With every dog, I seem to learn about different diseases. My parent’s dogs never seemed to get sick until they were quite old, and then they’d euthanize them. My sister’s cocker is still very healthy at 15.
Maybe I just have bad luck. I feed them a higher quality dog food than the rest of my family, but it is still kibble. I just switched Buffy to a brand that my vet recommended.
Buffy, my 9-year-old cocker spaniel, is my most recent experience with glaucoma and blindness.
Today, the vet removed her remaining eye, about nine months after her first one. Removal of the eye relieves migraine headaches caused from high ocular pressure.
We tend to take our sight for granted. Dogs, I have heard, use scents and hearing a lot more than vision. But Buffy was a very visual dog and her loss is obvious. She developed permanent blindness about a week ago and is constantly bumping into things. In the next few weeks, I need to try to teach her new commands:
- wait and stop—to prevent her from running into things (this morning she walked into a large landscaping rock)
- left and right—to help guide her (although I have been using the word “corner” when there is a sharp turn on our walks in the neighborhood, left and right would be more specific)
- a high-pitched, “its right there,” compared to a low-pitched, “no,” or “turn around” when I try to guide her to find a toy. I try to throw it only a few feet from her, but sometimes she misses it entirely.
You can read more about Buffy here.
Chipper, was a cocker spaniel that passed on last November at 12½.
Chipper tore his ACL three times. Fortunately, he didn’t need surgery, just rest.
He possibly had cancer of his spleen. He deteriorated too fast to consider surgery. I had to encourage him to eat during his last few weeks—something I never imagined doing for a food-motivated cocker spaniel. He lost six pounds in his last month. You can read more about Chipper here.
Cassie, a springer spaniel passed away in May of 2015 at the age of 11½. Cassie was my up and coming agility champion until she developed coon hound paralysis on her third birthday. This is an autoimmune disease and my vet told me to keep her away from strange dogs.
Cassie developed Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) at the age of eight. She took a low dose of chemotherapy medication and prednisone every other day for 3½ years. She never really seemed sick, although the prednisone made her leak urine and she had to wear a diaper at times (especially when she went to the office with me).
It also dulled her fur and made sores slow to heal.
Eventually, she developed a brain tumor, which was likely a secondary cancer caused by her leukemia. She lost her ability to walk and her body curved into a tight “C” shape. She deteriorated rapidly and we euthanized her within a week of her diagnosis. You can read more about Cassie here.
Buddy, was a senior cocker spaniel, who I received from my sister when she moved far away in 1995. He lived with me until he was 14. During his last year, he received medication for heart failure.
Kaylee was a springer spaniel who passed on in November of 2003 at the age of 10½. Kaylee’s story was so unique that it inspired me to write a memoir that I plan to publish soon. Her story started out as a 9-month-old puppy when she fell off a cliff and landed 75 feet down.
She survived with her thigh bone broken into five pieces. My vet used a bone graft to save her leg. Her recovery took six months and two more surgeries to remove the internal hardware which held the bone graft in place. The accident took occurred in 1993 before physical therapy and holistic medicines were available for dogs.
When she was 8 years-old, she developed osteosarcoma or bone cancer at the site where she had the internal splint. The vet amputated her leg. For a while she walked on three legs, then she became wobbly and needed a wheelchair. I had to carry her after paralysis covered most of her body. She could walk short distances in her wheelchair. We learned how to relieve her bladder and bowels. Near the end of her life she fainted several times. She didn’t recover from her last spell.
Brandy was an 8-week-old springer spaniel that developed distemper. She only lived a week after we got her even though she had received vaccinations for the disease. The vet did all they could to save her. I learned that a tiny amount of dried snot by her nose could turn into a fatal disease.
Penny, a border collie mix developed epilepsy at the age of two.
The local vet increased her dose of an anti-seizure drug until all she did was sleep. A different vet changed her medication, which reduced her sleepiness but reduced control of her seizures.
She averaged about 4 seizures a week. I lived in constant fear of her dying from a major seizure. Instead she died from a snowmobile accident a week before her fifth birthday.
So is it just my dogs or do most dogs have so many health issues? What’s happened to yours?
No, it just not your dogs, most dogs have so many health issues. Without any disease, very few die a normal death. As a dog owner, we accept our dog as a member of our family. When they have any kind of health issue we have to handle everything. It’s our duty.
Thanks for your comment. Not everyone handles all their dog’s health issues, some can’t afford it – and I love that these low-cost veterinarians have stepped up to help! But other’s think once a dog gets a serious disease that they shouldn’t suffer – my mom was one of those, unfortunately.
Poor Buffy! Hopefully she’ll adapt to being blind like our Ginger did.
You had so many beautiful doggies in your life, lucky lady! It is so sad when our beloved pets get sick. I am sorry to read so many sad stories with your dogs. I hope thing will improve!
So do I!
This is so sad, but true too. My 10 year old Gracie was diagnosed with Epilepsy at age 2, Echo, my husky/ Collie mix, has the MDR1 herding gene which makes him more sensitive to certain drugs, and Yoshi my newest addition has Juvenile Cataracts. My cat that passed 4 years ago had kidney failure and diabetes.
You have been unlucky too. I’m sorry for your losses and challenges.
Oh, my…I learned a lot about disease just reading this post. I am so sorry that you have had so much heartache over your dogs…more than your share but apparently there is a reason for it. I appreciate you as a pet parent doing everything that you can for your companions and never giving up on enriching their lives. Give Buffy a hug for me.
