Zsara
Super Boxer
Blade is an 11 year old male boxer. Everything was great until August 2012 when one morning he started to cough as if he had a hairball in his throat. He also had diarreah after eating a new brand of canned dog food the week prior. But after the coughing lasted a couple of days I took him to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with mega esophagus (ME) which I had never heard of..... pneumonia caused by ME and after multiple test it was also discovered that he had a growth near his bladder that was probably cancerous.
I discovered that ME wasn't a death sentence and joined a ME forum. They told us how to feed Blade and build a "Bailey's chair". Antibiotics cleared up the pneumonia and life went back to normal with changes in his feeding habits.
This week Blade has started to show signs of the effects of the cancer. We normally walk everyday, now some mornings he seems to not even be able to take a couple of steps... But the next day he will again be up and ready to take our daily walk. His feeding habits have changed as well. I have three boxers in the home and he has always been the alpha male attempting to eat everything in sight. Blade refused to eat his food for the last 24 hours turning his head away when I attempted to hand feed him in his Bailey's Chair.
I prayed that he would still be in my life at least until Christmas, those prayers have been answered. Now I want to make sure he does not suffer. What bothers me is when I think it is the end, he has perked up. Even though he is refusing to eat today, he walked with me around the block today without any problems. Blade is my heart, and I have cried many times since his initial diagnoses. I have returned to Boxer World for support and guidance. I don't want him to suffer and I can't bare the thought of putting him down. How should I decide when it is time to let him go? If I trust what I read on the internet they say when the dog stops eating...Please help ::confused:
Blade's Heart Broken Mommy
I discovered that ME wasn't a death sentence and joined a ME forum. They told us how to feed Blade and build a "Bailey's chair". Antibiotics cleared up the pneumonia and life went back to normal with changes in his feeding habits.
This week Blade has started to show signs of the effects of the cancer. We normally walk everyday, now some mornings he seems to not even be able to take a couple of steps... But the next day he will again be up and ready to take our daily walk. His feeding habits have changed as well. I have three boxers in the home and he has always been the alpha male attempting to eat everything in sight. Blade refused to eat his food for the last 24 hours turning his head away when I attempted to hand feed him in his Bailey's Chair.
I prayed that he would still be in my life at least until Christmas, those prayers have been answered. Now I want to make sure he does not suffer. What bothers me is when I think it is the end, he has perked up. Even though he is refusing to eat today, he walked with me around the block today without any problems. Blade is my heart, and I have cried many times since his initial diagnoses. I have returned to Boxer World for support and guidance. I don't want him to suffer and I can't bare the thought of putting him down. How should I decide when it is time to let him go? If I trust what I read on the internet they say when the dog stops eating...Please help ::confused:
Blade's Heart Broken Mommy