My old lady Pepsi-woo has been to the vet this morning. She is an old gal now at 10 years and has been on Metacam for about 6 months to ease the stiffness in her joints and help with a partially ruptured cruciate. How ever she was on a 35kg dose (she is over 50kg) and was coping fine, going daily for a stroll and pottering about at home happily but this last couple of weeks has been a little more stiff on her front legs and less mobile generally so I upped the dosage. She started throwing up and last night we had a rough night with a squishy tummy. (Not the first time of late) so off to see lovely Gina vet this morning and we have decided it is as a direct result of the metacam and so have changed to Previcox 1 1/2 227mg tabs daily to see if that will stop the yucky feeling for her.
While she was there Gina gave her the once over and found her heart is not so good. It has no murmer but it is not pumping as strong and her circulation is sluggish so the heart is not getting so much round. We have decided to settle her tum first as she does little to get stressed about and her excersize is sedate (To say the least) and wait to see if the new pain relief gets her moving a bit more energetically before dealing with the heart problem. At the moment unless she gets herself upset or starts to rush about Gina is not too worried about the heart.
Poor old lady she is such a good girl and likes nothing better than to find a sunny spot in the conservatory and crash out warming her old bones. I fear she is slipping quietly away from me. Howeve her appitite is good and she still has a glint in her eye and will put young Vino in her place if she takes advantage!
Whoever is responsible for dogs made a HUGE error in giving them a short life span. I need at least another 20 years with each and every one of them, but then...I may not last that long !!!
Aileen

I feel for you Aileen. To be honest I don't think I could cope with a breed that aged early much as I admire the giant ones. I am always saying about my Ripley that she must live AT LEAST another 50 years or I will die myself. (She will be 12 in April.) It never gets easier no matter how prepared you think you are. I hope Gina will do better on the new medication and get a new lease of life for as long as possible.

Oh hun...Welling up here..Really, really hoping that she does well on these new meds.. Really wish Bernese weren't seen as old at the age of 10.

Fingers and paws crossed here for her to perk up on these meds.. Much love and healing thoughts for PepsiWoo xx

Here's hoping a change of meds will give her relief for some time to come and a good quality of life.

Dogs lives are too short even the ones who have lived till 16 years, they leave such a big hole in your life.

Sending healing thoughts her way.

Really hope she brightens up.
My friends dog is on Previcox and has done really well on it.

i don't think I'll ever be satisfied with any of my dogs life spans, I keep telling Spud I wish he could die the same time as me.

I also used to think I'd never have a giant breed because of the short life span, I love irish Wolfhounds but it seems they've barely grown up and their into old age in the blink of an eye. But sad experience has shown me you never know how long you'll have them, Spuds mum went at just 6, yet Louie who was a large breed went at 14, and it looks like I'll lose Spud at just 10.
Makes you think we must all be stark staring mad to put ourselves through it time and time again.

Hope the new meds help and understand how you feel as loosing Moose has really hit home how fragile the status quo can be. I am watching Puds like a hawk as she is ayear younger than Moose and statistically she should have gone before Moose because of her terrible hips but luckily apart from that she is a fit healthy girl for the moment.

As you say she is eating and still has that glint in her eye so hopefully you will have a lot  more time with herx

Sending positive vibes for Pepsi.  I do hope that she settles well on a different drug.  Fingers x'd here.

Pepsi's tummy has been happier overnight I am pleased to say so we have started the previcox this morning. Fingers crossed it suits her better.
Thanks for your well wishes :-)
Aileen

My darling Pepsi is not good tonight, her back legs have gone from under her a couple of times today and she is uncomfortable.
We have given her the maximum dose of pain relief and setled her down for the night. Please spare a thought for her tonight and hope she picks up tomorrow. I think a trip to the vet may be in order.
She is 10 years and 6 months.
Aileen

Sorry to hear Pepsi is poorly, I hope she gets relief from the pain meds.

{{{{HUGS}}}}

Hope Pepsi has a peaceful night, and you too. Fingers crossed here for you all tomorrow. I'm struggling with an oldie myself and I can guess how you're feeling. xx

Oh Aileen.... Just reading this now... Very much thinking of you right now and the lovely Pepsi xxx

How is she this morning ? Hope she had a comfortable night x

Thinking of you,hope all goes ok at the vets this morning.

Sheila

Hoping all is OK x

Hope she's a bit better this morning, Aileen.

