Been up all night... feeling sooooo guilty... :(

theMusicMan

theMusicMan

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Well, I have never felt so guilty as I have been for the last 10 or so hours.

During the world cup rugby game last night, Belle - our gorgeous, diabetic, 11 yr old King Charles Cavalier was up and down on the settee and window sill like a yo-yo. As she climbed down yet again, this time right over my head, I lifted my head up so she could get by and tapped her bum gently - so she'd get a move on. She lost her balance, slipped and fell off the settee onto the new(ish) wooden flooring. I didn't see her land, but I did hear the squeal and yelps when she did, and it looks as though she has either broken her hip, or dislocated her knee joint.
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We rushed her (or rather my mate did as I'd had a glass or wine) to the emergency vets who gave her a jab of pain killer stuff and asked us to come back in the morning as there was nothing he could do for her then except relieve the pain.

I have been up all night with her, carrying her outside when she wants to go to the loo by using a sheet under her belly to support her as she is unable to walk on her own - and my God do I feel friggin awful... just friggin awful. I hate to admit it, but I think I have possibly sent her to her doom...
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To top this, Heather (Belle is her dog) is away at her Gramps/Nans and may come back home to no dog.

Feel ****e...
 
:'( hope belle is ok mate..
 
John,

That's tragic.... and coming after all the excitement and encouragement that Heather's had over the last day or so.

Fingers crossed mate...

Bob
 
Hope she's ok, try not to blame yourself too much, accidents happen. Here's to a speedy recovery :).
 
Try not to blame yourself, you are doing all you can and lets hope for a great recovery. Thinking of you both today.
 
**** Sorry to hear that John :(

You shouldn't be blaming yourself, you didn't do it. It was an accident, plain and simple.

Hope she's OK.
 
Aw mate, I'm so sorry to hear this. As a dog lover myself, I know how horrible this is.

Good luck to all involved for the next few days.

Cheers,
James
 
Hope for the best m8, dogs are pretty resillient characters.
 
i am being licked on the arm by my big stupid dog as i type this. last year i accidentaly stood on him breaking a toe(his). £200 of vets bills ,and lots of guilt later, he,s as daft as ever.
its awfull that the poor dog is ailing , but it wasnt your fault dude.hope the little terror gets sorted.
i feel for you.
mark
 
Don't blame yourself - accidents happen. Hope that she is ok - let us know what happens :hug:
 
awww i'm sorry to hear that ,hope belles o.k wishing you the best .

but for f"£!%&*%( sake dont go blaming yourself , accidents happen its as simple as that
 
Sorry to hear this mate. :(

Try not to blame yourself though, it was an accident afterall. Best wishes to you all, and a full recovery for Belle.
 
Sorry to hear this, John.. I can imagine how you feel.. hoping there is some good news soon as you last posted 6 hrs ago. :(
 
John, sorry to hear this. Dogs are very resilient and these days vets can perform what appears to be miracles, our Border Terrier was attacked by a horse who deliberately attacked him in a field (Jan saw it), the horse first chased him, knocked him over, reared up and deliberately trampled him with his front hooves which were shod. Biggles was seriously injured with his back leg ripped out of it's socket and broken bones, our vet referred us to a specialist who operated on him the next day in a procedure I can only describe as fascinating and awe inspiring. He basically re-built the area using bolts, wire and God knows what else. Biggles has now made a full recovery with no loss of mobility (as can often be seen in my shots of him play fighting) and this is all thanks to the skill of the vet.

Hope everything works out for you.
 
John,

really sorry to hear about this. as has been said it was just an accident but that's not going to change how you're feeling right now.

I hope for all of you that this can be an "all's well that ends well" situation. I know I've lost count of the times I've taken dogs up to the vets convinced that it's all over only to bring them home again a little while later right as rain.

Fingers crossed!
 
Thanks all for your messages of support.

Well, we took Belle to the vets earlier (11:00) and he wants to do an x-ray, said it'd be around 2-3 hours. This isn't such good news for us to be honest as poor Belle is quite old, and is a diabetic - which means there is a significant risk she won't come around from any sedation. The prognosis isn't good either - it's either a broken pelvis or dislocated hip. The former requires surgery which we have been advised not to do, and the latter requires further heavy sedation - but could work.

