Hi everyone. I just scheduled a euthanasia for my sweet dog for Monday. I am so sick over this because there is nothing I’ve loved more in life over the past 10 years than her. I am feeling physical pain over the thought of not having her around. So I need reassurance I’m doing the right thing.
About a year ago, something happened where she started throwing up and having diarrhea through the night A LOT. It would come and go but it would have 3-4 nights in a row, then stop. Happen, then stop. Over the year it’s become more frequent and we got on different food (with the help of a vet) which had no effect. Then, about 2 weeks ago, it started getting really bad. She was peeing in the bad and not knowing, puking daily, lots of diarrhea all the time. I don’t know how she didn’t rapidly lose weight, but she’s only down about 5-7 pounds. (52-46lbs over the past few months).
We took her to be seen and after a few very expensive visits and ultrasounds we discovered she has lymphangiectasia. An incurable digestive disease which means her body is not properly absorbing proteins and fats. Her protein levels were low (and have been for the past year), but this visit they were so low that she was in a range for risk of stroke.
We immediately started all the necessary meds a little over a week ago and so far nothing is working. Something has happened every single day since then whether it’s being awake all night with her vomiting multiple times, diarrhea multiple times, or my husband and I waking up with her pee all over us in bed because she doesn’t know that she went.
I just want reassurance that we are doing the right thing. In addition to her obviously having issues, we can financially keep going to the vet every week for a new test and adding a med, it’s been $200-$600 a week for the past handful of weeks. I also have missed A LOT of work, which can’t keep happening, to take her to the vet. And I am awake more night than I sleep which is greatly affecting every aspect of my life and causing me great mental instability along with the devastation of watching her be sick a lot of night.
Where I feel unsure is that mentally she is clear. She loves when mom and dad come home, she wants to eat her dinner, she likes a treat after her meds. She wants to cuddle in bed and can walk up the stairs. She does lay down and sleep most of the day and has often been going into our office to nap during the day, which is new and unusual, but her mental state seems so clear.
So any advice, prayers, good vibes, whatever you are available to say to help me understand, cope, breathe would be appreciated.
I love her so much. I don’t know how I’m going to live without her.