We've just been told that our beloved golden Labbie has terminal cancer. It has come out of the blue. He will be 12 in April so we always knew he hasn't got so long. But he seemed to be fine until two days ago. Some people will say it is only a pet but I am sure many of you have been through this, so any advice would be most welcome. The worst thing is that we have been unable to have children. His is the third beating heart in our house, and he held us together when other bad things hit us and we were in danger of splitting up.
We do not know how long he has yet; we will know more on Monday; so I am sure some of you good people will have advice which will help us prepare.
Thank you in advance.
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I had a Siamese cat when I was younger (named Sasa), he was diagnosed with cancer and in hindsight his life was prolonged for too long. That was a little selfish on our part, he wasn't having any fun in life save for tired cuddles. When they stop doing little things that make them them you do have to start thinking about the last visit to the vets. It is horrible but in the long run it's for the better.
Look up the poem rainbow bridge
Good luck and remember the good times you've had over the past 12 years.
Good luck.
By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
I've lifted this from our website....I hope it helps in some small way.
On the plus side, all I have is happy memories.
I appreciate a cat is a little different to a dog, but I still liked him!!
We got another dog, same breed, within 12 months and it certainly helped. My advise would be to give it a bit of time, then look into doing something similar.
id def take a bit of time to feel and grieve but then get another dog it may be an idea to go down the rescue route
A cat is no different to a dog - still a loved pet! But loosing a cat after 24 yrs must be very hard he must have had a very lovely life
Like others have said you'll know when the time is right
Good luck
Would not hesitate to use it again.
I don't recall the specific nature of the cancer being a factor when the vet told us about it and I'm pretty sure the lymphoma had spread to our dog's liver.
We had a great vet in Coney Hall (sadly retired now) who recommended it instead of the standard cancer treatment options, not that he was against those but he and we thought it wasn't fair on our dog at his age. We braced ourselves for it not to work (the vet said roughly a quarter of dogs didn't seem to respond to it [though he'd never known any to have adverse side effects] but most saw meaningful relief and extension of life and he'd even seen some go into remission).
Our dog was much better within a day or so but, from the start, we said to ourselves that the moment he went backwards we would say goodbye and not put him through any recurrence of his illness. It was still heart-breaking when the moment came 6 months later. Like you we have no kids and he was our first pet - had him from Foal Farm as a 2 year old and though we've got 2 other rescues now, 3 years later we both still get teary thinking about dear old Basil. However, that we were able to cherish every day he was "well" and with us and for so much longer than the original prognosis was something we were and still are immensely grateful for.
If you google CV247 (I guess you have already), you'll find people have differing experiences with it and have different advice about the diet to accompany it. The food regime is very important but we didn't go the raw route (just wasn't his cup of tea) but gave him a purely organic diet, using a readily available dog food - Lily's Kitchen in our case.
You may find the link interesting if you haven't come across it already.
Whatever you decide to do, very best wishes Prague.
http://holisticvet.co.uk/index.php/cv247/
I can't imagine how you're feeling Prague, just try your best to enjoy the time you guys have
We couldnt watch him suffer, and as he'd started to go off his food knew it was only going one way. But don't envy anyone having to make that choice.
I would just like to thank you all, from both of us, for your thoughts and advice. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. I will update the thread with info on any remedies we try, so that it will be useful for others who face this in the future. I will stay in touch with some of you privately too as appropriate, and of course will welcome any other comments.
And thanks again to AFKA and Lookie for creating a "football" forum where people are so generous with their support and advice on much "heavier" issues.
Cheers
PA
Not sure that I can add much to this, but more concur with what has been said. We're on our 4th dog now. Of the previous 3 the first died at 16, surprised she lived that long considering her poor start to life (she was a rescue as have been our others). The next two had to be helped into the next life. It's heartbreaking but as has been said, sometimes we can leave it a little too long before we make the decision and we certainly did with our 3rd. Also, the house felt so empty that with all our best intentions we dived in fairly quickly for another dog. It helped immensely. We both get upset when we think of our previous dogs but having another eased the pain.
Prague, it seems you have a little time on your side and the advice re CV247 seems worthwhile. I hope that things improve in the short term.
When she finally passed away I was about 18 and I was a complete mess.
We got a new dog before she was gone and this helped to keep her going and gave her a new lease of life. That's not to say this would happen for you however it then make it easier to you still had somebody to look after.
Truly sorry to hear your news