Achilles will live to see another day…..or even 3 to 6 more months

That is what Doc Sorenson explained to me yesterday. It was a mixture of good news, bad news, and news I knew about but didn’t want to hear.

Good news is that Achilles’ aches and pains can be easily treated with doggie versions of pain meds, kind of like over the counter stuff we humans use. I just have to give it to him every day now, whereas before I didn’t give it to him at all, which I think that for an almost 15 year old dog is pretty remarkable, but then again, he is a remarkable warrior. God bless that little precious one.

The other good news is that since A-man’s last round of tests in January, his atypical Cushings disease has stayed relatively stable, so that means the Enalypril, ¼ baby aspirin (which is pain in the ass to cut every day!), melatonin, and flaxseed is working. Most of it is natural stuff and that makes me happy. There was talk last year of treating his Cushings with some pretty strong stuff (Trilostane), but we opted not to given his age and the horrendous side effects that the drug has. So, I’m very relieved that what we’re doing for him now is good enough and he’s comfortable.

Bad news is that Achilles’ kidneys are beginning to show signs of deterioration. Doc said that for a dog his age and size, they’re still doing very, very well, but it is the beginning of kidney disease that was causing him aches and pains and keeping him up at night. Interesting little fact I didn’t know before…people with kidney disease have horrendous body aches akin to a really bad flu, but science hasn’t been able to figure out how or why that happens.

Well, my Golden baby was essentially going through the same thing, just not that awful yet, so I’m glad we learned about it as fast as we did. The Tramadol has made a WORLD of difference in his daily life. He’s sleeping well, his appetite is back, and he is not in pain. His quality of life has returned, and for that I am grateful. Doc compared it to us having a bad headache, taking some Advil, and slowly feeling the pain alleviate. I’m glad he’s feeling that. He’s back to stalking Milo’s food bowl!

And speaking of food, given the kidney disease, Achilles needs to be on a good renal diet from here on out. I’ve always supplemented our puppies’ kibble with homemade, fresh food, but now it looks like that will be ALL that he’ll be getting since he’s not down with kibble anymore! Chicken with rice and veggies, scrambled eggs with pasta, and a host of other Achilles’ favorites, will be the order of the day. Let me tell you, he is NOT complaining. Ha! He’s been a hungry-hungry-hippo the last couple of days, and I’m so happy to see that again.

The news I knew but didn’t want to hear…..my little Sweetface, mama’s little pigeon-toed Golden baby, most likely has about 3 to 6 moths left before his kidney disease will become unbearable. It is a horrible and difficult decision to have to say goodbye to our pets, but now I know what we have in store for us. 3 to 6 months is better than this weekend, which is when I was afraid was going to be the end. But, Achilles being the Mighty Warrior that he is will live to battle on!

This August will be 2 years (wow, can’t believe that) that we’ve had Achilles and Milo. So that means that even now, Achilles has hung around longer than Nick did when we rescued him. We rescued Nick in November 2005 and he was 12 ½ years old. He gave us 20 beautiful months before the fucking cancer took him from us. Achilles has now been with us 21 months.

It is said that Golden Retrievers past the ages of 10 to 12 are “past their expiration” for dogs their size. So each and every moment past that age is a blessing for the dog owners. This means that when we adopted Achilles he was already past his expiration, and I am ever so grateful that we are going to have more time with the precious furbaby.

I continue to be beyond impressed and amazed with this dog’s spirit. I’m telling you, every time we’ve thought that he was going to be counted out, he’s rallied and come back.

I will say this though….we may be able to prepare for Achilles leaving our world, but I sure as hell do not know how the hell I’m going be ready for poor Milo’s reaction. It’s amazing that two dogs who never knew each other before coming to our home are so bonded. It is very special. Milo didn’t leave Achilles’ side on Monday evening. You should have seen him barking when Achilles finally stood up after the Tramadol took effect. I think he was barking happy-happy-joy-joy! He is our adorable goofball.

Da Golden Unit (or as we call them in the 'hood, Da G-Unit), they like to do everything together. It will most certainly be very difficult for our Milo Bear when Achilles' time comes. :-( Oh God, I'm crying now.....I'm moving on to pictures then....

They sleep together-
Get pissed off at the closed screen door together-

Go on morning walks with papa bear-

Give double kisses to mama bear-

Oh, did I mention that Milo LOVES to sleep with, on, next to, or around Achilles?

Lounge together (we really need to paint that retaining wall!)-

Eat together (you can see Milo's wee-wee due to his summer haircut...I'll never do that again!)-

And, of course, beg for fresh poached chicken together-

Thanks for supporting us through this medical adventure Blogistan. I can’t express in words how much it means to us. I know that somewhere, somehow, all of your prayers and good wishes were heard, and we received them. THANK YOU!