How plans change.
The plan was after a number of pm's and a phone call to get up early on Friday, travel up to Brisbane, met up with fellow MySwagger, Ian Wilkinson and complete a purchase and collect the property. I would then have time to catch up with my Dad for lunch before return back home for tea. The alarm set for 4.30am.
For the past couple of months our old dog, Quinn( yes named after the song), a 13yr old Belgium/German Shepherd has been having the odd session. Checks with the Vet have come back to show a couple of things. Blood test show he is anemic, too anemic which led to an ultrasound which showed one 1cm tumour on one end of the spleen and a 3cm tumour on the other end of the spleen but was also attached to the liver and unknown how far into the liver it had gone.
What was happening as I understood from what the Vet was saying, every now and then Quinn would move and the tumour/s would tear and he would bleed internally causing him to have a 'session' and go down hill. When this had happened over the past couple of months he was down for a while and would come good again.
Thursday afternoon Quinn went down again and basically stayed down. We tried to get him up to go for a wee for the night but either refused to get up and when helped up did not want to move. He wasn't looking good but I left him with Jan while went to bed early still hoping to go to Brisbane early in the morning.
4.30am the alarm goes off and in the darkness trying to be quiet I hear some odd noise in the lounge room and find Jan had made a bed next to Quinn for the night. She said he hadn't moved and after she had gone to bed for the night she heard Quinn making noises and she thought well, he has slept beside her side of the bed for 13 yrs she can sleep beside him for the night and that is what she did. Quinn still not able to get up plans were changed and I stayed home.
Later I rang the Vet and arranged to take Quinn in that afternoon. We knew his time was up and even though he was still alert and wanting to eat and drink, he could not get up or move. By the time we got him into the Vets, Quinn had basically bled internally that much his blood pressure was very low and his gums had lost all the pinkness in the gums. The Vet agreed it was time, something we had already discussed and agreed.
Quinn is our fourth shepard we have had put to sleep and it doesn't get any easier. He has definitely been the best dog we have had. The best temperament and just all round great companion. While our son still lives local and we could take Quinn in to spend the last half hour with him, our daughter is currently in Texas USA with her husband so there was a lengthy skype call with the laptop set up in front of Quinn for her to see him and say her good byes too.
Anyhow after many tears the job is done and Quinn is now buried with two of our previous shepherds, Wuss and Shep in the garden. Living on 4 ha we are lucky enough do that. Thanks too to Ian for the last minute change to plans, we will get there one day.
As a younger dog
On Friday with the young dog
