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Can I ask for some ongoing thoughts for my boy please

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I am sorry to hear about the rough day and also happy to see Al's face at the same time.
I am also so angry to hear about all the people telling you it will be easier after. That is so not okay.
Sending lots of virtual hugs and slobbery kisses from my pack to your's. <3

Thank you. No. It's not okay. I've been hearing his entire life that maybe he was just too much work and maybe it's "time to let him go." I'm sick of it. He's the sweetest and best boy and he's never done anything wrong, he just has awful anxiety and fears. I've said for a long time that the one thing I'll regret when he's gone is that we weren't able to help him more. But you know what? At our vet appointment on Friday he willingly stepped on the scale AND he rode the table up. He checked with me first, but he did it when I asked. He allowed people he didn't know the handle him. I can't tell you how happy that made me. Al and I have worked for almost 9 years for him to be able to do that. I'm so proud of him.
 

TylerDurden

Well-Known Member
Thank you. No. It's not okay. I've been hearing his entire life that maybe he was just too much work and maybe it's "time to let him go." I'm sick of it. He's the sweetest and best boy and he's never done anything wrong, he just has awful anxiety and fears. I've said for a long time that the one thing I'll regret when he's gone is that we weren't able to help him more. But you know what? At our vet appointment on Friday he willingly stepped on the scale AND he rode the table up. He checked with me first, but he did it when I asked. He allowed people he didn't know the handle him. I can't tell you how happy that made me. Al and I have worked for almost 9 years for him to be able to do that. I'm so proud of him.

I think many (if not most) people have serious issues understanding things that differ from a generally accepted norm. The image of a happy, confident, and outgoing companion is probably what most people associate with every dog. Therefore, a dog that battles anxiety does not align very well with their ideal image. It‘s always easier to feel sorry for someone than to encourage them. I think it‘s very unfortunate. Nobody should say things like that. They know and understand too little about your unique situation. It makes me mad, and almost reminds of some of the darkest periods of recent history. Everybody should have the right to live, and quality of life is not measured by someone’s ability of living up to a hypothetical ideal.
Great accomplishment at the vet‘s office.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
^^^And this post is why I value the forum so much^^^

I think this is a very astute and accurate observation. And I'm going to keep this quote in my arsenal for rebuttals in the future.

"Everybody should have the right to live, and quality of life is not measured by someone’s ability of living up to a hypothetical ideal."
 

April Nicole

Well-Known Member
I think many (if not most) people have serious issues understanding things that differ from a generally accepted norm. The image of a happy, confident, and outgoing companion is probably what most people associate with every dog. Therefore, a dog that battles anxiety does not align very well with their ideal image. It‘s always easier to feel sorry for someone than to encourage them. I think it‘s very unfortunate. Nobody should say things like that. They know and understand too little about your unique situation. It makes me mad, and almost reminds of some of the darkest periods of recent history. Everybody should have the right to live, and quality of life is not measured by someone’s ability of living up to a hypothetical ideal.
Great accomplishment at the vet‘s office.

Well said Tyler Durden
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
TylerDurden said it so well! And I too am impressed with Al willing stepping on the scale and letting someone else handle him. That is something to be proud of!
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Thanks for asking. We started cutting down his prednisone last week. The final doses were supposed to be 5mg every other day. Friday was the first skipped pred day. He's still getting 300mg Gabapentin twice a day. Friday was awful. He was unable to really walk and by the evening he couldn't move at all. I was prepared to take him to the emergency clinic and let him go. My daughter texted the vet that had done the initial xrays and evaluation and she suggested giving him 5mg of prednisone, which we did. He was able to stand about two hours later. I spent the night with him on the floor and he was better in the morning.

I contacted my regular vet and she said that we can keep him on 5mg of pred daily along with the gabapentin. If he has a bad day we can increase his pred to 10mg per event. I asked a few other questions and as long as his body is tolerating the prednisone, we'll keep him on it and evaluate his quality of life. Basically we're doing palliative/hospice care for him because he's not a candidate for curable treatment. I'm okay with this. It's just so hard to know when the time is right because he has decent days and very bad days. So even if we get to the point where he's still eating and happy, if his pain becomes too much I'll let him go. We aren't there yet. He does get full body spasms about 3am if I don't help him roll over at night, so I'm making sure to do that several times a night if he doesn't move on his own.

