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Last Saturday, we had our almost 14 year old maltese/poodle put to sleep. Of course, as these things sometimes go, we were on vacation in Yellowstone and had to rush him down to a vet in Jackson, WY, about an hour and a half from where we were staying.
I knew that the end was near for about the past month. When my parents came to visit at the end of August, my mom noticed that he was "off". In retrospect, I see that he was simply shutting down. On Thursday, he stopped eating and only was drinking chicken broth. We tried to get him as much "stinky stuff" as we could to try to whet his appetite, but of course, being in Yellowstone, this was not an easy feat. We took him out with us on Thursday and Friday, but his energy just was not there. On Friday night, he slept under the covers between me and my partner, as it was quite cold out and this was the only way to keep him warm. I kept one arm out over him, to make sure that my partner didn't roll over on him. On Saturday morning, he couldn't stand on his one usable hind leg to go to the bathroom. It was then that I made the decision to say goodbye.
After making a couple of calls, we found one non-emergency vet that could take us, down in Jackson. They sounded wonderful on the phone, so as hard as the decision was, they didn't make it harder. On the way there, my little buddy seized and voided. I wasn't sure that he was even going to make it to the vet. He did, barely. They didn't have to sedate him before giving him the overdose. I didn't stay with him- but my partner did. The vet was kind enough also to make sure that we'd be able to pick up his ashes on our way out of town on Thursday.
This little guy was only in my full charge for less than 3 years. I took him in after his previous owner, my fiance, passed away. Over all, I knew him for about 10 years of his life.
He was a wonderful little companion who went everywhere with my fiance. He lived through being hit by a car, and spent over 6 years with one usable back leg. In the past year or so, I became very grateful that the decision had been made not to amputate the leg (which still had blood flow, only the main nerve was severed), as he began to use it more and more for balance.
When I moved in with my current partner a little over a year ago, he obviously came with me. This little dog took an immediate shine to my partner, and the feeling was mutual. Every time we were out in the woods either camping or hiking, and there was even a little chill in the air, my partner would pick the dog up and snuggle him into his jacket or vest. He looks like the creature from "Alien" in some of the photos that we have.
I have no regrets as to the time that I spent with him, or the decision I made last Saturday. He had almost 14 years of good, quality life, and was certainly loved by everyone who spend time with him. I only wish that the timing had been such that he could have been buried with my fiance. My fiance's ashes were buried in Saskatchewan at the beginning of August.
He had a wonderful life with you. Although he had problems he was happy because of his love for you. It's so hard to lose them, but I believe that he's in a perfect place and in perfect health waiting for you.
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