kmhickles1
Boxer Pal
I haven't logged on this site for sometime now, but thought I should share my storey in the hope of helping another Boxer Member.
I HAD 2 healthy, beautiful boys, Smirnoff (Brindle) and Ice (White) until Tuesday 12th February 2008 when my heart was ripped in two by the dreaded "C"
My husband woke up on Tuesday morning to find Smirnoff laying in his own excrement unable to move and looking totally spaced out. He rushed upstairs to tell me Smirnoff was sick, so I jumped out of the shower and ran to him. By that time he had curled himself into a ball into a dark space and wouldn't do anything other than stare back. I finally got him and he was smothered, so I put him into the bath and rinsed him off ready to take him straight the vets. He tried to drink the shower water but even that was too much effort for him and he just layed down (he hated baths and would fight continuously!)
I got him into our vets as an emergency and sat in the waiting room with him on my lap curled up and snuggling in for cuddles which I love. He looked very dehydrated, his pads were greyish and his gums were white, but that's all that looked wrong. He had been playing in the garden with me over the weekend (where I was trying to teach him to play fetch like I had done for weeks!).
The vet said he was dehydrated and they would get some fluids into him and thats why he was unable to stand properly. This was at 9am. By 11am the vet rang me to say had he had a history of fits or seizures because he has just had a major fit and is now even more spaced out which I replied, no, none! He was fine 2 days before and the only thing different on Monday was he was a little moody (which wasn't uncommon!).
I then received a call at 2.30pm to say he hadn't improved and he needed to be taken to the Dog Hospital about 10 miles away because he suspected Menagitus or Eplipsy as all the other tests had come back normal, but there were signs in his blood of a brain disfunction of some kind.
I collected him at 3pm and was heartbroken!! During his fit his front legs had frozen in and outward position and he wasn't even blinking. The vet tried to get something from him by saying who's come to see you Smirny, look it's mummy, but again nothing. I started to talk in my normal dogloving tone (like you would a baby), but again, nothing, just stared! It was not even 6 hours and the difference in him was agonising to see.
I put him in the back of the car and he didn't move an ounce. I set off and rang my husband in tears saying he is going down rapidly and needed an MRI scan to find the cause. I talked to him all the way saying it's alright baby, we're nearly there.
When I pulled up; Smirny had vomitted in the car without even moving and was smothered.
They took him away and said they would carry out an MRI scan and could confirm already that there was some brain disfunction due to his front legs and the spaced out look on him and we were to come back just after 5pm with the results.
We got there at 5.05pm where they announced the bad news, he had a brain tumour which had already attacked a third of his brain and there was no route to follow other than be put to sleep as his front legs were already out of action from now on, if the fit hadn't had happened he may have been able to recieve treatment, but again he wouldn't survive more than 10 months.
Smirnoff was put to sleep at 5.35pm and my husband and I were by his side, stroking his favourite places, saying his favourite words. It's the hardest thing I have ever had to do and am still shedding a tear writing this. He was my baby and I feel lost without him.
I can't believe it! He was doing tricks in the garden and playing with his cousin like he normally does. I've beat myself up saying did I miss something and the vet and surgeon have tried to convince me saying that a dog only uses a third of it's brain to function; the tumour had only started to attack the day before he died and was a rapid, aggresive, fast tumour where Smirny had no way of surviving.
Smirnoff was only 5 and a half years old and I thought i would have had the chance to spend more time with him that just that.
I'm holding on to the fact that he didn't suffer long and am concentrating on helping Ice find his feet again; Smirnoff was his ears for him.
I had him cremated on 15th February and he comes back home to me this Friday, 22nd February where I will find a special place for him.
I HAD 2 healthy, beautiful boys, Smirnoff (Brindle) and Ice (White) until Tuesday 12th February 2008 when my heart was ripped in two by the dreaded "C"
My husband woke up on Tuesday morning to find Smirnoff laying in his own excrement unable to move and looking totally spaced out. He rushed upstairs to tell me Smirnoff was sick, so I jumped out of the shower and ran to him. By that time he had curled himself into a ball into a dark space and wouldn't do anything other than stare back. I finally got him and he was smothered, so I put him into the bath and rinsed him off ready to take him straight the vets. He tried to drink the shower water but even that was too much effort for him and he just layed down (he hated baths and would fight continuously!)
I got him into our vets as an emergency and sat in the waiting room with him on my lap curled up and snuggling in for cuddles which I love. He looked very dehydrated, his pads were greyish and his gums were white, but that's all that looked wrong. He had been playing in the garden with me over the weekend (where I was trying to teach him to play fetch like I had done for weeks!).
The vet said he was dehydrated and they would get some fluids into him and thats why he was unable to stand properly. This was at 9am. By 11am the vet rang me to say had he had a history of fits or seizures because he has just had a major fit and is now even more spaced out which I replied, no, none! He was fine 2 days before and the only thing different on Monday was he was a little moody (which wasn't uncommon!).
I then received a call at 2.30pm to say he hadn't improved and he needed to be taken to the Dog Hospital about 10 miles away because he suspected Menagitus or Eplipsy as all the other tests had come back normal, but there were signs in his blood of a brain disfunction of some kind.
I collected him at 3pm and was heartbroken!! During his fit his front legs had frozen in and outward position and he wasn't even blinking. The vet tried to get something from him by saying who's come to see you Smirny, look it's mummy, but again nothing. I started to talk in my normal dogloving tone (like you would a baby), but again, nothing, just stared! It was not even 6 hours and the difference in him was agonising to see.
I put him in the back of the car and he didn't move an ounce. I set off and rang my husband in tears saying he is going down rapidly and needed an MRI scan to find the cause. I talked to him all the way saying it's alright baby, we're nearly there.
When I pulled up; Smirny had vomitted in the car without even moving and was smothered.
They took him away and said they would carry out an MRI scan and could confirm already that there was some brain disfunction due to his front legs and the spaced out look on him and we were to come back just after 5pm with the results.
We got there at 5.05pm where they announced the bad news, he had a brain tumour which had already attacked a third of his brain and there was no route to follow other than be put to sleep as his front legs were already out of action from now on, if the fit hadn't had happened he may have been able to recieve treatment, but again he wouldn't survive more than 10 months.
Smirnoff was put to sleep at 5.35pm and my husband and I were by his side, stroking his favourite places, saying his favourite words. It's the hardest thing I have ever had to do and am still shedding a tear writing this. He was my baby and I feel lost without him.
I can't believe it! He was doing tricks in the garden and playing with his cousin like he normally does. I've beat myself up saying did I miss something and the vet and surgeon have tried to convince me saying that a dog only uses a third of it's brain to function; the tumour had only started to attack the day before he died and was a rapid, aggresive, fast tumour where Smirny had no way of surviving.
Smirnoff was only 5 and a half years old and I thought i would have had the chance to spend more time with him that just that.
I'm holding on to the fact that he didn't suffer long and am concentrating on helping Ice find his feet again; Smirnoff was his ears for him.
I had him cremated on 15th February and he comes back home to me this Friday, 22nd February where I will find a special place for him.
