I'm so upset about Disney

[jazzcat]

My poor Disney. For those of you who don't know she has Canine Cognative Dysfunction which is very similar to Alzheimer's. She has been going down hill very fast this past month.

She's starting to have potty accidents, so far just in the bathroom but it is a daily thing. She gets frightened easily, runs into things, will get excited when she comes in from outside and runs really hard and usually hurts herself. She's starting to lose her equilibrium - she will just be standing there and start to fall over. Most the time she catches herself but sometimes not.

She's so skinny but is eating as long as I remind her to by constantly showing her the food. She forgets to drink which makes her constipated. She's very hard of hearing, losing her vision. On top of it all she's always had skin problems but it's getting so much worse. Plus her arthritis is getting worse and she can no longer make jumps onto furniture but she tries and hurts herself.

Today has been the hardest. I gave her bath with has been becoming increasingly difficult and today was no exception. I haven't bathed her in about three weeks because of that. Anyway, when I got all her fur wet I discovered that she has broken the tip of her tail. It doesn't seem to hurt her so I guess it's a few weeks old and already set. I felt so bad, I started crying. Who knows, it could hurt her because she seems to be losing her sense of pain like that. She is so out of it sometimes.

She doesn't have much of a life and I feel so bad for her. She's either sleeping or pacing back and forth, a mindless pacing and stare. My husband has been trying to make sure I am prepared for putting her down soon. He said last month that the warmer weather may help her improve but now he doesn't think she will make it till then.

How do I know what to do? Her quality of life is going down hill quickly and it seems like we spend so much time just trying to keep her safe and cleaning up after her. My vet told me that when a dog has this disease that the owners have to decided when it's time.

I need a shoulder to cry on!:( :(

[caseysmom]

I am so sorry....I think when the time comes you will know, give yourself some time to think it through and enjoy what time you have left.

How old is disney?

[Uabassoon]

I'm so sorry that this is happening to your sweet Disney. I'm not really sure what to say because this is so sad and I know I can't say anything to make it better. Just know that we are all hurting with you and you will always have my (and everyone else's here) shoulder to cry on. I know it's hard when your pet isn't doing well, because all you want is for her to be better because you love her so much. You are doing wonderful with her and are doing an amazing job at making her as comfortable as possible.

[GraciesMommy]

I know exactly what you are going thru...this is what happened to my mercedes.
I can only tell you what my vet told me..and its not something you will want to hear..Mercedes did have good days..my vet told me to pick a "good day" to bring her in to be PTS. It was THE hardest decision I ever made...but she told me if it were her baby, she would not want to wait til it was a "have to" case..that is was kinder to say my good byes on a good day...where she had a lot of love, hugs and kisses and knew I was there.
Believe me it hurts my heart to even tell you this. I still have my days where I feel such guilt..because the day I chose she was getting along good..even ran around a bit..and I have to wonder how many more good days she might have had that I could have spent more time loving her. Those few days were far and few between..so many more bad days..and I know she was suffering. On those days she would whine non stop..even with me right there with her..because she just didn't know what was happening to her...she couldn't hear, could barely see any more..its just so unfair.

My heart aches for you...I hope you do have many more good days with Disney..and when the time is right, you will know it in your heart..just try not to beat yourself up over it, and that is easier said than done...hugs

[DogLover9501]

Oh Lori :( How sad and difficult!

I'm so sorry to hear that Disney isn't doing too good, and I don't have any advice, just some ((((Hugs)))).

I'll be thinking of Disney(and you!).

[dukedogsmom]

I am so sorry. I agree that it would be better not to wait until the last minute. However, my advice is just to take one day at a time and cherish every day you have with Disney. I can relate to this so much as I had to make that decision for my cat when I was 19. My parents were out of town and I was by myself. I can also relate because I love Duke so much and he's going to be 12 soon. I can tell he's aged a lot this year. All we can do is be there for each other.

[jazzcat]

Originally posted by caseysmom
I am so sorry....I think when the time comes you will know, give yourself some time to think it through and enjoy what time you have left.

How old is disney?
Disney is 13+ years old.

Here's a picture.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/jazzcat99/va2.jpg

Thanks everyone.

Gracie's mommy - that really helped me. After reading about Mercedes I realized Disney isn't at that point and still has time. The question is how much and at the rate she is declining, how long. The good day is a good idea, thanks.

[GraciesMommy]

Mercedes was 1 day shy of her 16th birthday..so she was a few years older than your Disney

[Uabassoon]

Overall do you think Disney is still happy? If the answer is yes then enjoy your time with her as much as possible. When you can honestly say to yourself that Disney isn't happy, then that will be the time to sit down and think about what you will need to do next.

