Final Update On Man’s Best And Most Expensive Friends
MAGGIE
GROVER
Some of you will recall a couple of posts I wrote last year about the ongoing health problems of our dogs Maggie and Grover. The original posts can be found here and here if you would like to start from the beginning. Maggie suffered from a variety of ailments, including a tumor on her spine that ultimately resulted in paralysis of her hind legs. At her advanced, age there were no treatment options that offered a reasonable chance of a successful outcome, and we made the very difficult decision to put her down in October.
Maggie’s health issues had brought about a very unpleasant change in her temperament, and we were constantly worried about the possibility of aggressive behavior toward Grover or our son Robert. She had become a very unpleasant presence in our home, but putting her down was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do.
When we came home from the vet after Maggie’s euthanasia, Grover was there to greet us at the door. His life improved considerably that day since we no longer had to worry about unprovoked attacks from Maggie. We enjoyed a period of several months of relative good health with his seizures under control. The downside was that the massive daily dose of Phenobarbital left him in a mild haze. Over time the changes in his personality became more pronounced, and he seemed to be less aware of his surroundings.
A couple of months ago, the seizures began to return, and our only recourse was to increase his dosage. The situation got progressively worse, and we went from 5 to 6 to 7 and finally 8 Phenobarbitals a day. This was for a dog who only weighed 18 pounds. Even at that massive dosage, the seizures didn’t stop, and blood tests showed that the drugs were beginning to destroy his liver. Our vets suggested that we switch to a different drug and wean him off the Phenobarbital gradually. From that point forward, things went downhill quickly.
The new drugs left him in a constant stupor. He couldn’t walk without falling down or bumping into walls, and he seemed to have very little sense of what was going on around him. The drugs also made him very restless, and in spite of the fact that he could barely walk or stand, he refused to lie still. He fell down the stairs several times a day. The doctors suggested that we give him some time to adjust to the new meds and continue to wean him off the old. I was willing to go along with that suggestion until the seizures returned in full force. These weren’t the grand mal seizures he had suffered in the past, but he did have a constant series of small seizures several times per hour.
It was obvious to me that we had exhausted our options, but Jennifer refused to give up. She was still feeling guilty about Maggie, and was determined to keep fighting a losing battle. I tried to convince her that we were torturing the dog, but she insisted that we keep trying. We started him on a 3rd seizure medication, but we couldn’t take him off the other two suddenly. For the last 4 days, this little dog was taking enough medication to subdue a horse, and it still didn’t work. He was still having constant mild seizures, and he was completely incapacitated by the drugs.
Sunday night was a bad night. Jennifer insisted on taking him to the emergency vet and they gave him extra Phenobarbital and a light dose of Valium intravenously. The Valium took care of the restlessness, but it also left virtually comatose. His regular vet gave him a second small dose on Monday morning, and we brought him back home that afternoon. He was practically lifeless, and for the next several hours he didn’t move an inch from the spot where I had placed him on the couch. He was unable to eat, or even to stand to go to the bathroom.
Jennifer woke me up at 4:00 AM today, and she had finally decided that the time had come to put him out of his misery. She wanted to take him to the emergency vet and have him put down immediately. I convinced her to wait until we could see his regular doctor in the morning. We took Robert to school early so we could be there when the doctor arrived. I carried him into the office and laid him on the examining table wrapped in a blanket. He didn’t move.
Grover had been a favorite of the staff for years, and several of the vet techs who had known him came in crying to say their goodbyes. We waited for the doctor for around 15 minutes, and during this time he showed practically no signs of life other than his very slow breathing.
The doctor finally came in and we had the required discussion about being sure we wanted to carry through with our plan. She agreed that we were doing the right thing, and Grover chose that moment to pick his head up and show the first signs of life in days. Jennifer immediately began to second guess her decision and started asking about new treatment possibilities. Fortunately, he collapsed again after just a few seconds, and she realized that there was no more hope for him.
Fortunately, Grover still had a catheter in his leg from the earlier IV, so administering the drugs was much easier. Ordinarily a massive sedative is administered first before the toxic injection, but in his case it wasn’t necessary. I held him in my arms while the drug was injected, and I could feel the tiny amount of life left in him extinguished almost instantly.
Coming home this time was much worse than with Maggie since there wasn’t anyone left to greet us at the door. I had told Jennifer that I wanted to wait a few years before we got another dog, but after just a couple of hours I’m already finding that it’s far too quiet around here without one.
Wow, losing a loved one is a very hard thing and pets really are like a member of the family. I couldn’t imagine having to put down two, let alone one of my pets.
In the end it seems to be better, as they’re no longer suffering… but it’s a hard thing to get over.
Best wishes…
So sorry for your loss – shop around and look at dogs and see how you feel. If it lifts your spirits then you are ready for another dog. If it just reminds you of your loss then wait a little while longer.
Although I knew it was the best thing for him, putting my dog to sleep was the hardest thing I have ever done. I think I may have cried more than I ever had in my life. It’ll get better for you over time and I swore I would never get another dog. My family overruled me and we got a purebred corgi this time, Max. He looks like my Alex but will never be. I still 8 years later sometimes call him Alex. I had Alex cremated and just recently my husband made a beautiful wooden box for his remains that I keep in my bedroom. I miss him still. I hope your family feels comfort soon.
Losing a pet is one of the most difficult experiences in life and it takes most people years to get over the trauma. A good way to remember your pet and to honor his contributions to your lives is to adopt a homeless animal from a shelter or rescue organization when you feel the time is right. There are millions of them, of any breed imaginable. waiting for a good home.
We lost our one of our dogs when she and her sister were 3. We took it very hard because it was so sudden, and I was afraid the surviving sister would grieve too much, so the next day we went to the SPCA. We took our dog with us and brought some dogs of all age groups and sizes out to meet her. She would only tolerate one 6 week old pup who was more interested in her than in us, so we adopted him. They have been best friends ever since and they are the best dogs anybody could hope for. We have no children, so they are our family. I will always have dogs in the house because of the love they bring, and I will always get them at the SPCA. Mutts only for us.
Chris,
My sympathies are with you and your family. I hope you’re healing and that the void in your lives isn’t so pronounced.
– Peg