I havent been online much lately. But my babydog wasnt doing too well. I dont want to bore you with the whole story but he meant a great deal to me. Our pets are our children, but Daan was special. I got him seven years ago when my bf at the time took his own life. I was 19 and Daan was everything to me, he kept me from going nuts.
Last year they diagnosed him with a braintumor. There was nothing we could do about it. It was way down in the centre of his brain right begind his left ear. The vet told us most dogs live for another two to three months after being diagnosed with these kinds of tumors.
But Daan was a fighter. Well not really a fighter. Just a happy go lucky dog who didnt know when to quit wagging his tail. He lived happily on meds for a year before the next problem came along.
He started having trouble walking long distances. Getting tired easily, coughing a lot. the vet checked him out and noticed his heart was beating iratically and very faint. We made an appointment for an echo and he was diagnosed with DCM, dilitative cardio miopathy. This meant that the muscle that forms his heart becomes weaker and thinner. The heartwalls should have been 12 to 14 mm. They were 7 at the time.
This was last spring. Daan has lived with a braintumor for 18 months and with DCM for six.
He was still happy last week. Still begging for treats. Still jumping up from his blanket to take a walk. That was my criteria. As long as he is happy I will fight for him.
This week things changed. He got tired. He lost his appatite. He didnt want to take a walk anymore. He didnt even want his liverpaté with medication. He just wasnt my puppy anymore.
We had to make a decision. It was not an easy one, but we had to. We take animals into our homes. We provide for them. We take care of them and love them. And when their time comes we need to make sure they can go on without having too much discomfort.
We had to let Daan go today at seven years old.
I'm so sorry. Our babies are easy to love, aren't they? & they bring so much comfort & joy. Daan sounds like he was a special boy.
- Buddy
