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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Our Golden Retriever

Hoping to recreate another dog party, the boys and I took our 8 year golden retriever for a walk this morning before waiting at the bus stop. Merlin stopped and squatted to pee. Yes, he is a male, but he has always squatted. As he did so, his hind leg slipped on a small stack of slippery leaves, and he fell forward. He seemed alright though and we continued on our way.

When we got back, he went to lie down on his side for a morning rest. I noticed a little bit of bright yellow urine on his fur. I got some wipes and did my best to clean him up. I then gave him his breakfast and had to coax him into it. That was a little off, but often times Merlin goes on food strikes. Still, something just seemed not quite right. I had thought so for a couple days and even yesterday had gone to buy Moist and Meaty which is like the Cheetos of dog food.

I had a meeting so I filled his bowl with water and left. I got back about an hour later and the bowl was dry. Something wasn't right. I opened a brand-new pack of Moist and Meaty and gave it to him. He wouldn't touch it. I checked his ears to see if maybe he had an ear infection, but they were nice and clean. I had to rush out to take my younger son (YS) to preschool.

When I got back, Merlin was sleeping peacefully. I went to make a phone call. While I was waiting to be called back, I checked on Merlin. I could see some more of that bright yellow urine stained fur. I got a pair of scissors and cut it. Then I did a more thorough search. He had bright orange urine all over his belly. I immediately called the vet to see if this was a side effect from the Rimadyl he started taking in September and brought him there.

By the time we got to the waiting room, the inside flaps of his ears, his gums and his tongue were all yellow. The vet said it was probably hemolytic anemia and sent us to the animal hospital where he was admitted. There they did an x-ray and found lumps on his chest. Blood test revealed internal bleeding. It was most likely lymphomoa.

Needless to say, I'm not doing too well. I miss him and I'm so worried about him. What if this is it? I thought I had at least two more years. My older son (OS) immediately noticed that Merlin did not greet him at the bus this afternoon. How do you talk to a 6 year old about this? Every picture he has drawn in school has a picture of Merlin on it. His teacher even commented on how much he obviously loves him. His dog is having a dog party at the bus stop in the morning and in the afternoon is so sick he is hospitalized and may not ever come home? I don't even understand that.

We talked to the vet a short while ago and Merlin does seem to be in good spirits despite being so sick. Right now we have a wait and see approach. Merlin is such an important member of our family, and he is only 8. If the outlook looks good for chemo then we will do it. However, if it will just buy him a short amount of time and more importantly if it affects his quality of life, then we will not.

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Dignity and grace in dying. Dignity and grace.

Labels: Pets and Animals

posted by Alex Elliot @ 11:08 PM 3 comments

3 Comments:

At 11/18/2009 2:16 AM, Goofball said…

oh Alex, I am so sorry to hear this. Pets are indeed important members of the family and it's so hard to see them ill.

I hope he's not in pain and I hope the treatment will be effective!!!!!
Take care
At 11/18/2009 9:11 AM, Whirlwind said…

Oh my, I have tears in my eyes just reading this - I hope and pray that he'll be better.

Our dog is nine so we know eventually we'll have to deal with this issue as well.
At 11/18/2009 9:53 AM, Count Mockula said…

I'm so sorry.

My Profile

Name:	Alex Elliot
Home:	MA, United States
About Me:	Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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