He's happy. He's eating. He thinks he can do all sorts of things that he can't. He poops in the middle of the sidewalk, lol, or wherever it drops out. He turned nine on Monday and had a burger with his supper. I can't seem to find a front lift harness that fits his body well. The Ruffwear front range is working well, but I want something with more padding because he wears it almost 24/7. I also want something with a better handle up between the shoulders and more material at the front of his chest. I'm going to work today on designing something that fits our needs better. One bonus is that I won't have to clip his nails anymore. He's scraping them down nicely on the sidewalk with all of his food dragging. I may have to buy him nail protectors, depending on how long his quality of life is decent. His brother, Roy, is pasted to his side constantly. Here are a few pictures. I'll update with more pics if I end up making a lift harness that works better than the front range.
image3.jpeg image2.jpeg image1.jpeg
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Thanks for asking. We started cutting down his prednisone last week. The final doses were supposed to be 5mg every other day. Friday was the first skipped pred day. He's still getting 300mg Gabapentin twice a day. Friday was awful. He was unable to really walk and by the evening he couldn't move at all. I was prepared to take him to the emergency clinic and let him go. My daughter texted the vet that had done the initial xrays and evaluation and she suggested giving him 5mg of prednisone, which we did. He was able to stand about two hours later. I spent the night with him on the floor and he was better in the morning.

I contacted my regular vet and she said that we can keep him on 5mg of pred daily along with the gabapentin. If he has a bad day we can increase his pred to 10mg per event. I asked a few other questions and as long as his body is tolerating the prednisone, we'll keep him on it and evaluate his quality of life. Basically we're doing palliative/hospice care for him because he's not a candidate for curable treatment. I'm okay with this. It's just so hard to know when the time is right because he has decent days and very bad days. So even if we get to the point where he's still eating and happy, if his pain becomes too much I'll let him go. We aren't there yet. He does get full body spasms about 3am if I don't help him roll over at night, so I'm making sure to do that several times a night if he doesn't move on his own.

He's happy. He's eating. He thinks he can do all sorts of things that he can't. He poops in the middle of the sidewalk, lol, or wherever it drops out. He turned nine on Monday and had a burger with his supper. I can't seem to find a front lift harness that fits his body well. The Ruffwear front range is working well, but I want something with more padding because he wears it almost 24/7. I also want something with a better handle up between the shoulders and more material at the front of his chest. I'm going to work today on designing something that fits our needs better. One bonus is that I won't have to clip his nails anymore. He's scraping them down nicely on the sidewalk with all of his food dragging. I may have to buy him nail protectors, depending on how long his quality of life is decent. His brother, Roy, is pasted to his side constantly. Here are a few pictures. I'll update with more pics if I end up making a lift harness that works better than the front range.
View attachment 61324 View attachment 61325 View attachment 61326

I am sure Al loved that birthday burger. You are so amazing with him and I know you are making the most of the time you have with him both for yourself and for him. It sounds like Roy is doing the same. It is amazing and so touching the bonds they form with one another. I love those pictures of them cuddling together. <3
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Well, after much trial and error I've finished Al's lift harness. I was using the Front Range harness and it works well, except I wanted something with a handle on it and covered straps. He wears it almost 24/7 and the nylon rubs just a little. I tried the Webmaster harness and the handle was too far back to be useful to us. I wanted something like a step-in wrap harness that I could alter. Unfortunately most wrap harnesses are made for Chihuahuas, lol. Al is skin and bones, but he has a chest measurement of 27-28". I finally found one at Bentley's Pet Stuff in an XXL. The chest was, and still is, just a bit big for him. I made two tucks in the front to tighten it up a little. I bought a step in harness from Target that was on clearance and took it apart, leaving the nylon webbing in the center chest piece and sewed it to the inside of the step-in so the chest area was sturdier. I then took heavy nylon strapping and sewed it to the inside of the harness to provide structure. Then I covered it all with fleece and added a handle. Overall I'm very pleased. It's very sturdy and fits him well. The handle makes walking him so much easier. I'm going to try to make a pattern so I can make my own wrap harness that fits him better.