[luvofallhorses]

Big hugs to you honey. Just spend ever minute you can with her you will know when the time is right.

[aly]

Lori,

I am so, so sorry :( She sounds EXACTLY like my last foster Poodle, Peka. I had to make the decision a little over a year ago to put down my sweet girl after fostering her for a year. I would have kept her longer, but she had no quality of life. She also had congestive heart failure, mammory tumors, and a few other serious problems. She reminded me so much of my grandmother because my grandma had the same color hair and had congestive heart failure too :( They went to the RB around the same time.

Peka was the first, and only so far, time I've had to make the decision to send her to the bridge. It was SO hard and I kept changing my mind and almost didn't take her for the appointment. I thought how could I play God and do that to my precious girl? Who am I to decide when she's supposed to die? How could I take her to the vet and leave without her??

But looking at her, I think God did tell me the answer. She was ready to end the pain. It was at the point where she'd pee on the floor, drink it, then sleep in it :( :( :( :( (

I had no idea what kind of life she had before I saved her from the shelter. She was all matted and they were going to put her to sleep because of her age and health. I took comfort that I at least showed her love for a year after that. She learned how to run in the park with my dogs. She learned how to chase the cats away from her food. She got excited to hear my voice.

Its getting really hard for me to continue typing this. The pain is still there and I miss her so much. But I do know that she was ready. Your heart and God will tell you when it is Disney's time. Until then, make her happy and comfortable. Remember dogs live in the moment. Try doing some of her favorite things that she can still do. Know that you gave her a wonderful life. Hold on to the good memories and be strong.

I wish I could be there for you because I know exactly how you feel. I've had to stop several times while writing this because it is making me cry so hard. Tears are being shed here for sweet Disney and for you. I'll hold you both in my prayers.

I know you'll make the right decision, whatever it is.

(hugs) :(

[chocolatepuppy]

I'm sorry about Disneys failing health. She is such a precious girl, this must be so hard for you. You will know when the time is right.{hugs}

[jazzcat]

Oh Aly, I'm bawling right now and I don't cry much.

Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I guess in some odd way there is comfort in knowing others have shared this incredibly hard situation.

Rest in Peace sweet Peka, you've touched more people than you know.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Originally posted by Uabassoon
Overall do you think Disney is still happy? If the answer is yes then enjoy your time with her as much as possible. When you can honestly say to yourself that Disney isn't happy, then that will be the time to sit down and think about what you will need to do next.

I couldn't have said it better!!
Oh Lori, this must be so hard.... :( . Just take it one day at a time from now on. May I give you one hint: take as much pics of Disney as possible!
Without knowing it, I took several pics of my Sydney, on the last day he was with us. I still feel grateful for the fact that I have those pics!!

[Logan]

Lori, I have been directly involved with something like this exactly ONCE in my life and it was with my Kaycee. I have to admit that it took the vet and a very good friend for me to see that it was time. Kaycee lost a tremendous amount of weight and I was to the point where I was carrying her outside and carrying her inside. She couldn't manage the steps. :( Dr. Robinson suggested that Kaycee spend the night at his office so he could observe her and I could get a sense of how life was without her. She had bloody diarrhea during the night she spent at his office. He could not operate or sedate her as her heart was so bad. It gave me one night to fully digest what was going on, thanks to my friend, Mike, who was right there with me when we took her in. He was the one who had said to me, "Logan, she is very, very sick". I didn't get it on my own, but with the aid of my good friend, and my veterinarian, I knew it was time. I hope you will have the same insight when it is time for Disney.

You and I have talked about this before as I am dealing with much of same with Murphy, our Lab, who is 15 years old. She is confused, wets the floor, poops on the floor, eats like she has NEVER eaten before, is deaf and her eyes are going bad too, but she is still "happy". I must get a video of Murphy's food dance one day while I can. She is the happiest, hungriest dog you ever saw.

I have to tell you, Lori. You will know. Or people who love you and Disney, who surround you, will know, when it is time.

Hang in there and know that many of us are out here praying for Disney and thinking of you constantly. It is a hard, hard time.

Logan

[micki76]

Originally posted by Uabassoon
Overall do you think Disney is still happy? If the answer is yes then enjoy your time with her as much as possible. When you can honestly say to yourself that Disney isn't happy, then that will be the time to sit down and think about what you will need to do next.

