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my old basset hound is sick ~ brief update
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dreaming~big
Oct 9, 08 6:31
Post #1 of 11 (195 views)
my old basset hound is sick ~ brief update
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she has glaucoma apparently, and has been in a lot of pain for the last two days while the doc tried a treatment that was utterly useless. she is on her way to the canine ophthalmologist. she may have cancer in her eyes. they don't know yet. they're talking about removing her eyes. when i adopted her from the doggy jail, i made two promises to her: that i would never hit her, and that she would never be in pain. i have breached the second promise to my dog, and i feel just terrible. we could use a hug. deets later.
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cerveloguy
Oct 9, 08 7:11
Post #2 of 11 (180 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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I had to put my black lab down last year when he had cancer. I made the same promise that I'd never let him suffer. It was hard since he died in my arms in the vet's office. Same thing with my golden retreiver fifteen years earlier. I now have a seven month old black lab/golden retreiver cross. Someday I'll have to go through the same routine all over again.
This is the only downside of dog ownership.
"OK, I'll admit I screwed up the facts"
Tom Demerly
Oct 9, 08 8:05
Post #3 of 11 (164 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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I'm so sorry to hear about that. It is good of you to take such good care of her. Best wishes for a favorable outcome.
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/
(NOTE: This poster owns a retail business selling triathlon related products).
cooterbob
Oct 9, 08 8:25
Post #4 of 11 (160 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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I don’t have the words so just a little from our canine past. Dogs are incredibly stoic and adoptable. We had a Cocker Spaniel who went deaf and blind almost at the same time around 1990. If you didn’t know her, it was hard to tell. She lived off her nose and was damn good at it (although it was not a good idea to move the furniture around). How do you put down a deaf and blind dog who when another dog crossed her property line she would attack? We didn’t. I wanted to change her name to Tommy (a “The Who” reference for the children) but the Spousal Unit didn’t think it was all that funny. #1 Bassett Hound is now deaf. She just takes her clues from #2 BH.
How is the hip?
Best of luck.
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Born again heathen
CarboPro mixed with Bud Light makes for an excellent, although somewhat foamy, Saturday night refreshing beverage
Clutch Cargo
Oct 9, 08 9:03
Post #5 of 11 (150 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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Big dog hug to you and your hound.If your pup loses her sight they do adjust.This is Molly she is blind she lost her sight about 2yrs ago.She is fine we are able to all ways have someone with her either at home or I take her to work 3days a week.She can move around the house (3 rooms )and and my work with out running into stuff.She loves her morning walk and plays ball in the back yard(rubber ball with bell inside)I also have a cat (Dr.Wu) with cateracs I think he is about 85% blind.
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kdw
Oct 9, 08 9:43
Post #6 of 11 (137 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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I had the same thing happen to my Jack Russell Terrier, except she was only 3. Essentially, the muscle that held the lens in her eye in place weakened, and the lens slips out of place (lens luxation), causing fluid buildup behind the eye and damage to the cornea or optic nerve.
http://www.therealjackrussell.com/breed/eye.php
We went to the doggy opthamalogist. We were told that the treatment was to remove the lens completely which would prevent the fluid buildup (which is what causes the pain). This cost about $1500/eye, and if it happens in one, it happens in both eventually. They prescribed steroids drops to try to keep the muscles in the other eye strong enough. Didn't help though, and eventually the other lens was removed.
In theory, Daisy could have had partial vision after removing the lenses. In reality, we were out $4k and had a blind dog. She would react to light, but that was about it. Certainly nowhere near functional vision. In retrospect, we were a little sour as we felt that the surgery was presented as the only option short of having her destroyed, and that the odds of functional vision after the surgery would be better than they actually were. After the surgeries, and asking very pointed questions to the opthamologist, we determined that she was going to go blind most likely within a year with or without the surgery. The other option is to inject the eyes, essentially shutting them off. This option was never presented to us. We asked her "What happens when someone comes in who doesn't have $4K?" and never really got an answer.
Also, the steroid drops caused her to beef up considerably, and she acted wonky and dazed most of the time. I'm pretty sure she was still in a good deal of pain while all of this was going on.
