Joe and I had to let Potsie go to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. I stayed with him and he passed peacefully. My vet was so kind and compassionate, and I held him in her grieving room the whole time (low light room with comfy chairs).
It was unexpected. Potsie, age 4, had recently started having difficulty jumping up on the couch, his chair, etc., and we thought it was his very bad back knees. We didn't know he had an underlying back problem. Friday night, he tried to jump up on the couch and miss.
By Saturday morning, his back end was paralyzed. He couldn't even go to the bathroom. We took him to the vet, who kept him a couple of days, putting him on steroids (he wasn't a case for surgery)for a ruptured disc. We visited each morning and evening and fed him (he wouldn't eat for the vet). By late afternoon yesterday, the vet had taken him off the steroid, b/c it was making him very sick (despite being given stomach coaters to protect his stomach), and it wasn't working anyway. We made the painful decision to let him go.
Potsie had a horrible, abusive life before we got him as a rescue, so at least he had a great two years while we had him. He'd also wormed himself into the hearts of all the staff at the vet's office and they were almost as upset as we were. Run free, sweet boy!
It was unexpected. Potsie, age 4, had recently started having difficulty jumping up on the couch, his chair, etc., and we thought it was his very bad back knees. We didn't know he had an underlying back problem. Friday night, he tried to jump up on the couch and miss.
By Saturday morning, his back end was paralyzed. He couldn't even go to the bathroom. We took him to the vet, who kept him a couple of days, putting him on steroids (he wasn't a case for surgery)for a ruptured disc. We visited each morning and evening and fed him (he wouldn't eat for the vet). By late afternoon yesterday, the vet had taken him off the steroid, b/c it was making him very sick (despite being given stomach coaters to protect his stomach), and it wasn't working anyway. We made the painful decision to let him go.
Potsie had a horrible, abusive life before we got him as a rescue, so at least he had a great two years while we had him. He'd also wormed himself into the hearts of all the staff at the vet's office and they were almost as upset as we were. Run free, sweet boy!
