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My little old beagle.
My family adopted Lily from a rescue group when she was estimated to be 7-8 years old. She was dumped with her mate at a large house belonging to an old lady. The 90 something year old woman kept them in her basement and walked them twice a day up and down the stairs to give them exercise until the rescue group could take them. She was heartworm positive and recently had puppies which were never found.
Despite the fact that she was considered a senior when we got her, she didn't show it. I took her for walks in the woods, trained her, which we all know isn't the easiest thing with beagles. If I tied her to a tree just a few feet away she would bellow until I went back to get her.
As she got older she slowed down gradually, but always pulled through every obsticle. She's had tumors removed several times, liver failure, kidney failure, a chronic cough, and arthritis. We always thought she would be the first to go but our other beagle who was about the same age passed away last year. For the past year or two she's had problems going to the bathroom, she always had to have a piddle pad close by because she would have to pee often, but recently she stopped getting up to go to the bathroom.
My parents did what they could to make her comfortable, they took her to the vet every week for a shot for arthritis, kept her on meds for her cough and incontinence, paid for multiple surgeries, rounds of antibiotics, meds for her liver and kindeys, etc. But on Tuesday they made the decision to put her to sleep. They waited to tell me until this weekend when they came to visit me. I believe they made the right decision, but I think I'll always regret not being able to be with her to say goodbye. If they had told me, I probably would have driven up to VA to be by her side.
Here are some pics of Lily:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCN0033.jpg (this one was after I shaved her down which was easier on her than having her blown coat brushed out)
Despite the fact that she was considered a senior when we got her, she didn't show it. I took her for walks in the woods, trained her, which we all know isn't the easiest thing with beagles. If I tied her to a tree just a few feet away she would bellow until I went back to get her.
As she got older she slowed down gradually, but always pulled through every obsticle. She's had tumors removed several times, liver failure, kidney failure, a chronic cough, and arthritis. We always thought she would be the first to go but our other beagle who was about the same age passed away last year. For the past year or two she's had problems going to the bathroom, she always had to have a piddle pad close by because she would have to pee often, but recently she stopped getting up to go to the bathroom.
My parents did what they could to make her comfortable, they took her to the vet every week for a shot for arthritis, kept her on meds for her cough and incontinence, paid for multiple surgeries, rounds of antibiotics, meds for her liver and kindeys, etc. But on Tuesday they made the decision to put her to sleep. They waited to tell me until this weekend when they came to visit me. I believe they made the right decision, but I think I'll always regret not being able to be with her to say goodbye. If they had told me, I probably would have driven up to VA to be by her side.
Here are some pics of Lily:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/DSCN0033.jpg (this one was after I shaved her down which was easier on her than having her blown coat brushed out)
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