I agree with Laura. I only wish we had made the decision to put Aneko down sooner. By the time my husband said he was ready, she was too far gone to care. She was always scared, always pacing and panting. She rarely ate unless we showed her the food, and she never drank unless we put the bowl in front of her face. The rest of the time she just slept; perhaps to escape the demons in her mind or to get some relief from some pain that we didn't know about. I don't know what to tell you, Lori. My only advice is not to wait too long. I still beat myself up that we should've ended Aneko's misery sooner. She was SO unhappy that last month or so. :(

{{{{{Hugs to you all}}}}}

[jazzcat]

Thank you all so much.

Overall I feel that Disney is still mostly happy. Even when she is doing her mindless pace and stare I don't really feel that she is unhappy. Sometimes I can tell by the look in her eye that she is really scared and confused but that is not frequently.

Reading all your comments and advice has really helped me. I don't believe it is time yet but you all have helped me makes some guidelines to go by in this tought decision.

Disney and I just took a walk through the yard and even though she wasn't running and bouncing around like she used to she still seem to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. She went up the deck steps without much trouble. That was good to see. :)

I'm feeling better now, thank you for all the shoulders to cry on.

[aly]

My great uncle is in town visiting right now. He is about to turn 80 years old. He recently had a heart attack, only has use of 25% of his lung (due to another medical problem), is diabetic, and has overcome cancer. He looks and acts GREAT though. I did get sad last night because he seemed to start staring into space. I think he was just tired though.

I think dogs may be similar. We get sad to see them staring off, but maybe their mind and/or body is just tired and thats all.

Just thought I'd add that. I know when I was going through my problems with Peka, everyone else's experiences really did help me too. I bet Amy will have some advice for you. She lost her Smokey when he was 18 and having some problems as well.

Still sending you hugs, prayers, and gentle pats to Disney.

[ramanth]

*HUGS* I'm sure when the time comes you'll know what to do.

And we'll be here.

[shutterbug0303]

Everyone's information was so helpful and insightful. I did not have to make a decision like this personally but my parents did about my RB Zeus. He had cancer along with several other ailments that I can't exactly remember. Reading so many of these posts brought back memories of having to watch in slowly failing :( I am crying just thinking about when each of us has seen with our RB's that had to be PTS. Remember that it is for their own comfort when the time comes. And like everyone has said, you will know when the time comes. It sounds like you still have some time to celebrate Disney's life and enjoy your time with her. You always have our ears and shoulders, and it sounds like your husband will certainly be there for you and Disney when the time comes too.

{{{hugs}}} and prayers that your time with Disney will be blessed and you will have comfort when the decision is made that it is for her best interest...giving her a chance to feel all better again and play hard once more.

[fritz03]

I know how you feel.We went through the same thing with Ruffles.First ,he went blind,then deaf,was then tripping over himself and couldn't stand for long periods without falling so it was Dad's decision as hard as it was to have him put down.It was sad seeing him go downhill that last year.He had been so healthy up to then.I guess if he doesn't get better sometime soon,I feel you may have to make a hard choice,but it may be the best way.At least he would be out of pain.

[NoahsMommy]

(((Lori)))

I agree with the others, if she's still happy, just keep an eye on her. I knew with Livvy...so I think you just know.

I hope that when it is time, you know that you gave Disney lots of love and a truly wonderful home.

Hugs,
Kelly

[petslover]

I could imagine are you upset about Disney. Thats a hard thing to think about. I wish I could give you advice, but I don't know what to say, but I'm sorry at a time like this. Prayers are being sent your way though. Good Luck and God Bless.

[kimlovescats]

Lori, I don't know what to say .... I am now teary eyed as well. I agree that you don't want her to get too far gone and suffering, but the way you described her walk outside then I would enjoy doing these types of things with her for as long as you can. I guess the main thing is to mentally and emotionally try to prepare yourself .... which is not easy to do, of course. Cherish all the good days, take pictures, hold her and tell her how much you love her. I believe that when it is time, Disney will let you know.

LOVE AND HUGS,
Kim:(

[shais_mom]

I don't have any advice Lori but thoughts and prayers are with you..
{{hugs to you and Disney}}

[pitc9]

First of all... ~*hugs*~ to you and Disney.

My mom was faced with this at the start of the new year. Her Pom/Poodle Harley was about 12, was diabetic, blind, going deaf, having accidents, etc. She waited to long, when she finally decided to take her to the vet to have her put down, Harley went into seizures in the waiting room, and never recovered. She was gone only hours later.

It just would have been nice to have Harley go to the Bridge with out going through the seizures and the fear she felt going through them.

Disney will let you know when it's time to go... just make sure you hear her.