And hopefully you'll be by her side, for comfort.

She is so lucky to have you caring for her, in her last days...

Thanks CaliforniaPeggy.

her your whole heart. You will not regret it. Then she will look at you and tell you what you need to know and do. Been there, my friend with 18 and 22 year old dogs. I hold both of you in my heart.

She definitely is not the same as before the seizures, but I think we found a cause and effect. The Tramadol she has been taking may be messing with her nervous system. The change in her tolerance may be due to her Addison's Disease. She's just getting older.

What is working for her is the same thing that works for me. Protein. Just like someone who has sugar issues, she just needs solid protein.

I don't think it's a permanent fix, but I think it will buy her some more time. She even walked a little further than the day before, so, I am happy with the results.

I really appreciate all the support I have received from my fellow DUers.

going on 12 and I know his day is coming too.

Godspeed my friend.

last paragraph.

I sincerely hope that she recovers and surprises you with many more walks. Sometimes these things happen; but regardless neither of you will regret investing your time, love and devotion to her. I wish you both strength and courage.

For the wild ones, I placed in a safe, dimly lit place with food and water, kept my distance and made sure it was quiet.

It never gets easier as time goes on.

Your dog is very lucky to have you as a friend and she knows it.

One of our beloved pets, a small parrot called a peachfront conure, had a massive seizure some years ago. For birds things are more dire than for mammals because they have no redundant organs. C was insensible for several days and shaken by occasional seizures for weeks afterward. C's mate did not recognize him and treated him like a stranger.

But C recovered! It was almost certainly a stroke. C's mate accepted him back, and they are both among the oldest birds of their species known in captivity.

So it is cause for worry of course, but also not cause to start making funeral arrangements. Got my birdie fingers crossed for your dog over here.

It happened periodically, and no one knew why.

Eventually, they bought a house and moved. They have lived in their new home maybe three years now. The dog has not had one seizure.

I believe she was reacting to something in her former environment. They had lived in an older apartment in DuPont Circle in DC, and it was in bad condition and had other problems as well. I think she might have been reacting to, for instance, a pesticide or mold.

I am not sure how old your dog is, but is there any possibility there is a cause other than something medically wrong with her body?

Either way, I know how difficult it is to say goodbye to one's best friend, and I wish you peace and comfort in the coming days. Your composure will count a lot to the friend you are trying to soothe. I had a dog named Jazzy who at 13 developed cancer. Acting on the advice of her vet, I let her live the rest of her natural life without treatment but gave her much comfort and attention. He told me when it was time for her to go, she would let me know. I did not believe this, but it turned out to be true. I knew instantly that day. If she had lived two more months, she would have been 15. I am sharing this with you with the hope that it might be useful.

Sam

My dog is fifteen years old and she's an Addison Disease dog. She has been kept alive these last seven years by the grace of medical science. And thank you for telling me that my dog will let me know when she is ready to go. I know it all revolves around quality of life. Right now I am observing how difficilt it is for her to walk around. Last night she had a second, though milder stroke. I am literally taking it one hour at a time.

It's been just under 2 weeks since I said goodbye to my best friend, my little dog who was the light of my life, so I'm just a few steps ahead of you in this slow parade of sorrow. It is the worst pain and I so wish I could say something to ease your sadness but I don't think there's anything that can really do that. I've had to accept that there are no shortcuts around the grief.

I got choked up reading your words about seeing the fear in your dogs eyes. That is just the worst, isn't it? But it sounds like you know how to read your dog really well and offer a lot of comfort. It's good that she wanted the chicken! I was told when they start to lose interest in food and treats it can be a sign they're ready to move on.

I really hope your prayers are answered and, in particular, when it's her time, your dog will go peacefully in her sleep. Believe me, I understand and know exactly how you feel.

My advice is to come here when you need to talk - there are many of us here who care and would be more than happy to listen. I actually found it easier to talk to people here at DU than to people in my real life. I was (and still am) inclined to withdraw from real life while I lick my wounds. It was people here at DU who were able to offer me some real comfort at my lowest moment. So this is a good place to be when you're trying to get through something like this.

Please be extra good to yourself - you're going through something very hard and painful and don't listen to anyone who tries to minimize it. Hoping for the very best possible outcome for you and your sweet girl.

I think the clincher for me is determining if she is in pain. She has such a high tolerance for pain that I just shrivel up inside whenever I hear her moan or whine because she literally never does it. I think that will be a big factor if I have to make the choice.

She was having heart attacks, as her enlarged heart and defective valves took their toll, as I knew they would. I had a 2 year warning, and babied her every minute she had left with totally inappropriate treats, carrying her in her basket or under my arm unless she asked to get down, which she always did! Being little, it was easier to just scoop her up as needed, that dog never had to use stairs again!

