Post by CJB on Aug 20, 2005 10:44:28 GMT -5
My rescue Sheltie, Angus, died yesterday. He went with help from the vet's magic needle. 
Angus had had a couple of UTI's in the past year and I thought he had another one, because he was peeing like a drunken Cubs fan (that is to say, everywhere and constantly) and his urine stunk pretty bad. I took him in to the vet yesterday morning, expecting abx and a diagnosis of renal failure. I had given some thought to how far I would let him go before having him PTS, since he also seemed to be suffering from that senility condition and didn't have the quality of life, this year, that he'd had before.
The vet took him out back to get a urine sample and Angus didn't pee; she tried to extract urine from him and got blood. That alarmed her and she popped him into the ultrasound cradle and took a look. He had a large tumor on his bladder, and the bladder wall was so thickened that she couldn't even get a needle into the bladder.
Bladder cancer isn't treatable. Angus was 15 years old. To take him home and try any kind of regimen would have been absurd-- he'd have been a dead dog walking.
I took some time to say goodbye to Angus, and then the clinic staff came in and said goodbye to him, and the vet euthanized him with me stroking his head as she listened to his heart slow and stop. It was VERY peaceful.
I am having his remains cremated and returned to me, and will plant a tree or shrub for him in my yard, and put the ashes into the soil with the plant. Angus can recycle into the yard that he loved. It's only too bad I can't plant a chicken-wing-tree for him! LOL!
Farewell, Ang-bang.
Angus had had a couple of UTI's in the past year and I thought he had another one, because he was peeing like a drunken Cubs fan (that is to say, everywhere and constantly) and his urine stunk pretty bad. I took him in to the vet yesterday morning, expecting abx and a diagnosis of renal failure. I had given some thought to how far I would let him go before having him PTS, since he also seemed to be suffering from that senility condition and didn't have the quality of life, this year, that he'd had before.
The vet took him out back to get a urine sample and Angus didn't pee; she tried to extract urine from him and got blood. That alarmed her and she popped him into the ultrasound cradle and took a look. He had a large tumor on his bladder, and the bladder wall was so thickened that she couldn't even get a needle into the bladder.
Bladder cancer isn't treatable. Angus was 15 years old. To take him home and try any kind of regimen would have been absurd-- he'd have been a dead dog walking.
I took some time to say goodbye to Angus, and then the clinic staff came in and said goodbye to him, and the vet euthanized him with me stroking his head as she listened to his heart slow and stop. It was VERY peaceful.
I am having his remains cremated and returned to me, and will plant a tree or shrub for him in my yard, and put the ashes into the soil with the plant. Angus can recycle into the yard that he loved. It's only too bad I can't plant a chicken-wing-tree for him! LOL!
Farewell, Ang-bang.
