Originally Posted by
labblab
Hi Jade, and welcome back to the forum. I’m so sorry, though, for the rough time you and your sweet girl are going through! You’ll see that I’ve gone ahead and merged your new thread into your original thread — this way, all of your history and our earlier suggestions will be consolidated in one spot.
You certainly are grappling with some very serious decisions. First of all, though, I totally endorse you stopping the Vetoryl for the time being and, at this point, perhaps forever. If you can’t entice your girl to eat, then no other medical treatment will matter very much. With everything else that she’s confronting right now, I do believe that Cushing’s may be one of the least of her worries.
Given her age and her struggles, I also understand why you are considering euthanasia. It is one of the hardest decisions we’ll ever be called upon to make in our own lives, with so much doubt and indecision. However, my own belief is that it’s a decision that we must weigh based on our observations, experiences, and love for our animals. I, too, have heard so many people say that your dog will somehow signal you when it’s time. I did not have that experience with my two angels. It was a decision that my husband and I felt that we had to make on their behalf, based on what we were seeing with our own eyes. I do want to warn you that the question of whether it is “too soon or too late” is the one that haunts us all. If you are like most of the rest of us, no matter what you decide you may still always second-guess yourself. Without the benefit of seeing the future, there are always lingering doubts that things might have played out differently, if only you could have known. But all you can offer is your best decision on any given day, based on what you see and know at that time. And most importantly, based on your love for your devoted companion and your desire to ease their suffering.
From what you are describing, I do not think there is any one of us here who would judge you harshly should you decide that your girl is suffering from too much ongoing discomfort to continue to prolong her life. And in my own mind, prolonging life through treatments and medications is just as much an intervention as is ending life through euthanasia. In the wild, your girl probably would have left this world long ago. It is only through your loving care that she has survived to reach this point. But now the most loving act may be to release her spirit from her failing body. Still, I certainly understand why you are so torn as to the best path forward.
Since you’ve asked us for our thoughts, my own suggestion would be to go ahead and see if there’s any improvement during the next week, both in terms of her eye, and also with her appetite now that you’ve discontinued the Vetoryl. If the answer is yes, then there may still be cause for hope. If the answer is no, then quality of life issues may well become paramount. In the meantime, please continue to mull things over with us, and certainly do update us as to any changes in the coming days.
Once again, welcome back to your family here.
Marianne