We are in that awful time when we're sat waiting for the call.

Heather's not home yet either... god bless her.

:( update later.
 
OH many I really feel for you. I know how easy it is to blame yourself but do try to remember that accidents happen. Let us know how everythign is going.

:hug:
 
John, you may feel guilty as hell, but Belle won't be blaming you, and accidents do happen, so try not to feel too bad. When I was a teenager I spent 3 years working p/t in vets and even then was amazed by the resilience and fortitude our pets can show. Their abilities to recover from what seem to be life threatening problems, and to carry on even with chronic illnesses is amazing. See what the vet says later today and make your decisions with your head not your heart [easy to say I know, I have never not been a pet owner, so know how tough it can be] and do whatever is best for Belle. Good luck and best wishes for Belles recovery. :hug:
 
best of luck with it john , as said earlier dont blame yourself .

from what youve said so far i'm sure you'll do whats best for belle that 's the important thing.
 
Well, the vet called and said he took an x-ray, and indeed she has seriously dislocated her hip. He said he had administered Morphine, and with our permission would sedate her with gas then try to relocate the femur into the hip.

He did this and just called back to say that although the hip is now in place, that he feels the hip will very easily pop out again (due to old age and weaknesses caused by diabetes) and that he feels she would not survive a general anesthesia which would then be needed to replace the hip a second time.

So, he has said we can go and get her in 45 mins, but that the prognosis is not good. Essentially, we need to see if the hip remains in place - the vet feels it won't. She also suffered a 'Lung something or other' during the gas administered anesthetic which is why he feels she wouldn't survive a general.

Heather is just home now, and was in tears bless her... :( I am going to get Belle in 45 mins and bring her home.

How bad do I feel right now... :(
 
Agreed, double hugs all round.
Lets hope she is stronger than the vet thinks. Keep her calm as possible and reduce slip risks to give her hip chance of some recovery [maybe cover that wooden floor with rugs and non slip backs for a while]. NEVER forget you have given her 11 fantastic years so far, which is more then so many dogs get. Be strong.
 
Sorry to hear your news, here's hoping that Belle makes a good recovery.
 
Well, Belle is now home and... well, we're just not sure. You know, when your experience shows and you can tell there's just that something that's not quite right, well this is how we feel at the moment.

OK, the minor anesthetic and femur to pelvis pop-in worked and she can walk unassisted once again. However, there's quite obviously a huge weakness now and we are advised it could come out again at any time - which is a huge concern. I just took her out into the garden to have a pee, and of course as girlie doggies do, she coopied down; I was cringing watching her thinking her hip was going to pop out again and that'd be it, back to the vets etc. It's left her limping and well, just looking down.

But about Belles demeanor, there's something that tells me - and please excuse me posting this here - I think she has simply decided enough is enough. She has had stabilised diabetes for many years with two regular injections daily, is totally blind (as a direct result of the diabetes) and recently she was put on an obesity diet which affected her blood sugars. We nearly lost her twice due to hyperglycemic shock - her readings were the lowest they have ever been.

We are presently in the middle of another 'blood curve' to re-ascertain the correct twice daily Insulin dosage, and I think she's decided she's just had her lot.

Her tail isn't wagging, her eyes are sullen, she's led down constantly and is inactive and sad. She did eat her dinner but I think we don't have much time left with her. Some might think this sad I know, but we have arranged a sitter to be with her all day tomorrow as I am on the early train to London, the wife is in work and the kids in college or school - and we don't want her to be alone all day. Can you imagine that, coming home to find out her hip popped out again and that she'd been left there all day!!

So, we'll see... I hope she picks up, but something tells me...

Thanks to everyone for your interest, consideration and compassion, and for reading this thread. We have a close, loving family here and we all help one another, but it's always nice to just write, 'vent' and to tell a story. I shall continue with the updates if people are interested.

Thanks all.
 
:'(:'(:'(:'(

I shall continue with the updates if people are interested.
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Please do, if only because sharing further might help more.
 
