Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Mollie had started to have health problems in the last four months or so. It started with difficulty in walking- she was losing strength in her back legs. Eventually I had to block off the kitchen, study, and my bedroom because she would fall down on the wood and tile floors. The amount of food she ate lessened and she lost weight. Mollie often got lost and stood in the corner until I tapped on her shoulder. She stopped scratching on the door to be let back in. A spot on her back became infected and it took forever to heal, her skin was so thin. Then she started coughing, loud, long coughing spells.
On Monday her face and neck started to swell up and by yesterday morning I had to remove her collar it was so huge. I took her to the vet and they examined her, identified a heart murmur, and answered my questions. Her quality of life had deteriorated dramatically. Whatever measures they took would not help her stand or walk better. The swelling suggested something was very seriously wrong. She was probably in pain and was just not expressing it well. At fifteen and a half, her body was worn out.
I've never had to make this sort of decision before. My other two dogs died when I was away at school. My three cats are just entering middle age and are very healthy. There were some things that Mollie still liked to do- wander slowly through the yard, eat her favorite treats. But most of the time she sat on her bed and coughed up crud. The vet and her assistant agreed that now was the time to go, before she got worse off.
I was too chicken to stay. I would have been a blubbering mess. When I got home last night I had a little cry. Later I sat at my desk and once I wondered why I didn't hear her toenails clicking as she walked around. Then I remembered.
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On Monday her face and neck started to swell up and by yesterday morning I had to remove her collar it was so huge. I took her to the vet and they examined her, identified a heart murmur, and answered my questions. Her quality of life had deteriorated dramatically. Whatever measures they took would not help her stand or walk better. The swelling suggested something was very seriously wrong. She was probably in pain and was just not expressing it well. At fifteen and a half, her body was worn out.
I've never had to make this sort of decision before. My other two dogs died when I was away at school. My three cats are just entering middle age and are very healthy. There were some things that Mollie still liked to do- wander slowly through the yard, eat her favorite treats. But most of the time she sat on her bed and coughed up crud. The vet and her assistant agreed that now was the time to go, before she got worse off.
I was too chicken to stay. I would have been a blubbering mess. When I got home last night I had a little cry. Later I sat at my desk and once I wondered why I didn't hear her toenails clicking as she walked around. Then I remembered.