She had one wretched heart attack exactly 2 years after her diagnosis and took a couple days to recover, but I knew it was nearly time. So all our friends, human and pooch visited us with picnics in the park that she loved so much. She was happy to sit on all their laps and observe all her buddies bouncing around the park.

Her last night came within a couple weeks, and one of her favorite people and a dear friend came to town to see her off. It was as if she waited for him so I would have the company and support I needed.... it was a terrible night as she had 2 more heart attacks and we took turns napping with her and trying to keep her comfortable. She was struggling so hard, but hanging on so tight. On my Vet friend's advice in the middle of the night, I gave her a sedative I had on hand for when we did long distance travel, and that calmed her down, but she was still struggling in the morning, and much worse off.

I took her to the Animal shelter as my pro vet was on holiday. They were so kind and gentle and compassionate, and my little girl Maltese, Winky, died peacefully in my arms, where she always wanted to be. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

She had a great life, traveling around the world with me and we shared all our adventures, good and bad. Everyone loved her, where ever we went. In Paris, I lived near Invalides and it was filled with tourists every day, but was our closest park and she loved it. I swear tourists would constantly stop us to take her picture, especially hoardes of little japanese girls; and Winky loved it all. She made new friends every day, and it was because of Winky in Starbucks that I met the gal who hired me to work for THE coolest and one of the most famous people on the planet. She was my lucky charm....

My Vet said the nicest thing ever to me when I told her later... she said 'I would like to be a dog in your house'... that meant a lot.

I have a new dog now... I couldn't bear a home without a doggie, and it took me a year to find Kevin and he's 2 years old now, and while he is the absolute light of my life, Winky will always have that special place in my heart like no other.

I hope your girl's passing is peaceful for both of you and wish her a safe journey, and you the peace of mind in knowing you were her best friend.

I agree that there will always be a special place that no other pet will be able to replace. And I'm alright with that.

I've been there more times than I like to remember.

Give her treats and lots of loving. The hardest thing is not letting them know you're worried or stressed, because they so quickly pick up on that.

So I plan to go out and get all the expensive canned dog food that she loved that we had to cut back on.

I made liver and eggs for my old girl because it was her favorite.

I miss her.

you look at them and think how much you don't want to lose them. Then you also see what a good dog they were and how they really shouldn't suffer. I did what you are doing: try to enjoy whatever time you have left together. My heart goes out to you.

So, after feeding her I took a seat in the living room and jumped on the laptop. She then followed the daily routine and picked the spot on the cold tile between me and the door. My precious watchdog to the end.

Exact same symptoms.

I thought it was the end!

However, the vet at the ER told me that this is often a side effect of hepatitis, to which elderly dogs are susceptible.

With antibiotics, she was back to her old self, and we kept her on liver - strengthening vitamins from then on.

It gave us another 9 happy months. We finally had to say goodbye last month.
I am still definitely mourning her, I still find myself getting out her vitamins without thinking about it.

But, she never had another seizure, and for that I'm grateful.

So, you might think about getting a blood test done and check her liver levels.

I know, there are no words for how hard it is to let go of our old friends.

Two doctors told me that the seizures might just be incidental. They suspect she has a growth in her brain cavity somewhere. At fifteen years of age we will just play it out as nature intended.

And a simple course of antibiotics would save a lot of suffering, if that is the cause.

on edit: My dog was also 15, but had 9 more months of seizure-free, happy life. When we did put her down, it was due to arthritis that robbed her of the ability to walk. No cure for that.

The liver was slightly elevated, but where you would expect to find it in an Addison's Disease dog.

Like I said, I just lost my precious girl last month and it still is an open wound.

I didn't post about it, although I thought about it.
But, I just couldn't find words to express my feelings.

I wanted to write back to tell you that I called my vet because of your post and it doesn't look like they checked for hepatitis. So we will probably go down to check that sometime today.

Also, I suspect she may be having a reaction to a pain pill she has been taking: Tramadol.

The last two seizures occurred soon after I gave her the pill. It's a long shot, but I'll run that by the vet too.

It's considered to be a very safe drug, but every "body" is different so you never know.
And the timing does seem suspicious.

I hope you can get some answers about the seizures.
They are so frightening, for both the sufferer and the caregivers.

I have been through this with my cats. I tried to celebrate every moment with them, make them feel like they were the most important creature on the face of the earth. I think they really picked up on that energy. Whatever treats they wanted they got, tons of love, and at the end the help they needed to cross. Some of the last days and weeks with them are times I will never forget. They knew they were loved.

spoil her. take pics and video if you want. tell her how much she has meant to you and that when she needs to go it is ok. I really believe in someway they understand.

peace to both of you.

Just remember that as much as she enriched your life, you enriched hers.

One minute you think they are going to rally back to some form of livable situation, and the next you're telling yourself to prepare because they are in the final stage. If they don't go quickly, they will slowly be worn down by the process.

