OT: My heart is breaking:(

[tomthebarncat]

Hello fellow budgeteers!! I have had the worst day ever. My beloved little dog Spike got extremely sick in Nov. I have had him for 7 years and his birthday was last saturday, he is about 9 years old. He went from 11lbs to 7 in 10 days and was diagnosed with heart failure when I took him to the vets. He was hospitalized for 21 days, with the primary diagnosis of Inflammatory bowel disease (gastroenterititis for pups) and secondary heart failure. I paid an extremely large bill( $4100) and took him home. He has been going back for weekly blood work, weight checks, etc. They did an ultrasound 4 weeks ago as part of his check and everything looked good. Well I noticed that he is not gaining any weight and today was his weekly check. They decided to do an ultrasound and they found 2 very large masses in each intestine. They suspect he has cancer. I had a panic attack, and really don't remember much after that. He is having a biopsy tomorrow and the lab results will take a week. On top of this and agonizing about his results, worrying about his heart giving out during the procedure, my DH emotionally shuts down on me. He did this in Nov when Spike first got sick, he was quick to put a price tag on my beloved dog. Now, please keep in mind, we have no kids, I am not able to, no debt and make a very good living. The only real negative is the euro to dollar exchange rate. The day pup came home my disabled cat ended up back in the hospital. On Nov 30, I had to make the painful decision to euthanize her. I went thru that entire month alone and now DH is doing it again. He lives in another city and comes home on weekends, but today he didn't even bother to call me back or email me to see how I was holding up after I called him when I got home from the animal hospital. The only thing he said when I told him about pups possible condition was "that is so sad". I am I being hypercritical and overreacting? I really think that he is emotionally dead, and it is our 7 year anniversary on sat. At this point his heart will not survive chemo and I don't think my wallet can. I could really use a hug even if it is from strangers and Spike could really use the power of prayer. I love my little Spanish street dog and am not ready to say goodbye to him and this is not how I wanted 2008 to start, as last year was literally the worst year of my life! thanks for taking the time to read this, it really means alot to me.

 

[annie1995]

I'm so sorry you are going through this. It has been played over in our home in the past, and it never gets any easier. You will both be in my prayers

 

[McDuck]

Lots of prayers for little Spike. I'm sorry to hear your DH hasn't been as supportive as you'd like. :HUG:

 

[LParente]

I am so sorry to hear about your pup and hope all goes well. My 14 year old westie is my baby and I am starting to dread the day when he will no longer be with us. I don't know your hubby, but everyone handles tough situations differently. I'll keep good thoughts for you!

 

[dvcgirl]

Sorry to hear about your little dog and sending good thoughts. We've been through the mill with our 11 year old dog since October, so I know just how you feel. It's just tough....

 

[Rootskate]

I am sorry to hear you are going through all of this.....

 

[ceecee]

I'm so sorry about your little pup! It's your baby and you have every right to be hurting! Maybe DH just doesn't want to give in and let you see his emotions. Prayers are with you and your dog.

 

[bettyann29]

so sorry to hear about your furbaby.. I know how I feel about mine and I hate to hear anything happen to anyone elses..

 

[oneterrificshopper]

Oh gosh, I am so very sorry. I had almost an identical thing happen to my sweet cocker-mix doggie about 9 yrs ago (man, I can't believe it's been that long!). He suffered for months and we spent tons of money to make him well, but he was 13 and just could not physically hold up to the stress. My "Benji" passed away during the night at the vet's office and when they called to tell me I thought I was going to drop the phone - it took the wind right out of me and to this day I still remember it vividly.

My Benji had cancer too so I can totally sympathize with what you are going through. I am so very sorry and I hope you enjoy whatever time you have with Spike (be it short or long) to the fullest extent.

My dog was my baby too....we did not have kids at the time and he had been with me for 11 years while I was single, and then the last 2 yrs while I was married - 13 total. I still have a picture of him on my nightstand to this day - and MANY wonderful memories.

Please take care and many 's to you and Spike. God Bless.

 

[TupperMom7]

I am sorry to hear about your dog. I have gone through losing pets to illness more times than I care to remember. The one that bothered me the most was our dog Libby who was only 8 years old. I don't believe you said how old your dog is? but even 8 is not that old in my book. Libby was coughing so we took her to the vet and after several treatment attempts they took an x-ray and discovered that she had lung cancer. There was nothing they could do, even if I had all the money in the world. She died a week later after suffering some seizures, we had her put to sleep.

Sometimes you have to think of the dog instead of yourself. I know you will miss your dog terribly, but do you want him to suffer anymore? Animals do not let you know when they are in pain, it is a sign of weakness. They will not cry if their stomach hurts, etc. In reading your post, it seems that you have made a vallant attempt to save your dog and it might be time to give him the best gift you can at this time, peace.

