As a last resort I am coming to this board for some help.
My wife and I have a 4 year old black lab. In December she started getting sick and not eating. After some tests and surgery we were told it was lymphoma in the GI tract. There wasn't much that they could do for it. She was still in good spirits and with the help of Prednisone she got her appetite back, along with some of her old habits. Good and bad.
The last few weeks have been tough. She's been losing her hair. My wife and I have been preparing ourself for the inevitable. Within the past 42-72 hours she has lost strength in her hind legs. She's barely able to get up the two steps into our house after she's been outside.
She's always been a "daddy's girl" and the final decision will be mine. We were hoping that she'd jsut go in her slepp, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. We don't have kids and this is killing me. She's the first dog that was truly "mine." I'm afraid that my attachment to her is just going to delay what I know needs to be done.
The following question has nothing to do with money, but with comfort. She's a nervous dog that doesn't like to leave the yard. Taking her to the vet has always been a traumatic experience for her. So, is there a HUMANE way that we can do this at home? We have all of her pain medicine (Tramadol 50mg) left over from the surgery, but as of this morning she's not eating like she had been. Also, my fear is that we'll just give her a big "buzz" and make her sick. If not, is there a vet in the Des Moines area that will make house calls?
We appreciate any feedback that you might have.
My wife and I have a 4 year old black lab. In December she started getting sick and not eating. After some tests and surgery we were told it was lymphoma in the GI tract. There wasn't much that they could do for it. She was still in good spirits and with the help of Prednisone she got her appetite back, along with some of her old habits. Good and bad.
The last few weeks have been tough. She's been losing her hair. My wife and I have been preparing ourself for the inevitable. Within the past 42-72 hours she has lost strength in her hind legs. She's barely able to get up the two steps into our house after she's been outside.
She's always been a "daddy's girl" and the final decision will be mine. We were hoping that she'd jsut go in her slepp, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. We don't have kids and this is killing me. She's the first dog that was truly "mine." I'm afraid that my attachment to her is just going to delay what I know needs to be done.
The following question has nothing to do with money, but with comfort. She's a nervous dog that doesn't like to leave the yard. Taking her to the vet has always been a traumatic experience for her. So, is there a HUMANE way that we can do this at home? We have all of her pain medicine (Tramadol 50mg) left over from the surgery, but as of this morning she's not eating like she had been. Also, my fear is that we'll just give her a big "buzz" and make her sick. If not, is there a vet in the Des Moines area that will make house calls?
We appreciate any feedback that you might have.