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Forum THE LOUNGE I need prayers for Shadow, please (my dog)

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    • MimzMum
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        Those who know me are aware that Shadow, my 14+ year-old MacKenzie River Husky, has been through a lot in this last few years of his life. including two surgeries early last year, one for growths and one for GDV that he almost didn’t survive. We’ve also lost his mate and all his pups, (over the last 5 years), the last one being Taiku in October of last year due to some kind of lower gastric shutdown. We’d had to put him to sleep.

        Shadow has always had a creaky rear end. His legs give out on him occasionally and he falls hard, then it takes forever getting him back up. My husband and I believe he has some kind of degenerative myelopathy, which will eventually result in him losing his legs. He’s already lost his voice (another symptom) and has some laboured breathing episodes. I guess it could be almost like a multiple sclerosis for dogs.

        This last month he seems to have been slowing down. It’s been cold with a few night going subzero and so we both put a jacket on him and in this last week, started giving him metacam to ease the discomfort we know he must be in. (old bones ache worse in the cold and his are no exception)

        Then last night I noticed he wasn’t even standing up to eat his food. He’s also lost a lot of weight since last summer. He was always a bit bony under all his fur, but this is getting to the point of everything protruding. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was being starved. He eats twice a day and seems to relish his food, but the energy to get up and eat it is gone suddenly.

        Last night he’d peed where he was lying down. Now this is typical of when he has a little too much metacam built up in his system, he just gets too weak to pull himself up. Hubby said he’d been on his feet earlier int the day, so I’d hoped it was just that he’d been having metacam for every night for about a week. He’s so thin it can’t be leaving his system well. He was like this after the GDV surgery and so I recognize the signs.

        However, this morning when I went out to check him because he hadn’t moved from where he slept last night, I found he had defecated all over himself and I had to clean him up. This meant cutting pieces out of his tail, because it was so thick I just couldn’t wash it out.

        This is bad. His activity level is non-existant. This is a dog who loves to walk, trot, run, fly, whatever. And while he’s done a good job wobbling down the road for the last year, since Taiku passed and during the winter he didn’t get much exercise at all because of the deep cold and slippery conditions of our road, we coudln’t risk him getting a hip fracture or worse, and most days none of us wanted to brave the cold.

        So he’s been alone a lot. I feed him or the hubby feeds him, spend a few moments with him if he seemed down, but other than that he’s not had a lot of company. But he’d seemed okay with it. He’d been happily coming in the house just a few months ago while we had -40’s.

        Today, he just looks hopeless. I don’t see as much fire in his eyes as I’m used to. He’s definitely been sleeping more and before we started the metacam, he’d had a lot more trouble getting up and down. I’ve been feeling this coming on. I would think he was ready to give up and then he’d surprise me and change back into my good old dog again. Now I don’t know if it’s just the metacam that’s got him so depressed, or if we’re nearing the end. Either way, we’re having a rough time right now.

        I’m afraid the next time I go out there, he’ll be gone. So whenever he even stirs a bit it is a relief, and of course I don’t want him to go like that…cold and alone. So could you all please send up your healing vibes, good thoughts and wishes or prayers for him? He’s an old boy, but I was hoping he’d at least make it to breakup so we could sit under a tree in the grass and sunshine if it came to his last days. I’m shaking in my skin thinking I may be calling the Angel of Death in a few days.

        If he doesn’t improve (we’ve stopped the metacam) in the next few days, I think it’s time for my dear, sweet boy to cross the bridge and I’m just destroyed over it. I’d hoped for more for him. I wanted him to even maybe go on the trail, not slip away like an old man in a bathchair.

        Sorry, I know this post is going to sound selfish and stupid, but I’m just a little out of my mind right now. I can’t think straight and my life has been such a train wreck lately when it comes to my animals I am emotionally useless.

        Many thankies in advance. I know you guys will understand what we’re going through. To anyone else, it would just be an old dog…just get it over with. But I can’t. I have to give him a chance that it’s just the metacam. He would pee all over himself when he was on it before for long periods and it always distressed him because he’s a VERY neat and clean dog.

        Oh, and we don’t think he has anything like pneumonia because he doesn’t wheeze all the time like a dog with a URI would do, nor is there any discharge. Just after eating he gets a little barfy and that makes his breathing sound laboured.

        Okay…that’s enough doom and gloom for one post.  Thanks again for reading.

         


      • Monkeybun
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          Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear about Shadow. My thoughts are with you and Shadow, and I do hope he recovers a bit…. *hugs and vibes*


        • MimzMum
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            Thank you, MB. He’s out there just sleeping off his breakfast. Poor guy…life can’t be much fun at the moment.
            I was just thinking the other day about how we used to play ‘hide & seek’ in the backyard. lol….He was pretty good at it. ^_^ He’s always been so active, but his senior years have turned all that around. These dogs were bred to take the expedition to the Pole, so they are the kind who will walk till they drop.
            Seeing him so tired and weak…it’s really hard.


          • katiep
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              In my thoughts and prayers!


