Many of you had heard about my best friend Gus having been wounded on his front legs (elbows). We never knew if one of our dogs did it or perhaps coyotes. This happened in mid-July and because of the location they would not heal correctly. This resulted in him having to wear a cone. We had to take him to our tractor shows to care for him or at one point we had to stay home. On top of this, he had arthritis as well as chronic hip problems. Lately when Rosanne walked him, he would lie down in the yard and not get up for her. She would have to drop the leash and come into the house to get me to help. Friday, he laid down and when I went to get him, he looked up at me with sad eyes as if to say, “let me alone.”
We called the vet and fortunately he had an early appointment available for this morning. We talked at length about everything over the years. He has sat in the family room and growled or snarled at the walls for no reason. I asked if it could possibly be dementia. The vet said it was a good possibility; His mobility was becoming limited. He became tired more easily. Gus is 12 years old, and I said hopefully we would have him around another two or three years. The vet said it would probably be less than a year since his quality of life was fading fast. We knew he was closing in on his last days. It took a little time for everything to sink in. with great heartache, Rosanne and I made the sorrowful decision to let him have the peace he was seeking. The vet then prepared him for euthanasia. The first injection was to allow him to slip into a restful sleep. Several minutes later the second shot was to stop his heart. This usually takes over a minute to happen, However, his heart stopped with in seconds. The vet said that was an indication his heart was weaker than we thought and that his end may have been closer than we had thought.
I want to give a big thank you to Doug and Bonnie Miller for allowing him to come to the Cub tug. In fact they provided him a crate in an air conditioned room with a TV so he could relax during his stay. I also want to say thanks tothose who stopped by at Cubarama to say hi to him and give him a little pat on his head for encouragement.
Gus is finally at eternal rest. While Rosanne and I mourn his passing, we are ever grateful that he came into our lives.
The Fab Four is missing a member and I have to fetch my own paper.
We called the vet and fortunately he had an early appointment available for this morning. We talked at length about everything over the years. He has sat in the family room and growled or snarled at the walls for no reason. I asked if it could possibly be dementia. The vet said it was a good possibility; His mobility was becoming limited. He became tired more easily. Gus is 12 years old, and I said hopefully we would have him around another two or three years. The vet said it would probably be less than a year since his quality of life was fading fast. We knew he was closing in on his last days. It took a little time for everything to sink in. with great heartache, Rosanne and I made the sorrowful decision to let him have the peace he was seeking. The vet then prepared him for euthanasia. The first injection was to allow him to slip into a restful sleep. Several minutes later the second shot was to stop his heart. This usually takes over a minute to happen, However, his heart stopped with in seconds. The vet said that was an indication his heart was weaker than we thought and that his end may have been closer than we had thought.
I want to give a big thank you to Doug and Bonnie Miller for allowing him to come to the Cub tug. In fact they provided him a crate in an air conditioned room with a TV so he could relax during his stay. I also want to say thanks tothose who stopped by at Cubarama to say hi to him and give him a little pat on his head for encouragement.
Gus is finally at eternal rest. While Rosanne and I mourn his passing, we are ever grateful that he came into our lives.
The Fab Four is missing a member and I have to fetch my own paper.
