Thanks Wizard1 for your kind words and thanks to everyone else who has posted.
Our beautiful dignified gentleman Charlie was put to sleep yesterday afternoon around 2.30pm at home. He had been a part of our lives for about 4½ years after we adopted him from the Canberra pound where he had been left at the age of 10 yrs. The only bit of information we were given about Charlie when we adopted him was his name and that he had always been an outside dog. When we brought him home he adapted beautifully to life inside and was always his gentle well mannered self.
He was healthy boy until the 17 October 2004 when he had an operation to remove a splenic tumour and he had the follow up chemo and he recovered well. A few years later, in August 2007 had another operation to remove another tumour in the spot where his spleen had been. He sailed through the op and the follow up chemo and he recovered well again.
He had had arthritis for most of the time he was with us and he was on medication for it.
About two weeks ago, he began not eating all his dinner and he vomited a couple of times. He was taken to our vet for a check and it appeared that he may have developed stomach ulcers. His medications were adjusted. He was checked again by the vets on Thursday because he was still not eating properly and was not always keeping down what he had eaten and some more adjustments were made. On Saturday, he deteriorated and could not hold much down. We attributed this to the nausea which was a possible side effect of the medication. He rallied and ate three small meals on Sunday and kept it down.
On the Monday he went back into the vets and it was discovered that his kidneys had deteriorated since his last blood test on the Thursday and he was put on a drip to try and flush his kidneys. He steadily improved on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but deteriorated on the Thursday and it was decided that there was nothing more we could do for him.
He was made ready by the vets to be brought home and he was given an injection of methadone before he left. He enjoyed a stop-off at a friends beautiful rambling old garden (one of his favourite spots) and he wandered around with his doggy and human companions. He was then brought home and he came inside and he lay on his bed and was put back on the drip. He was calm and peaceful. His vet arrived about an hour later and he was given his wings.
I miss him terribly.
RIP my beautiful boy.
Charlie about a month ago after coming back from the groomers where they gave him a little yellow bow which he ejected quickly.
Charlie yesterday, still the dignified gentleman.
Charlie at home on his inner spring cot mattress bed.
