Thursday, November 29, 2012

The old guy

I took Old Butchy to the vet today.

He has been holding one eye shut for a few weeks now.  I could not see anything visibly wrong other than that it was a little red where it should have been white.  I decided to watch it for a while to see if it got better on its own or not.   It didn't seem like it was so I finally got a little time off of work to go take  him it.  This morning before I took him I saw that there is actually a red spot on the cornea.

Turns out he has an ulcerated cornea, probably from Smarty jumping on on him. 

In the mornings, Mason and Smarty wake up first and ask to go out. Then when we get up about an hour later,  Butch likes to go out. When Butch goes out the door Smarty is waiting there to jump and play and I think maybe he got him in the eye with a toenail. 

The vet says the red spot is where it is trying to heal, but it needs some help.  So now he is on antibiotics, drops and an ointment.  Then we also got a bottle of Rhimodyl (sp?) for his arthritis

We also found that he has lost 14lbs in a year, which seems like a lot to me. The vet says if it was gradual then it isn't that big of a deal, but if this is a sudden onset of weight loss then blood tests will be required.  Since I'm pretty broke right now, we decided to take the realistic approach.  He has to go back in 7 days, and then again 7 days after that.  We will weight him each time and see if there is any noticeable change.  Then we will decide if he needs something more. 

I love Butch dearly, but I also brought him home last Christmas knowing that he is a very old dog, and with the understanding that I am not willing to sink a bunch of money into a dog this old. When it is time for him to go, it is time.  My goal was to save him from the pound and to make his last days his best.  I think that I have done that. 

But now here I am with big old tears in my eyes even at the suggestion that a year is all we get to have with him in our lives.  He is such a special dog.  I know now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that when ever the time does come, it will be much harder for me than I originally expected.

And why am I crying now?  I don't even know if there is anything wrong with him, other than an enlarged prostate (common in old dogs) and some arthritis.  I mean he is pretty darn happy and active most of the time, especially for a guy as old as he is.   

Gosh, I am just such a crybaby sometimes!

4 comments:

  1. I'm sure he is fine! Isn't it funny how they can just steal our hearts like that? If you haven't noticed his weight going down (I think 14 pounds would be pretty noticeable) it was probably lost gradually. I don't know if this is the same for dogs, but I know for cats our older one gets really bored of her food and doesn't want to eat, and also I guess cats lose some of their smell and then don't want to eat...so to make it smell more 'yummy' we put it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and then she gobbles it down hahah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is really interesting, I never knew that about cats.
      Yes he did steal my heart, and I am positive that you are right, he is fine. I think that it was just reality setting in.
      Thank you. :)

      Delete
  2. Sorry your old guy is having some trouble. Try not to worry too much! I know that's hard though.

    I'm not saying my situation was the same as yours, but I had an arthritic dog who didn't eat if her arthritis was bothering her. Of course she wasn't a stoic dog and yours may be. I gave her Rimadyl twice a day and these chewy joint supplements from the grocery store (Sergeants brand). If I quit the joint supplements she quit eating. It kinda showed me that they did help. Also, if I wet her food it made it super tasty. Didn't have to soften and soak, just add a tiny bit of water. Weird.

    Hopefully he's just having some old man appetite issues. And maybe the weight loss was a good thing? Less stress on those old joints?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Andrea,
      I will go today and get some joint supplements and see if that helps!
      :)

      Delete