Month: January 2020

Tough Choice For Pet Owners

/ doubledacres / 13 Comments

I wrestled with writing about this particular subject but I felt it might be beneficial to other pet owners facing this tough decision. I was faced with it in November 2019 and again in January 2020.

To euthanize or let nature take its course. It’s a very tough decision and when you do decide you almost always second guess yourself. Did I make the right decision? Who knows what the right decision is? We really don’t have anyway of knowing for sure. We have to ask ourselves if we are keeping them alive for them or for us. They can’t talk so we really don’t know if they are suffering.

In my case the first decision came when my Great Pyrenees, Eros, was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. The veterinarian gave me my options. Treat with steroids, chemotherapy or euthanasia. I didn’t want to put him through chemo so I opted for steroids and pain pills.

Eros responded well the first 3 days. Then he had a couple bad days. He began to get worse. I knew I had to make a decision and it was gut wrenching. I weighed the pros and cons and looking at them I asked myself if I was keeping him alive for me or him. In my case I decided it was for me so I made an appointment for him to cross the bridge.

I almost waited too long. The night before he got down and the only way he could get up was if I lifted him up on his legs. I practically had to carry him to the truck and load him to go to the vet’s office.

They had a room for us to go to without going through the waiting room. It was nice but just seemed such a cold impersonal place for him to take his last breath. I got down on the floor and held him as the vet injected him with the death serum. It was over quickly.

My second decision came in January 2020. My beloved Australian Shepherd, my ride dog, had developed a strange cough. I made Kate an appointment at the vets. I was afraid it was heart worms but that test came back negative. They decided to take some X-Rays. Her lungs were riddled with tumors. This was a Wednesday and when I asked the vet how long he thought she had he said a week two weeks tops. With Eros fresh in my mind I made the first appointment they had available. It was for Monday of the following week.

The vet had prescribed her some pain pills to help make her comfortable. Friday morning I needed to go to town so I took Kate with me. She had a rough time getting in the truck. We headed to town. Little did I know this would be our last ride together.

Back at the house I had to literally pick her up and set her on the ground. That’s when I noticed the spark was gone from her eyes. She got worse as the night progressed. I am not going to go into detail but the last 15 minutes of her life was not pretty. She took her last breath at 12:21 a.m. at home with just me and her.

I had hoped Eros would pass in his sleep but the memory of his death isn’t marred by a death struggle. I will always have Kate’s terrible fight haunting me.

I don’t second guess myself on my decision for Eros anymore. I had made the right decision with Kate but the appointment was too late.

For anyone having to make this decision I hope my experience helps you with your decision. Most of all I hope you don’t ever second guess yourself.

If you choose euthanasia promise yourself you will be there with them when they take their last breath. You being there helps their anxiety. Please don’t let them take their last breath alone with strangers. You owe them that much.

In Memory Of

Eros

Kate

Gone But Never Forgotten

/ doubledacres / 27 Comments

Meddlin’ Kate

January 1, 2011

January 25, 2020

The picture at the top was taken Friday morning on our way into town. I had no idea it would be our last ride together. Somehow I think she knew it was.

Poor Kate was a victim of bad breeding. She had hip dysplasia and when she reached a year old surgery was performed. She recovered well. As a pup she suffered from crystals in her urine. They were quite painful.

This picture was after we brought her home from surgery. She slept on the couch after surgery and I slept on the floor beside her.

There are so many memories. I have never felt alone in my life but today I for the first time feel alone. RIP my precious girl.

Don’t Know How Much I Can Endure

/ doubledacres / 23 Comments

“Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling an emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.” – Thom Jones

I just had to have my Great Pyrenees euthanized on November 6, 2019. Cancer had attacked his body and he lost the war. He was only six years old.

Today, January 22,2020 I had a veterinarian appointment for my Australian Shepherd, Kate. X-Rays showed her lungs were riddled with tumors. I was devastated.

Kate was born on January 1, 2011. We became very attached to each other. I was a horseshoer and she was my ride dog. We were inseparable.

The vet thinks she has 1 to 2 weeks left with me before she crosses the bridge. Her crossing will leave a huge hole in my heart. Those who don’t love and respect animals like I do think I am being silly. For those of you who understand what it is like to love or be loved by a dog I thank God for you because you get it.

Wayne White

“The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of its master.” – Unknown

Don’t Stop Believing

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“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.” – Louisa May Alcott

I don’t know who needs to see this but apparently someone does. I have been trying to write about something else but I am continually brought back to this subject. So here goes.

One of my favorite stories is about a little boy who is practicing baseball. He throws the baseball up and swings the bat but misses. Strike one! He bends over picks up the ball and throws it up again swings the bat and misses. Strike two! Once again he bends over picks the ball up throws it up again swings the bat and misses again. Strike three! Batter is out. He stands there in disbelief and then he says, “Even I didn’t know I could pitch like that!”

Instead of feeling sorry for himself he turns the moment into a positive. He remains confident and doesn’t stop believing in himself.

How many times have we attempted to do something and failed then just felt sorry for ourselves? We all have done it. Instead of finding something positive we just wallow in self pity. We stop believing in ourselves. We convince ourselves we can’t do it.

Never stop believing in yourself. It may take several attempts for us to get good at something but with every attempt it is important that we believe in ourselves and never give up.

“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We are a society of instant gratification. We want it now! Even people who are blessed with a special talent have to work to perfect that talent. For those of us who weren’t blessed we can still achieve success. We just have to work harder and never stop believing in ourselves. There is no room for doubt.

I use to shoe a young lady’s horse in Illinois. She has been legally blind since the age of eight years old. She is the 2016 Reserve Champion Intro Level Western Dressage rider for Western Dressage Association of Illinois and has earned her PhD. She had setbacks but she never gave up and never stopped believing.

We all are capable of achieving success as long as we believe in ourselves and are willing to work hard to get there. When we fall, we get up, dust ourselves off and try again.

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember that all things are possible for those who believe. “– Gail Devers

Small House Living

/ doubledacres / 12 Comments

I became very interested in the idea of living in a small house and wondered about the pros and cons. In December of 2018 I had the opportunity to move into a 10 foot by 14 foot tiny house. It was void of running water and inside bathroom.

I moved in with my Great Pyrenees and Australian Shepherd which added to the experience. I do have access to a shower and water and it does have electric.

It has been quite the experience. I enjoy it but if I was looking at something permanent it would be at least 16 feet by 32 feet. I think that would be a very doable size.

I admit it isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend two large dogs either. It’s easy to heat and cool but just a little cramped at times. I haven’t regretted moving in. I am glad I did it.