:hug: I'm so sorry! Sending positive thoughts for the little one perking up!


Thinking of you, x x x
 
She is lovely, and with time I'm sure will be back to her old self! x x x x x
 
:hugs: for everyone. Belle is a star and she will let you know when she has had enough. If she did have lung problems during the anaesthesia she may well take a day or two to be less groggy, but I think from what you have already said that you will all make decisions for her, not for yourselves. Very best wishes to you all. YvonneXX
 
Some might think this sad I know, but we have arranged a sitter to be with her all day tomorrow as I am on the early train to London, the wife is in work and the kids in college or school - and we don't want her to be alone all day. Can you imagine that, coming home to find out her hip popped out again and that she'd been left there all day!!
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Thats not sad mate, thats being a caring human being...Good on yer.
Will be thinking of Belle. :hug:
 
Thinking of you John. It's heart-wrenching - we went through the same thing a couple of months back with our 14 year old moggie, Toby, who suffered liver failure whilst we were on holiday. I think you can take your cue from Belle as to her state of mind.

Keep us all updated, particularly if it helps you.

Mark
 
theMusicMan said:
Well, Belle is now home and... well, we're just not sure. You know, when your experience shows and you can tell there's just that something that's not quite right, well this is how we feel at the moment.

OK, the minor anesthetic and femur to pelvis pop-in worked and she can walk unassisted once again. However, there's quite obviously a huge weakness now and we are advised it could come out again at any time - which is a huge concern. I just took her out into the garden to have a pee, and of course as girlie doggies do, she coopied down; I was cringing watching her thinking her hip was going to pop out again and that'd be it, back to the vets etc. It's left her limping and well, just looking down.

But about Belles demeanor, there's something that tells me - and please excuse me posting this here - I think she has simply decided enough is enough. She has had stabilised diabetes for many years with two regular injections daily, is totally blind (as a direct result of the diabetes) and recently she was put on an obesity diet which affected her blood sugars. We nearly lost her twice due to hyperglycemic shock - her readings were the lowest they have ever been.

We are presently in the middle of another 'blood curve' to re-ascertain the correct twice daily Insulin dosage, and I think she's decided she's just had her lot.

Her tail isn't wagging, her eyes are sullen, she's led down constantly and is inactive and sad. She did eat her dinner but I think we don't have much time left with her. Some might think this sad I know, but we have arranged a sitter to be with her all day tomorrow as I am on the early train to London, the wife is in work and the kids in college or school - and we don't want her to be alone all day. Can you imagine that, coming home to find out her hip popped out again and that she'd been left there all day!!

So, we'll see... I hope she picks up, but something tells me...

Thanks to everyone for your interest, consideration and compassion, and for reading this thread. We have a close, loving family here and we all help one another, but it's always nice to just write, 'vent' and to tell a story. I shall continue with the updates if people are interested.

Thanks all.
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My manager is exactly the same at the moment. Her dog Bess is poorly, she's a 10yr old Boxer...and she will not go anywhere, where she can't take the dog. Because she works all the time [full time] her mother-in-law has taken the dogs in so that they are not alone during the day.
Its totally understandable. Especially when the dogs have been a part of the family for that many years, and you have done everything in you power to keep them stable and alive whilst they have been here.
My nan's dog, had testicular cancer, epilepsy, was blind and deaf...and its true what they say....you'll know when its time.

here's hoping that you ave more time left that you currently think...but keep up updated. x
 
Thanks everyone for your supportive comments.

Pleasing news! Belle seems to have had a good nights rest, we put her in the conservatory for the night where there's nothing for her to climb up on such as settee's, sofa's, chairs etc. and is therefore at minimal risk of falling or slipping She's been out and done her business and has now settled back down again in her basket. Not counting chickens but her hip doesn't seem as stiff this morning either... :thumbs:

Catch ya all later when I get back from London.
 
This might sound silly but could you search for a dog version of the elastic bandage? or something that will help keep the joint in place.
 
please keep us up to date when you get chance john .

will be thinking of belle, hows heather taking it??
 
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