[Magdalen] Prayers for Milo - update

[Sally Davies]

Thanks, Jim, I agree with your wise and compassionate approach.

It's not, I think, going to be an easy few days; in a couple of hours we'll
go back to the vet and see what he thinks. Milo, meanwhile, is definitely
better, though not fine. He's eating and drinking well, able to get in and
out of the basket by himself, and not in any discomfort. His right back leg
is still dragging, though he can put weight on it if he can get it under
control. I don't think he could have had a brain stroke; perhaps dogs don't
have the balance issues that humans do but I can't imagine any human being
able to co-ordinate a three limb hop immediately after a stroke.

However, it's hard to believe that the leg/spine will return to normal.

Milo is not a very active dog except for some jumping when it's time for
supper. We take the dogs out occasionally but not often, as no one wants to
deal with Chipo's behaviour outside and she goes spare if we just take Milo
out and leave her behind. We've had her for nearly five years and when we
got her, Milo was already happy to spend most of his time in his basket.
She's kept him active but the time was always going to come when he slowed
down.

What I really wouldn't want for him is the last few months that our spaniel
Bonny had...she was almost completely deaf and had very little vision,
painful joints and tumours on her skin. But for months, the best part of a
year, a moment never seemed to come when you could say "this is it, enough
now". A dog should be happy, whether active or inactive doesn't matter
much, just comfortable and happy.

Sally D

On Saturday, 29 November 2014, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> I was listening to a program a few weeks ago when an author/veterinarian
> talked about his own experience with pets. He said that the animal does not
> know about death. Every day is simply now, and so consideration of medical
> treatment needs to take that into account. If the pet is not comfortable,
> and medical treatment does not make them comfortable, they have no insight
> into the possibility that they may someday get better. They merely suffer.
> And if an animal is not having quality of life, one needs to consider that
> an extended period of time in pain, with little likelihood of recovery is
> not a hopeful period for them, but merely suffering.
>
> I have had a couple of times when, looking back, I wish I had put the
> companion to sleep sooner. He said almost exactly the same thing about his
> own experiences.
>
> The first pet I ever had, a black short hair, was losing kidney function,
> and one day he went into a seizure without any warning. He lost his vision
> at that time.  I adored him, and couldn't see clearly that the best thing
> was to let him go; he was not getting better.
>
> Having said that, which may have been too much as it is, I would say that
> you are the only one who can tell when the right time has come to let your
> companion go.  And when you make that decision, you'll probably want to
> second guess yourself. Don't do it; we all do the best we can, and that is
> simply all we can do.
>
> I've been there, and your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
> for people coming behind you, and you don't do it, you're wasting your time
> on this Earth."  -- *Roberto Clemente
>
> On Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 1:33 AM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>>
> wrote:
>
> > Milo holding on this morning...after he settled and stopped crying
> (Maddies
> > Golden Hammock doing it's thing again!!) he had a quiet night, drank a
> > litte water, even got out of the basket for a drink. Now he's in his
> > favourite spot, albeit in unaccustomed luxury, basking in the sun. For
> > Milo, a sunny day without wind IS "quality of life"...
> >
> > He seems to be able to get around, back leg is noticeably weak but he can
> > bear some weight on it. Front leg that side also looks odd but it could
> be
> > compensation.
> >
> > He showed some commitment to cleaning up a plate of plain cream yoghurt
> and
> > even ate a couple of his Teckel dog biscuits - but I don't want to give
> him
> > those because they'll make him thirsty.
> >
> > Chippy managed a night outside without too much fuss. Evan's come up
> with a
> > solution: let's get another dog to be with Chipo outside and then keep
> Milo
> > inside as a "chilled inside dog". It's not a terrible idea...Milo always
> > was an "inside dog" until we got Chippy who couldn't be socialised to
> > indoor living (I haven't space to list her crimes but will just mention a
> > strong preference for secret puddles under beds and on bath mats).
> >
> > He loves to be outside, as long as it's not cold, but I'm worried he
> might
> > fall into the swimming pool. I'm also wondering if my wonderful OT
> > colleagues could help him - I can just see them setting out to make him a
> > miniature splint (we don't have any OT's on this list, worse luck, but
> they
> > are truly wonderful beings IMO).
> >
> > The diagnosis is puzzling: from what I can read up, Dachshunds are not
> > prone to spinal stroke because their discs tend to harden. It tends to be
> > larger, younger dogs. Probably a diagnosis of exclusion at this stage,
> > because we don't have access to an MRI. It could be a small brain stroke?
> > Must ask vet to check his blood sugar as well, and his teeth for an
> > abscess, his teeth aren't great and he's already lost a couple to decay.
> >
> > What to do if he doesn't recover function but seems to continue basically
> > OK...? Prayers for wise advice and for kind wisdom on our part
> > are appreciated.
> >
> > Sally D
> >
> > On Saturday, 29 November 2014, Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 8:51 PM, Christopher Hart <cervus51 at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>
> > > <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > > > Holding back tears as I share in your prayers for Milo.
> > >
> > > I was very sad as I read about Milo's distress as well. I'm adding my
> > > prayers.
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Scott R. Knitter
> > > Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
> > >
> >
>