November 2024 – aint no country for old dogs
November 2024 I can’t blame the blog for how I have things setup here because I designed it so I wouldn’t have to sweat deadlines. So that sometimes means I have blog posts coming out at just the most awful of times… And you guys know I only have one actual “blog” post come out once a month so, sometimes, there is a delay. When my last post came out in October about our 15 year old dog Annie the story I told was weeks old at that point and it was about how she felt so good and snapped back so amazingly after her surgery. It was really cool. We managed to not just give her more time but more GOOD time.
Writing this so soon since that post came out feels like a punch to the gut. Annie’s decline was swift.
Our old gal stopped getting up and stopped eating. On her last day Annie got down a couple of bites of a whopper from burger king simply because Lodi wanted her too. Though she wouldn’t even consider a tater tot which was one of her very favorite things.
Lodi made the decision to take his best friend for her last ride.
He made Annie’s appointment and I met him at home where he had her all bundled up in our wagon for one last “walk” to all the places she loved here. You can still see that sparkle in her eyes but you probably already know that if she had been capable she would have been out of that wagon in a blink.
November 2024
One of his good friends went with him because Lodi deserved someone with him who was not a mess like I was and he was also kind enough to not want me to have to go through that again.
(I’ve held three pets when they were put down and my last just died on his own in my arms. I hated that I wasn’t with my horse when he passed but I was also relieved that he saved me from that.)
My uncle and I were chatting a couple of months ago and dogs always come up in the conversation as my whole family has always had lots of animals. I’ve actually only had a couple of years in my life that I didn’t have a pet of some kind. I even designed this home with the plan to always have at least two or more dogs…
Until I lost my heart dog back in 2017.
My uncle had pets his whole life too but then he lost his last one and… well he said, “This just aint no country for old dogs.”
There’s just only so much a person’s heart can take.
I had nightmares of finding our poor Annie one morning before I went to work, maybe outside having fallen and couldn’t get back up during a Minnesota winter.
Annie was Lodi’s heart dog but of course I loved her too.
Poor Lodi found my heart horse gone one afternoon this spring so he got to be the one to tell me. I was just sick certain that it was about to be my turn but Annie didn’t want that to happen apparently.
I cleaned the house while Lodi was gone so he needn’t come home to the refuse and reminder of Annie’s last sad days.
Lodi told me how terrible he felt for also feeling relieved but you just make yourself sick worrying about them. Its ok to be relieved to lose the worry.
You’ll just never feel good about the decision.
Even if it is saving them from pain.
Even if it is totally and completely the time.
Looking back we have no regrets for opting for the surgery to remove Annie’s leg as it gave her many more good days and that was invaluable to all of us. It also feels like it gave her some time to choose her own time as well.
She got to go in the arms of her very best friend.
Can’t really beat that.
November 2024 Thanksgiving for the time we were given.
I know exactly what you are going through. We are currently dealing with a cat that has heart disease. We have had fluid removed from the area around her heart twice. She is on a diuretic to try to keep the fluid from returning. She is also on an antibiotic and had been on and continues to take a thyroid medication. She will be 15 human years, next January, if God willing, she makes it that long. She has another appointment with the vet on this Tuesday. If they think she needs to have fluid removed, yet again, we may have to make the same decision. We can’t afford $800 every week to remove fluid. Every vet appointment is traumatic, and we have to work at getting her to eat again, each time, which is difficult. I’ve been warming her food, which seems to entice her a bit more and she is eating okay. She drinks water and goes potty okay, but she still struggles a bit with her breathing. We are hoping she can have a decent quality of life, even if it requires being on medication. If she starts to show obvious signs of discomfort, that will change everything. My heart is with you, and I have tears for your beloved dog, while having already had many tears for my sweet cat that we hope to have in our lives for a while longer. We will do what’s right, though, if need be. We want her to live, not just survive. Take care.
Oh Renee I’m sorry you’re going through that. We discussed taking our Annie back in but the surgery before was so traumatic we just couldn’t put our old gal through more of that. I imagined her spending a couple of days at the vet with fluids, antibiotics etc. and maybe her not making it through and passing without Lodi which just seemed like too cruel a chance to take. It is so very hard to take care of and lose our loved ones. <3 Thank you for the lovely comment. *hugs*
I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. I know that feeling having lost my best friend in May. It’s so terrible.
I’m sorry for your loss Jeannette <3
My heart is heavy for you and Lodi, Tarah. I’ve been there, too. Pets ask so little and give so much, we never get enough time with them. Annie knew she was loved, and that is a blessing.
Thank you Jeannie <3 <3 <3
We have an apple orchard outside of the main entrance to our house .. it is our pet cemetery .. most of the animals there I have had to take for the final act of kindness and it is always heart wrenching .. our last little girl crossed the rainbow bridge a couple of months ago at the age of 19 years .. our old horse, Sophie, will most likely be the next to go .. she is 34 years .. I hope she is quite firm in telling us when it is time .. my favorite verse I think of often when I think of our pets gone on is from The Dance by Garth Brooks .. “I could have missed the pain,
but I’d have had to miss the dance” .. loved them all .. so sorry for the loss of your Annie
Oh Judy thank you for such a lovely comment. I was so sad when my childhood home sold as our pet cemetery and my three childhood dogs were buried there. We bring them with us wherever to go though. <3
Tarah and Lodi,
So sorry for your lost, Annie is running free from pain and one day you will get to see her again. Remember she will be at Rainbow Bridge just waiting for the both of you.
<3 <3 <3 Thank you Marian
Ohhh, Tarah, as I sit with tears running down my face, know that I feel for you and Lodi at this sad time. Your “heart” dogs and horse are like our “soul” cat who had his final trip to the vet 14 months ago when he was just a few months short of 18. It’s so hard I know, but your beautifully written account of your experience really says it. Your Annie surely had the best parents in the world!
Oh Jean I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. These little fur babies of ours are such a wonderful light for us that always goes out far too soon. <3
I’m so, so sorry about your loss. I was so excited to read about Annie recovering. It brought me so much joy because my son lost his dog after surgery, and just before he was supposed to be picked up.
It’s heart breaking. It was so sweet to see the photos of Annie’s last walk outside in a wagon. She had a wonderful family, a wonderful life, and was so well cared for. Those things don’t make it easier when the tragedy is so close. I hope you dwell on the many wonderful memories.
Oh Tara, thank you <3 Our little fur babies are lights in our lives that just go out far too soon.
Unfortunately, we lost Rylee two days before Thanksgiving. While doing the procedure of removing fluid from around the heart, it proved to be too much for our little girl. What helps me accept it, is they thought she had a tumor that also would have likely ended her life and that it was probably better for her to have gone the way she did, rather than being at home and possibly suffering before we could get her relief. She was a sweetie and will be missed but I have 3 others that need my attention and love, one of which is dealing with a snooty nose and runny eyes. The dynamic in our household has changed more than even I expected, but we’re all going to be okay.
Renee, I’m so sorry you lost your little one, thank you for coming by and sharing your story with us <3
I’m so sorry! It’s so obvious that Annie was well-loved and she loved well.
Thank you Susanne <3