Al's doing well. He's so sweet and funny. Walking him is like walking a rubber dog. It's ridiculous. Newborn foals and giraffes have nothing on Al for the wobblies. His pain in pretty well controlled with the prednisone and gabapentin. I have to make sure to keep strictly to the 12 hour regimen. Mornings are more difficult, but I think that's to be expected. I'm encouraged by how well he's doing. He's also putting on some weight. The hardest part for him is pooping. We have to walk a long time to get things moving and then everything just falls out. Unfortunately he can't walk that long so we take breaks. Far too often he ends up pooping in the house and totally freaks out, hurting himself in the process. He's very ashamed and upset when this happens, even though we don't make a big deal about it. He's also having a problem with the top of his toes. Specifically the foot where he has a skin tag on the top. Those things bleed like crazy. He was walking around on his last bad day with a foot covered in blood, lurching all over. He looked like he should be on The Walking Dead, lol. He didn't care at all. He was just happy that I was laughing at him and calling him by a new, loving name - Zombie Dog.

Here's the finished harness. Maybe it will give someone an idea if they're in a similar situation and can't find a ready made harness to suit their needs. Please excuse the mess, we're in the midst of replacing windows. This was the beginning of Zombie Dog day. You can see his bloody skin tag foot.
image1(1).jpeg

image2.jpeg

This is a close up of the stitching where I put the straps for structure.
image3.jpeg

And this is the inside. It's not prettily done, but without taking the original harness apart it was the best I could do. It's soft, and that's what matters. The purple is the chest piece from the step in harness I got at target. Oh .. and the toes of my magenta toe shoes, lol. I'm very stylish.
image1.jpeg
 

April Nicole

Well-Known Member
Well, after much trial and error I've finished Al's lift harness. I was using the Front Range harness and it works well, except I wanted something with a handle on it and covered straps. He wears it almost 24/7 and the nylon rubs just a little. I tried the Webmaster harness and the handle was too far back to be useful to us. I wanted something like a step-in wrap harness that I could alter. Unfortunately most wrap harnesses are made for Chihuahuas, lol. Al is skin and bones, but he has a chest measurement of 27-28". I finally found one at Bentley's Pet Stuff in an XXL. The chest was, and still is, just a bit big for him. I made two tucks in the front to tighten it up a little. I bought a step in harness from Target that was on clearance and took it apart, leaving the nylon webbing in the center chest piece and sewed it to the inside of the step-in so the chest area was sturdier. I then took heavy nylon strapping and sewed it to the inside of the harness to provide structure. Then I covered it all with fleece and added a handle. Overall I'm very pleased. It's very sturdy and fits him well. The handle makes walking him so much easier. I'm going to try to make a pattern so I can make my own wrap harness that fits him better.

Al's doing well. He's so sweet and funny. Walking him is like walking a rubber dog. It's ridiculous. Newborn foals and giraffes have nothing on Al for the wobblies. His pain in pretty well controlled with the prednisone and gabapentin. I have to make sure to keep strictly to the 12 hour regimen. Mornings are more difficult, but I think that's to be expected. I'm encouraged by how well he's doing. He's also putting on some weight. The hardest part for him is pooping. We have to walk a long time to get things moving and then everything just falls out. Unfortunately he can't walk that long so we take breaks. Far too often he ends up pooping in the house and totally freaks out, hurting himself in the process. He's very ashamed and upset when this happens, even though we don't make a big deal about it. He's also having a problem with the top of his toes. Specifically the foot where he has a skin tag on the top. Those things bleed like crazy. He was walking around on his last bad day with a foot covered in blood, lurching all over. He looked like he should be on The Walking Dead, lol. He didn't care at all. He was just happy that I was laughing at him and calling him by a new, loving name - Zombie Dog.

