Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Cross-posting from another thread (from 2008...shit I got old).
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Doesn't seem to be hurting, still a happy old lab. But things are slow-going for him and he mostly just hangs out with us on the couch now. All told, it's what we expected and probably not a bad way to go but it still kinda sucks. I'm hoping he can get some nice spring days on the screened in porch before we have to make the call but summer may be tough on him with the heat and the breathing issues.
Been a good run...
Well he rallied pretty well. By the end of March he'd either shaken off a little pneumonia or maybe he's just figured out how to stop aspirating. He still coughs when he drinks every now and then but not at random intervals anymore and nowhere near as rough. It isn't stressing him out either anymore so he's sleeping and just feeling a lot better. I really think he's kinda re-learned how to drink/eat and is managing it all pretty well at this point.
I also wonder if the combination of no sleep and perhaps just soreness from the coughing was taking a physical toll on him. He's moving much better now as well. He still won't be running anymore but hell that's just age. He'll go into a solid canter and grab a ball to bring back to me still. And he'll do stairs again even though we put him out the front door now (he'll follow us upstairs or down to the basement again now).
So I'm not expecting any miracles; there was fluid in his abdomen for a reason, afterall. And that swollen sternal node means something even if nobody knows what. But he's doing pretty well. Think we may get him through to the fall afterall. Wouldn't mind seeing him hit that 13th birthday at least. [Reply]
Here are my two cats. Left one is a female named Snickers. Right one is a male named Twinkie. I've grown up around 15 cats or so (my family were crazy cat people) but the two cats I have with my wife now are by far the best.
Originally Posted by Jerok:
Here are my two cats. Left one is a female named Snickers. Right one is a male named Twinkie. I've grown up around 15 cats or so (my family were crazy cat people) but the two cats I have with my wife now are by far the best.
I used to raise polar bears, but........... [Reply]