A very sad day
Yesterday was a hard day. We had to have our yellow lab Yogi put to sleep. It was the right decision, but it was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. He had been sick for over a week, not eating (which was his life's passion). Our vet diagnosed him with Addison's disease, which affects the adrenal glands and cortisol production. It's treatable, but very costly, about $300 a month. We might've pursued a course of treatment, if we were more certain that he would have another good year or two with us. But, our vet was completely honest with us, and told the treatment might not be effective. It would also mean constant visits to the vet. He also told us that he strongly suspected that there were other, serious underlying problems--thyroid condition, diabetes, tumors. We had him hospitalized to see if he would respond, but he didn't. When we tried to take him home, the poor old guy couldn't even get up the stairs. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Our vet was very supportive, and told us that at his age (9), it was probably time to say goodbye. After some very tearful discussion, my mom and I decided our vet was right. It wouldn't have been fair to keep him alive and miserable simply because we were too selfish to let him go. My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew went with us to say goodbye. There were plenty of tears, he was such a sweet dog. He went very peacefully, and we petted him until he breathed his last breath. I'm gonna miss him. He was just a great dog.