Thanks everyone. An update for you.
Pepsi had a peacefull night but she is not really improved. Her back legs are very weak, she has managed to get out of the side gate to the little green (My gate opens up onto a green space with lots of trees and shade) and done her toileting, she is finding it hard to crouch down to open her bowels though and I had to steady her. Poop is normal though (LOL). I think we will give her plenty of pain relief today (she is on tramadol and the vet has suggested we double the dose for a day to see if things improve) and seem what the next 24 hrs bring. If she has somehow injured herself it may improve, but I think in my heart she is just getting worn out. She will not benifit from a vet visit as getting her in and out of the car is not easy and I think the vet will agree she is fine in herself but her body is letting her down. She is eating OK and drinking and her tail is wagging. I am tearing myself apart knowing that the decision will have to be mine. Why oh why can she not slip quietly to sleep and take that awfull decission away from me. Today will be a cuddle on the floor Pepsi day. She had a good day on Sunday and with OH here we got her into the car and took her to her favourite place for a wade in the millpond. I took lots of pics and will try to post one.
Thanks again for your kind words.
Aileen

[IMG]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa195/merlot_bucket/DSC_2755.jpg[/IMG]
Here she is.
Aileen

Ah Aileen in the picture she looks so happy thoughts are with you xx

A beautiful photo of your beloved Pepsi. It's never an easy decision and I do so feel for you. Wishing her a good day with you and sending you peace and courage during this difficult time.

Aileen I feel for you! Maybe she just overdid it a bit when she was out on Sunday and an increase in painkiller + som rest will help her? Bramble did this on Friday (she is 8 and a half), and after some painkiller and a good sleep she is fine although still a bit stiff. Can you get a different painkiller? She might have become used to the one she has now and need something different? If she is happy in herself, eating, drinking and managing to toilet OK then I would be inclined to let her enjoy life at her own pace. It's not easy I know
Marion xx

What a lovely pic, she does look happy.

Maybe an anti inflammatory along with the Tramadol will ease her joints provided she has no other problems that would prohibit their use.

Give her a big hug from us

She is a beauty looks like shes enjoying her paddle,its so hard when they get old,

Sheila x

Beautiful picture, thinking of you both.

Why oh why can't dogs live as long as we do, it is such a sad time. I had this decision a year ago so my heart goes out to you. Lets hope she improves and gives you a lot more time to enjoy her company.

What a sad time for you, but you are clearly a lovely owner and you dog is very lucky to have you. Lots of hugs.Hope she feels better.

Thinking of you and Pepsi x Hope she has picked up with the extra meds.

Wishing you both strength.

in our thoughts and wishing for good news... beautiful picture..

She looks so very beautiful.   Sending positive vibes for you and your precious girl.

What a lovely old girl :-)
Hope she improves over the next few days.

The vet is coming today to have a look at Pepsi. Bless her she still has a lot of spark and her eyes are shining and her tail wagging. It is just her back legs that have let her down. It is so very hard to try and make the right choice for her. The pain relief is not helping because it is not so much a case of pain but more just lack of strength. She is a mass of lumps but none of them cause her a problem except one under her front leg that causes her to walk with a strange gait and with her back legs failing it is not helping (we were going to have it removed last year but she ruptured her cruciate and could not have managed with the leg out of action). So you see I have a lovely Girl with a heart of gold and a spark for life inside a body that is holding her down. I have thought about hydro but she would panic and fight if we tried to get her into the pool and that will do her no good at all. She has never been out of her depth in water except on two occasions when she fell in the river...once when she thought the leaves covering it where solid and she ran straight onto them and of course sank ! ...once when she lay down for a good roll on the river bank and rolled herself over the edge and into a deep pool ! Both times she was in a panic to get out. She likes to paddle but no more.
She is a big girl and weighs 53kg so it is a lot to try to carry around with 3 duff legs. I have seriously though about having her cruciate done (She did a partial rupture last year and I think it has now gone completly the vet will have a look later when she comes) but the vets say she is not a good candidate because of her other leg problems and a heart that is not working as well as it should. They think she will not be able to move at all as she is using that leg to stabalize herself. She also had a cyst removed from that knee some years ago and it took a long time to heal and the wound broke down many times, it is a mass of scar tissue. It may do the same again and I cannot see her end her days in pain from an op that did her no good.
I am really struggling to get my head round it all and OH is too. He can see the happy dog inside and cannot get past it. How can we give up on her when she is still my wonderfull Pepsi inside with her smiley face and happy grin while her tail still beats a tune whenever we chat to her and have a cuddle.
Sorry I am rambling but it is so hard to talk to anyone face to face and sitting in front of a computor is easier for me, no one can see my tears and I know you lot understand the horrible place I am in at the moment.
Thanks for listening I will post later after Gina has been.
Aileen

>I am really struggling to get my head round it all and OH is too. He can see the happy dog inside and cannot get past it. How can we give up on her when she is still my wonderfull Pepsi inside with her smiley face and happy grin

Oh Lord that takes me back. :-( It's so awful when inside they're well and happy and yet they can't move. I feel so much for you.