Here's the finished harness. Maybe it will give someone an idea if they're in a similar situation and can't find a ready made harness to suit their needs. Please excuse the mess, we're in the midst of replacing windows. This was the beginning of Zombie Dog day. You can see his bloody skin tag foot.
View attachment 61339

View attachment 61340

This is a close up of the stitching where I put the straps for structure.
View attachment 61341

And this is the inside. It's not prettily done, but without taking the original harness apart it was the best I could do. It's soft, and that's what matters. The purple is the chest piece from the step in harness I got at target. Oh .. and the toes of my magenta toe shoes, lol. I'm very stylish.
View attachment 61343

Great job!
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Well, after much trial and error I've finished Al's lift harness. I was using the Front Range harness and it works well, except I wanted something with a handle on it and covered straps. He wears it almost 24/7 and the nylon rubs just a little. I tried the Webmaster harness and the handle was too far back to be useful to us. I wanted something like a step-in wrap harness that I could alter. Unfortunately most wrap harnesses are made for Chihuahuas, lol. Al is skin and bones, but he has a chest measurement of 27-28". I finally found one at Bentley's Pet Stuff in an XXL. The chest was, and still is, just a bit big for him. I made two tucks in the front to tighten it up a little. I bought a step in harness from Target that was on clearance and took it apart, leaving the nylon webbing in the center chest piece and sewed it to the inside of the step-in so the chest area was sturdier. I then took heavy nylon strapping and sewed it to the inside of the harness to provide structure. Then I covered it all with fleece and added a handle. Overall I'm very pleased. It's very sturdy and fits him well. The handle makes walking him so much easier. I'm going to try to make a pattern so I can make my own wrap harness that fits him better.

Al's doing well. He's so sweet and funny. Walking him is like walking a rubber dog. It's ridiculous. Newborn foals and giraffes have nothing on Al for the wobblies. His pain in pretty well controlled with the prednisone and gabapentin. I have to make sure to keep strictly to the 12 hour regimen. Mornings are more difficult, but I think that's to be expected. I'm encouraged by how well he's doing. He's also putting on some weight. The hardest part for him is pooping. We have to walk a long time to get things moving and then everything just falls out. Unfortunately he can't walk that long so we take breaks. Far too often he ends up pooping in the house and totally freaks out, hurting himself in the process. He's very ashamed and upset when this happens, even though we don't make a big deal about it. He's also having a problem with the top of his toes. Specifically the foot where he has a skin tag on the top. Those things bleed like crazy. He was walking around on his last bad day with a foot covered in blood, lurching all over. He looked like he should be on The Walking Dead, lol. He didn't care at all. He was just happy that I was laughing at him and calling him by a new, loving name - Zombie Dog.

Here's the finished harness. Maybe it will give someone an idea if they're in a similar situation and can't find a ready made harness to suit their needs. Please excuse the mess, we're in the midst of replacing windows. This was the beginning of Zombie Dog day. You can see his bloody skin tag foot.
View attachment 61339

View attachment 61340

This is a close up of the stitching where I put the straps for structure.
View attachment 61341

And this is the inside. It's not prettily done, but without taking the original harness apart it was the best I could do. It's soft, and that's what matters. The purple is the chest piece from the step in harness I got at target. Oh .. and the toes of my magenta toe shoes, lol. I'm very stylish.
View attachment 61343

You say it isn't prettily done but it looks fantastic to me! I also love that "worthy dog" logo on the top. <3 And I am so happy that Al is doing well. I love the new pet name of "zombie dog" and glad that although the foot looks bad his meds are keeping it from bothering him.
 

Jakesmum

Well-Known Member
I am beyond words. I know exactly what you are going through and the agony of the decision to be made. We could've given Jake more prednisone, but he didn't tolerate a larger dose when we first started very well and we didn't want to put him through that. You will know when it's time and will make the right decision. I'm glad he's doing well and my thoughts are with you.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I think we're on the downswing here. There are some difficult decisions to be made in the next day or so. His pain is getting worse. He can't go for a walk, play in the yard, or really even play with a toy or his favorite face slapping game. He's still eating and drinking, but his joy comes from his girl coming home. He loves me very much, but his quality of life right now is completely wrapped up in my youngest daughter. Who is moving 2 1/2 hours away on Thursday to take advantage of a once in a lifetime job opportunity. If he was a candidate for surgery then things might be different, but he's not. And all we're doing is managing his pain - rather poorly the last four days. Last night he was too painful to open his mouth when his meds wore off, and that's not okay. I don't think I can let him be in pain of any kind if his biggest joy in life, my daughter, isn't here to balance things out a bit. I would really appreciate some thoughts for clarity of thinking and for making the best choice for him. I've never been so unsure of anything in my life. His good days are very good. His bad days are beyond bad. Three days were great last week, almost normal, and the last four have been very bad. I just want to do what's right for him. I love him so much. I know that this can't get better, only worse. And I also know that one day too soon is always better than one day too late. So I think I know what our decision must be. And still I'm not 100% sure.
 

