[CrazyBooBoo]

feel like we are losing her...

My 11 year old husky has had a hard 4 months. In Feb. she was dx with a mild case of pancreatitis, hypothyroidism, low iron, and Diabetes. WOW is all I can say. She is on all kinds of meds, which is hard to keep up with not to mention expensive. We are unable to get her blood sugar levels down to an ok level (was 660-now down to 230) We changed her food (now she has diarrhea) and she is so weak, she is having a hard time walking. She has arthritis in her hips and back legs and the vet is refusing to give her anything for the pain until her diabetes is under control. I give her 2 aspirins a day and she is on glycoflex, but it is not working. She wants to go for walks, but she only makes it two blocks and then lays down with exhaustion. I don’t know what to do any more, I do not want to give up, but I see that her quality of life is not the same, but she refusing to give in to the pain and keeps on going (she is so stubborn too!!!) She has protected me and the boys for all theses years, and it is time for me to take care of her, but I feel like I am losing the battle...

[LadyA]

I am so sorry...eleven years is a long time...It sounds like her sugar is coming down, but at her age, she is going to have a harder time dealing with these kinds of problems, than if she was younger. Even though you don't want to give up, remember what you've just said...her quality of life is not what it should be. Sometimes we keep animals longer than we should, because we feel it would be cruel to put them down. Sometimes it is kinder to let them go gently than stretch out their misery. I would talk to the vet and ask him his opinion. He is the only one who can tell you if your dogs health problems can be solved at her age. It may be the best thing for your beloved girl to just let her go gently. I sympathize with your dilemma, as we had to put down our Rotty at just 7 years old due to cancer. I couldn't bear to watch her suffer any more. We also let our beagle go on way too long, because I didn't want to give up, but we should have let her go long before we did. It is never an easy decision to make, and there isn't always a clear sign on when the correct time is to let them go. Just remember what you said: "She has protected me and the boys for all theses years, and it is time for me to take care of her, but I feel like I am losing the battle..." Now is the time to take care of her and do what is best for her...and sometimes what is best is to let them go...whatever you choose to do, always know that you can find people here who will understand and support anything you choose to do. Best wishes.