[myfriend_Buddy]

Hi, I was a long time lurker but posted only once before in this website. Never thought I'll leave this site so soon.

My dog, Buddy, is extremely sick. He is a 12 year old maltese, with 6 teeth left and a disability. I got him 2 years ago at a shelter. He was diagnosed with end stage chronic kidney disease as well as chronic pancreatitis just two days ago.

He's currently hospitalized and monitored round the clock, but he's still not doing well. His blood test results are off the chart, and he's struggling to move at all. On top of his illnesses he has a disability, so moving and standing up is a lot harder for him than for other dogs. Because of this, he's unable to stand at the moment, so he urinates and defecates while lying down. He is still completely refusing food so he's being tube fed through his nose. His temperature and blood sugar keeps dropping.

His quality of life right now is too low, and since there is no hope of a full recovery and only hope for some extension of his life I don't want to draw out the suffering. My plan is to bring him home and give him lots of love for two, three days and then taking him to the vet to put him down. That's if he doesn't die in that two or three day span.

I love him, and I truly think discontinung treatment and euthanizing him at this point would be the right thing to do. I live in a country where euthanasia is frowned upon and considered as an act of giving up on your pet, so I might need to persuade my vet and beg him to please put him down while he's not in unbearable pain yet.

Things are hard right now. I just hope what I'm choosing for Buddy right now is the right path.

 

[edelweiss]

I am so very sorry to read about little Buddy but rest assured that you are most certainly making the very best decision for him. I will pray your vet will understand that it is your love for Buddy that motivates you for this hard decision. End stage kidney shut down plus not eating tells me that Buddy is asking for you to help him. Please, please do not second guess yourself. It is the loving thing to do. I send you courage, strength & tenacity in doing what you know is best. You are a wonderful dog parent. Again, I am so sorry. It is better to do this ASAP for both of your sakes. Big hugs to you.

 

[maggie's mommy]

I'm just going to throw something out there just in case there might be something else going on with Buddy. Do you know if your vet has tested Buddy for Addison's disease. It is fairly uncommon and many vets have not come across it in their practices. It is often mistaken for kidney disease or other ailments. I know about this from personal experience and came very close to losing Maggie when she was nine. The bloodwork will show low sodium and high potassium but my vet missed this when Maggie was so sick. She was vomiting, had diarrhea, was unable to stand, and would not eat. I did manage to get her to an emergency vet who diagnosed Addison's and saved her life. If, by chance, that's what is wrong with Buddy you may be able to save him. I will keep you and Buddy in my prayers.

 

[myfriend_Buddy]

I'm just going to throw something out there just in case there might be something else going on with Buddy. Do you know if your vet has tested Buddy for Addison's disease. It is fairly uncommon and many vets have not come across it in their practices. It is often mistaken for kidney disease or other ailments. I know about this from personal experience and came very close to losing Maggie when she was nine. The bloodwork will show low sodium and high potassium but my vet missed this when Maggie was so sick. She was vomiting, had diarrhea, was unable to stand, and would not eat. I did manage to get her to an emergency vet who diagnosed Addison's and saved her life. If, by chance, that's what is wrong with Buddy you may be able to save him. I will keep you and Buddy in my prayers.

Bloodwork is showing high sodium and low potassium. We also had an ultrasound and his kidneys are severely malformed and enlarged due to high stress. Lastly we did a doppler test and it showed minimum blood vessels in his kidneys, so we're 100% sure it's renal failure...thank you though, I'll ask just in case.

 

[myfriend_Buddy]

I am so very sorry to read about little Buddy but rest assured that you are most certainly making the very best decision for him. I will pray your vet will understand that it is your love for Buddy that motivates you for this hard decision. End stage kidney shut down plus not eating tells me that Buddy is asking for you to help him. Please, please do not second guess yourself. It is the loving thing to do. I send you courage, strength & tenacity in doing what you know is best. You are a wonderful dog parent. Again, I am so sorry. It is better to do this ASAP for both of your sakes. Big hugs to you.

Thank you so much, I'll try to have courage for Buddy's sake.

 

[mss]

Poor Buddy. Is it your vets who frown on euthanasia? Or are you worried about the opinion of friends and family?

This sounds like a very unhappy time for Buddy and you. I hope the vets will rule out other possibilities, as maggie's mommy suggests, before discussing your plans.

And what you can expect if you take him home now without further treatment. My vets recently did not recommend I take one of my dogs home because dying of hypoglycemia would be very unpleasant.

I am very sorry. It is not easy. I wish you comfort and peace in your decision. {{{{}}}}

 

[myfriend_Buddy]

Poor Buddy. Is it your vets who frown on euthanasia? Or are you worried about the opinion of friends and family?

This sounds like a very unhappy time for Buddy and you. I hope the vets will rule out other possibilities, as maggie's mommy suggests, before discussing your plans.

And what you can expect if you take him home now without further treatment. My vets recently did not recommend I take one of my dogs home because dying of hypoglycemia would be very unpleasant.

I am very sorry. It is not easy. I wish you comfort and peace in your decision. {{{{}}}}

It's the vets I'm worried about. Although the prognosis is really bad my vet is insisting that I should continue treating him, which is not what I think is the best for Buddy right now.

I'll ask to test for Addison's disease but regardless of the cause we are certain he is going through renal failure unfortunately.

I'll also ask about what to expect when taking Buddy home, if it'll be too painful for him to stay even just the two days. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Snuggle's Mom]

While I read your post earlier this morning, unfortunately I did not have time to post. We had the exact same diagnosis last October for our precious Chrissy; end of life Kidney Failure. We had absolutely no idea whatsoever until the Blood Work came back. Our Vet was absolutely devastated when he had to make that call to us. Unfortunately, she only lasted 10 days (without any symptoms that were apparent) until the last two days when she could not eat anymore. I spent the entire night from 10/30 - 10/31 with her and after seeing her so very sick, we could not wait any longer and had to let Chrissy pass on to the Rainbow Bridge on the morning of 10/31 at a Pet Emergency facility. We were more than devastated and from what you posted, I sending you all the prayers for your decision as far as Buddy is concerned.

