robinw

If it's bothering her and it's continuing to grow...well, that's not good. guess that's when you don't want to just leave it.

Phene's Circle of Grey blanket arrived today. Although he's at the bridge, it's so comforting having a blanket embroidered with him name. For those of you who haven't joined Circle of Grey, you might want to. I have found it to be a place of warm, non-judgemental support. btw, I can't stop hugging his blanket

The natural vet might have a point, as long as it's not causing pain or interfering with anything.can it grow or is it as big as it will get?

Wonderful! It's fantastic to read some good news

thanks for the continued good news! I tried shaking powdered dried liver on Phene's food and he liked it. I also mixed in dried liver chunks. Maybe Laser would like that also

I'm so sorry. Terrible news

Jocko was our cat when I was married. He went with my ex-husband when we broke up. Since Ken (ex-husband) and I remained good friends, I continued to see him. Two nights ago my ex called to tell me that Jocko was in kidney failure. He called again yesterday morning; he had passed away overnight in his sleep. Jocko was an extremely sweet guy who lived a long and happy life surrounded by those he loved and who loved him. He will be greatly missed by Ken, Gina, and me. Jocko, I hope you've found Meg, Daisy and Beansy. They'll take great care of you.

Hoping for something minor.

Suzanne, with Phoenix it was obvious when it was time. I had to go out of town for a few days for work. He was happy and bouncy when I dropped him off at my friend's house. When I picked him up a few days later, he couldn't stand without help, even with meds. I sent him to the bridge that day. Your experience is going to be different than mine, just as Freya is different than Phoenix. You'll know when it's time.

What a wonderful tribute! It's so clear how much he and his family loved each other. I'm so sorry, Robbie. I still can't believe Frank is gone

You're in an awful situation. If you're anything like me, you may still be feeling numb and feeling like it's impossible to make an informed decision. You will, and you'll do whatever is best for both of you. I sincerely hope you have lots of quality time with Saber.

That is the same conversation I had with my vet after Phoenix was diagnosed with osteo and he said almost the exact same thing. Luckily he confirmed what I was already thinking. Osteo cannot be treated, unless you go the amputation/chemo route, which has been successful for several hounds here That route isn't always feasible and / or some of us have reasons for not doing it. My feeling was that if you have to raise pain meds, you're not really doing the dog any favours. You may have some more time with him, but who does it benefit? Not the dog, who is probably in pain regardless of meds. A dog with osteo is going to experience huge amounts of pain. I couldn't do it. I know I'm in the minority, but for me letting Phoenix go at the first sign of extreme pain was the right thing to do. I miss him terribly, but I know that he never had to suffer again. I don't mean any disrespect to those who increased meds and gave their dog cocktails. We all do what we think is right.

Nancy, I'm so very sorry.

:goodluck

Thank you, Carol. There are lots of treatment options. I chose to use pain control only with Phoenix and I sent him to the bridge after his first bad episode? Was it too soon? No. Was I negligent because I didn't opt to amputate or treat with herbal medicines? No, I wasn't. I treated Phoenix out of love and the strong, strong belief that two days of suffering was two days too many. He wasn't going to get better. Osteo was already causing him intense pain. I never even raised his meds beyond his prescription. I honestly felt that to do that would subject him to yet more pain. The way I handled it wasn't for everybody, but it was the right choice for Phoenix. I have absolutely no regrets. For all of the new members of this thread, I'm so sorry. Try to stay strong and love your hounds.

I remember beautiful Angie

:confetti

I'm so sorry

thank you for another great update

Welcome!

Oh Gil, I'm so very sorry. Tanner was always such a cool guy

That is a very good question. Beth, was Steak weaned off of phenobarb gradually?

great news!!

I just saw this. Hoping for a positive update today. In the meantime, I hope you can get some rest