I, too, was going to start a dog thread on our new website. Glad to see there is already one going strong!
I hope some of you remember my dog Max who was having serious health issues starting a few years back.
Max's first birthday
He started having issues with his digestive system at about 2 years old and it gradually got worse. At about 4 years old he wasn't eating much and was losing a lot of weight. The vet diagnosed him with infected anal glands and after 2 extensive rounds of antibiotics he ended up in surgery to have the glands removed. It took weeks for him to recover from that and he seemed to be getting better.
3 weeks after his surgery
He was doing well for awhile and was even able to go to the hardware store with me from time to time.
So many people to watch! He always attracted a crowd.
Then he started declining again. First it was the vomiting, then the diarrhea and finally going off his feed. We tried several drug therapies over several months to no avail. Then, when it seemed he was almost at the end, we decided to take him to another vet for a second opinion. This vet was awesome! He just looked at Max sitting there and listened as I explained what he has been through and diagnosed the root cause of his problems without having to lay a finger on him. Turns out he had a genetic autoimmune disease that caused his immune system to attack the lining of his intestines. It is commonly known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. There is no cure for it, but at least we now knew what to give him to ease his suffering. After starting him on a hefty dose of steroids to suppress his immune system he began to look and act more like he felt good. He even gained back most of the weight he had lost. All was good for 6 or 8 months before we noticed he was starting to slip again.
Max at his best after being properly diagnosed
I knew he was getting worse when he blew his undercoat in November, this shouldn't happen until April
He loved going down to the basement with me to work in my shop, but he became too weak to manage the stairs so he would lay at the top and wait for me to come back up
This is the last picture I have of him. He looks so old and tired and there is hardly any muscle left. Even like this he was always ready to go with me to see what the world had to offer.
As he began his final descent we knew it was the last time, there were no more treatments to try. We pampered him and as his willingness to eat waned we ended up feeding him raw beef just to get him to eat anything. He still wanted desperately to go places with me but just didn't have the stamina to handle being out long. Toward the end I would take him for rides in the truck through the countryside with the windows down until he couldn't stand up in the seat and when he would lay down we would head home. Then came the point when I realized it was time to let go. I made the call to the vet and scheduled the last visit. The remaining 3 days were really strange knowing his end date and time. He was cuddled and pampered to no end those last days. I held him in my arms as he drew his last breath on May 19th, 2021. He was only 6 years 8 months old.
I took time off work to spend his last day with him and then give him a proper burial
It has been a long hard mourning period, but I am finally getting to the point I can start thinking about getting another dog, probably this spring. Although we have 2 other dogs they aren't "My dog" like Max was.
Max with Widget and Dingo.
I hope some of you remember my dog Max who was having serious health issues starting a few years back.
Max's first birthdayHe started having issues with his digestive system at about 2 years old and it gradually got worse. At about 4 years old he wasn't eating much and was losing a lot of weight. The vet diagnosed him with infected anal glands and after 2 extensive rounds of antibiotics he ended up in surgery to have the glands removed. It took weeks for him to recover from that and he seemed to be getting better.
3 weeks after his surgeryHe was doing well for awhile and was even able to go to the hardware store with me from time to time.
So many people to watch! He always attracted a crowd.Then he started declining again. First it was the vomiting, then the diarrhea and finally going off his feed. We tried several drug therapies over several months to no avail. Then, when it seemed he was almost at the end, we decided to take him to another vet for a second opinion. This vet was awesome! He just looked at Max sitting there and listened as I explained what he has been through and diagnosed the root cause of his problems without having to lay a finger on him. Turns out he had a genetic autoimmune disease that caused his immune system to attack the lining of his intestines. It is commonly known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. There is no cure for it, but at least we now knew what to give him to ease his suffering. After starting him on a hefty dose of steroids to suppress his immune system he began to look and act more like he felt good. He even gained back most of the weight he had lost. All was good for 6 or 8 months before we noticed he was starting to slip again.
Max at his best after being properly diagnosed
I knew he was getting worse when he blew his undercoat in November, this shouldn't happen until April
He loved going down to the basement with me to work in my shop, but he became too weak to manage the stairs so he would lay at the top and wait for me to come back up
This is the last picture I have of him. He looks so old and tired and there is hardly any muscle left. Even like this he was always ready to go with me to see what the world had to offer.As he began his final descent we knew it was the last time, there were no more treatments to try. We pampered him and as his willingness to eat waned we ended up feeding him raw beef just to get him to eat anything. He still wanted desperately to go places with me but just didn't have the stamina to handle being out long. Toward the end I would take him for rides in the truck through the countryside with the windows down until he couldn't stand up in the seat and when he would lay down we would head home. Then came the point when I realized it was time to let go. I made the call to the vet and scheduled the last visit. The remaining 3 days were really strange knowing his end date and time. He was cuddled and pampered to no end those last days. I held him in my arms as he drew his last breath on May 19th, 2021. He was only 6 years 8 months old.
I took time off work to spend his last day with him and then give him a proper burialIt has been a long hard mourning period, but I am finally getting to the point I can start thinking about getting another dog, probably this spring. Although we have 2 other dogs they aren't "My dog" like Max was.
Max with Widget and Dingo.
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