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To fully understand the significance of |
 this seeming nonevent, you have to first know a little about Roody. Like most Australian cattle dogs, Roody had one mission in life: to fetch. He'd fetch a ball or Frisbee or pencil ... keys or paper ... anything you dropped on the floor. And he carried this duty out with a dopey exuberance.In fact I used to joke, "Roody has two expressions: awake and asleep." But really this was only partly correct. He actually had two awake expressions. One was standby mode, where he patiently watched my every move for hours at a time. During long car rides he'd stare at me as if expecting a tennis ball to magically fly out of my ear. This expression could change in an instant to full alert mode if Roody thought you were reaching for a Frisbee or that your leaning forward meant you were going to toss his ball. Full alert mode consisted of his eyes nearly popping out of his head (glued to the toy of interest), his tail waving frenetically, and, if you took longer than half a second to respond, his hopping back and forth or toward and away from you at 10 times the speed of the rest of the world. This had the odd effect of making it seem as if you were looking through a video camera zooming in and out on his face in fast forward.  Roody's transition from asleep to awake was equally amusing.
Every morning he would lie motionless in bed, but as soon as I
made my first move to get up, he'd pop into full alert mode
as if my waking had triggered his power- on switch.The day that he first waited 10 seconds to get up screamed something was amiss. A full checkup with blood panel to evaluate his kidneys, liver and endocrine system revealed most values were normal. These standard tests should be performed yearly on any geriatric dog, starting at around 8 to 10 years of age, and earlier in some giant dog breeds. X-rays are also a regular part of a geriatric workup for screening lung and heart problems. Roody's thyroid hormone value was low, but daily supplements led to an immediate improvement in energy level.This effect was short-lived, though. His 14 years of life had seeded Roody's elbows, hips and vertebrae with arthritis. Over the next several years, his long fetch sessions at the park  dwindled to 10 minutes before he'd switch his focus to
the food treats I carried. Then the walks dropped first from 3
miles to 1 mile, and then to just a drive to the park, where he
followed me around and played games to earn his new
passion, food. Roody still wanted to work for something, and
to help delay mental deterioration, I made sure feeding time
was also his time to play or solve a puzzle.Old age came with other signs, too. His deafness meant I often had to physically alert him to my arrivals home. It also meant handing treats and kibble to him directly because he couldn't see them being tossed or hear them landing. Arthritis meant he could still follow me from room to room, but he couldn't always get outside for potty duty. As his signs of aging progressed, the need to make a decision drew closer. But the decision to euthanize is fraught with many questions. I could put up with the inconveniences of his old age, but not with an unhappy dog. If Roody lost his appetite or lost his intensity, or stopped smiling every time I petted him, that would be a clear signal. But if I saw these signs, it would mean I was too late. I wanted to stop the instant before this happened.  For others pet owners, the decision can become more
complicated. Do you want your pet to be buried or cremated?
Will you be present during the euthanasia? If so, you have to
consider that your pet can have an excitatory response to the
drug used. He won't feel pain, but the reflexive howling or
whining may make him look like he is. Who will help you?
These factors as well as the overall costs should be taken into
account ahead of time so that they don't complicate your
decision.For me the decision was clear. On a Monday evening several weeks ago, Roody collapsed. He recovered completely within a short time, but the second collapse three days later told me for sure. On Thursday, Dec. 16, Roody lay on his dog bed eating treats with his usual goofy, happy, awake expression. As the barbiturate solution entered his veins, he continued gobbling up the treats as I handed them to him -- until the instant he lay his head down. His heart stopped beating; his expression switched to asleep. The last thought on his mind -- cheese dog biscuit. |