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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Agonizing

Sarah (the Woowoo dog) is getting worse.  She's not losing weight, she still can walk just fine, but every morning now, there's not one, but three puddles to clean up, and sometimes a solid "present" too.  Sometimes I wake her up to go outside and she can barely make it to a standing position before she can't "hold it" any more.  It's sad.

And in case any of you have ever thought about it....right now there are 15 cats in our house.  And you know that Woowoo's messes are making the house smell worse than if the cats ALL refused to use the litter box on the same day.  I never knew dog pee could smell so bad--it smells worse than poo....or maybe it's just "elderly" dog pee that smells that way?  I don't remember any puppies that were related to an odor like that, and I think if people had to endure that smell, nobody would ever try to housebreak a dog.  I'm totally embarrassed to have ANYONE over, and even considering having Christmas in a hotel room so that people will actually stay long enough to have a conversation....

So is it time?  I know most non-animal lovers and even quite a few animal lovers would say yes.  But....she still gets happy when she sees us....still wants to go for walks (although they're only about 50 foot walks, LOL) and is eating and drinking fine....still snaps at the other dogs (that's her stupid way of showing affection), and still begs to be petted.

When I think about putting her to sleep, I feel selfish.  I know that we're dealing with a lot more ick than most dog owners, but....it's the only life she has, too.....

It's agonizing for me.  Sometimes she sleeps so soundly....I just get a little teensy bit hopeful that maybe she won't wake up and I won't have to think about this.....

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry about your dog. It is a tough choice.

perphila said...

Have you talked with the vet? If you have a good one they can be very objective. Some bad ones would just tell you to put your precious pet down but good ones try and find a healthy balance for both you and your pet. If you trust your vet then ask them. The vet will be able to tell you what would be best health wise for your dog. That really is the bottom lone since all you want is for her to be ok one way or another anyway. What does DH say?

Anonymous said...

She should be seen by a vet. There could be an easily treatable problem that's causing the odor and if she's seriously ill a vet can tell you what's wrong and what can be done about it.
Please don't think I'm being critical because I know how much you love animals but 15 cats is too many. You are too busy to adequately care for them all and to clean up after them. With 15 cats living inside ANY house would smell. Cats need regular checkups and shots. That gets expensive when you're living on a tight budget. I'm not suggesting that you have any of them put to sleep (unless they're in pain and the vet recommends it) but you really shouldn't take in any more cats. Or dogs.

Barrel of Monkeys said...

You're the only one who can make the call. You know Sarah better than anyone else. I'm sorry you're faced with such a difficult decision. Just curious, how old is Sarah?

peaches in pain said...

where do I go to get help for chronic pain I have 3 kids 2 under 4 and a 13 yo I homeschool or should I say I try to my pain has been so unbearable since my dr took me off everthing and put me on suboxone can anyone help advice anything

Carol said...

Hi Perphila,
DH seems to feel the same way I do, when "That Guy" isn't around, that is....he (DH) hates the stink (really-it's way worse than a poo smell), hates constantly cleaning up after her, can't even think about going barefoot in our house....but when I ask him if it's time, he gets this pained look on his face and says "I don't know...."

"That Guy", on the other hand, has complained a few times and considered shooting her. And he gets angry with me for not doing "something" about it. Luckily "That Guy" isn't around too much any more...

(See what I mean about being married to two different people in one body?)

marythemom said...

This is tough! I'm so sorry. Have you thought about just treating her like you would a puppy and restricting her to certain room(s) and covering those rooms in newspaper or something else quick and easy to clean? What about a doggy diaper - you could probably even jury rig something that can be washed.

Hugs and prayers,

Mary in TX