Thank you!
I hope Buffy is learning to cope with her blindness. It sounds like you are doing so much to help her learn new skills to compensate. What a dedicated and devoted dog parent you are. I’m glad she has you to lean on during this time in her life. Take care.
Thank you! You can meet her at BlogPaws in a few weeks.
We take all good things for granted. Wow, you have some line-up; I always feel bad that my dogs all ended up with one health issue or another; seems all poor babies do.
Oh man, that’s a whole lot of health issues. I’m so sorry about Buffy’s eye. We’ve been lucky. Between our 4 dogs and cat, the only issues we’ve ever had were Roxie’s leg, which didn’t develop correctly, and Boomer’s had 2 seizures. Our old dog Nacho lived to be 19. Hopefully our pups stay this healthy. Paws crossed.
Nacho lived to be 19! Wow! I can’t even imagine that. My sister and I were talking about how her dog has stayed home and not socialized with other dogs, and so hasn’t caught anything. Maybe a boring life makes for a long one – at least it would seem long!
Nacho lived to be 19! Wow! I can’t even imagine that. My sister and I were talking about how her dog has stayed home and not socialized with other dogs, and so hasn’t caught anything. Maybe a boring life makes for a long one – at least it would seem long!
I had 3 cats in Israel that passed away in the house 🙁 the last one 2 weeks before I was going back to South Africa and planning to take her with me, that really freaked me out. Since in the States I had Baby who passed away at the age of 6 from IMHA which cannot be cured, it happened really quickly from Friday being healthy to Monday being in a coma. I still question if I did something wrong although I know I did not. Layla I watch like a hawk and she is nearly 11 so it worries me big time and am doing everything to keep her as healthy as possible.
So it is not just you, I think we all feel like we have let them down in some way or another but unfortunately it is beyond out power also, Sending you a hug and remember you are not alone.
Thank you!
I hope that Buffy is getting around okay after her surgery. Does she have a halo? I’ve read that those are really helpful for blind dogs.
I bought a halo when the vet told me her other eye would eventually need to be removed. I’ve tried it a few times with her, but she tends to get stuck under chairs and it seems awkward for her. She’s getting along okay feeling her surroundings with her nose and paws.But she still bumps into a lot of stuff and gets confused sometimes.
I am so sorry 🙁
I think that dogs in need of special care find those of us who can take the best possible care of them.
We all say “they find us” as much as we find them so maybe this is why some of us have bad luck.
I have also experienced this.
My Lyla has a slew of issues from anxiety to arthritis just to mention two issues.
I have had a diabetic dog, a dog that had seizures and so on.
It’s NOT easy!
We are in pain with them and for them.
You are not alone.
Maybe they did find me. Thanks for your comments Joely. I’ve heard that you have to test the urine a lot for diabetic dogs. That sounds really challenging. Thank you for commenting.
Perhaps you had the good fortune to have shared your life with these pups for a reason. Maybe it was to help others through your experiences! I’m sorry you’ve suffered so much loss, and I agree with you, every dog teaches us about a different disease. Interestingly I was thinking the same thing not long ago. Unfortunately that also makes me feel sad for the animals that didn’t benefit from that knowledge.
I’m sorry to hear ’bout Buffy’s eye but this means no more pain for her, right? That’s good. And I’m POSITIVE she will adjust and adapt, quite easily. PURRS
I don’t know what else to say, except, wow! I look back on my pets and I don’t remember much about my dogs as a child, but my cats were pretty healthy until they were older. My first cat lived until she was 19 and died of chronic renal failure. My second cat lived until she was 15 1/2 and was euthanized because of cancer in the abdominal region (we weren’t sure exactly of what because she wasn’t in good enough shape for even a biopsy and she went downhill quickly after the diagnosis). Truffle’s littermate developed a sarcoma from his vaccination and died on the operating table at 12 weeks old. Truffle and Brulee have been pretty healthy until this recent diagnosis of bladder stones.
Thanks for your comments. You have had some cats that lived a long time! I hope Truffle and Brulee get over their bladder stones quickly!
The only dogs I’ve had with health issues are the pure breed ones. My mutts seem to live longer and healthier lives. My mini Dachshund has had no end of troubles-though still crossing my fingers he has a long life.
So sorry about your losses.
I am speechless about the health issues your dogs have gone through! I always wonder how it seems some dogs never get sick or have injuries?! My previous dog, a Golden Retriever, showed very early signs of hip dysplasia, then when she was around the age of 7 she started to have seizures and it was from this point on that her quality of life began to deteriorate. It was heart wrenching watching a once vibrant dog go down hill so fast.
I’ve been hearing a lot about golden retrievers and their battles with cancer. The Morris Foundation is even doing a lifetime golden retriever study since so many of them get cancer.
Wow – Kaylee sounds the most courageous and amazing dog. I only broke my leg in two placed (and yep I whimpered!!!) Please write her story for us to read sometime!
I wonder if it is a breed thing, having specific issues on a regular basis? I don’t know many spaniel type dogs myself.
This is so sad I know how difficult it is to lose our beloved companions. Unfortunately time and age really affects our dogs and cats. Only thing we can do is keeping them comfortable and provide them quality of life. I had a Bichon that lived for 18 years and a Maltese that passed at 19. One had a grown heart and the other kidney cancer. Difficult to let them go, but still have them in my heart and in my prayers.
You have had some pets live a very long time. Something will eventually claim them I know, but for me, it seems like they get some diseases way too young.