Have to decide how to handle serious illness!

I have always put happiness and quality of life before length of life. I know it is a heartbreaking decision to make, but I firmly believe if our little dogs could talk our language they would ask that we not prolong time if there is really no quality left.

I am so sorry you are facing this situation...it is never easy no matter how many times we get to this cross road. Hopefully your Fasb will still have extended good time with you.

Trini
 
I'm very sorry to hear about Fasb's prognosis but you have reached the conclusion that sounds like it is the right one for him, even though it's hard for you -- and that's all we can do for these dogs who share our lives and steal our hearts.

We made the same decision a few years ago when we knew Ivy had bladder cancer. We opted for the medication that would keep her comfortable until she wasn't, rather than invasive or painful treatments that would give us more time but make her miserable. As hard as it was, I never regretted our decision and knew it was the best choice for her. She was happy until the day we let her go. The hardest thing for me was watching her every day and wondering if today was going to be The Day. Everyone says you will know when it is time and I did, and so will you. Trust your instincts and your love for Fasb. You can't do more than that. We'll all be here for you. :hugs
 
Fasb's Owner -I read all the posts, I really, really feel with you.

Again, I can feel the huge pain in my heart from what I went through, that night last October, when I had to drive my beloved German Shepherd to the animal hospital, I did not think, the thought, that she should not come home with me again, she was only 9½ - my others had been around the 13-14½.

When the vet opened her he found a large tumor on the spleen, it could be good but highly probable cancer.

It's probably one of my life's most difficult decisions
- should they remove the tumor, take a sample and closing her again, and hope it was benign (for my sake)
- should I saving her for all these pains

I was sitting there in the middle of the night -cried and cried, felt my life stopped altogether.

I chose the painful decision
- quality of her life was more important than the length of her life
- I would never, never be able to forgive myself - if I later found out that I had let her live with the poor quality of life (for my sake)

Although I still miss her so much, and have great pain in my heart.
I am sure my decision was right !!! (for her sake)

I am also sure you will choose the right decision for you and your beloved Fasb :hugs
 
Fasb's Owner, my heart aches for Fasbs, you and your wife, I know this is not an easy decision. Of course, we NEVER want to see them cross the Bridge, we humans are greedy that way, we want our precious little furbabys with us forever. I guess you could say I was a little more fortunate that most, my angel Bambi was only 9 1/2 when I had to send her across the Bridge, fortunate because I had to warning there was a problem. She became ill with what I thought was an upset tummy, so problem, go to the vet, get some medicine and off we go. Turns out she had more issues than she ever let on to and her vet said your little girl is in so much pain right now I don't see how she is even moving. He offered to let me bring her home and think about "that" decision for a couple of days. I said no, I know me and if I take her home, I won't bring her back, then it ceases to be about her but all about me and that is not fair to her. I had no idea how long she'd been suffering silently but I knew I could not let it go on for one more minute. Her vet respectfully gave us about 15 minutes alone, 10 minutes later, in my arms, I got a look from her that said thank you, I'll see you later and then she was gone.

I echo every thought you and the others have had, quality over quantity every time. I will keep your Fasbs, you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. :cry: :hugs
 
The fact you are agonizing over it and past actions indicate you will do your best to make the right choice for Fasb.

Notice I didn't even say the right choice as we never know that for sure. If it was me personally and my family was making decisions I am 100% confident they would do their best and I could expect no more. You are doing the same for Fasb. Sorry for your challenge and give him a hug from us (he has always been a favorite of mine on the site)
 
A couple people have asked me what stage Fasb is in. Don't know. The vet didn't discuss in those terms, and I didn't know enough to ask. Based on some things I have in my notes, it seems like it could be a late stage. On the other hand, a lot of the symptoms don't fit and Fasb's general condition seems very good (not many observable symptoms, doesn't seem to be going to the bathroom frequently or drinking more, seems healthy and happy).

I haven't gotten a copy of the test results yet, so I won't see values for myself until Monday. Staging will influence our treatment decisions, obviously. I'm not overly optimistic though. According to my research, kidney function would have to decline by something like 50-75 percent before his test results went sideways like they have.
 
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I'm sorry to hear Fasb isn't doing too well.

I know it's hard not to imagine the worst, but I'm sure your vet will give you the heads up when he is worsening. I can imagine the stress about not being able to give NSAIDs. I don't know what I would do if I had to stop Deska's.
 
Well, a week later and we still don't see any signs of problems even though we know what we're looking for. Finally got a copy of the bloodwork. It's not as bad as I feared. Kidney absorption values (CREAT and BUN) are a little outside normal range, but not by much. Other abnormal values indicate possible dehydration, anemia, and vitamin deficiency.

Vet put him on a multivitamin, but neither of us sees any evidence of dehydration or anemia. Vets thinks he's not anemic, and wife and I can't see any signs - mild or overt - of anemia. It sounds a little silly, considering how active and hyper he is.

Likewise, there's very little to indicate kidney problems. He probably goes to the bathroom a bit more than when he was younger, but it's not a dramatic change. He's drinking, but nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that really indicates he's trying to absorb more fluids because of excess bladder movements. Basically, he seems very normal. No change in habits or mood. Hes happy, active, vocal, etc. Only thing indicating something could be wrong is the test results. If he feels poorly, he's doing a perfect job covering.

I'm hoping there was a screw-up at the lab and they tested the wrong bloodwork, or something skewed the results. I know that's unlikely, though. Still, for the moment, he seems good, so I'm hoping he at least has a fair amount of quality time left. I don't want to get overly optimistic. I'm hoping he stays basically healthy through the holidays then we can re-evaluate how much longer he might hold up.
 
That is wonderful news. The best news is how Fasb is feeling. As long as he's happy and enjoying life, that's what counts. Keep enjoying your pup, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that he's got years ahead. :fl
 
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