Had to say goodbye to our best friend tonight

rongi#401
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5/9/2019 12:55pm Edited Date/Time 6/2/2019 2:35am
So my dog blitz has been feeling shitty on and off for a while now, recently we noticed a few wierd lumps, yesterday I came home and noticed his neck was swollen, took him to the vet ER at about 11 and they noticed he had massive bruising, the kept him over night and ran some tests/scans. He has a tumor on his spleen and blood cell count is very low 40,000 count. The vet seems to think the bruising is from the low platelet count and that he must have burst something in his neck and that’s the bruising. He’s 8 years old and the center of our lives, I don’t know wether to try to have the spleen removed or what.? it’s been a hell of a year, from finding out I was being poisoned by mold, to losing my job, and now this



















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offroad44b
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5/9/2019 1:20pm
damnit man. sorry to hear this. I feel ya, I'd do anything for my dogs. maybe get a second opinion and try the surgery? hope he gets better.
1
newmann
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5/9/2019 1:20pm
Pets are best, so do whatever it takes to get him better. Part of the family...

One of our strays that has been hanging out for the past 14 or so years had to go in for a big abscess on her shoulder last week. This cat has never let anyone pet her as long as she has been here but obviously felt bad enough the other day to let me wrap her in a blanket and put her in a tote a pet and actually behaved pretty well for my wife and the vet.



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rongi#401
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5/9/2019 1:24pm
newmann wrote:
Pets are best, so do whatever it takes to get him better. Part of the family... One of our strays that has been hanging out for...
Pets are best, so do whatever it takes to get him better. Part of the family...

One of our strays that has been hanging out for the past 14 or so years had to go in for a big abscess on her shoulder last week. This cat has never let anyone pet her as long as she has been here but obviously felt bad enough the other day to let me wrap her in a blanket and put her in a tote a pet and actually behaved pretty well for my wife and the vet.



Ah poor kitty, my cat of 19 years died this time last year. Yeah our motto with him is “he goes” wherever we go, big dogs gotta big fight ahead of him, if the whoops at milestone didn’t take him out (he endoed bad) then this will be a piece of cake, might as well put up a fight, the other option isn’t my style
Motox627!
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5/9/2019 1:25pm
I'm probably the worst person to ask since we literally damn near emptied my wife's retirement account to save her ridgeback.….. But, they are a part of the family so i would do what you can man! Sounds like you have fallen on hard times, so maybe search around and see if there is a vet that would let you make payments or help out if they can?
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The Shop

gabrielito
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5/9/2019 2:23pm
Man, I have been in a similar situation and am really feeling for you. The number one priority is the dog's quality of life. If you can improve it with veterinary care and it is financially feasible then certainly take care of your friend.
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rongi#401
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5/9/2019 2:31pm
gabrielito wrote:
Man, I have been in a similar situation and am really feeling for you. The number one priority is the dog's quality of life. If you...
Man, I have been in a similar situation and am really feeling for you. The number one priority is the dog's quality of life. If you can improve it with veterinary care and it is financially feasible then certainly take care of your friend.
Yeah he’s in good spirits and we didn’t expect this at all
Titan1
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5/9/2019 3:02pm
Mace and i are sending good vibes your way. Sorry about your situation.


Kenny Lingus
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5/9/2019 3:58pm
If the vet thinks he'll be cured, by all means do it. Tough choices these darned creatures make us do sometimes.
imoto34
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5/9/2019 4:08pm
I know it will cost more money but I second the second opinion. I have had to sell a truck before for doggo surgery. It didn't matter that I went from a shiny newish truck to an old beater when I looked in the mirror and seen my buddy enjoying the ride.
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motogrady
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5/9/2019 4:10pm
Jeez. Don't really know what to say guy. I'm with Kenny.

Our 2, both rescue, both great dogs.
1
jgmxdad251
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5/9/2019 4:31pm
Sorry to hear rong, good looking boy. If it was me I would get a quote and talk to your Vet. Then decide if it’s something you can afford. Good luck man, hopefully you can get him fixed. I’m trying to get another summer out of one of my girls. Vet said she had the worst arthritis he had ever seen and then told me I should think about her quality of life. I politely told him to Fuck off! Fast forward two years later and I’ve had to give her Previcox and Glucosamine but, she’s still super happy.
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rongi#401
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5/9/2019 4:40pm
jgmxdad251 wrote:
Sorry to hear rong, good looking boy. If it was me I would get a quote and talk to your Vet. Then decide if it’s something...
Sorry to hear rong, good looking boy. If it was me I would get a quote and talk to your Vet. Then decide if it’s something you can afford. Good luck man, hopefully you can get him fixed. I’m trying to get another summer out of one of my girls. Vet said she had the worst arthritis he had ever seen and then told me I should think about her quality of life. I politely told him to Fuck off! Fast forward two years later and I’ve had to give her Previcox and Glucosamine but, she’s still super happy.
You should try cbd I’ve been taking it for my neck and it really loosens me up

We adopted him when he was three and he’s been our best bud ever since, even survived a nasty car wreck with us, we’re guna do whatever it takes to save him, I’ve got bikes and a few other toys I can sell, working again too so I’ll just have to sack up and start selling things
1
vetmxr
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5/9/2019 6:14pm
I have a soft spot in my heart for dogs....As long as he has a fair chance at a recovery and a good life from here on out......you have to help him.

