Yes, that was the hardest for me after our dog was put down - being in the house alone. I didn't have a job and was just getting ready to start school at the state university so I had a lot of down time on my hands. I already struggle with depression, so that was especially difficult to cope with. About a week before school started for me, my mom finally relented and said she was ready for another dog (I think the house felt lonely to her, too). About a month had passed by and we had done most of our grieving - I think it was easier for us because we selected the day that she would pass away and were able to be there with her thru the entire thing. It gave us closure, but it didn't make the loss any easier since she had been with us for over 15 years. Well, I ended up going to PetFinder since we knew we wanted another rescue and wanted a dog that was still young but not a puppy - especially since no one would be home during the day and we didn't need a dog chewing up furniture or shoes. We found a 2 year old hound dog/doberman mix (they said she was Rottie, but she is a Dobbie for sure) named Ladybug who we renamed Daisy. She's been with us ever since.Yes, I think I'm going to catch up on a lot of exercise after she is gone. The vet had advised us to plan to do things out of the house a lot once she passes, because the vet said that when her own dog died, her house felt very empty especially at first, and she found it was best for her to not be home except to sleep for the first few weeks or so. So I think I'll be doing a lot of hiking and things like that away from the house once Lily is gone. I have already started preparing for that - I went through my hiking backpack and organized it. I'm all set for longer hikes whenever I feel the need to get away.
At least, with her going so often and so much, you know she's not obstructed. If she were vomiting only, it would definitely be cause for concern since you said she had the cancer on her intestines. That's very good news that she is still able to go relatively normal. Have you been adding pumpkin to her diet? Definitely make sure she gets plenty of water since pumpkin has a lot of fiber and will bulk up her stools. If there is not enough moisture, it could cause impaction and you don't want that! Regardless, I'm glad she's doing better.Thanks Tony. She hasn't vomited since last night, so that's good. I think she's just been eating way too much. When I came home on my lunch break today, she pooped 4 times in about 30 minutes! And one of the bowel movements was so large, so much volume, I couldn't get it all into one bag. So much poo. So, we've eased way up on the amount of treats that she's getting tonight, and that seems to be working, except that she keeps bugging us for treats.
So yeah, I think she's doing better and fortunately that one was an easy fix. Phew! I'll be more careful about how much she's eating from now on. She'll still get plenty of treats, but just not quite as many because I don't want her to vomit again if we can avoid it. Not fun for her and not fun for me. (Also really not fun for hubby because I made him clean it up!)
Tony, how are you doing? I hope you're reasonably okay - I'm sure things are still really tough and painful and sad right now. Please take care of yourself. I'm here if you need to talk at all.
Hey Cat , its tough but the tears are not coming as much now , its still and always be the small things that get me most , like always getting the end of a sandwich and always giving him a piece of anything i was eating , or last thing at night bringing him out for a small walk , but its part of life , the pain will decrease but the love will remain , I think apart for a parents love for a child the love we have for our furry friends is a very close second .Thanks Tony. She hasn't vomited since last night, so that's good. I think she's just been eating way too much. When I came home on my lunch break today, she pooped 4 times in about 30 minutes! And one of the bowel movements was so large, so much volume, I couldn't get it all into one bag. So much poo. So, we've eased way up on the amount of treats that she's getting tonight, and that seems to be working, except that she keeps bugging us for treats.
So yeah, I think she's doing better and fortunately that one was an easy fix. Phew! I'll be more careful about how much she's eating from now on. She'll still get plenty of treats, but just not quite as many because I don't want her to vomit again if we can avoid it. Not fun for her and not fun for me. (Also really not fun for hubby because I made him clean it up!)
Tony, how are you doing? I hope you're reasonably okay - I'm sure things are still really tough and painful and sad right now. Please take care of yourself. I'm here if you need to talk at all.
Just to clarify, diazepam (aka Valium) is in the class of benzodiazepines. It is not an opioid which include narcotic painkillers like Percocet, Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, etc. It also includes loperamide (aka Imodium). This link provides more detail:Tony, I don't want to take meds if I can help it, because I'm on LDN and I'm not supposed to take anything that's opioid-based (LDN is an opioid blocker, so basically anything that's opioid-based, including stuff like imodium, can potentially make me really sick because it essentially would turn into poison in my body because I wouldn't be able to absorb it or whatever - that's my rudimentary understanding anyway, my doctor said I'd get "very sick" if I took anything that's an opioid). I think I do still have some muscle relaxers left over from when I had whiplash from a minor car accident a few years ago, but I shouldn't try it. I don't know if diazepam is opioid-based or not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and just deal with the pain. I'm at work currently, but when I go home I'm definitely going to put my heating pad on my back, and might take a hot bath too (obviously not at the same time!). If the pain doesn't ease up in the next couple of days, I'm also going to try to get in touch with my massage therapist and see if I can have a massage.
Glad to hear Lily's still doing relatively well! Every time you post, I start thinking the worst but I'm relieved when I read she's still kicking. Hope she makes it to her birthday as I think it will be good for the both of you to have a fun celebration.We're doing okay! She's about the same. Still very excited about food and treats, but energy level isn't great and she's still having sinus issues.
I went hiking on Sunday. Walked about 2.5 miles through the woods & prairie to break in my new hiking boots. Carried my daypack with me which weighs a lot. I was quite tired at the end of that hike, and the next day my hips were feeling a bit sore. I probably overdid things a little bit, since I haven't been hiking in awhile. I'd like to do more hiking, though. Hopefully my hips will grow more used to it the more I do it.
Lily's birthday is in 10 days. I think and hope she can make it. We're going to invite her best friends over for some doggy birthday cake.