Tag: Dr Codd

And then we were three!

Poor Pedi finally succumbed to his failing liver at 5:30 pm yesterday.

It was also the reason why I didn’t have the stomach to post this for midnight yesterday.

On the 8th July, this year, Pedi was diagnosed with having diabetes and a failing liver. This was a photo taken at the time.

Pedi diagnosed on July 8th, 2022.

Dr Codd, of Lincoln Road Vet, suggested that Pedi might be put down immediately but Jean wouldn’t hear of it. Thus every day, at 06:30 and 18:30 (PDT), Jeannie applied an injection of Insulin; the amount depending on what Pedi had eaten.

Jeannie went beyond anything that I have ever seen before. This morning, the 27th, I was talking to her and Jean said that she had been rescuing dogs since 1980. That’s over 40 years! No wonder that Jean was taking this so very hard.

Now my opinion is that we should get a replacement for Pedi and keep the minimum number of dogs to four. But it is too soon to make that decision and part of the issue is that we are getting reasonably close, probably in the next ten years, to selling up and going into a care home of some sorts. We have seen a couple and we need to do a proper examination of the total market to find the right one.

In the meantime we both grieve for Pedi but Jean much, much more so than me. I shall have my guts kicked out of me when Oliver goes, but that’s for another time.

Dear Dhalia

Now we are eight!

Dhalia was clearly close to death when Jean and I took her to our vet, Dr. Codd, earlier this morning.

Indeed, she was probably dead when Dr. Codd administered the euthanasia injection. It was 8:45 am.

While there is more I want to write about Dhalia, you’ll appreciate it if that is left for tomorrow’s post and I close this with a couple of photographs.

Dhaliagrave1

 

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Dhalia grave2

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For those that can’t read the plaque it says, “Heaven. All the dogs that ever loved you will be waiting at the gate.“

Dhalia has taken her last walk!

So little time.

The pain of knowing Dhalia is close to death.

It’s almost incomprehensible to realise that less than two weeks ago, the 27th March to be exact, I wrote a post under the title of Life, and mortality.  These few paragraphs will give you a feel for that post:

Possibly the most important lesson we can learn from dogs!

I was aware when writing the concluding part of Meet the dogs – Pharaoh that the next day I would be faced with writing about a subject that is a whole degree more difficult. Death!

It must have been in my mind when I wrote “of the need to smell the flowers in this short life of ours.“

What has prompted today’s post?

Simply that Dhalia developed a limp in her front, right-hand, leg. That was a few weeks ago. Naturally, we took her to our local vet, Dr. Codd, who diagnosed a strained elbow joint probably as a result of arthritis; Dhalia is believed to be ten-years-old. With the recommended medication, the limp came to an end.

Then about two weeks ago, the elbow weakness appeared in her left-hand, front leg.

On Monday, we returned to Dr. Codd who took further X-rays and sought a second opinion. That second opinion came back with the probability that it was a “osteoproliferative neoplastic lesion” or bone cancer to you and me! It’s not one-hundred-per-cent certain but likely.

The reason it feels so painful is that today (Sunday) it’s very clear to Jean and me that Dhalia’s life forces are ebbing away and that tomorrow morning (i.e. your today, dear reader) we will be taking Dhalia back to Dr. Codd, undoubtedly for him to put her to sleep.

I had in mind writing this week a series of posts on Truth, Trust and Community.  For obvious reasons those posts are on hold for a couple of days.

Please keep Dhalia in your thoughts.

Dhalia, just two weeks ago. She was already barely using her right front-leg.
Dhalia, just two weeks ago. She was already barely using her right front-leg.