So, sad story, right? Actually, no. We eventually paid the vet $75 to have the eyes injected (turning them off), and lo and behold we had our dog back. If you came to our house, and had to pick which dog was the blind one, it would not be easy unless you cheated and moved a chair around or something. I've had several conversations with guests "She is 100% blind." Guest: "I don't believe you." She goes running with me sometimes, (have to be careful with the storm drains, but is very good with interpreting audio warnings like "up" when there is a curb or something, a tug on the leash tells her to change direction, another quick tug means "not that way, the other way") is fantastic with our children, and at 12 lbs has kicked the living shit out of a couple of other much larger dogs who trespassed. She can even fetch a ball as long as she gets it before it stops moving.
Anyways, losing eyesight seems terrible, it isn't. The only time the blindness seems really bad is when she is begging, which she has taken to a new level. I swear to God one of these days she is going to whip out a tin cup, a cane and some dark sunglasses when there is meat being cut in the kitchen and she is doing her "Please...sir...won't you spare a bit for the poor blind dog..."
mmrocker13
Oct 9, 08 11:15
Post #7 of 11 (121 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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You can't help that she got sick--but you CAN help her after. Death from tumors in the eye is NOT very common. In fact, often times, if the cancer is caught an excised completely, the dog is fine.
And don't worry about enucleation, really. Dogs don't have all that fabulous of vision anyway. They "see" far more with their nose. I encourage you to check out
www.rollingdogranch.org
to see how well sightless dogs adapt and get around.
Hugs to you both.
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Sabrekitty
Oct 9, 08 11:29
Post #8 of 11 (116 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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Canine hugs from here as well. I hope everything goes well.
On another note, I know that promise. I promised my baby-girl, Ms. Howler, that I would not make her suffer. I made her that promise when she was just a little puppy in my lap nigh 15years ago. It broke my heart this past winter and into this spring and summer to realize that she was suffering. She bore it stoically, as if to convince Romeo-dog (who was given both promises when I adopted him from the rescue) that everything was fine. He relied on her to know how to react. It was when she couldn't hide it anymore that I had to let her go. That evening I thought I'd gone through the worst thing I could ever deal with... holding my baby-girl while the drugs kicked in and ended her pain.
The next day and following three days I learned that I could go back on that promise never to make my dog suffer, and I learned that letting her go wasn't the worst thing. Watching my dog Romeo suffer from bloat, go through surgery and suffer in agony whenever the painkillers started wearing off as his body tried to decide if he would live or die, while we tried desperately to save him after the damage to his system...
When he went into cardiac arrest, I realized I'd made him suffer enough for three days.
I pray you never, ever, go through anything like that. Ever. So yeah. I want to hear that everything went well. Please keep us posted.
Shop smart, shop S-mart!
Mr. Tibbs
Oct 9, 08 11:31
Post #9 of 11 (112 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick [dreaming~big]
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Oh man that is terrible. As far is the promises go you have never hit making you a great owner. Give hugs form all of us and splurge on those super fancy treats.
dreaming~big
Oct 10, 08 6:27
Post #10 of 11 (73 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick ~ brief update [dreaming~big]
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thanks, everyone, for your kindness. we were really beside ourselves yesterday. when your little furry person is hurting, the whole world turns upside down. she was in some extreme pain for about 12 hours due to my ignorance and the vet's miscommunication, but done is done. her eye pressures are now under control. she has no sight. our other canine buddies are very gentle with her and helping her out with snoots and gentle prods in the right direction. i am amazed at the capacity for compassion that dogs exhibit toward one another. the others know that she is fragile and are exceedingly gentle with her. it's beautiful. i think even my two old kitties have some conception that there's been a slight shift in the house. they are watching from their perches.
our job now is to keep her comfortable for the short term and make some long term decisions about whether she should keep her eyes or not. but with the pain meds, the anti-inflammatories, and the two glaucoma meds, she will be all right for the immediate future.
she is wagging her little tail again, and drinking water, and eating some *special* smelly dog food, and of course bumping into stuff. but she managed to go outside down five stairs on her leash and thence to her potty place on her lonesome. slowly but surely she did her business outside and came back in.
we can deal with it. there are no signs of cancer. i am grateful for the resources to take care of her and well aware that others would have to make more difficult decisions.
thank you again for the group hug. izzy says hi and thanks too.
kate
Sabrekitty
Oct 10, 08 7:25
Post #11 of 11 (60 views)
Re: my old basset hound is sick ~ brief update [dreaming~big]
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I'm so relieved to hear such good news. You should be able to look forward to a lot more special time with her.
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