member
I know how you feel. I lost my girl (chocolate lab) Mocha to cancer when she was only six, and her "sister" Morgan has a similar condition to Toby. She had surgery to remove a large mass in her lung but she is older and although her spirit is strong her body is not so much anymore.

I think the thing to do and remember is continue to be a responsible friend. Allowing Toby to pass with as little pain as possible, surrounded by love is the last kind thing you can do for her.

I'm sure you will always miss her and never forget her . . . that just speaks to the great relationship you have always had. Pat her once for me . . . Tim
 

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GypsyGraphics

New Member
Barry i'm so sorry to hear you'll be losing a loved one. i know how hard it is when you have to make the choice.
I wanted to share this sweet story with you, sorry it's so long.
love, gg


A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'

The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued on with his dog. At the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump,' said the man.

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said.

'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad that they use your name?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'
 
anotherdog

anotherdog

New Member
You have my sympthies, had to go through this pain many times and it never gets easier.

Don't let it drag on if she is in pain with no hope of a clear day. It only gets harder the longer you look in those brown eyes.
 
Bigdawg

Bigdawg

Just Me
I cried reading this... I've had to do it twice and it hurts so bad to lose such a good friend. Harley Dawg is buried next to the house... Shay is buried in the woods where he loved to run... my sympathies to your whole family.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Sorry to hear about this.

Do whatever you can and let her feel good for a short while longer. It's hard to lose a friend... especially one like you've described.

Don't feel guilty. You've been her best friend in return and now you're doing the ultimate... a friend can do.
 
Tim Aucoin

Tim Aucoin

New Member
So sorry to hear about Toby... I have two of my own and can't imagine when the day comes. You're in my prayers Barry!
 
Mainframe

Mainframe

New Member
So sorry to hear about Toby, I am still struggling with my little Maggie I had to part with on Valentines day, 15 years of pure sweetness, I will probably think about her every day. You are in my prayers.
 
DrCAS

DrCAS

New Member
Remember, this is the last great act of love for your pet. They rely on you to make the decisions that they can't.

I have buried acquaintances, friends, and family and shed fewer tears than I have for our Bert and Shirley.

My deepest condolences.
 
Jillbeans

Jillbeans

New Member
I honestly don't think I could stand this.
So you are in my thoughts.
It can't be easy, even if it's the right thing to do.
:(
Love.....Jill
 
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