Well, Ralph the Dog is still very much with us. I took him to the vet a couple of weeks ago and we had a very candid conversation.
He listened to me describe the past year with Ralph, much of which I related in my last post here.
He looked at me with a compassionate look and said, "You know there's not a lot I can do for a 15-year-old dog to make him better."
I assured him I knew that and that I needed the wisdom of his years of his taking care of animals. He told me he felt that we have an obligation at some point to help our furry friends along when their quality of life has greatly deteriorated.
On the other hand, he told me that I know Ralph and I'll know when that time comes.
That's what a lot of you told me after my last post and I appreciate your words.
The fact is I'm not there yet. I've discussed it with everyone in the family and everyone agrees and understands.
So for now, Ralph continues with his life of mostly eating and sleeping. He still wags his tail at the door in the mornings when I get his leash and on some mornings he still jumps. That's definitely the high point of his day and the time when he has the most energy.
I told the doc I thought it would be relatively soon and he said to just let him know. He said he would ask me to bring him in toward the end of the day when things are quiet. Again, he said he felt I would know.
And I'll trust the process.
4 comments:
That's a good way to word it. Trust the process. It's kind of the recurring theme of life, isn't it, trusting the process. It's a hard decision, and I do not envy you.
Waiting (and wondering) is not easy. (((hugs)))
For what it's worth--I remember this phase of life with my dachsund/beagle mix, Random, who passed away at sixteen in 2008.
I didn't "just know" and ultimately felt like I waited too long because I kept looking for that "it's time" sign. I was determined to not put Solomon through the same thing so I sought advice from a dog trainer named Sarah Wilson and the advice I was given was this: You know it's time when there are more bad days than good ones. For me, this was an excellent barometer.
All the best, Bob. You're in my thoughts.
Good decision. If it comes to the point where you are carrying him out to do his business, you will probably know ...
quid
Post a Comment