InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Let's do this!"

gingertart50 (gingertart50) wrote,
@ 2008-04-28 21:51:00

Current mood:

melancholy

Gingertart
Warning - contains angst and potential death of a major character.

My little gingertart is my 6th hunt-point-retrieve gundog but my first Hungarian Vizsla. She is a sweet-natured, friendly, quiet little dog who wants to please. She has been unwell recently, hasn't wanted to eat and is very subdued and tired, so I took her to the vet this evening. It is probably typical of her, to have not given any indication until almost the end, that she has advanced heart failure.

Tomorrow, I will hear from the vet about the results of the blood tests, and whether we can give her drug treatments to give her a few more weeks or months of reasonable quality of life, or whether her body is going into shut-down mode.

*is very sad*

(Post a new comment)

	lesyeuxverts 2008-04-29 02:11 am UTC (link)
	Oh no! HUGS and best wishes for you both! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:06 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ariadneelda 2008-04-29 02:20 am UTC (link)
	I'm so sorry. :( I hope the vet can do something to help her. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:07 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. Still waiting for the results and keeping fingers crossed. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	leela_cat 2008-04-29 02:46 am UTC (link)
	hugs (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:08 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	nimrod_9 2008-04-29 02:49 am UTC (link)
	more hugging (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:08 pm UTC (link)
	more hugging back (Reply to this) (Parent)

	carpet_diemon 2008-04-29 02:50 am UTC (link)
	Oh, dear. I'm so sorry to hear. Not that everything will be okay, but I hope you have her for a little while longer. hugs (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:10 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. She ate some roast chicken today (was supposed to be husband's supper but he donated it to a good cause) so keeping fingers crossed. hugs back (Reply to this) (Parent)

	meri_oddities 2008-04-29 02:58 am UTC (link)
	Oh dear! I'm so sorry to hear this. hugs (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:11 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. hugs you back (Reply to this) (Parent)

	klynie1 2008-04-29 03:58 am UTC (link)
	hugs Fuck. I hate having to make decisions like the one you face. I do it, because I can't imagine life without non-human love in it, but it breaks my heart every time. I can't imagine what you must be feeling. My very best wishes to you and your gingertart. If you can bear it, please let us know what happens. more hugs (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:17 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back I know. No matter how long we have them for, it is never long enough. I am lucky that I have a great vet and he's very good at helping me to make the right decision. However much it hurts, it does help to know that you made the right choice and he has a gift for helping people to do that. I will no doubt post the results here. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	alisanne 2008-04-29 04:10 am UTC (link)
	hugs you tight I'm so sorry, hon. I'll be sending healing thoughts. ♥ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:17 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back Thank you. Your kind thoughts are much appreciated. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	elmyraemilie 2008-04-29 04:36 am UTC (link)
	::hugs:: (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:18 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back (Reply to this) (Parent)

	zephyr_macabee 2008-04-29 05:54 am UTC (link)
	I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I have had to go through this too many times with dogs and cats and I know the pain you are in. I hope the vet can provide her some relief, so that you can have a little more good time. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:20 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. The gingers are dogs 7, 8 and 9, so we have been through it all too. They give so much, but when they die, they take so much away. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	cat_lick_girl 2008-04-29 06:04 am UTC (link)
	I'm so sorry. i hope the vet can help to give her some time to enjoy your company and love for a while longer, and that she has a peaceful and painless passing when it's time. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:22 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. I'm still waiting for the test results and keeping my fingers crossed. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	slashpine 2008-04-29 06:47 am UTC (link)
	I am so sorry, dear. {{{Hugs}}} for you and your good little dog. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:22 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	snapesgirl_62 2008-04-29 07:00 am UTC (link)
	hugs you have our sympathy. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:23 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

joanwilder
2008-04-29 09:35 am UTC (link)

I'm so sorry. We had to put my Maltese down about a year ago because of heart failure. Something the vet told me at the time helped me make the decision. He said that animals, in particular dogs, only begin to display distress (in cases of heart failure) when they're really feeling miserable. My Angel was listless, and had to stop and rest when coming in from the yard. So with what the vet said, I knew that putting him down was the kindest thing to do.

It's such a hard decision, I know. I love cats too, but dogs are so much more like children, I think. There's almost a human attachment to them.

You'll do the right thing, I know. Like I said in my journal when Angel died, C.S. Lewis said, "I like to think that the God who was able to conceive of such a thing as a dog would have a very special place for them to go when they die." That helped a bit.

*hugs*

(Reply to this) (Thread)

gingertart50
2008-04-29 12:35 pm UTC (link)

*hugs you back*

Thank you. I'm still waiting to hear if she has something that can be treated in order to improve her quality of life for a little while, or whether everything is starting to fail. She will be 11 next August, so she has had a reasonable length of life (even though her mother is still going at almost 15). I lost a beautiful big male Weimaraner years ago with heart failure, he was only 6, so she has had a lot longer than he did. Crossing my fingers that we can improve her quality of life for a little longer.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	accioslash 2008-04-29 10:33 am UTC (link)
	Oh, hon, I'm so sorry. I'll be hoping for the best. hugs (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 12:35 pm UTC (link)
	hugs you back Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	aunty_marion 2008-04-29 02:54 pm UTC (link)
	So sorry to hear that. It's always distressing when a well-loved pet is ill and/or dying. I do hope the vet can help her to have at least a good quality of life until the end - and who knows, she might surprise you! Oh, she may not recover completely, I suppose, but she may make at least a temporary comeback to help you deal with things. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-04-29 05:28 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. I'm keeping my fingers crossed - the blood test results were better than expected and we're trying drug therapy to improve her circulation and regulate her heart-rate. We shall see..... (Reply to this) (Parent)

	entrenous88 2008-04-30 10:17 am UTC (link)
	hugs so much I'm so sorry your sweet dog has heart issues. I'll be sending good thoughts your way for her good quality of life to last as long as possible. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	gingertart50 2008-05-03 03:27 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you hugs you back She is on 3 drugs and is eating again (roast chicken, cheese, rich tea biscuits and fresh milk at the moment) and we hope to have her for a little while yet. (Reply to this) (Parent)