Remember that ol boy would give his life for any one in your family.....without hesitation.....
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FLmxer
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5/9/2019 7:19pm
Oh man. They just are not with us long enough. Our thoughts are with Blitz and your family.
1
Buzzard167
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5/10/2019 9:23am
Really sorry to hear that man. If you got the money get him help, it will never be something you regret.
indy_maico
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Indianapolis, IN US
5/10/2019 10:15am
Do what you can to help your boy. If you don't, you will spend a long time wondering if you could have done more.

There is a credit card specifically for these kinds of things, called Care Credit. Here is a link.

https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

When one of our dogs came down with cancer, we went this route. They have deferred interest programs which definitely help out.

Good luck, I"m feeling for you and your pooch, bro!
Kenny Lingus
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5/10/2019 10:51am
Something you might want to look into is if there are any vet schools nearby. Often they have better equipment, are up to date on the latest treatment and can offer reduced or no cost procedures. I'm lucky to be close to probably the best vet school in the world, Cornell University. I know someone that took her dog there for chemo. Good luck man, I totally understand what you are going through, believe me.
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gabrielito
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5/10/2019 12:58pm
indy_maico wrote:
Do what you can to help your boy. If you don't, you will spend a long time wondering if you could have done more. There is...
Do what you can to help your boy. If you don't, you will spend a long time wondering if you could have done more.

There is a credit card specifically for these kinds of things, called Care Credit. Here is a link.

https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

When one of our dogs came down with cancer, we went this route. They have deferred interest programs which definitely help out.

Good luck, I"m feeling for you and your pooch, bro!
I would really discourage anyone from going into debt to pay vet bills for a pet dog if they are significant. It's one thing if it's a $1,000 or so or if the dog is monetarily valuable but you can get into 20 grand at a vet pretty easy. Put that on a credit card and you are screwing with your financial future for very limited amount of life left for the dog. I wiped my savings out the year we had our one and only kid trying to get an extremely monetarily valuable dog better to lose and have to put him down anyway. Over $14 grand gone like that at the exact same time we were going from two incomes to one and a baby. It was hell and messed up our financial situation for years. You might believe one surgery will take care of it but in my experience unless it is something cut and dry it could be the first of many issues. Everyone has to make their own decisions and guilt should never dictate what we do. It's a hard decision but quality of life for the dog and what is reasonable for a given person financially are most important.

My dog's issue started with a torn ACL and surgery to repair it. It's gut wrenching but that is the nature of our relationship with them and they would have it no other way. Dogs have no expectation of tomorrow and only live to serve.
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G-man
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5/10/2019 3:16pm
Tough situation for sure I love my dogs more than most people.

Positive thoughts for Blitz.
TG130
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5/10/2019 3:21pm
Do all you can for him. Get him to a good vet and be cautious of shady vets that lead you on with high price treatments that they know won't do any good except to make them richer. Several years ago, I got taken for $4,000 for 2 days of treatment by some questionable "heart specialists" that my regular vet recommended. I think they knew the dog was doomed, yet they kept claiming they could save it - they didn't. It didn't hurt me financially and I would probably do it again to try to save my dog, but pisses me off that they lead you on like that in time of crisis instead of telling you the truth.
rongi#401
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5/10/2019 6:57pm
Ok guys so here’s an update, we took him to a second vet, she looked at The bruising, the lumps, and the info on the tumor on his spleen and said if it was her dog, she would do the surgery, so we immediately went to Thousand Oaks back to the vet ER, our normal vet also took a sample of the lumps and concluded it was just a hematoma, likely caused by his low platelet count, caused by the tumor on his spleen. We we take him there and the surgeon starts messing with his lump on his neck, his leg starts to bruise shortly after and swell. The surgeon recommends that we have him put down..

