Dusty

My old dog, Dusty, worries me. He does not seem to be eating and has almost no stools when he goes outside. He is losing weight quickly and my mom says she thinks he has decided it is time to die.

When Dusty was at the kennel last week, the caretaker mixed warm water and some chicken with my dry dog food to get Dusty to eat. The old dog did and the evidence was in his stools. Since he came home from the kennel, however, things have been different.

Day before yesterday, I mixed hamburger grease with some of Dusty's food to try to get him to eat. I softened the food with warm water first (Dusty has only two teeth in his mouth) but he would not even touch his food. After a full night of remaining uneaten, I allowed 4 year-old Snickers to chow it down so that I could clean the bowl. Yesterday afternoon, I heard Dusty's tummy growl from across the room. So last night, my mom cooked up some liver and my dad fed it to both the dogs. Dusty ate his portion.

This morning, I mixed up some chicken broth with Dusty's food. I put him in the laundry room with it and locked Snickers out for about fifteen minutes to give the old dog time to eat. Again, he did not. I allowed Snickers to eat the food, then rinsed out the bowl and poured a few ounces of plain chicken broth into it. Bringing the dish of plain broth to my old dog, I pushed it under his nose and encouraged him to eat. He would not.

This afternoon, I scheduled an appointment for Dusty to see the vet tomorrow. Just the exam fee is more than I can really afford, but I scheduled it anyway. Hopefully, the doctor will not have to run blood work.

After I scheduled the vet appointment, I messaged my son. He grew up with Dusty and is Dusty's best friend ever. My son suggested I try feeding the dog some milk. Apparently, Dusty loves milk. I tried, with no luck. This evening while I was at a meeting, my daughter hand fed Dusty a small piece of turkey sausage that she had for dinner. He ate it... but threw it up later.

Dusty has been a good dog for many years. We got him from the humane society when Anne was only four (my husband pointed to Dusty and said he was the largest dog I was allowed to have) and has been a faithful companion through many life changes since then. His obedience and gentle, reliable ever-presence have been a great comfort to me through many hard times. If only my husband were as faithful as this dog has been, my family would still be intact.

 

I feel greatly saddened by the prospect of choosing to lose my dog either by putting him to sleep or watching him starve himself to death. I am not ready to let my faithful friend go. Please pray the vet will have a solution I can afford.