8.18.2007

Cody

The past couple of weeks have been very up and down emotionally regarding Cody. At first we thought something was terribly wrong with him, but then the prognosis seemed to be good. He was taking his meds well and the hip didn't seem to bother him so much and things were looking up. The only caveat here is that he wasn't really eating much - other than the lunch meat we gave him with his pills. But he still drank plenty of water and gave the appearance of feeling much better.

Last Saturday, he quit eating altogether. No lunch meat, no canned food, no baby food, nothing. Additionally, his water intake dropped. Following this he became lethargic and seemingly uncomfortable with either standing or lying down. Our emotions came crashing down again.

We got him into the vet for some blood work and it appeared he may have something called Addison's Disease. If that were the case, it's a treatable disease and he'd probably have a few more good years left. In fact, Addison's would explain everything he'd been going through recently. That seemed like a decent option. Emotions are heading back up again.

We got the test results and it was most definitely NOT Addison's. Unfortunately, the alternative was kidney failure. By now, he'd been much more draggy, losing weight, and just not looking so well. He spent the night at the vet so they could get some fluids into him and see if the kidney function would turn around. It wasn't to be. He was uncharacteristically mellow, continued to not eat, and just wasn't perking back up. Emotions were definitely crashing back down - hard.

There was no longer hope of restoring kidney function to an appropriate place. His 14 1/2 year old kidneys were just done.

Thursday was mine & hubby's 21st anniversary. We couldn't bring ourselves to have him put to sleep on our anniversary. He was laid to rest yesterday. It was a very hard decision, yet we know it was the right one. It's been difficult these past couple of weeks watching him go downhill, suffering from arthritis, having no appetite, losing weight, and being generally unhappy.

We've never had to do anything like this before. Praise God we have a fantastic veterinary staff at the hospital we've taken him to. They were compassionate, caring, sweet, and respectful. I don't think they could've done anything better than what they did.

It's hard to imagine our family, our home, without Cody. He's been around since before the boys. We got him at the pound when I was pregnant with our oldest son. He grew up with our two cats (they both died 8 years ago). He's a great dog. He apparently came potty trained. He never had a single accident in the house. Ever. He was so sweet and friendly that we thought he'd never be a good watch dog. Wrong. He was very protective of his family and his home. He would sometimes escape and run around the neighborhood (he liked to socialize with other dogs). When we found him, he was always happy to come back home with us. If we couldn't find him, he'd come home anyway.

We have talked of getting another dog at some point. It just doesn't seem right for our house not to have one. But he'll have some big paw prints to fill. Cody was a fantastic dog. We'll miss him.

11 comments:

Gina said...

Oh I'm so sorry.

We never had a dog until we got Cassie five years ago. We've often remarked that getting her was one of the best decisions we ever made. They definitely become part of the family.

Unknown said...

I am so sorry about your sweet pet. We went through this just last May with our beloved Abby. And we had never had to go throught losing a pet. Ever. It was much, much harder than I ever anticipated. We are healing, but we still miss her.

I wish you healing and comfort during this time. And you will know when the time is right to get a new love.

Anonymous said...

We will miss him too!
Morrill family

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Thanks, ladies. It's so strange to not see him in the back yard, not have him want in when we get home, just not have him anywhere. It's definitely a hole in our household.

Robin said...

I'm so sorry for your loss. These pets of ours are so much more than just pets - they are indeed a part of the family. I hope that when the time is right to get another one that you will find the perfect replacement to help heal the hurt in your hearts.

JenLo said...

I so sympathize with you. We lost our sweet Max in May and our kids were just devastated. We all were, actually. We only waited about two weeks before we brought our sweet new dog home,because we missed our other one so much. We've really been able to show our kids how God blessed us with her exactly at the right time. It's hard to imagine life without the furry ones who love us so much!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Thanks, Robin & JenLo. We've also had a couple of friends who've just gone through this. Just one of those difficult things in life. But God is gracious and there always. :D

Anonymous said...

Dianne --

I'm soooo sorry!!! We had to put Ron's dog down 3 years ago (8/14) and it still hurts. We have 2 others but the hole Jake left is still there. We've gone through various small critters (rats, mice, gerbils, etc.), even cats, but there's something about the DOG!

My prayers are with you.

Lisa :}

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary--I feel that I should start with someting positive.

I think back and feel that it is that time of year. Many of my blogging friends have had to put down animal members of their family, of late.

We also had to put down Mittens last month. She looked like she had had a stroke but I felt that she was having tooth problems.

My daughter came with me to the vet and whether it was a stroke or teeth problems--She had 6 teeth pulled out 5 years ago because they had been rotting out of her mouth. I just couldn't justify taking out some more.

We had her for 15 glorious years. I never stay with the animal when it is put to sleep. My daughter insisted that we stay.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do. She was loosing weight and we owed her the dignity of going peacefully.

I hate being the MOM sometimes. I console myself by saying that she is in a happier place where there is no pain and only fish and balls with bells in them.

Barbara Frank said...

I'm so sorry for your loss. I pray that God will comfort you and your family.

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Thank you, angeleyes & Barbara. The Lord has definitely brought us comfort. It's still strange living in a dogless home, though.

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