please help! advice needed Hello, I have posted a few times about my baby. He is currently in the ER in an oxygen tent due to pneumonia. He is 14 yrs old, he has mild heart disease as well as a partially collapsed trachea. He has been there since yesterday. I brought him in with a temp of 106 and coughing non stop. unfortunately he has been in the care of his vet for over a month and they have been treating him for his trachea with cough suppresents but he has actually had pneumonia. His oxygen level is at 80 percent. There is no amount of money that I wouldn't spend to save him but I know I have to be realistic. So far his stay has been in the amount of 3,200 dollars, they say its to early to give up hope. How am I suppose to make the decision of when to stop. He is like my child. I am lost here. I would go bankrupt for more time but I know I can't. Thanks for listening. |
Praying for you both. Your vet sounds hopeful when he says it’s too early to give up hope, so are they seeing signs of improvement? One of my pups went through a very similar thing and the vet sent him home telling me he wasn’t going to survive. He did pull through, but it took about 5 days, and each minute I thought was his last. They’re giving your pup the tools he needs to get better, he may just need some more time. I know this is so hard to go through. Wishing you both the best of luck. |
I agree with kjc, if you trust your vet your vet sounds hopeful I wouldn't give up. Prayers going out for your baby and you. |
Here's the truth. It is hard to swallow. 1. You can NOT fix old. Your dog is 14 y/o. THAT is a good long life for a dog. 2. Your Vet makes his money at this. Like any salesman, is going to tell you what you are hoping to hear. He may drag this out even though your Poor Old Dog is in Misery. |
I am so very sorry for your pain. I am currently working with my vet on a three week plan to see if our 13 year old poodle's age-related issues can be improved, or if it is time to say goodbye. I have had to make decisions to release beloved pets from their pain in the past, but in Beau's case it is harder because he still is able to wag his tail with pure happiness many times during the day...despite the fact that his spine is becoming so arthritic that he has trouble walking, and his blood levels are severely compromised. His vet gave us all of the possibilities, and meds, which might lead to improvement, as he feels that we, too, should not "give up hope". If he is not making progress when we check blood levels in three weeks, we are ready to let him cross the rainbow bridge. Having a plan, and being able to make the decision without waiting for a "crisis", has helped my husband and I be at peace with knowing that we will be making the right decision for our sweet little man. Right now he seems to be relatively pain-free, and he is enjoying being pampered at home with his family. I cannot help you answer the question of "when". You know your baby better than anyone...even his doctor. If you truly feel that giving him more time has a possibility to allow him more pain-free chances to have happy interactions, it may not be time...however, if you are keeping him with you because it breaks your heart to face letting him go, I would urge you to love him enough to say goodbye. Please know that I will be keeping you in my thoughts at this painful time. (((hugs))) |
Just wanted to add a few more thoughts. As for pain and suffering I’ve had the flu a few times where I felt soooo bad I wished I was dead but in a few days my body healed and I felt OK so maybe it’s OK to allow our pets to do the same? When my pup was sick I remember the vet said if the antibiotic does not work in 24 to 48 hours you need to try a different one or two. Also they used a nebulizer to deliver medication directly into the lungs where the infection was. I am a retired vet tech and I never saw an animal as sick as he was in my life. He was producing so much mucus he could barely breathe, he couldn’t eat. It was just horrible. He had picked up an infection from my other pup that I had just adopted. As she was younger she only had a runny nose but as he was older it really hit him hard and I guess knowing that it was an illness I had hope that he could recover. I took them to the vet together and he started my older pup on a medication as a preventative but it didn’t work and I ended up having to take him to the emergency room because the mucus just came on all at once. They did send him home after treating him but told me that he probably wouldn’t make it. The third day I woke up on the floor as we slept there together and he was gone. I jumped up like a maniac looking for him and found him eating out of his bowl like nothing ever happened. |
I’m so sorry. You have to look at quality of life. I feel like you will know when you need to say good bye. Normally there is just something that suddenly clicks. I am sending lots of hugs and prayers. I wish I could offer more then that. |
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Tedy actually has made some really good progress today! Thank you for those of you that had kind words to offer. Despite his medical issues, prior to this he still runs around like a puppy. Hoping for continued progress. Just want to be clear that "my old dog" is not in misery. He is not suffering. If that were the case I would know what to do. I was just looking for advice on how long I should let it go on if he did not improve. Hopefully "my old dog" pulls through. Thank you again to those of you hoping for the same thing |
Great news! Prayers up for continued improvement... |
Hoping for Tedy to continue improving! Sending you strength, and just know that your heart knows best. |
Happy to hear Tedy has shown some improvement and continues to get better. Tedy will let you know when its his time to say goodbye. It's all about quality of life, keeping Tedy in my prayers :love: |
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