Just as an update. We lost our Ricky 2 days ago. He finally got to the point where no amount of medical help could save him and we let him be humanely put to rest. Up until the day before this, he was wagging his tail and still running after the neighbor's beagle and our cat. There is a lot of pain in our home right now and it has affected not only us, our veterinarian, but many of our friends. He would have been 14 next week. At least I got to hold him through the whole procedure and hopefully he knew that I was there. Rest in peace dear devoted friend, you will never be forgotten and I couldn't have loved you more.