Busderpuddle

RIP Summit.....what a beautiful boy

Ruby showed no interest in them the many times they were offered. She loves Himalayan Yak bones (Amazon or Chewy) and lately she and Jesse have been enjoying Sheep horns. They were recommended by our vet, as they are not so hard as antlers, and they are more like a thick toenail. I bought them on Amazon also.

SHE'S BEAUTIFUL.....Congratulations !!!

I buy it for me to drink when my tummy is wonky, but the sodium level is a bit high for daily use. I will have to make her some and add it to her food. I'm sure she would love that, Thank you

I hadn't thought of bone broth. Did you make it or buy your own ? Curious because the bought ones have a lot of sodium. Thank you for the idea. I will give it a try.

thank you.....she is doing really well. I have no idea what the change is, maybe the senior remedy from Amazon is helping ? Maybe Gabriels visit helped ? I don't know, but she is sleeping all night, and we even got rid of her crate. Praying for another year at least with our girl.

AWWWW, this makes me teary, as I believe in signs. Thank you

I want to do it before a crisis, as I am home alone 99% of the time. I will reschedule for next week to at least talk it thru. She has been restless today, but is sleeping again now. Will see how tonight goes. We got rid of her crate, as she just made too much noise. 3rd night without it, and it does help us rest a bit more. She stays on her bed, and we move it back and forth into our room. Poor old girl.

I CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT !!! I just could not sleep last night, and I used the excuse of my husband not getting home until 5 AM this morning (truck driver-too much snow) to get me out of going to discuss this. UGH. Clearly I am not ready, and of course Ruby slept all night last night, first time in months. I know it is just a matter of time.

I could have written that same list of foods, except for the butter and pasta sauce. UGH. Ruby has been a picky butt from day one. We have tried so many foods over the years, dealt with some horrendous gas, cooked for her, fed her raw, etc..... Finally, we decided that once we found a food that did not cause gas, we were going with it, and hunger strike or not, that's what we were giving her. We finally found Sport Dog, and she loves it. No gas issues at all. Now that she is elderly and losing weight, we do add in some Wellness Puppy wet food occasionally just to make sure she eats. She is also on Pepcid now. Good luck in your search. It can be a tough one with these picky poos

Last night she didn't cry or whimper once. Gabriel is here, and she loves that boy. He has been paying her a lot of extra attention, as we had the talk. Poor kiddo cried. Broke my heart. I will see how things go after he leaves tomorrow, but if she is doing better, I will hold off of course. Thank you. I will check them out

I bought a Roomba because I could no longer stand all the Ruby tumbleweeds. It is full every single morning when I dump it out. If you don't own a Roomba, they are pretty awesome.......even getting all the hair and dust from under the furniture.

Ruby has now been on Senilife for over 2 weeks, and I will keep her on it until. She has an appt. on the 7th for a quality of life talk. She is on the Senilife, Gabapentin, Ultram and Melatonin. Nothing has changed. Her teeth are good according to the vet. I brush her teeth and she had a dental about 10 months ago and lost 3 teeth. Her breath is AWFUL.....but she burps a lot. Oopppsss, she is also on Pepcid per the vet. She has been on it for a while now. She was vomiting clear mucous after meals, so they suggested the Pepcid and the problem stopped. Thank you all for the help and advice.

I am so sorry you lost your girl. It is so hard to even think about. Piper sounds like she was pretty amazing, as is my Ruby. May I ask where you ordered the plaque ? I don't want to bury her, so she will be cremated. Maybe I will bury her ashes when we get to our retirement home, wherever that may be. Hugs to you........ Yes, she is getting extra canned food, and a lot of cheese treats when she will eat them. She is also getting turkey slices, some ham slices and her favorite, lots of sardines. I don't care what she eats right now, just that she eats. According to the charts and the vet, we are feeding her enough. I don't know why she is losing. She will no longer eat dry kibble. Her teeth were cleaned 10 months ago and the vet says they look good to her. Her breath is awful, but I think her tummy is not too happy.........probably because I let her eat whatever she wants. Poops are completely normal though. We have an appt. on the 7th, and I will share the info about the Ultram, etc.. We have tried a lot of different combos, and I think the pain is under control, but not the Sundowners. Thank you

I am so very sorry. What a sweet life you gave her . Hugs

this is a great idea. I will make a memory box....thank you Yes, so similar to when my Grandma had Alzheimers. She was confused as to time of day, thought it was bed time when she woke up in the mornings.....so difficult for her and for us. I hate the thought of my poor girl feeling so frightened. She has not lost control of her bodily functions though, which is great. She does forget what she goes out to do, so we send her out frequently.