            • jerseygirl
              Moderator
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                {{{Shadow}}} May he feel our warmth and prayers. (((MM)))


              • Sonn
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                  Hope he improves! It is definitely difficult when it’s time to let them cross the bridge.


                • LittlePuffyTail
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                    {{{Get well Shadow, there are a lot more happy days in store for you}}}


                  • RabbitPam
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                      I’m sorry Shadow is in such a bad way. Is where he is out there where he is most comfortable? Would he like to be someplace inside near you? (I don’t know why, but I thought of a bed in a closet so he could be cozy, easy to clean up after, and where you can see him with the door left open.)

                      Sarita has been going through a similar year with her animals. It just seems like they all get along in years and that Angel flies low for a while. Been happening to my parent’s friends that way this month, too.

                      {{{{{{{{{Peace and comfort vibes, Shadow and MM}}}}}}}}}}}}}


                    • MimzMum
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                        Yes, he’s in his arctic entry. It is the easiest to get to him at, plus it’s heated, and we can clean up after him easily. There is currently no place in the house we could actually get him to. He’d have to get up and walk to reach the rear of the house where we used to keep him after surgeries and this is also a place he’d be much too warm in. We’ve been checking on him all day and he’s just sleeping. You get recognition out of him if you wake him, but it’s like he’s heavily drugged, which is typical of when his system becomes intolerant of a pain killer. I’m thinking the metacam has built up in his body and he’s simply unable to pull any strength into his legs to stand. His forefeet would work, but they need the strength of the rear legs to achieve an upright posture.
                        It’s weird, because he’s got to still be about 50-75 pounds and I only gave him the 50 pound dose last night. In a dog whose insides are functioning normally it should’ve cleared out by now, but with Shadow, whether due to his age, metabolism or the GDV surgery, it doesn’t and so it’s like he’s got a hangover.
                        I sit there with him while he eats, and help him get the food in his mouth. In fact, I’m about to take him some broth to help push the remaining medicine out the exit.
                        All body fluids coming out are clear and normal, he just can’t get up to put them outside.


                      • TARM
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                          Oh Mimzy…I’m sorry. Shadow is in my prayers. (((Hugs)))


                        • Lunar~Atticus
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                            Our thoughts and prayers are with you!! Be strong Shadow!


                          • ScooterandAnnette
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                              Oh poor Shadow! And poor MM! You all have been through so much lately. Sending massive healing vibes your way.
                              – Annette


                            • Sage Cat
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                                {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ Peace & Love, Shadow }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}


                              • Deleted User
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                                  I am sorry Mimz, there isn’t anything I can say that will make it hurt less. I know. Dogs, with their zest for life, are a pang to watch when it’s time for them to go. I fear this time for mine. In your heart, he will always be playing hide and seek with you, though, and that memory lasts forever.


                                • Sarita
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                                    I went through this with Maxine and I knew it was time to let her go (with the blessing of my vet of course). It was such a hard decision but I knew in my head that she was not getting any better. My heart said I don’t want her to go, but my head said she is suffering and it’s not right to continue letting her suffer. I also knew that no matter how much I tried to care for her and keep her clean and her area clean, it was impossible and that was not in her best interest either. I also went through this with Twizzler as well.

                                    It’s hard watching our beloved pets deteriorate and we are helpless to help them. But sometimes it’s the kindest thing to let them cross the bridge.


                                  • kralspace
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                                      I’m so sorry to hear Shadow’s doing so poorly, MM. It is so upsetting to see them like that and it seems there’ s nothing else you can do Maybe he’s dreaming of running and playing with Taiku. You’ll know when it’s time for sure and you have all our prayers and healing vibes.


                                    • CharleyGirl
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                                        Hugs to you MimzMum. I had to go through this last year with my dog Joe & I know how hard it is. My parents adopted Joe when I was 10 & he was already pretty old so he always had health issues. Then last year he started having awful stomach problems & the vet found a tumor growing on his liver. He had two surgries but it didn’t help. We had to put him to sleep.
                                        Shadow know how much you live him & that’s all he can ask for right now. He knows your doing your hardest to help him. This is how life is. We all have to go through sucky times. It’s not fair but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. As somebody already said you will ALWAYS have good memories in your heart that will always outweigh the bad.
                                        Both you & Shadow are in my thoughts.


                                      • MimzMum
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                                          Thank you everyone for all your prayers and good wishes!

                                          Well, I am cautiously optimistic. Truly, yesterday, I was sure he had to be in some kind of failure: liver, renal or cardiac. My husband refused to believe it though and didn’t want to run him in. I hate to admit it, but I think he might be right…it had to have been the painkillers overloading. Shadow must weigh less than I thought.

                                          Lo and behold, our boy is hanging in there and actually looking better today. The reason we think that it might be the metacam is he’s displaying the same symptoms that he did after his surgery a year ago. He was so doped up on meds, he couldn’t move and would soil himself. He was at least able to get up to poop though back then, and so far now he’s needed to be cleaned for that.
                                          His rear end is weak to begin with, but something about the metacam (and for that matter, rimadyl), seems to accentuate that. It is scary to see…he was so out of it yesterday I was thinking this was it. But today he’s looking more like my boy that I know.

