Pets make a huge impact on our lives. We treat them almost like children, so it is especially sad when you have to make the decision to have a much loved pet put to sleep.
We were in that unenviable position earlier today.
This weekend has not been the best......late on Friday our Jack Russell terrier was a bit off his grub. Then he went into what we call his 'grass eating' mode. Now as he has got older, he seemed to be particularly prone to gastric upsets.....for no real reason.
These upsets were usually signalled by his desire to eat grass and then be sick. The vet advised us that when this happened we should starve him for 24 hours and then put him onto a bland diet of egg and rice for a couple of days......he was never very impressed with this treatment, but it always seemed to work for him.
So Saturday he was starved.....allowed just water, which he continued to be sick off. Everytime he went out he would look for grass to nibble on.
Sunday should have seen him a bit better, but he wasn't and took no interest in food of any description, but drank copious amounts of water.......and was sick several times.
I checked his gums to see if they were pale....and he rewarded me by trying to bite me......he has been a grumpy bugger since he hit his teens.
Overnight I had to get up and let him outside 4 times......he wandered around listlessly and then came back upstairs to sleep at the side of the bed.
Hubby phoned the vet this morning and arranged to take him in.......Barker hated going to the vets and he was really slow at getting in the car.
Half an hour later hubby was back with his little inert body wrapped in a towel......there was nothing the vet could do for him......he was bleeding internally......we don't know why.....but he was. She said she could take him in and put him on a drip and give him some pain relief, but she couldn't see him getting better.......so hubby took the decision to have him put to sleep.
Hubby was really upset when he got home and we have both had a really tearful day. I keep telling myself that he had a good life and that he will be somewhere that good dogs go.....chasing rabbits and squirrels.......who knows maybe the God of dogs lets them catch one once in a while. We had some time cuddling him......something he would not countenance while he was alive.....it was as if cuddling was for cissies...... and he was no cissie! I wrapped him in a big clean pillowcase and we asked a friend if we could bury him in her allotment......so he is buried amonst the trees and rose bushes.
I feel silly getting upset......after all he was only a dog.....but we loved him and cared for him the past 13 years.
Goodnight Barker......life will be a lot poorer without you.
We were in that unenviable position earlier today.
This weekend has not been the best......late on Friday our Jack Russell terrier was a bit off his grub. Then he went into what we call his 'grass eating' mode. Now as he has got older, he seemed to be particularly prone to gastric upsets.....for no real reason.
These upsets were usually signalled by his desire to eat grass and then be sick. The vet advised us that when this happened we should starve him for 24 hours and then put him onto a bland diet of egg and rice for a couple of days......he was never very impressed with this treatment, but it always seemed to work for him.
So Saturday he was starved.....allowed just water, which he continued to be sick off. Everytime he went out he would look for grass to nibble on.
Sunday should have seen him a bit better, but he wasn't and took no interest in food of any description, but drank copious amounts of water.......and was sick several times.
I checked his gums to see if they were pale....and he rewarded me by trying to bite me......he has been a grumpy bugger since he hit his teens.
Overnight I had to get up and let him outside 4 times......he wandered around listlessly and then came back upstairs to sleep at the side of the bed.
Hubby phoned the vet this morning and arranged to take him in.......Barker hated going to the vets and he was really slow at getting in the car.
Half an hour later hubby was back with his little inert body wrapped in a towel......there was nothing the vet could do for him......he was bleeding internally......we don't know why.....but he was. She said she could take him in and put him on a drip and give him some pain relief, but she couldn't see him getting better.......so hubby took the decision to have him put to sleep.
Hubby was really upset when he got home and we have both had a really tearful day. I keep telling myself that he had a good life and that he will be somewhere that good dogs go.....chasing rabbits and squirrels.......who knows maybe the God of dogs lets them catch one once in a while. We had some time cuddling him......something he would not countenance while he was alive.....it was as if cuddling was for cissies...... and he was no cissie! I wrapped him in a big clean pillowcase and we asked a friend if we could bury him in her allotment......so he is buried amonst the trees and rose bushes.
I feel silly getting upset......after all he was only a dog.....but we loved him and cared for him the past 13 years.
Goodnight Barker......life will be a lot poorer without you.
