[Magdalen] Prayers for Milo - update

Sat Nov 29 15:59:42 UTC 2014

My daughter's dog goes through something similar from time to time, though Milo's situation seems more serious. The vet says it's a pinched nerve in her spine, and it does get better after a few days. I think they give her Rimadyl and maybe a course of prednisone. She presents with her tail bending down and weakness in her back legs. She does not, however, appear to be in any pain.

> On Nov 29, 2014, at 9:42 AM, Sally Davies <sally.davies at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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
>> 