yesterday my oldest dog of 11 years had to be put down.
he was attacked by a dog in the waiting room at the vet's office (oh the irony) this past saturday morning. he was already sick, having trouble breathing due to a collapsed trachea, and this dog went straight for the neck so, when they finally got this dog off of him, my dog, poochie, was laying on the ground motionless.
they rushed him to the back and took x-rays where they concluded that nothing was broken, and we took him home hoping that he would improve. for the next three days we had to feed him chicken broth and water with a syringe as he lay on his side, since he was unable to so much as sit with assistance. we would carry him around and lay him in his favorite spots -- the hallway, my grandma's bed, the cool kitchen tile, and simply try to comfort him in any way possible.
unfortunately, by monday afternoon he refused his chicken broth and water. he seemed to be in even more discomfort, though he would never whine or yelp, and his eyes seemed more and more distant. we had no choice but to take him to the emergency clinic to see if anything could be done.
eventually they told us that he had only gotten worse from what his x-rays showed, as now he even had fluid in his lungs. further examination and procedure would cost upwards to $700 just for one test session, never mind what the rest of the needed surgery and rehabilitation would cost. and even then, the vet told us, a full recover was by no means a guarantee.
we decided it was best to just put him out of his misery.
i unfortunately have a grand total of 2 pictures of him, i really regret not taking/saving more, but he was never one posing for the camera like my other dogs are. but here they are. these were taken about 6 or 7 years ago so he looked a bit different than in present times. recently he had a really funny and cute haircut that gave him the shape of eeyore. but anyways.
RIP Poochie. my first dog. i love you buddy.