I'm just thankful that when she sleeps, she sleeps deeply. Bringing her home was the right choice.

For my last dog, we had the doctor come out and he put him asleep in the front yard.
Much better than a hospital.

Hang in there.

Mrs GoS and I am glad that you and your fur kid are together at a time like this.

We lost our 19 year old sweet girl, Singha, back in April and are still crying.

We said goodbye before we left on a trip, knowing that we might not hear her purring again, but hoping that we would.

The person who was taking care of her called us three days after we left, telling us that Singha wasn't able to get up into her cat bed, or move too much. Basically she went into hospice care for that last day: Laying on a heating pad, having everyone in the office brush her(which in the last several years was her favorite thing), eating some tuna and sleeping.

When it was time, the vet gave her a tranquilizer, and that was the end. They didn't have to give her the second injection. She just slipped away, quietly. A happy cat, a content cat, a sweet cat.

Tell your baby as often as you can before she leaves you that she's a sweet girl and everyday you'll miss her when she's gone.

When Singha was much younger.

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Singha, last year.

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It does sound like she was ready to go. It doesn't get better for a cat than living to 19.

We knew it would happen, but weren't sure when.

And we had booked the tickets and promised that we would house sit for friends.

It was tough.

But her last two days were excellent, even without us.

At 19 she had cataracts, was deaf, a bit of edema, kidney problems, a little dementia, an undiagnosed abdominal mass (who is going to do exploratory surgery on a 19 year old cat and expect them to come out alive?) and a 'volcano' above her eye.

So, when Anne Marie called us and said that Singha was not getting up for her breakfast, we knew it was time.

As I said, she had a good last day. Us, not so much because we weren't there.

But we're getting better.

We're remembering how sweet she was. How she was a playful cat. The little things that we forgot but now remember.

What a good girl she was.

What a happy, content cat.

Good luck with your girl.

Please post some pics.

but try to just find your center of peace so she's only surrounded by love, not anxiety here at the end.

I know it's so hard.

I'll be thinking of you.

There really isn't anything to make it better, but I'm glad you get some last days with her.


I had to let my dog go earlier this year. It's been 5 months, and your post still brought tears.

I can see now how that won't change even after we make the decision that letting her go is the more humane option.

My son died a year ago and I've been taking care of Montana, his dog. She was getting on in age but because I gave her treats to make her joints feel good she was still quite happy and mobile. Then in May she stopped eating and couldn't pee or poop anymore. She tried for a few days and she could eliminate a little bit, but one day I noticed that although she had lost weight her belly was suddenly quite distended and she had a bit of difficulty coming up the stairs.

I had sworn that I would not allow her to have a protracted and painful death so I took her to the vet. It was a blockage of her bladder and lower intestines due to a hump that had grown on her hind leg. And she was at the extreme of her age for a dog, even though she had been OK only a few days earlier. The vet suggested taking her to a hospital but when I asked him he said she probably wouldn't get better. So I chose to end her life. I held her the entire time, tightly, close to my chest with my arms wrapped around her and whispering to her that she was a good girl and that everything was going to be OK. She died very gently and I believe she felt completely protected in my arms. That's how I handed her off to my son. If there is an afterlife he was right there to take her in his arms as she passed from my arms to his. She was the love of his life. I know she was never in pain. She lost strength, but she never cried out or gave up coming up the stairs. I was able to keep my promise. I miss them both more than I can say.

I hope that I can be as comforting to my dog, as you were to your son's dog.

I know how special and individual each animal soul is. I had a beautiful Samoyed dog that I would go and sit for. Delucca, I called him my gentle polar bear. He would do this beautiful and rhythmic dance when I came in the door. He came down with fluid around his heart. One of the things I always say to my pets, anything is forgivable except one thing. Everyone must be breathing when the owners come home.

I sat with him in January, and because his breath was so labored and he couldn't get up the stairs, I slept down on the couch so we could be together. He made it through my sit, he took his promises very seriously. Three weeks later, he died.

I came over about a month later as I also organize and when I walked in the door and didn't see that happy dance, I burst into tears.

His owner gently touched my arm as I kept saying I was sorry and said "Thank you for loving my dog so much."

I think everyone here, loves your dog.

Peace be with you.

Delucca lives on with your post.

He's 18 and a half, and both my husband and I live EVERY day more thoughtfully, more appreciative and I do every thing I can with "my boy". He's the last of the family of 4 cats we had when we moved here in 98. He deserves as much as you describe.

We love them so, and they so know it. My heartfelt message was sent by you. Thank you.

I don't like saying goodbye.

best thing to do is try to be there for them.

My last dog was put down while in my arms. I buried her in a pre dug spot and planted a tomato plant over her.

Best damn tomatos I ever ate.

She was one of the best damn dogs I ever had, but they all are.

Best thoughts