So we take him home, all roads are traffic, takes forever, the lady that euthanized dogs at home is on her way over, we hit every red light, crosswalk, every obstacle, get home and all he wants to do is play play play, then the lady gets there, pulls up in a Prius, he doesn’t like her at all (he’s 130 pounds). It starts to rain as the lady comes inside and as we are filling out the paperwork a car drives by blareing the horn all the way up the road, so I told her hey, this isn’t right, I’ll pay you for your time but you have to go. I give her a hundred bucks and she goes. So now we’re sitting here watching 101 Dalmatians and I’m guna make him a chicken dinner, we’re going to take it day by day, spend time with him and when he starts to take a serious dive we will make the call, he’s just too lively right now, this would have been his last picture, not today tho, dads got your back
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motogrady
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5/10/2019 7:04pm
Effin right dude. Ida done the same thing.
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ns503
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5/10/2019 8:16pm
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped being herself and was having no fun at all. No energy, stopped eating. That was a month after we had a lump removed, and another showed up. Hard times for sure.
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rongi#401
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5/10/2019 9:19pm
ns503 wrote:
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped...
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped being herself and was having no fun at all. No energy, stopped eating. That was a month after we had a lump removed, and another showed up. Hard times for sure.
That’s why I put on the brakes, he’s happy as fuck eating like a monster and shitting like a horse still, going to slow things down for him, no more big race weekends, maybe keep him in the shade and no walks to watch the races if we do bring him
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jgmxdad251
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5/10/2019 11:50pm Edited Date/Time 5/10/2019 11:59pm
I got lucky with my last dog that passed. She jumped up on our bed and my son and I laid with her till she passed on my pillow. Your doing the right thing, totally feel for your dog and family.
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Boomslang
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5/11/2019 4:54am Edited Date/Time 5/11/2019 5:08am
newmann wrote:
Pets are best, so do whatever it takes to get him better. Part of the family... One of our strays that has been hanging out for...
Pets are best, so do whatever it takes to get him better. Part of the family...

One of our strays that has been hanging out for the past 14 or so years had to go in for a big abscess on her shoulder last week. This cat has never let anyone pet her as long as she has been here but obviously felt bad enough the other day to let me wrap her in a blanket and put her in a tote a pet and actually behaved pretty well for my wife and the vet.



Appreciate what you have done for the cat Newmann. Thank you. Nothing upsets me more than seeing animals suffer.

How is the cat now?
Boomslang
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5/11/2019 5:04am Edited Date/Time 5/26/2019 6:50pm

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ns503
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5/11/2019 6:07am
ns503 wrote:
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped...
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped being herself and was having no fun at all. No energy, stopped eating. That was a month after we had a lump removed, and another showed up. Hard times for sure.
rongi#401 wrote:
That’s why I put on the brakes, he’s happy as fuck eating like a monster and shitting like a horse still, going to slow things down...
That’s why I put on the brakes, he’s happy as fuck eating like a monster and shitting like a horse still, going to slow things down for him, no more big race weekends, maybe keep him in the shade and no walks to watch the races if we do bring him
Sounds like what I would have done also. In our case, it was ultimately the patient who decided - could almost read her face, 'it's time'. Get choked again just typing that.

What is the prognosis for the spleen surgery? Recovery? Cost? That sounds like the root issue.
rongi#401
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5/11/2019 9:19am
ns503 wrote:
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped...
There was no deciding to do on our part when we went through this. Our retriever made the decision for us, she just sort of stopped being herself and was having no fun at all. No energy, stopped eating. That was a month after we had a lump removed, and another showed up. Hard times for sure.
rongi#401 wrote:
That’s why I put on the brakes, he’s happy as fuck eating like a monster and shitting like a horse still, going to slow things down...
That’s why I put on the brakes, he’s happy as fuck eating like a monster and shitting like a horse still, going to slow things down for him, no more big race weekends, maybe keep him in the shade and no walks to watch the races if we do bring him
ns503 wrote:
Sounds like what I would have done also. In our case, it was ultimately the patient who decided - could almost read her face, 'it's time'...
Sounds like what I would have done also. In our case, it was ultimately the patient who decided - could almost read her face, 'it's time'. Get choked again just typing that.

What is the prognosis for the spleen surgery? Recovery? Cost? That sounds like the root issue.
It does sound like the root, yesterday was a mess and I need to talk to a vet and they all want to see him in person, well the thing they don’t realize is that his going into the office is stressful, they start squeezing his lumps to see what they are, and they start bleeding again, I’m going to call around today
JM485
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Davis, CA US
5/11/2019 11:34am
I think you made the right call, you know your dog better than anyone and you'll know when he's not feeling like himself anymore and when he's suffering. Our boy Rider is getting up there in age now (I think he's 10 or 11 I can't even remember) and I know that time is going to come eventually, I'm almost tearing up thinking about it but it's just inevitable and I hate it. I wish you the best man, hope everything works out.

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