 

[edelweiss]

Dogs will not normally starve themselves willing so the fact that he is not eating or wanting to tells me a lot. Our little grand-dog (who died w/us in Greece while his mom was in Italy) stopped eating completely & started hiding. We tried giving fluids at home but he was resistant & it became clear that he had given up. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life to euthanize him as I could not reach our daughter. Normally a pup will rally a short time before death so don't be surprised if that happens. Carlos did this & it confused me a bit---however his blood work showed that it was time to let him go. Do any tests you need to assure you that he is ready---that will give you the confidence that you have done the best for him. If tests show he still has a chance then we are here for you & will champion any decision you choose. Again, we grieve w/you such a situation as this. Most of us have been there.

 

[myfriend_Buddy]

Update: Buddy has passed alone at the 24 hour vet. The vet only contacted us after his heart stopped. I'm devastated and I regret all my decisions. His bloodwork showed improvement and that's why I left him at the vet, but I really should have brought him back earlier. The vet tells me he passed in peace, so that's my only comfort. Thanks for everyone who supported me.

 

[maggie's mommy]

I'm so sorry. If it's any comfort, I'm pretty sure it was not Addison's. With Addison's the sodium is low and the potassium is high. My heart is breaking for you. Rest In Peace Buddy.

 

[mss]

I'm so sorry. {{{}}} It is good to hear he was peaceful. Nature spared you of having to make such painful decisions. Please do not doubt yourself. Some conditions can not be fixed, no matter how much we hope. You were so kind to adopt and care for little Buddy through his difficulties. Please think of the better times and the comfort you brought him then. I will hold you and Buddy in my heart. {{{{}}}}

 

[maggieh]

Update: Buddy has passed alone at the 24 hour vet. The vet only contacted us after his heart stopped. I'm devastated and I regret all my decisions. His bloodwork showed improvement and that's why I left him at the vet, but I really should have brought him back earlier. The vet tells me he passed in peace, so that's my only comfort. Thanks for everyone who supported me.

I am so very sorry for your loss and for how this played out. Remember the love you gave Buddy and the wonderful live he had with you. It's good to know he was at peace and not in any pain when he gained his angel wings. Don't focus on what you could have or should have done but instead on the love and life you gave him. Holding you in my heart!

 

[pippersmom]

I am so sorry for your loss. This was a heartbreaking situation.

 

[Coster]

So sorry for you and buddy. So sorry to read this hard post. So Sorry for your loss of your baby.

 

[edelweiss]

Please try not to regret your decisions. . . we move on the information we have and we live w/limited information. I really honestly don't think you could have changed anything for the better. He knew your love & that counts for everything! He may well not even have recognized you in his condition. Pancreatitis is painful & it is best that he was not aware of that pain either. I will not diminish your grief---it is so very real---& cannot be dismissed by mere words. May you find peace in realizing that you gave him the best two years of his life! My heart is heavy for you. Please take care of yourself!

 

[Snuggle's Mom]

I was truly saddened by you post regarding Buddy's passing. I know just how very difficult it has been for you to see Buddy suffering. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and please know in your heart that your precious Buddy is now at peace. As those have said before me, please do not second guess your decision to leave him at your Vet. My prayers are with you as you grieve.

 

[Dora G]

Hi, I was a long time lurker but posted only once before in this website. Never thought I'll leave this site so soon.

My dog, Buddy, is extremely sick. He is a 12 year old maltese, with 6 teeth left and a disability. I got him 2 years ago at a shelter. He was diagnosed with end stage chronic kidney disease as well as chronic pancreatitis just two days ago.

He's currently hospitalized and monitored round the clock, but he's still not doing well. His blood test results are off the chart, and he's struggling to move at all. On top of his illnesses he has a disability, so moving and standing up is a lot harder for him than for other dogs. Because of this, he's unable to stand at the moment, so he urinates and defecates while lying down. He is still completely refusing food so he's being tube fed through his nose. His temperature and blood sugar keeps dropping.

His quality of life right now is too low, and since there is no hope of a full recovery and only hope for some extension of his life I don't want to draw out the suffering. My plan is to bring him home and give him lots of love for two, three days and then taking him to the vet to put him down. That's if he doesn't die in that two or three day span.

I love him, and I truly think discontinung treatment and euthanizing him at this point would be the right thing to do. I live in a country where euthanasia is frowned upon and considered as an act of giving up on your pet, so I might need to persuade my vet and beg him to please put him down while he's not in unbearable pain yet.

Things are hard right now. I just hope what I'm choosing for Buddy right now is the right path.

I am so sorry for your pain and for Buddy's illness. Please ask your vet if they either do, or can recommend, someone to come to your house when it is time to let him go. These people are professional, empathetic, and it makes for a peaceful passing for Buddy............and for your heart. Your love for Buddy......and his love for you, shows through your words.

 

[edelweiss]

I am so sorry for your pain and for Buddy's illness. Please ask your vet if they either do, or can recommend, someone to come to your house when it is time to let him go. These people are professional, empathetic, and it makes for a peaceful passing for Buddy............and for your heart. Your love for Buddy......and his love for you, shows through your words.

I hope you look/read above & see that sadly Buddy has already passed.

 

[Dora G]

I hope you look/read above & see that sadly Buddy has already passed.

I'm so sorry for their loss. It is such a hard thing to go through.....