[NAGDU] My Fisher

[Melissa R. Green]

Hi.
I used a vet that did house calls. She was really good with my girl. Then she got her owm practice. It made my girl feel comfortable. She was in her invironment. Now that she is retired. The vets are still wanting to see her.
My friend had her dog euthanized at home. It was still sad. But it was comfortable. 
Keep loving him. He may make the decission, or you will. 
You and your fisher will be in my thoughts.


----- Original Message -----
From: Cindy Ray via NAGDU  <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To:  nagdu at nfbnet.org
CC: cindyray at gmail.com
Date: 08/19/2020 6:02 pm
Subject: [NAGDU] My Fisher

>
>
> Hi to all,
> 
> Well, the latest episode of my whining about good old Fisher. He turned
> fourteen on July 16. He was doing well, as energetic as you would expect,
> and quite full of life. Then last Friday came. He fell down a few steps. We
> helped him go downstairs. After that, he really couldn't do the stairs
> anymore. At first he would stand at the bottom, and once he went up to the
> landing (it is a split foyer house with seven steps in each little flight.)
> My husband carried him up so he could go out on the deck with us for lunch,
> but we didn't stay long because It was hot.
> 
> I called my vet to tell her what had happened, and she couldn't work him in.
> They suggested that I call a mobile vet, so I called her. They sent over
> some anti-inflammatories for him to take. Bob carried him down to the
> landing and we went out in the front. He saw the sidewalk and thought we
> should go north like we always did on our walks, but I did discourage that.
> 
> After dinner, we tried to "rig up the deck" so he would relieve there, but
> nothing doing. 
> 
> Saturday morning he wasn't eating or drinking, and being a goldador, I was
> pretty sure we were in a Hospice situation. I took him to an emergency care
> place. 
> 
> They determined that his vitals were good, he has arthritis, and he has odd
> eye movements, a stygnus.  Vestibular disease is what they call it, and it
> is like neuralgia. They say that when there doesn't seem to be a cause
> except maybe an underlying one that they would have to test for. They gave
> him a shot and some meds for nausea, but I never was sure if that was an
> issue.
> 
> On Tuesday, we had the mobile vet come here. She looked at him and said he
> was in pain and his rear was dropped down some, but he seemed to be in good
> health. So I decided I would go back to giving him his regular food. I had
> been giving this specialty food that I got at my vet when he was  having
> stomach issues and adding a little chicken to it. He also was given some
> glucosamine chews. He wouldn't eat his food even though it was a mix of old
> and the specialty food, though he did when I added the chicken to it.
> 
> Today I gave him his old food twice. He would have no part of it. I then
> gave him the specialty food with a little chicken, and he ate it. We have to
> watch to make sure he gets water.
> 
> So he can't do stairs, and we moved into the family room so we could all be
> together. I took him for a short walk today, but he quickly commenced to
> pant heavily, so I would say he is in quite a little pain.
> 
> The one good thing about it is that he is no longer the dog I knew last
> week. I can care for him, but it is different, except that he still shows me
> he cares a lot. All this is to say that I think we may have precious little
> time left. This wasn't how I imagined losing him, but of course there are so
> many ways.
> 
> I would sort of like to use the same vet I have been, but I feel as if after
> 17 years she could find a way to work him in. (That's 17 years all
> together.) To be fair, she is a one doctor office, but given the symptoms, I
> just couldn't believe they couldn't figure out a way to work him in. If I am
> going to have to euthanize him, then I want to do it here. I am not sure she
> would do that. It won't be easy, but I feel I am giving him the best comfort
> I can in these days of pain. I miss his coming upstairs to follow me around,
> but it is all good, because he greets me when he is aware of my returning to
> downstairs. We don't want to leave him alone at all now. Maybe that's silly,
> but I feel an intense need to remain here with him, or for Bob to. 
> 
> So have any of you used a mobile vet? Did you ever use one as your primary
> care vet? What do you think are the pros and cons of doing that?
> 
> Sorry this is so long. I'm tired of reading it myself.
> 
> Take good care.
> 
> Cindy Lou Ray
> 
> cindyray at gmail.com <mailto:cindyray at gmail.com> 
> 
>  
> 
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