                                          Of course, Taiku improved right before we had to take him in for his last trip too…but I’m keeping hope that this is not quite the time yet for Shadow.

                                          His eyes are more bright and clear today. Because of his supine position though, he tends to start hacking a bit after eating. I wouldn’t call it a true cough. He makes a blowing and sputtering sound with his jowls and he forces air out. But his appetite is still good and he seems more alert.

                                          If he can’t regain those back legs, then we have to look into other options, but for now, it’s a waiting game. He does not appear to be in pain, but he is so tired. He sleeps a lot. Of course, he was doing so up till now also, and that may be why the meds hit him harder this time…he’s just so out of shape.

                                          Does anyone here know anything about COX inhibitor toxicity? I’m thinking his liver and kidneys just can’t flush this stuff out as quickly as they used to, hence the stupor he’s been in for the last few days. The farther he gets away from that last dose, the more lucid he becomes.
                                          Obviously he won’t be getting any more of that. I’ve read up enough to know it could send him into acidosis if he has it again. But what to do now for discomfort? Does anyone have any herbal suggestions?

                                          He has a heater to keep him warm. It’s now brightening up enough outside that it’s not as cold anymore. We’re expecting 30’s above by the end of the week…which will be positively stoking for us.


                                        • RabbitPam
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                                            That’s sounding much better, MM. At least he seems comfortable and clearer. Even if he has only one better day with you and the family, he will be home and loved and well cared for. I think that means a lot to our furbabies.


                                          • Monkeybun
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                                              (((((((((((more get well vibes!!)))))))))))))

                                              Shadow Shadow, he’s our man! Gooooooo Shadow!

                                              *makes monkey dance with pom poms*


                                            • MimzMum
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                                                What a roller coaster I’m on. Tonight he seems in poor condition again. I’d gone out there about 7 PM and he’d soaked the floor under him and hadn’t gotten up at all to pee. He hasn’t had much but liquids today with some dog food mixed in, so he could just be weak. But I’m not sure. The smell was really strong of ammonia. When he’d peed himself yesterday, it wasn’t that nasty. Of course I cleaned him up using the old standby, vinegar and warm water, and dried him off best I could.
                                                Tried to get him to stand, but he has no strength. (It takes both me and the hubby to get him vertical.) He has to be held to keep him on his feet. The rear feet are folding forward and he is walking on his crushed toes again. He could only stay up for a brief time and began huffing, so we knew it was the strain. We let him slide down and placed him on some puppy pads.
                                                I sat with him afterwards. I would pet his face and he would lick my hand. I gave him some more to eat, which he guzzled down. Had to help him clear his throat a few times. He put his head in my outstretched arms and lowered his chin to my lap. We just sat there like that. I feel like he’s saying goodbye….

                                                I’ve finally convinced hubby that he needs medical attention one way or the other. We’ll be taking him in tomorrow, provided he makes it through the night. I’m prepared for either outcome, as if one can truly do that, but this will be the hardest thing either of us has had to do since he had to drive Taiku in on his last day. Because you can see Shadow doesn’t want to leave us. But I’ve already told him he can. I’m pretty sure that, unless they find something curable, we’re coming home to bury him.

                                                I could be completely wrong and he could just be really sick right now and need treatment. I’ve eulogized this dog every winter for the last 5 years, thinking, nah…he can’t come back from this. And he comes back.

                                                I think I just needed to post this because I’d love to be proven wrong. I’d love to come in here tomorrow and go, wow…how stupid was that?
                                                So I just want to thank you ladies (and our few gentlemen) for listening to me equivocate. Signing off for tonight. Will let you all know what happens, of course.
                                                Thanks for being there.


                                              • Monkeybun
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                                                  My prayers to you and Shadow again tonite, I hope he’s just having a bad night and it isn’t good-bye for him yet…


                                                • LoveChaCha
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                                                    Thoughts and Prayers to help mommy and doggy


                                                  • Lintini
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                                                      {{{Big Hugs}}}


                                                    • TARM
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                                                        I’m so sorry Mimz.


                                                      • kralspace
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                                                          Prayers and hugs from all of us, Mimz


                                                        • ScooterandAnnette
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                                                            I’m getting really nervous that we haven’t had an update on Shadow all day…
                                                            – Annette


                                                          • RabbitPam
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                                                              {{{{{{{{{Restful sleep for Shadow, MM and Hubby}}}}}}}}}}

                                                              {{{{{{Sunny, healthier day tomorrow}}}}}}}}


                                                            • MimzMum
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                                                                Sorry guys…it was a long day today.
                                                                Thank you again for all your prayers and good wishes. I’ve begun my tribute to Shadow in the Support Center. This thread can be closed now, please.

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                                                            Forum THE LOUNGE I need prayers for Shadow, please (my dog)