At what point do you decide?
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Cashus is our 12 year old black lab.
He is a beautiful dog,
and the perpetual gentleman.
He is sweet-natured, never a complainer, and a good sport.
He is a big dog too. Over 100 pounds.
Cashus took a fall.
Rick and I took Cashus and our other dog, Oscar,
for a walk on Sunday. Before we even started
I noticed that Cashus was having a difficult time.
His legs weren’t quite straight-
like he was squatting.
With age his back has become swayed,
like he has been carrying a heavy weight on his back for the past decade.
His hips moved stiffly as we started. But his tail was wagging
and his eyes were excited to be out in the neighborhood.
And his hips loosened up after a little while.
We reached our destination and on our way back
Cashus started moving a bit slower again.
Two blocks from the house, his back legs gave out under him
in the middle of crossing a road.
Rick dropped everything
and picked him up,
as he could not push himself up, try as he might.
We walk even more slowly,
me and Oscar behind Rick and Cashus.
His hips wobble as he walks.
Crossing the road, mere steps from our house,
he does it again.
He is determined to keep walking
and is practically dragging his rear along with him.
Rick, forgetting his bad back, carries Cashus the rest of the way.
The next morning he does it again in the back yard.
He is having a very difficult time standing on his own.
We lift him when he wants to move places.
We give him more pain medication.
He does not allow us to massage his hips.
We are hoping he rests and is better tomorrow.
Or the next day…
At what point do you make that choice to relieve their suffering?
How do you decide?
They can’t communicate with you. They can’t tell you
that it’s too painful
or they have lost their joy for living.
You come to know your pet over the years,
like a family member. You learn to communicate with them,
and you learn to interpret their expressions and nudges.
Like a sibling or a child or a parent,
you learn to talk without talking.
But still, they are dogs.
And they cannot tell you where or how bad the pain is.
You have to guess at their pain.
But they don’t express pain like us wimpy humans. We cry at every little ache.
They don’t start whimpering or whining
until it is extreme.
And what if you decide too early?
They life would be cut off too soon and that’s one less day, one less week, one less month, one less year you spend with them.
And what if you decide too late?
And because they cannot communicate with you and you never know exactly how they are doing, you prolong the decision.
And because you were selfish and wanted to keep them with you, they suffered more than they should have.
At what point do you decide??
He is a beautiful dog,
and the perpetual gentleman.
He is sweet-natured, never a complainer, and a good sport.
He is a big dog too. Over 100 pounds.
Cashus took a fall.
Rick and I took Cashus and our other dog, Oscar,
for a walk on Sunday. Before we even started
I noticed that Cashus was having a difficult time.
His legs weren’t quite straight-
like he was squatting.
With age his back has become swayed,
like he has been carrying a heavy weight on his back for the past decade.
His hips moved stiffly as we started. But his tail was wagging
and his eyes were excited to be out in the neighborhood.
And his hips loosened up after a little while.
We reached our destination and on our way back
Cashus started moving a bit slower again.
Two blocks from the house, his back legs gave out under him
in the middle of crossing a road.
Rick dropped everything
and picked him up,
as he could not push himself up, try as he might.
We walk even more slowly,
me and Oscar behind Rick and Cashus.
His hips wobble as he walks.
Crossing the road, mere steps from our house,
he does it again.
He is determined to keep walking
and is practically dragging his rear along with him.
Rick, forgetting his bad back, carries Cashus the rest of the way.
The next morning he does it again in the back yard.
He is having a very difficult time standing on his own.
We lift him when he wants to move places.
We give him more pain medication.
He does not allow us to massage his hips.
We are hoping he rests and is better tomorrow.
Or the next day…
At what point do you make that choice to relieve their suffering?
How do you decide?
They can’t communicate with you. They can’t tell you
that it’s too painful
or they have lost their joy for living.
You come to know your pet over the years,
like a family member. You learn to communicate with them,
and you learn to interpret their expressions and nudges.
Like a sibling or a child or a parent,
you learn to talk without talking.
But still, they are dogs.
And they cannot tell you where or how bad the pain is.
You have to guess at their pain.
But they don’t express pain like us wimpy humans. We cry at every little ache.
They don’t start whimpering or whining
until it is extreme.
And what if you decide too early?
They life would be cut off too soon and that’s one less day, one less week, one less month, one less year you spend with them.
And what if you decide too late?
And because they cannot communicate with you and you never know exactly how they are doing, you prolong the decision.
And because you were selfish and wanted to keep them with you, they suffered more than they should have.
At what point do you decide??
