So I had kind of a tough night last night. Marbie, right after letting him in from outside, pooped in the house again. At first I was really angry. I just let him out. How could he come inside and go to the bathroom in the house. I know he felt horrible but I just didn't get it. I called Brad and talked to him about how are our parents going to watch Elias and deal with a dog pooping the house. How are we ever going to go anywhere again? Noone can watch him.
After calming down I decided to do further research on the internet. I had done some before thinking it was behavioral and he was acting out because I was pregnant and then we had Elias but this time I found this:
Bowel Incontinence and spinal problems
Q: Hi! We have an 11 1/2 year old male lab mix. Over the last 3 months his back legs have become somewhat lame (he has great difficulty getting up of climbing stairs - some times he just falls down while walking) and he seems to be totally unaware of his bowel movements (at first I thought his legs simply hurt to much to get up but many times he is already standing or is walking along and doesn't seem to realize anything is happening). Is this just age or are there other possibilities?
Thank You. Lisa
A: Lisa- Age alone doesn't explain very many things in veterinary medicine, so I strongly suspect that there is something wrong with your Lab. Due to the combination of neurologic signs (inability to control bowel movements and falling down) and musculoskeletal signs I think it is likely that there may even be more than one thing wrong. In this age range progressive degenerative joint disease from a problem like hip dysplasia or cranial cruciate ligament instability is one likely problem. A problem in the lumbo-sacral area is also possible as well as a condition such as degenerative myelopathy (not that common in Labs but possible, I think). Disc disease, spinal tumors, other forms of cancer and many other conditions are also possible. It takes a pretty extensive workup to diagnose the cause of neuromuscular symptoms in some cases but it can be very helpful in determining the proper treatment and in assessing the prognosis for long term success in treating the symptoms.
Mike Richards, DVM
I basically lost it. In my heart I knew Marbie was getting older. We figure he has hip dysplasia. He has all the symptoms, bunny rabbit gait, pain, trouble getting up and down, and incontinence. I couldn't help it, I broke down. Marbie's age suddenly really hit me.
We made an appointment with his vet for Monday. His incontinence has been increasing (another one today). I just don't know what we're going to do. I can't imagine my life without him. Brad and I got Marbie when we were 20 and 21. We had him almost all of college. He's been through five moves, three cities, and one baby. Even though he was afraid of fans, the oven, the washer and drier and now the dishwasher, we still loved him. He is the best dog ever. One time we left the fence open and what did Marbie do he walked to the sidewalk, peed on the tree and then came up the front porch and cried at the door. He would never consider running away, just peeing on a neighbor's tree. You can walk him off the leash and he won't go anywhere. We used to take him to parties in Madison till all hours of the night. He went everywhere with us. The best part is, he is SO sweet to Elias. We thought he may be jealous and ignore him but I truly believe he loves him. He hardly even reacted when we brought Elias home. It was if he expected it.
I have to realize the inevitable. Marbie is going to be 13 in a few months. I still don't know how I'm going to live without him. I know he's had wonderful life and we now have a beautiful baby boy to look after, but Marbie will always be my first baby. I love you Fuzzy Monkey.
Carly
After calming down I decided to do further research on the internet. I had done some before thinking it was behavioral and he was acting out because I was pregnant and then we had Elias but this time I found this:
Bowel Incontinence and spinal problems
Q: Hi! We have an 11 1/2 year old male lab mix. Over the last 3 months his back legs have become somewhat lame (he has great difficulty getting up of climbing stairs - some times he just falls down while walking) and he seems to be totally unaware of his bowel movements (at first I thought his legs simply hurt to much to get up but many times he is already standing or is walking along and doesn't seem to realize anything is happening). Is this just age or are there other possibilities?
Thank You. Lisa
A: Lisa- Age alone doesn't explain very many things in veterinary medicine, so I strongly suspect that there is something wrong with your Lab. Due to the combination of neurologic signs (inability to control bowel movements and falling down) and musculoskeletal signs I think it is likely that there may even be more than one thing wrong. In this age range progressive degenerative joint disease from a problem like hip dysplasia or cranial cruciate ligament instability is one likely problem. A problem in the lumbo-sacral area is also possible as well as a condition such as degenerative myelopathy (not that common in Labs but possible, I think). Disc disease, spinal tumors, other forms of cancer and many other conditions are also possible. It takes a pretty extensive workup to diagnose the cause of neuromuscular symptoms in some cases but it can be very helpful in determining the proper treatment and in assessing the prognosis for long term success in treating the symptoms.
Mike Richards, DVM
I basically lost it. In my heart I knew Marbie was getting older. We figure he has hip dysplasia. He has all the symptoms, bunny rabbit gait, pain, trouble getting up and down, and incontinence. I couldn't help it, I broke down. Marbie's age suddenly really hit me.
We made an appointment with his vet for Monday. His incontinence has been increasing (another one today). I just don't know what we're going to do. I can't imagine my life without him. Brad and I got Marbie when we were 20 and 21. We had him almost all of college. He's been through five moves, three cities, and one baby. Even though he was afraid of fans, the oven, the washer and drier and now the dishwasher, we still loved him. He is the best dog ever. One time we left the fence open and what did Marbie do he walked to the sidewalk, peed on the tree and then came up the front porch and cried at the door. He would never consider running away, just peeing on a neighbor's tree. You can walk him off the leash and he won't go anywhere. We used to take him to parties in Madison till all hours of the night. He went everywhere with us. The best part is, he is SO sweet to Elias. We thought he may be jealous and ignore him but I truly believe he loves him. He hardly even reacted when we brought Elias home. It was if he expected it.
I have to realize the inevitable. Marbie is going to be 13 in a few months. I still don't know how I'm going to live without him. I know he's had wonderful life and we now have a beautiful baby boy to look after, but Marbie will always be my first baby. I love you Fuzzy Monkey.
Carly
3 comments:
This post made me cry at my computer.
Awe. Nothing else to say.
Hugs,
Rachel (and Mitzie)
Hi Carly,
Chris here, down in Florida. Just checking the site to see how Elias and you guys are doing. What fun you are having (except for Marbie....sorry....)
Some of the pics are just WONDERFUL! Especially "A Day in the Life" and "Computer Genius"!!!
Take care......
Chris
s
It's never easy. People without pets think we're silly, but pets are members of the family and when a member of the family gets old or dies, it's heartbreaking.
FWIW, Rick Telander wrote a really touching piece on having to put down his family's dog over the weekend. It was in yesterday's (April 24) Sun Times.
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