My wife always makes fun of me for taking thousands of photos and videos of Cookie, but it’s useful when the vet says ‘how long has she been walking like that?’ And I have videos of her walking, almost every day of her life, so I can show her
We’ve been advised to take her to an emergency vet that will keep her overnight. She has a gallbladder obstruction. I’m in a logistical crisis mode but will probably cry later
I get pretty good pet insurance as an add-on to my work benefits (they deduct it from payroll), I opted for 70% reimbursement knowing that with 15 and 17 year old pets, costs will only get higher. (The premiums were much lower than the pet insurance I previously had)
Without that I would be freaking out more about this. Easily a 5 figure vet bill in San Francisco. :/
This emergency vet has been a far more pleasant experience than the one we went to last time. The one in Oakland had no place to wait for people without cars, so I was sitting in the cold in the carpark. The one we just went to has a salt and straw ice cream next to it, and a straight bus home, so it’s a win-win. Hard to leave Cookie :/ hopefully she will be ok overnight there.
Genuinely, I think this is the worst health situation she has been in, and given her age, I don’t even know if surgery is a good idea. I’ll find out more tomorrow.
I just have to remind myself that I gave her the best life, and we had 14 and a half wonderful years together already. If she recovers, I’ll be very happy to have extra time with her, but I need to make decisions that are for her best quality of life.
@skinnylatte Hoping for the best for Cookie. So stressful when you have to leave them overnight. If it's SFAMC, Cookie's definitely in good hands at least; they know what they're doing and took great care of my cat Esther last year.
She has too many stones in her gallbladder and bile duct for surgery to be viable. We said no to surgery, which is a relief (also not sure she would wake up from it at her age). Surgery would have been.. 20 grand, I think.
Going to talk to them about whether they think medication can extend her quality of life enough for us to start making plans to say goodbye. I am half in logistical crisis planning mode, and half ugly crying
They think that next 1-2 days will be crucial because if she responds well to the meds / management part then she might be well enough to come home with us for however long that keeps working. But if she doesn’t respond well to that then we have to make some decisions soon.
My motivation is to make sure she doesn’t suffer. I’m proud that I’ve given her a comfortable and pain free life for 14.5 years. Even if it’s tempting to extend it for my comfort, I won’t, if that’s the right thing
@skinnylatte I have all the feels for you right now, after seeing your post about Cookie when I woke up this morning.
It's so obvious from your posts how much you love her and how well you have cared for her over the years. I hope she is as comfortable as can be and is looking forward to her next long walk with you.
Just went to see her. They have visiting hours twice a day. I’m relieved that she is having great care at SF AMC. The internal medicine specialist explained that she has ‘clogged pipes’ basically with all the stones and crystals. She’s probably had them for years. The best we can do is try to see if meds can help ‘unclog’ some of it so she isn’t in so much pain at the end. I’m hoping to do that, so I can take her home and do it at home with a home vet.
Years ago I got a house call vet to come see her, to establish care so we can do it at home when the time comes.
It could be this weekend, it could be next week, it could be (miracle best case scenario) in a couple of months. Planning logistically is what soothes me in moments like these but I am also ugly crying in between. I signed a do not resuscitate directive which was hard, but it feels right. The goal is to get her out of crisis (now) so we can do the rest when it’s right.
@skinnylatte This thread is breaking my heart; I can’t imagine what living through it is like. I’ll be thinking of you and your family and hoping for the best. Please take care of yourself and dear Cookie, and please let us know if we can help in any way.
They call me twice a day about her (and I see her shortly after). The latest update is that she’s been curled up in a donut bed and tolerating treatments. Seems like everyone there is in love with her. I’ll go to see her again tomorrow. The main thing we are hoping to see is a significant improvement in her bilirubin levels.
Went to see her today. They’re going to discharge her tomorrow. Liver values are trending in the right direction, but she’s still loopy and spaced out. Meds are working but she still has a large blockage in her bile duct that can’t be removed. I’m glad she will be home, but it doesn’t change her prognosis. I think we’ve got a week or two with her and that’s okay.
If she comes home and she won’t eat, all I can do is keep her comfortable until it’s the right time.
(Even if I were a millionaire and could afford a bypass for her at Davis, it still wouldn’t feel right to put her through such an invasive procedure at her age. She’s not eating or drinking but she’s very much aware and excited to see us. I think this is what I was hoping for her: a quick one with minimal suffering. A few days ago she was sprinting about and today she’s saying goodbye. I think that’s as good as I could have hoped.)
We saw the noodle shop lady at an intersection when she was walking to her car. We told her what was happening and she started crying in the middle of the street. This dog is loved by so many!
Just a few days ago I was walking her and people from the tents were yelling her name and waving at her (even tho I told them many times that she is deaf). Her absence will be felt by so many
One of the reasons I’m not a complete mess is I’m married to a person who is training to be a grief therapist, who is actually teaching a ‘death and dying’ class this semester. We’ve talked about this moment a lot.
We had some criteria for ‘when we know it’s time for cookie’ and one of them was, ‘the moment she stops eating / eating eggs (her fave food)’ we know it’s not her anymore’. That was Wednesday this week.
@skinnylatte Some vets will come to your home to administer euthanasia. We were grateful that it's due when we lost our last dog; it was more pleasant for him.
On the way home! Whew I feel just as frazzled as her. 3 nights in intensive care.
I’m thankful that she had incredible care from the internal medicine team. I’ve learned more about dog gall bladders and bile ducts in the last 72 hours than I want.
Good news is she responded well to treatment and her liver stuff is working better. We don’t know if she will have days or months with us. Will just spend all the time with her now.
@skinnylatte This was June 2023 for us with our dog. He loved lying outside on our deck so we spent as much time as possible there with him. There's no way to know how much time you'll get; you just make the best decision you can with the information you have.
@skinnylatte I’m so sorry to hear about Cookie 😢 I’m glad she is home with you both now. The way she looks at you, she knows how much she is loved and that’s a lovely thing. Thinking of you all ❤️
@skinnylatte whatever happens, I hope it will be as painless and as comfortable as possible for Cookie :blahaj_hug: and I hope you will be able to take the time and space for yourself
@skinnylatte I am so sorry and sad to hear this. Every picture you've shared of her is a joy. I hope that she has the best possible days remaining, which is all any of us can hope for.
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