MrVisible said:
Last night, I was going to sleep beside our lovely pit bull Gracie, and was petting her face when I noticed something odd. Her cheekbone was unusually prominent. I turned on the light, and it was like all of the muscles on one side of her face had just vanished.
It was the first time I'd noticed it, but in retrospect she's been rubbing her face a lot lately. I showed my husband what was happening, and the first thing the next morning we took her to the vet.
There's really only one cause for facial muscular atrophy on one side (unilateral temporalis and masseter atrophy, I think it's called) and that's neurological. And the most likely candidate, according to my research and the vet, by a wide margin, is what's known as a trigeminal nerve sheath tumor. The vet did some blood work to confirm, but it seems like she's pretty sure. We'll know more on Tuesday.
I could take her to an animal neurologist, and have X-rays and MRIs done, and even have her operated on, but from what I've read the operation in itself is pretty risky, and has a slim chance of success. And we'd feel terrible about putting her through that. And we can't afford it anyway.
If it's what we think it is, she's got a few weeks. Maybe a few months.
We have another dog, Bones. He's fifteen years old, and he's getting kind of creaky, and I've been telling myself that he's had a good life, and when he goes, we'll have Gracie around to keep us company. But now, it looks like we may lose them both soon.
I don't really know how to handle this. My first thought is to listen to the vet, take whatever steps I can to make this better for her, and try and make both dogs as happy as possible for as long as they've got.
But I have to go in and sleep next to her tonight, knowing that I'll lose her soon. I just don't know how to do this.
Can anyone offer my husband and I any advice on coping with this? Anyone had any experience with a pet whose life was coming to an end? I could really use some advice.
Lytchee was the best thing happenning in my life. She was the only one who gave me affection and love without concession.
The 7th of July, while petting her head, she felt pain. I went to the vet, and he said it was a weird glaucoma. I had to put 3 to 7 times a day eye drops which irritated her eyes. Her left eye was still growing but the vet (whom I had to see every week to appreciate the evolution) couldn't find what he suspected: a tumor. This summer has been really hot, so I bought an air conditioning machine, even if it makes me sick. Everyone told me that a glaucoma wasn't so severe, that I shouldn't worry, but I felt bad and couldn't help it.
She started nose bleeding, so I had to stop one of the eyedrops.
From the 21th of August, she started to fall while walking, sometimes it was like she was absent, but the vet still said it was only because she was getting old... The 19th of august, when I asked if she was dying, he said NO, he said he even found her better.
Then I was told about an eye specialist vet. I went to see him on the 24th of august; he made blood analysis, they were really bad. He gave her an antibiotic, and gave me another appointment for the 28th.
She couldn't eat solid things anymore so I made her soup, I thought it was because of the fever.
The 27th she couldn't wake up alone, she wanted to go in places in the backyard she never went before, she couldn't breath correctly, she didn't want to come into the house anymore, so I decided to spend the whole night with her, outside, on her bed. I knew what the vet would tell me, I didn't want to leave her alone a single minute.
I didn't sleep at all. I've been by her side until the very end of her life, giving water, helping her walking in the night, petting her all night.
When time has come I knew she was at home for the last time and that was so hard, I've been crying so much (and still am I). I've been holding her leg in the car.
The vet said we had to take a decision. She was suffering, he had found a big tear gland tumor, no way to recover.
He brought her back, she was sleepping thanks to the anesthesia. We said goodbye during a long moment and then he put her down.
It's a huge decision to take and I still can't get over it. But at least, she doesn't suffer anymore. And that's the only comfort left.
Pet your dog as much as you can. Don't leave her alone. Don't do anything you could regret after her death. It's really hard, and I wish you the best
I'm so sorry for you...
. She was an abandoned animal who wound up literally saving my daugher's life (long story) a few years ago.
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