Oh Aileen, for sure we all know the place you're in at the moment and the heartbreak of it.

Somebody wise on here once said something that has stuck with me. "Better a day too early, than a day too late" - no-one will know better than you when the time has come.

Nothing more helpful to add, but sending huge hugs.

M.

Thinking of you xxx

You will know Aileen. I knew when it was time for my two oldies as when they were able to get up and soiled themselves I knew that their dignity had gone and although the tail kept wagging and the appetite was there I couldn't let them suffer the upset anymore.

Keep strong and give her lots of hugs and one virtual one winging it's way over from here for you x

Oh! my goodness this has taken me back to the loss of my last dog to go, she was older than your Pepsi but the circumstances were not so different, I knew I had to let her go in the end but still find it hard to accept that but for a cruciate and the pain she was in she may have managed a couple more years.

Know my relating my experience is of no help, I also know that nothing I can say will help either when these sort of things happen only you can know what is best for your girl. I wish and hope you find the wisdom and strength to come to the right conclusion in consultation with your vet, my thoughts are with you and I wish I could help but all I have to offer is my understanding and a fervent hope that some treatment is available.

Like us all,I really feel for you,I went through the same many years ago,hope you can get some more time with her.thinking of you all.

Sheila xxx

Well Gina (Vet) has been and Pepsi has a really rampant infection in her toe on her worse leg (How I have missed it I do not know ) She always limps on that leg as it's the one with the cruciate damage and when she went right off it I assumed wrongly that it had gone completly. She has always nibbled her toenails and I have always kept a close eye on them and never seen anything amiss but Gina doing what vets do best started at her toes and found it very swollen. Pepsi has very hairy feet so it was not obvious by looking but as soon as you feel it it is like a golf ball and very sore. Gina feels that when Pepsi went paddling on Sunday in the millpond she picked up and infection and by Mon lunchtime her toe had become very painfull so she stopped using it and the other leg struggled to hold her weight. Anyway we are on some pretty hefty ABX and her tramadol and salt water baths and see how she is on Friday. I just hope and pray that it is the toe that has made her so wobbly and the ABX cut in and make her feel better. I feel now there is hope for her to get back to how she was on Sunday when she enjoyed her outing, mind you the millpond is off the menue for some time to come!
Aileen

That sounds hopeful, all the best with her.

The tears are tripping me reading your previous post, so glad you have found a treatable cause for her being unstable on her back legs.

Sending healing vibes your way that the A/B's kick in quickly and the pain relief helps till then. Try doing some passive exercises with her legs, moving them through the range of movements she can normally do to prevent stiffness and muscle wastage.

Keep us posted on how things are going.

Phew at least it is something that will hopefully clear up and hope she starts to feel better soon , they are such a worry aren't they! X

Oh that sounds hopeful, Aileen, it's amazing how much infections can drag them down generally, as well as pain-wise. Fingers crossed that antibiotics kick in quickly and she stops worrying you.

M.

Ooh that sounds really promising; hopefully the ABs will kick in soon nd make her foot more comfortable so she can get back on her feet again. :-)

I hope it is just the toe and Pepsi recovers quickly.

Dillon hates the pool have you thought about the water treadmill he loves that he gets straight in no problems.
He panicked so much in the pool I thought he was going to drown the nurse I think she was thinking the same.

Infection in a toe does knock them off there feet,going through same with Annie,it can take a few weeks to clear,hope she soon feels more comfortable,the salt baths work wonders.

Sheila

thinking of you all xx

Will keep fingers crossed AB's work and salt water helps, and give her a bit better mobility will be watching for update, give her a kiss from us xx

Strangely it would seem a small world, as stated on another thread my 12 year old started walking on 3 legs and that turned out to be an infection in the foot, 24 hours after he started on ABs he had his foot back on the ground although he did suffer for a few days from the effect of the sedation. Solli is almost back to normal now and I hope your girl follows suit.