Originally Posted by KimInMD (Post 3491976)

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome, and heartfelt replies. I read them all, and had a good, long, hard cry. You'll never know how I've agonized about all these decisions. I felt so alone. I am so glad I reached out here. I feel so encouraged now about Lucy's care and treatment. I am educated now, and I do know there is a risk that things might not go well, but I'm willing to try and give it my best shot. It's the least I can do for this little princess. Now it's time to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I'll make her surgery appointment today for her teeth and tumors. Her blood work came back yesterday and it was great. The Anipryl seems to be working, and we both slept through the night. Yay for sleep! I'm going to research if a generic form of the medication is available. I got her steps and footstools yesterday to help her get safely onto the sofa, easy chair and bed. Medicated shampoo and a good diet should help the dermatitis. We'll work on her problems one by one.
Well, I guess this makes it official. I am a Yorkie mom. Yay! From the looks of things, I'm in pretty good company around here. You guys are just the best. I will continue to read and learn as much as I can from the site. There is such a wealth of information here about so many different topics, and I need to get up to speed quickly. I'll stay in touch, and let everyone know how it's going. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for the kindness. I'll celebrate and cling to each of your words in the good times, and be comforted during the sad and sleepless nights.
Hugs,
Kim - Lucy's Mom (wow, that sounds good, doesn't it?)

Originally Posted by KimInMD (Post 3491976)

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome, and heartfelt replies. I read them all, and had a good, long, hard cry. You'll never know how I've agonized about all these decisions. I felt so alone. I am so glad I reached out here. I feel so encouraged now about Lucy's care and treatment. I am educated now, and I do know there is a risk that things might not go well, but I'm willing to try and give it my best shot. It's the least I can do for this little princess. Now it's time to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I'll make her surgery appointment today for her teeth and tumors. Her blood work came back yesterday and it was great. The Anipryl seems to be working, and we both slept through the night. Yay for sleep! I'm going to research if a generic form of the medication is available. I got her steps and footstools yesterday to help her get safely onto the sofa, easy chair and bed. Medicated shampoo and a good diet should help the dermatitis. We'll work on her problems one by one.
Well, I guess this makes it official. I am a Yorkie mom. Yay! From the looks of things, I'm in pretty good company around here. You guys are just the best. I will continue to read and learn as much as I can from the site. There is such a wealth of information here about so many different topics, and I need to get up to speed quickly. I'll stay in touch, and let everyone know how it's going. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for the kindness. I'll celebrate and cling to each of your words in the good times, and be comforted during the sad and sleepless nights.
Hugs,
Kim - Lucy's Mom (wow, that sounds good, doesn't it?)

Originally Posted by Ladymom (Post 3492443)

My Lady is a rescue (adopted at age 4.5). She had seizures three days after I adopted her and was officially diagnosed with epilepsy a month later. A year and a half later, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Over the next couple of years she was diagnosed with crippling arthritis, allergies, thyroid disease, and a heart murmur. She almost died twice when she was eight. No one, especially my vets, expected her to make ten years old.

She will be 16 this year. :D Her vision isn't that great. She was never the sharpest tool in the shed so her more frequent "senior moments" aren't that noticeable. I am like her full time nurse with insulin injections and all her meds.

I learned many years ago to stop worrying about when I was going to lose her and just enjoy each and every day I have with her. I hope you can do that with your Lucy.

Originally Posted by BanditSocks2 (Post 3490780)

Even if your time with Lucy was short, I think you wouldn't regret it for a minute. You'd be the human and compassion and love she didn't get to experience in her life ever before. KUDOS to you for doing the right thing, and it's great that you are realistic about all her ailments and the cost of helping treat them. From reading your post it seems that just having you in her life for the past two weeks has helped her immensely already. Sending hugs your way.

Originally Posted by KimInMD (Post 3530940)

Recovery has been slow for my sweet old gal. A week after surgery, I took her with us to the Florida Keys. Lucy loved all the new smells, and napping in the cool, salt air. My Mom's Keys vet removed the sutures, and monitored Lucy's progress. She also found 2 more small mammary tumors that we'll need to deal with soon. Things went exactly like so many of you said it would. Every single day I see more and more of "the new and improved Lucy" emerging. She does these cute little silly dances, and her tail wags a mile a minute. She looks at me with such adoring eyes, and her greatest joy in life is to snuggle up with me in the easy chair, or give me a little kiss on my hand or nose. I feel so guilty now to think that I questioned for a moment whether or not I was doing the right thing in getting her the surgeries. I am convinced that the sad, confused little dog I saw was really a little girl wracked with horrible pain. I am sure it's been many years since she felt this good. When we got back from Florida, I was faced with taking our 18 1/2 yr. old Irish Terrier, Wishbone, to the Rainbow Bridge. It was so sad, and it hurt so bad. I miss our old guy so much. I have been asking God to please leave me some good years with my little Lucy. Again, my new Y.T. friends gave great advice when they said not to worry about tomorrow, but just enjoys our "todays" together. Thank you everyone for your kindness and encouragement.