I don't post here much, but am a chronic lurker...it seems I know some of the pets here very well from reading all the post.
I just wanted to post a little eulogy for my guy Hambone 04/15/90 - 02/05/06, he went to the Rainbow Bridge at 6:15 this evening. He was a great beagle, loved to hunt the bunnies and chase the deer, really anything that moved. The only thing he liked better, was to eat. Here is one of my favorite pics of him, ever the chow hound, he couldn't even wait to get his feet on the floor before diving into to his supper.
He was almost 16 and had a mild stroke last summer, which he recovered from except for a very slight head tilt and some minor weakness in his left hind leg. He seemed very healthy and this has all come as quite a shock to me, despite his age.
He started picking at his food on the 25th and by that Friday a.m. wouldn't even eat the chicken & rice I was fixing for him. When we went to the vet that morning, his red blood count was very low, almost low enough for a transfusion. None of his blood work was really out of line except the blood count. They took xrays but couldn't see anything and put him on a drip to make sure he was hydrated and gave him some Pred. and Tagamet (for stomach irritation from the Pred) to suppress his immune system to try and get his blood back up. He had 2 seizures Friday night, but ate that weekend but by Monday, would not eat much again, although his blood count had some up some. Thursday night he wouldn't eat at all or drink much water. Friday & Sat. he was on drips all day for hydration and additional stomach meds. Today, wouldn't take food or water and started passing bloody, tarry diarrhea and was so weak that he couldn't stand. After talking to my vet, he agreed that the only thing we could do was keep him on drips to hydrate. He was so sad and weak that I couldn't see just prolonging his suffering, he would basically continue to lose muscle mass and starve. The best diagnosis, without surgery which he probably would not have survived, was stomach or intestinal cancer. We ended his suffering at 6:15 and although I'm heartbroken and crying a river, I'm more peaceful knowing he's not suffering anymore.
Thanks for listening about my guy, I don't have many animal loving friends in the "real" world but knew everyone here would understand what a awfully hard thing this is to go through.
Vicki
