Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and helpful suggestions.
The vet confirmed that Arthritis was part of the problem but that it was not in his back, but possibly in his hip. He gave Scout a shot and told them this was either going to work really well, or have no effect. It has been two days and, mercifully, they are already seeing some improvement. Scout is in much less pain, is sleeping better, and is smiling again. Scout still cannot quite make it up by himself, but once he gets up he seems less stiff and sore when he walks. The vet is going to reevaluate the situation in a week and go from there. He assured my Mom that if they could get the pain under control, and as long as he was eating, drinking, and doing his business, they did not have to make The Decision right this second, as we all feared.
Now comes the balancing act between being cautiously optimistic, while remaining realistic at the same time. Scout is definitely in less pain and much happier, so making The Decision seems like it can wait a bit longer, but at the same time, it is now impossible to forget that he is 12 years old - an old man.
3 comments:
I'm glad all got a reprieve for now, Julie, but I understand that it is a difficult time and difficult decisions in the days to come
it is so hard when we have a pet to let them go but at the same time we certainly do not want them to suffer
before we got Koda, we had a talk and one thing was that he would always come with us if we moved no matter the cost and the other thing was that we would not "hold" on to him if it got to the point where we were just keeping him alive for us and he was miserable. I remind us all of that not frequently but occasionally because as much as we love him, I still don't want him to be suffering
I know your mom will make the best decision for Scout and your family when the time comes
betty
Aw... guys, I hope they and you get several more good years. :)
Good to know he's feeling better on the meds. :)
So glad that the meds are working for him. Like I said, we are at the same point in OC's care. Some days, if a storm is coming in, for example, it does get hard for her to get up on her own, and we will help and carry her if needed, but I know that is hard for a bigger dog. She spends a great deal of time in on our heated waterbed during the winter... Don't know if they have a heated blanket they could put over his hips on not. I know heat helps me when I'm pretty stiff... Will continue to hold him and your family in our prayers. Linda & the CCC
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