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Old January 3rd, 2017, 09:52 AM
JuliaGarling JuliaGarling is offline
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Hello everyone

I have a 10 year old black Lab named Blaze, that I adopted from the animal rescue center where he was abandoned just after birth. I cannot tell you how much I love this dog. He means everything to me. Several years ago he started getting "non cancerous" masses in various areas of his body. He has a very large one under his left front leg that he has learned to live with over the years. He has several smaller ones on his hip, etc. A couple weeks ago he started wheezing like a kid with asthma so we took him to the vet. They took xrays and found that he had a small mass on the bone right under his left eye. I had noticed that his eye kept running and when I wiped it he would flinch like it hurt. They took a sample and sent it out for biopsy. We have not gotten the results yet. This morning we noticed signs that his nose had been bleeding, which is a totally new development. We called the vet who said to keep our eyes on it and bring him in if he gets worth. Blaze also has arthritis and takes 2 tramadol tablets for pain twice each day. I told the vet that I am depending on them as professionals to tell me what I do not want to hear - which is when to let him go. I do not want me pet to suffer or be in pain because of my love for him. How will I know when I should let him go?
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Old January 3rd, 2017, 03:28 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Welcome, JuliaGarling! So sorry you've found us under such sad circumstances, and so sorry to hear about Blaze.

Talking to your vet is a very good step--they can often be more objective than we can, and they may be able to give you information on what your dog is going through. But in the end, the decision will have to be yours--so make sure you understand and are on board with what they're telling you.

This is the most difficult decision we, as pet owners, have to make, and I can tell you right off that there is no magic moment, no perfect timing... You can only do the best you can with the information you have. Keep what's best for Blaze in mind, and decide on that basis, no matter what your heart is telling you about your desires. As long as you make that decision out of love for Blaze, I don't believe he'll ever fault you for it.

And finally, afterward--mourn your boy, but try to let the angst about the decision go. It's hard to do, but it you've made the decision out of love for Blaze, you've done all you can and it'll be time to start transforming grief into happier memories you've built with your boy over the years.

I'll for sure be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. We're going through something similar here with our old girl, Cass. So I'll wish for heart's ease for both of us.
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Old January 3rd, 2017, 05:08 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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WElcome to the board. I wish it could be for happier reasons that you have joined. It's very, very hard to know when that time is. I have learned our pets often behave differently, stoically, seem better and happier, when we are with them than when they are alone or with someone they don't love as they love us. This might be when they are at the Vet for tests except some aren't very happy there at the best of times. I do rely on my Vet's opinion though. So, for me, I try to find out what they are like when not with me and try to figure out if they spend most of their time with me or not. Maybe I can arrange to be with them more, maybe not.

My own boy is a black Lab. So was our Lab girl before him, and she had some health issues in her old age that we had to acknowledge. Right now we have an old cat who worries us. It's hard. One thing I wished a few times when my own mother was nearing the end of her life is that we had the laws to allow us to allow her the dignity of an easy passing, like we can our pets. But it still would be hard, so hard, for those of us left.
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