PB&U
New Born Pup
Hi all,
It’s been a tough year, so far 2 out of my 3 boys crossed the rainbow bridge, and I’m considering making that choice for my remaining boy, Bambi.
Here are the facts of his situation:
This brings me to today. Bambi’s current state is he LOVES to chew on wood and hay twists/blocks, but is still refusing to eat pellets, and is eating only a small amount of hay. He still loves his lettuce, but will still not eat any bell pepper. He recently started showing some difficulty in keeping his head raised. He will stand and his head will slowly lower to rest on the floor. He will be like this for a minute or two, then get up and go chew on something.
Considering his ~2 weeks of decreased appetite, progression of his CHF, and the new symptom of weakness in holding his head up (possibly low potassium?), I am considering putting him to sleep.
I am a 2.5 hour drive from the vet, which worries me that if he has a sudden decline he could have unnecessary suffering. In addition, I’m concerned the stress of the long car rides, that has become once a week for medication dosing changes, is unfair to his well being. I could wait another week to see if his appetite improves with new pain med and vet omega, and I could possibly switch him to a different diuretic if low potassium is an issue, but at the end of the day it seems as though this is more time and stress to put him through, for a relatively poor long term prognosis.
I know that no one can decide for me if I should put him to sleep, but I’d like to know if you all think I’d be reasonable to put him down tomorrow possibly, or if I should give him more time or try adjusting meds further.
At the end of the day I just want what’s best for Bambi.
Thank you for listening and any advice
It’s been a tough year, so far 2 out of my 3 boys crossed the rainbow bridge, and I’m considering making that choice for my remaining boy, Bambi.
Here are the facts of his situation:
- Bambi is almost 6 years old, and has been healthy most of his life
- In early June of this year during a checkup, a heart murmur was found, along with some increased respiratory effort. He was started on Furosemide, Pimo, and Enalapril. X rays showed enlarged heart and pulmonary edema
- In July he had an echo done by a cardiologist, diagnosing him with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. His x rays from previous month had improved significantly, and he seemed relatively stable.
- A little over two weeks ago, I noticed an acute increase in respiratory distress. A vet trip had him on Oxygen and he was administered an injectable Furosemide, and started on 2 antibiotics for possible infection. At this point his appetite decreased, and I started critical care feedings.
- One week ago, he had a progress exam. X rays showed some improvement, and his breathing had also improved. Bambi’s appetite was still not adequate, and antibiotics were discontinued in hopes of improvement. His Furosemide dosage was increased, along with frequency from 2x per day, to 3x per day. Gabapentin was also added to his med list.
- Yesterday Bambi had a follow up exam. His x rays showed no improvement, with possible worsening. This was unexpected considering his Furosemide dose had just increased, we were expecting some improvement. The vet added in Metacam to help with severe arthritis in knees and any inflammation in body. He was also added on a Vet Omega supplement. The vet and I discussed how his condition is worsening, and eventually will not respond sufficiently to medication. We also discussed quality of life considering he is not eating normally.
This brings me to today. Bambi’s current state is he LOVES to chew on wood and hay twists/blocks, but is still refusing to eat pellets, and is eating only a small amount of hay. He still loves his lettuce, but will still not eat any bell pepper. He recently started showing some difficulty in keeping his head raised. He will stand and his head will slowly lower to rest on the floor. He will be like this for a minute or two, then get up and go chew on something.
Considering his ~2 weeks of decreased appetite, progression of his CHF, and the new symptom of weakness in holding his head up (possibly low potassium?), I am considering putting him to sleep.
I am a 2.5 hour drive from the vet, which worries me that if he has a sudden decline he could have unnecessary suffering. In addition, I’m concerned the stress of the long car rides, that has become once a week for medication dosing changes, is unfair to his well being. I could wait another week to see if his appetite improves with new pain med and vet omega, and I could possibly switch him to a different diuretic if low potassium is an issue, but at the end of the day it seems as though this is more time and stress to put him through, for a relatively poor long term prognosis.
I know that no one can decide for me if I should put him to sleep, but I’d like to know if you all think I’d be reasonable to put him down tomorrow possibly, or if I should give him more time or try adjusting meds further.
At the end of the day I just want what’s best for Bambi.
Thank you for listening and any advice
