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Goodbye my friend of 10 years
Yesterday, DH and I let our wonderful 10 1/2 years old Great Dane go the Rainbow Bridge. He was diagnosed with myopathy this summer at which time we started him on numerous vitamins/supplements hoping to slow the progression of the disease. The past few weeks he began to really drag his rear feet and was having great difficultly getting up from a recumbent position. Friday evening I noticed some blood on DH's shoe and after we finished dinner I started to check Gaston's feet/legs for sores and/or fresh blood. It was at this time I discovered his right front leg was grossly swollen. My first thought was bone cancer (I lost my first Dane to this dreaded disease and its showed itself the same way). Needless to say I did not sleep much and Gaston would not settle down - pacing and panting through the night. Early yesterday morning I loaded him up in the car and headed to the clinic where I work part-time hoping to get there before clients started to show for the weekend rush. My best friend is our vet and I knew from the look on her face it was not good. Radiographs were ordered of the front leg and thorax. We gave him an injection of pain meds along with a slug of Rimadyl in hopes of giving him some relief. DH came a bit later to sit with him and to help hoist in on the x-ray table. Leg was clear but there was a spot in his lung and his heart was grossly enlarged. It was with this news we made the decision to let him go. I am a big believer in quality vs quantity of life. Gosh knows Gaston had a super life on this planet. He came to me as a rescue 10 1/2 years ago - covered in open oozing wounds due to an awful case of scabies. He was grossly underweight and knew no manners. He was quite the challenge but over the time we bonded and he became my life long buddy. He mellowed with age accepting other dogs into the fold and producing some great slobbers. He was an imposing dog but in reality a gentle giant who simply wanted to sit in your lap or share the couch with you. The tears have flowed this weekend but in my heart I know we made the best decision for our buddy. He is free of pain, he is healed and he has crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join our buddies - Squire, Hondo, Cumberland, Scooter, Motor, Saw, Bones, Chip, Munk, Phoenix, Margulis, Figaroe, Maxwell, Rex, and Marconi. Go in Peace my friend!