As for your hubby, sorry but I cannot comment. My husband tends to put a price on everything, but we don't have a lot of money as you seem to have. Everything we do, we have to talk about the cost of it first. Maybe he doesn't know what to say to you to comfort you? Or he's afraid of saying the wrong thing?

My thoughts will be with you as you make these difficult decisions.

 

[iluvwesties]

I hope that you will get through the next short while with some support from your DH or another family member that understands what you are going through. Take care

 

[4 mickey]

Hi
Oh !! my heart goes out to you I have a dog also and he is now 9 yrs old and don't know what me & DH will do when this happens ( illnessor pass away ) since our kids left home ( 21 & 26 yrs old ) he is the very center of our lives so your in & your precious pup in my prayers

 

[StephMK]

Oh I am so sorry & completely teared up reading your post. Prayers & big hugs to you & cutie pie Spike. We have 2 dogs, 1 an elderly retriever that's slowly declining. Doesn't matter if they have fur or not, they are our babies & part of the family.

Is it possible your DH is upset too just doesn't want to express it at work? My DH is not the greatest at communicating on a good day so I feel for you. Maybe you could tell him you need more from him?

Enjoy the time you have with Spike and I hope you hear better news from the labs.

 

[tomthebarncat]

I am sorry to hear about your dog. I have gone through losing pets to illness more times than I care to remember. The one that bothered me the most was our dog Libby who was only 8 years old. I don't believe you said how old your dog is? but even 8 is not that old in my book. Libby was coughing so we took her to the vet and after several treatment attempts they took an x-ray and discovered that she had lung cancer. There was nothing they could do, even if I had all the money in the world. She died a week later after suffering some seizures, we had her put to sleep.

Sometimes you have to think of the dog instead of yourself. I know you will miss your dog terribly, but do you want him to suffer anymore? Animals do not let you know when they are in pain, it is a sign of weakness. They will not cry if their stomach hurts, etc. In reading your post, it seems that you have made a vallant attempt to save your dog and it might be time to give him the best gift you can at this time, peace.

As for your hubby, sorry but I cannot comment. My husband tends to put a price on everything, but we don't have a lot of money as you seem to have. Everything we do, we have to talk about the cost of it first. Maybe he doesn't know what to say to you to comfort you? Or he's afraid of saying the wrong thing?

My thoughts will be with you as you make these difficult decisions.

Thank you for your well wishes, we had this conversation today about not euthanizing him at the vet hospital as I want him to be at home, and not freaked out by the clinic. Dr Pies agreed to come to the house, she was crying as we had this conversation. The animal hospital has grown quite fond of my little furbaby, and has an amazing vet team on his side. I love him too much to let him suffer and at this point all the money in the world cannot make his heart stronger. As for my DH, we just went thru this very thing in Nov, he told me that he didn't know what to say and thought that I would blame him for the animals getting sick. So, now it happens again, and he still chooses to say and do nothing. I thought that our relationship was stronger than that and that we had grown from the past experiences. I also just finished paying off the credit card, as all the charges ended up on one bill and we are broke until we get paid again. I ended up transferring our Euro Disney fund into checking, as I was shocked at how the exchange rate doubled his vet bill.Happy anniversary to me! this just sucks! and now the insommnia sets in...

 

[stitchlovestink]

so sorry to hear about your situation w/ your beloved pup. I have a dog which I love dearly. I still remember the dogs I have had prior to Amber and how much each and every one has meant to me. I wish the best for you and your 'baby'. I'm sure that any and all decisions you make regarding his care will be filled with the love and compassion that you have for Spike. Blessings.

 

[micki7337]

I am so sorry to hear the story about you Lil fur ball. I have 2 Lil fur balls and I know that I would be feeling like you if one of them went thru what your Lil on has. you are in our prayers and hope things go well for you.

 

[Jsme]

Sorry to hear about your baby. I have two poodles and they are my babies. My boy baby has been a little sick. Long story. Anyway, I hope the results come back good for you guys.

 

[mrsstats]

I am so sorry about your pup. Having gone thru this in the past, I totally understand. It is too bad you are not getting the emotional support you need. That happened to my SIL when she had to have her dog put to sleep. It was the straw that broke the camels back. She & BIL separated for about 5 years over that. Hugs

 

[Ricky's Girl]

I'm so very sorry for the pain you are going through. You are all in my prayers.

 

[TinkerBean]

I am so sorry to hear about Spike. Especially after Flint has recovered from his serious illness (I understand about the cost Flint's ended up being close to $7,000 - but my DH was very supportive). Please know that I am keeping you and Spike in my thoughts and sending you some positive energy. He is a beautiful little dog and you have blessed each other's lives. Feel free to pm me if you need a shoulder to lean on...

Take care,

Rhonda