Dancer

[vafatboy]

We found out a few weeks ago that Dancer has cancer. She’s 13 years 5 months old and not a good candidate for surgery or chemo. Looking for good thoughts and prayers for this sweet critter.

I just hope we will know when it’s time so we can spare her any suffering.

[Margarita]

What a gorgeous girl she is. I'm so sorry she is sick. Good thoughts and prayers headed her way from Wyoming.

[Scabbydoo]

It hurts to hear this. Both the BH and I will be thinking about you and Patti and I'm confident you will make the right decision at the right time for Dancer.
Know that prayers are on the way for the three of you.

[stoney]

Sending prayers from Kathie and me.

[Backroad Mike]

Sorry to hear Warren. I know she's been a big part of your lives for many years.

[dynageno]

Very sad to watch your pet decline. Sending prayers for you to
do the right thing when the time comes. It never gets any easier.

[Mountainkowboy]

Sorry to hear...losing a member of the family always hurts

[orbit]

I'm sorry to learn that Dancer is nearing the end of her life.

She's a beautiful pup!

You've given her a good, comfortable home and have loved her with all your heart. That is obvious.

And, when you have to say your last goodbye, in your heart she'll remain.

[Sweet Pea]

Originally Posted by orbit

I'm sorry to learn that Dancer is nearing the end of her life.

She's a beautiful pup!

You've given her a good, comfortable home and have loved her with all your heart. That is obvious.

And, when you have to say your last goodbye, in your heart she'll remain.

Thank you, this made me cry. She's like our baby girl.

[vafatboy]

Thanks for the support everybody. I’ve been struggling with how we didn’t catch it earlier. When I asked the vet what we might expect and some insight into when it would be time. He said it could be hard to know, especially with this breed. “I’ve seen Labradors in my practice that didn’t show signs of being in pain, but died the next day.”

She has oral cancer and what sent us to the vet was refusing food and once while playing fetch she yelped when she picked up her toy. All her rear upper and lower molars were removed. Steroids for inflammation and she’s eating like crazy. We’re making a mixture of canned food, rice and veggies for her.

Digging around the net I found this and it rings true to me. In hind sight the signs of anxiety were there more so than pain. I thought I would post it so it might help others recognize this subtlety.


PAIN AND ANXIETY
Pain is one of the most important topics that we discuss in veterinary hospice care. Many professionals believe that carnivorous animals, such as cats and dogs, do not “hide” their pain, rather pain simply doesn’t bother them the same way it bothers humans. Animals do not have an emotional attachment to their pain like we do. Humans react to the diagnosis of cancer much differently than Fluffy does! Fluffy doesn’t know she has a terminal illness, it bothers us more than it bothers her. This is vastly different than prey animals like rabbits or guinea pigs, who must hide their pain to prevent carnivorous attacks. If you’re interested in learning more about pain and suffering in pets, grab Temple Grandin’s book “Animals in Translation” and read chapter 5.

When discussing the decision to euthanize, we should be just as concerned about anxiety in our pet as we are about pain. Frankly, anxiety is worse than pain in animals. Think about the last time your dog went to the vet. How was his behavior? Was he nervous in the exam room? Did he give you that look that said “this is terrible!”? Now think back to when he last hurt himself, perhaps scraping his paw or straining a muscle after running too hard. My dog rarely looks as distraught when she’s in pain as she does when she is anxious. It’s the same for animals that are dying. For example, many end-stage arthritis canine patients begin panting, pacing, whining, and/or crying, but many of these symptoms are due to anxiety, usually arising secondarily from the pain. This is akin to being stung by a bee but not seeing the bee itself; you may be more anxious at the lack of knowledge of the origin of the pain (and therefore about the unknown duration or potential augmentation by more bees) instead of strictly the pain alone. Due to hormonal fluctuations and other factors, these signs of anxiety usually appear worse at night. The body is telling the carnivorous dog that he is no longer at the top of the food chain; he has been demoted and if he lies down, he will become someone else’s dinner. Anti-anxiety medications can sometimes work but for pets that are at this stage, the end is usually near.

[vafatboy]

And one more pic.....she was 4 months old and I was working with her in the back yard. Up until then she had only been retrieving wings. So I was really proud of her when she retrieved that big mallard.

[Infidel!]

So sorry to hear about Dancer.

Prayers for the three of you.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[Ol Mike]

Prayers on the way.

[pa-glazier]

Sorry to hear about Dancer.


We ask ourselves, why do we do this to ourselves?' Because, you know, they're not going to live as long. And he said, 'Because dogs make us better people.

[Big Cheese]

So sorry Warren. Hope she doesn't suffer. She needs you to be strong, you've been a good Dad.