I knowingly adopted a reactive dog. I've gone through hell keeping him safe and learning how to be calm around triggers. We made great progress until first the Yorkies across the street and then a few weeks later the Schnauzers down the block were allowed to run loose through the neighborhood and corner us on walks. Our whole neighborhood is now a trigger. We work in the back yard if we're not getting straight into the car before the little dogs can react.
His life is small, but stable, and he seems pretty content when we don't have people trying to break into our garage.
Yesterday I asked my Other Half to ask the vet about a pain medication trial for my dog, a pit mix, when O.H. picked up my dog's allergy medicine. We'd trialed pain meds once 6 mo ago at his yearly (sedated) physical, and it didn't seem to change anything then, so we were told to give glucosamine/chondroitin supplements for a few months and try it again if there was a decline.
Well, I'm seeing decline, hence the ask. What did the vet say? "I don't jump to pain medications right away. Try Cosequin for 3 mo."
When I got this info, I mistakenly assumed that Other Half was still at the vet and reminded him of the fact that we're already at step 3 of this plan and I was saying "He's hurting, we should try again."
Nope, he was already gone, allergy meds only in hand because the Cosequin is more expensive than we can afford right now (I have enough for him until next pay day).
I felt blown off and ignored.
Early this morning I had a dream... THAT dream we all have when we struggle with our dogs. He was gone. "Put down." The big gray bed in the corner was empty. Nothing was snoring from the floor by my feet while I typed a work email. No remarkably little wimpy bark at the delivery truck back up beeper or the children screaming in play on the sidewalk.
The center of my constant thoughts for 5 years was just gone. O.H. (in the dream) didn't care. Vet? Didn't care. Neighbors? Happy to get another "evil pit bull" out of their neighborhood while they let the toy breed dogs that charged and attacked him on 3 separate occasions run off leash with all the same reactivity behavior he gives back when he's on leash.
I'm still sad even though I know it's a dream because, realistically, it's not that far from reality. Most days, it really feels like I'm the only person in the world that cares about this dog and his quality of life. Is he giving up and "ready for the Bridge"? Not by a long shot; it's just getting hard for him to get up the steps once in a while. We're not closing the book yet.
But I wish I wasn't the only person fighting for him instead of just fighting his triggers.
(P.S.-- There are other subs for people who don't like his breed mix. Don't bring your prejudices here to this thread, please.)
His life is small, but stable, and he seems pretty content when we don't have people trying to break into our garage.
Yesterday I asked my Other Half to ask the vet about a pain medication trial for my dog, a pit mix, when O.H. picked up my dog's allergy medicine. We'd trialed pain meds once 6 mo ago at his yearly (sedated) physical, and it didn't seem to change anything then, so we were told to give glucosamine/chondroitin supplements for a few months and try it again if there was a decline.
Well, I'm seeing decline, hence the ask. What did the vet say? "I don't jump to pain medications right away. Try Cosequin for 3 mo."
When I got this info, I mistakenly assumed that Other Half was still at the vet and reminded him of the fact that we're already at step 3 of this plan and I was saying "He's hurting, we should try again."
Nope, he was already gone, allergy meds only in hand because the Cosequin is more expensive than we can afford right now (I have enough for him until next pay day).
I felt blown off and ignored.
Early this morning I had a dream... THAT dream we all have when we struggle with our dogs. He was gone. "Put down." The big gray bed in the corner was empty. Nothing was snoring from the floor by my feet while I typed a work email. No remarkably little wimpy bark at the delivery truck back up beeper or the children screaming in play on the sidewalk.
The center of my constant thoughts for 5 years was just gone. O.H. (in the dream) didn't care. Vet? Didn't care. Neighbors? Happy to get another "evil pit bull" out of their neighborhood while they let the toy breed dogs that charged and attacked him on 3 separate occasions run off leash with all the same reactivity behavior he gives back when he's on leash.
I'm still sad even though I know it's a dream because, realistically, it's not that far from reality. Most days, it really feels like I'm the only person in the world that cares about this dog and his quality of life. Is he giving up and "ready for the Bridge"? Not by a long shot; it's just getting hard for him to get up the steps once in a while. We're not closing the book yet.
But I wish I wasn't the only person fighting for him instead of just fighting his triggers.
(P.S.-- There are other subs for people who don't like his breed mix. Don't bring your prejudices here to this thread, please.)
I don't think I'd go five figures in debt for chemo for her if she has cancer (did that for my last Lab only to lose him after 5 months anyway), but I'd do everything else for her. I will miss her. I love her. But she has never been easy, and life will be simpler... She was a "death row" pull, and I'm grateful she let me in to save her and I'm honored she trusted me enough to let me be her human for over a decade.
