kiwioz

Thanks again. Everybody has been so lovely. A couple of people who knew cal back in oz have come out with very funny stories from when he was younger :) They make me simultaneously laugh and cry but it has been nice.

Thank you all for such thoughtful messages, I'm quite overwhelmed Manged to make it through work today, was in a big rush to get home to my poor lonely Finn though

He has had a few health issues over the last 6 months or so, but I kinda knew this was different Thank you again to everybody.

Thanks kiwigirl, that made me cry but in a good way (and not that I need much to set me off today!) It did feel like a special moment with him. It is nice knowing others are thinking of him.

Thank you all. It does help to read your messages, especially when on a forum like this I know you all completely get it!

Something I am selfishly very grateful for. Also I know most dogs do, but he HATED the vet, the last few times I had to carry him in the door because he point blank refused to go. And he was possibly going to spend the day there tomorrow if he hadn't improved...the thought of him passing by himself in a cage... So if it had to happen I'm glad it happened the way it did.

Thank you for all the kind thoughts. Thanks KaseyC it felt a bit like that - and yes he was indeed a grand little man :)

Thanks for all the advice and well wishes. Unfortunately my wee man didn't make it He passed away here at home after some lovely last cuddles - which was pretty special as he was not the cuddling type. It is hard not to second guess myself as he went through a lot over the last week, but I tried my best to do the right thing by him and I am so grateful he was here at home, comfortable and safe. Miss him heaps though as does Finn

Unfortunately I can't get him interested in anything canned food (even warmed) chicken, rice, chicken broth, turns away at it all

What lovely photos :) Is that the river at the Groynes? She is just gorgeous!

Hug given :) Thank you! He still hasn't eaten at all and hasn't had much to drink since this morning Just gave him a couple of syringes worth of water to get at least some fluid into him. I've made him go out for a wee a few times but otherwise he hasn't moved

Thanks Rozzie. I'm crossing everything, hard just playing the waiting game!

And you're not the only one to tell me dogs such as this exist, but it is a very foreign concept to me! :laugh: On a more practical note, aren't there little hangy up things birds don't like? Kind of like dream catchers?

I just can't get my head around this concept of leaving food out during the day - it just wouldn't happen around here :laugh: There's no way a magpie would beat Finn to his food!

Thanks for asking :) Ended up reposting this in general and have done a more detailed reply there, but he has settled more today. Not a well dog unfortunately but at least he is comfy enough to lie down today and the drooling has eased.

Thanks :) He finally settled enough for sleep last night. The after hours clinic said to be worried if he hadn't managed to lie down by about midnight, got him sleeping around 11.30. I had a fairly restless night trying to keep an eye on him, but I think he actually slept quite solidly which is good news. Today he's still not at all a well dog, but thankfully his discomfort has eased enough for him to comfortably lie down. So he is just chilling on his bed instead of pacing the house. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get him to eat anything yet, OH has just gone to buy some chicken so I'll try that. It's hard to know what to do, I want to make the most of the time if there is not much of it left, but I want to leave him in peace as well. He is not the most cuddly/affectionate dog at the best of times so me getting in his face will not be very appreciated! Just trying to hang out with him, keep him comfy and warm and make sure he's as happy as possible.

Thanks kirislin. Yes some sleep all round would be quite good!

Thanks so much for the replies guys. I did end up going to the after hours and the nurse had a listen to his chest to make sure the fluids weren't in his lungs and a risk. She said the drooling is probably a combo of reacting to the breathing tube and nausea. She thought he was pretty sore and wanted to give him more pain relief, but I was a bit hesitant as I didn't have a record of what he's already had today. I'm back home to try and settle him to get some sleep, if he can't settle in the next couple of hours I'll take him back to see a vet. It is all a bit stressful as the biopsy results may well show he can't be treated facing up to the fact this may be my last weekend with him

My apologies for reposting this from health and nutrition, but I'm having a bit of a freak out and wanted a better chance of more people reading this! Cal had a liver biopsy today, poor wee man is not very well and I await the results on Monday. But in the meantime this evening he is drooling thick, mucusy saliva fairly consistently from his mouth. I did ring the after hours vet and she was lovely, said that occasionally they could get fluid on the lungs after an anaesthetic but that it could just be mucus in his throat. Google gives me varying information, that drooling is normal, and that it is a cause for concern so I'm not quite sure what to think! It is a fair hike to the after hours clinic and I'd rather keep him warm and quiet but am not sure whether to be concerned. When he lies down his breathing becomes pretty noisy but he is managing to get a full breath in. Perhaps due to this, he is very reluctant to settle and keeps pacing. Any thoughts or advice very welcome!

Cal had a liver biopsy today, poor wee man is not very well and I await the results on Monday. But in the meantime this evening he is drooling thick, mucusy saliva fairly consistently from his mouth. I did ring the after hours vet and she was lovely, said that occasionally they could get fluid on the lungs after an anaesthetic but that it could just be mucus in his throat. Google gives me varying information, that drooling is normal, and that it is a cause for concern so I'm not quite sure what to think! It is a fair hike to the after hours clinic and I'd rather keep him warm and quiet but am not sure whether to be concerned. When he lies down his breathing becomes pretty noisy but he is managing to get a full breath in. Perhaps due to this, he is very reluctant to settle and keeps pacing. Any thoughts or advice very welcome!

As a bit of a dog nerd (like most of us here :laugh:) I do get a kick out of recognising a not so common breed, the owners are always so chuffed :) I do too I was at a dog show and walked up to a lady and asked "May I pat your lagotto?" she replied with "No he isn't a labra.. Sorry, Yes he is a Lagotto and you can pat him all you like" :laugh: --Lhok :laugh: :laugh: That's awesome!!

As a bit of a dog nerd (like most of us here :laugh:) I do get a kick out of recognising a not so common breed, the owners are always so chuffed :)

"Like Toto from Wizard of Oz" :laugh: It helps to have a famous counterpart!! I've found on the whole though since moving back to nz cairns are more well known over here and I see them more often.

These days I keep my dogs on a fairly strict/bland diet because Finn has a very sensitive tummy and tends to get the runs VERY easily if I feed him something different, so they don't really eat veggies (though they have a pre made raw diet at night that does include veggies). Years ago though when Cal was much younger and before I knew grapes were not the best, I remember sitting on the couch reading a book eating a bunch of grapes. Cal kept coming up and asking for one and I'd absent mindedly feed him one and keep reading. This went on for a while, until finally I stopped reading, got up, and saw grapes scattered all over the living room floor :laugh: :laugh: He'd just been taking them away, putting them down somewhere, and coming back for more!!!

Sorry for the slow response my internet was playing up today - thanks all for the advice and help it is greatly appreciated Cal was fine overnight and all good today so it didn't upset his tummy - I'll keep an eye on him for any ringworm or nasties but my googling certainly showed up MANY an NZ dog who attacks them all the time with no ill effects so fingers crossed he'll be all good. Thanks again!!