[Dailydrool] My tough Call

[stevebarlow4 at verizon.net]

OK..  Wyatt has taken a turn for the worse. He's losing(but lot lost) interest in many foods... and he's hobbling pretty bad as he's hurt his good leg. He still gets excited about the word "walk", my 4 year old son got him all exited last night, but the poor guy can barely make it out of the yard and back.  He goes go out side to releave himself, but pooping is painful, and he'll sometimes stop and lay for a break before he makes his way back in the house.  He for his foot stuck in the ramp again this morning.. I'm fixing that.

Here is where it is hard... when do you make that decision...  this is where we play God. I love Wyatt as much as I've loved any living thing.. and it breaks my heart to see him this way.  Up until a few days ago, he was doing AWESOME.  Maybe he'll turn around.

My delima.. I'm supposed to go on vacation on Friday. I have a petsitter coming to help take care of him, but I'd hate to leave him alone.    

I don't want to put him down because it's convenient... I want him to be ready.. and from what I've seen from other dogs with Cancer(oh, he has bone cancer BTW and doesn't have use of one read leg).. starting predisone can really boost him for a while. he's on Metacam/meloxicam right now.  But to convert him to pred will take 5 days with no metacam and that can be really really hard... and 5 days from today would land it until when I'm on vacation.

So my options?

1 - Skip the vacation... the wife will take the kids and go with her sister instead of me. I stay with Wyatt.

2 - Switch to predisone and have this done by the petsitter, who happens to be a vet tech at his vet.. so she knows what she's doing...  I may have to board Clover somewhere and he's afraid of her and she has been known to guard main 'arteries' in the house, so that he can't get out to pee.. and he can no longer stand up for himself... that way it would be just him.

3 - Board him somewhere.. preferable with someone with a home.. I don't see this happening.

4 - He's on his last legs... literally.  Maybe I should put him down while he still has some happiness and excitment in his life.. and he's not all misery.  I feel if I do this before vacation, well.. I just find that harder to do as I feel I may rush the decision.  I will NOT leave until I fet his ashes though.. I'm not leaving his ashes in storage for a week.. he's my baby.. my furry ball of love.  

I have no clue... I don't want to be 'selfish' and make him suffere, but I don't want to be selfish and put him down because of vacation.. I'll always feel I did that.   But I also don't want to leave him to sit alone(with 2-3 visits/day from a petsitter and neighbors) and maybe a couple overnights.    My wife will tell you that I give him an added boost of energy that isn't there when I'm not there. I'm his favorite person and list his spirits, I don't know what a week without his daddy will do to him, but I think in a house alone.. but I think for all the resting he does, and not having his sister, he may heal up a bit if he doesn't get depressed.

Thanks!
Steve and Wyatt