Thank you all

No, I am not at peace that we are doing the right thing. I wish I knew 100% that she has had enough. I did just call and make the appt. for the 7th. They call it a QOL appt., quality of Life. Been crying ever since and just a wreck. It seems so wrong to end a life. I just can't wrap my head around it. It would make more sense if she had cancer or couldn't walk at all. Last night she started whining around 7 PM. Nothing seemed to help her, even laying beside her on the floor. It isn't a pain whine I don't think. I don't know. I took her out 3 times last night, she never pottied, just stared. Tonight is going to be so hard on her. She HATES fireworks. I hadn't even thought about them until a few minutes ago. More suffering for her. I will ask if there is anything else we can try, but we have tried so many things. Always a hope...... This kind of makes me not want any more pets. Does that seem normal ? I have a 18 month old Poodle mix, so hopefully we have a long time left. I always thought that once Ruby went, we would foster elderly dogs........but now I know I can't. Ashamed to say that, but I can't take it. My husband is worse. again, thank you all. OH GEEZ.....I just re read a couple of the last posts. Do you normally have them cremated ? We will be moving from the house we are in in 3 years, so I dont want to bury her. Maybe take her to Hawaii on our next trip and let her stay forever in what we call Heaven on Earth ? I just don't know.

Thank you all so very much. I can't imagine making this decision more than once in a lifetime, some of you have been thru it so many times ! Gabriel comes tomorrow, so I will talk to him and let him snuggle her up, then will make the appt. For the person who suggested the Ultram might be making things worse, she was worse before, and we did taper it down and then back up. She has been on so many things. Bless you all.....You have no idea how all of you have helped me with Ruby over the years.

I guess asking the question meant I was thinking it is time. This sounds so crazy, but making the appt. just seems so final. The corner where she sleeps during the day will be so empty. She has been my buddy for 9 years while my husband works afternoons and nights. She is the best Greyhound ever. I know we all feel like we were the lucky ones to get the ones we have, but she has been such a good girl. Her only issue has been separation anxiety. My grandson helped choose her years ago. He was 2. He is coming for 3 days on the 1st, so I want him to get to tell her goodbye. He is 11, and he has always loved her. Maybe she will rally a bit with him here. She adores him, and all the grand babies. Thank you all for your comments. I just hate the thought of taking her too early and then feeling guilty. I know she is tired.

I hate even asking this question. I have never lost an animal, so I know nothing about it, or how in the world you decide. She is my first dog, and we have had her almost 9 years. We are both terrified to make the wrong decision at the wrong time. Ruby is not doing well. She has arthritis and Dementia. It is bad, and she is not happy. She strains to get up and down, she won't eat a treat unless it is literally put in her mouth. She will eat food if it is canned, which is new to her. She has lost about 6 lbs in the last 6 months. Around dinner time she starts whining, and it goes off and on all night long. We have her sleeping right next to us like always. We are getting pretty grumpy, and trying to nap during the day, as we know the nights will be long. She is on Gabapentin, Ultram, and a senior tablet from Amazon that was recommended. We have tried several other meds along the way. Her vet mentioned end of life at her last visit, so I know I need to get this right in my head. She is 11 1/2 now, still loves her pets and scritches, but the sparkle in her eyes is gone. She desperately needs a dental, but I don't think she would make it. At what point do you do this and not have any guilt ? I have been praying that she passes away in her sleep. I know that sounds awful. Thank you

Welcome Maggie

Love this story......

So we now have Ruby on Gabapentin and Ultram, which seemed to help the first night, but hasn't helped since. We are all tired and miserable at this point. I have some supplements on their way. Hoping they will help. Also, someone above mentioned Melatonin, and we have tried that in the past without any result, but I may try it again just because. Thank you all.

LOL