Jarena

Well-Known Member
I think we're on the downswing here. There are some difficult decisions to be made in the next day or so. His pain is getting worse. He can't go for a walk, play in the yard, or really even play with a toy or his favorite face slapping game. He's still eating and drinking, but his joy comes from his girl coming home. He loves me very much, but his quality of life right now is completely wrapped up in my youngest daughter. Who is moving 2 1/2 hours away on Thursday to take advantage of a once in a lifetime job opportunity. If he was a candidate for surgery then things might be different, but he's not. And all we're doing is managing his pain - rather poorly the last four days. Last night he was too painful to open his mouth when his meds wore off, and that's not okay. I don't think I can let him be in pain of any kind if his biggest joy in life, my daughter, isn't here to balance things out a bit. I would really appreciate some thoughts for clarity of thinking and for making the best choice for him. I've never been so unsure of anything in my life. His good days are very good. His bad days are beyond bad. Three days were great last week, almost normal, and the last four have been very bad. I just want to do what's right for him. I love him so much. I know that this can't get better, only worse. And I also know that one day too soon is always better than one day too late. So I think I know what our decision must be. And still I'm not 100% sure.


I feel like all I’ve been doing the last couple days is thinking of you. I’m so sorry your going through this. I am 100% sure you will make the right choice at the right time. You always know what to do. You are a mom through and through. You have comforted me so many times and I just wish I could do the same for you.

I trust you, I would even trust you to make the decision for my own dog. That might sound odd, but it’s the best way for me to tell you how much I believe in your instinct and knowledge. If you need anything, I’m here.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
very sorry to hear this …… hopefully he goes out on a good day ……...

Thank you, Marke. That's what I'm hoping for. I want him able to walk in to the clinic after a a car ride, wagging his nubbin and happy after a really yummy breakfast with his favorite people next to him. He struggled with so many things during his life, I want to do this right. Good day or bad day, he'll get some ice cream and a car ride tomorrow because I know it's the right thing to do.

It's been a heck of a week. My maternal grandfather passed two days ago and my husband's grandfather passed this afternoon. I didn't know my grandfather well at all, so there's no grief there except for being sad for my mom. I'm feeling a little guilty for crying so much over Al and not at all over the humans that have passed. So I'll just keep my grief to myself or share it here, with other dog lovers.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I feel like all I’ve been doing the last couple days is thinking of you. I’m so sorry your going through this. I am 100% sure you will make the right choice at the right time. You always know what to do. You are a mom through and through. You have comforted me so many times and I just wish I could do the same for you.

I trust you, I would even trust you to make the decision for my own dog. That might sound odd, but it’s the best way for me to tell you how much I believe in your instinct and knowledge. If you need anything, I’m here.

This means so much to me, Jarena. Thank you. Jess says that tomorrow is the day. Neither of us is letting the other have second thoughts. But we're pushing for the afternoon so we can have an entire day to spoil him.
 

Jarena

Well-Known Member
Thank you, Marke. That's what I'm hoping for. I want him able to walk in to the clinic after a a car ride, wagging his nubbin and happy after a really yummy breakfast with his favorite people next to him. He struggled with so many things during his life, I want to do this right. Good day or bad day, he'll get some ice cream and a car ride tomorrow because I know it's the right thing to do.

It's been a heck of a week. My maternal grandfather passed two days ago and my husband's grandfather passed this afternoon. I didn't know my grandfather well at all, so there's no grief there except for being sad for my mom. I'm feeling a little guilty for crying so much over Al and not at all over the humans that have passed. So I'll just keep my grief to myself or share it here, with other dog lovers.

About 10 years ago I lost my grandmother (who I was pretty close to) and a week later I lost my dog. I was very sad about my grandma but I was absolutely devastated about my Smokie Bear. I had a lot of guilt about that. I have theories on why that is, so I’m ok about it now. But at the time I thought I was a monster. You’re certainly not alone.