Our family dog has been with us for 12 years now. Last month, he suddenly became really, really old. He started struggling to get his hind legs up. He ate less. He had to lay down in the middle of walks to rest.
At the time we first began to notice the symptoms we freaked out and thought we would need to put him to sleep, for his comfort. But things got better, and we cancelled our visit to the vet. Two days ago, he slowed down even more and so we set up an appointment for today, struggling all the while thinking about how our children would deal with the sudden loss. But my wife called me at noon today to give me the happy news that we would cancel our appointment again.
In the case of both cancellations we've been swayed by one thing--the wagging of his tail. It's amazing how much he communicates about himself in this simple autonomic response. Apparently he was wagging quite vigorously this morning. We are fortunate that he has not appeared to be in any pain at any point in this process. Clearly, the end is near, but we don't see the point of bringing finality to someone who still exhudes happiness.
Twelve years with your furry friend have been precious, I'm sure. When the time comes, as it must, you may want to know about DoveLewis' Pet Loss Support Program.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stayed with me after the fundraiser I attended Friday night was what someone said of his dog: "He asked so little and gave so much."