Sunday, March 10, 2019

Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy

The day after seems so hard. The unfinished eclairs & Cheetos are now in the garbage. After Dr. Ginny left yesterday I just left Max resting on the floor where he had spent the last couple weeks. Now his spirit has had time to soar to a better place. Thank you Jim for dropping by with tea and homemade biscotti. 

As I came down the stairs this morning Max looked so perfect I thought he might just wake up. Thank you to my friend Aaron for coming by to help me carry Max out to his final resting place. Max is wrapped in an old coat from our walking days together, kinda like having my arms around him forever. Listening to sad country western songs and finishing a love letter to accompany Max on his next journey. 

Rolled up the stained area rug from the living room & set it out for a dump run. Straightening the room feels a bit like returning the hospital bed after hospice care. Sherman & I sense the quiet today. It hit me in the face when we returned from our walk knowing Max wasn't inside waiting for his turn. I'm amazed at the similarities of losing my partner and losing Max. Grief is grief no matter if a loved one or pet.

A couple things I learned of while caring for Max. One was the miracle of giving Glucosamine HCL with MSM, meant for people, but suggested by my friend Doug who was using it on his dogs. Your Vet should be able to give you an idea of correct dosage based on your dogs weight. It made a hug difference in his ability to get around and the results were immediate plus it gave us more time. The other thing that happened to Max as he aged was he got confused and really restless at night. I thought leaving a light on would help but it didn't, what did help was Gabapentin. There really is something similar to Sundowners Syndrome that you find in elderly adults but it is also found in dogs. Your Vet should be able to make suggestions on the dosage based on weight. It made a difference in both of us being able to sleep at night. I also got a little Velcro belly band to put on at night if he had an accident. I got it from the pet store & adding a Kotex inside the liner helped even more. https://positively.com/contri.../sundowner-syndrome-in-dogs/ 

I thought sharing this might help others who have gone through or are going through a similar situation. Sharing with my FB friends has been very helpful for me. Again thank you everyone for your support & kind words.

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