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The blog of Chicago-based freelance writer David Johnsen.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Teddy Bear Johnsen 1991(?)-2005
Teddy's condition steadily worsened since the last update. He could barely stand, and he was losing his appetite. I consulted with one of his vets last night. He said that to reduce the clotting in Teddy's legs they would have to cut back on his prednisone. Of course, doing that would send his red blood cell count down. We would end up back where we started a month ago. We could hospitalize him and give him an IV that might reduce the clotting, but his chances would be 50% at best, and other clots could form later (potentially in more critical areas). He assured me that we could let him go with a clear conscience, knowing that we did all we could to help him.
Last night I fed him hamburger for dinner, followed by pizza topping a few hours later. He ate some of each but didn't finish. I petted him until my wife came home from work, and then I went to bed. This morning I found my wife in the living room with Teddy; she hadn't slept all night. We took him to the vet this morning ostensibly for his weekly blood test, but we knew he probably wasn't coming home. Another vet reassured us, and we decided it was time. We held and petted him as she searched for a vein. Once she injected the drug, he died almost instantly.
Even though we know we did the right thing, it still hurts even more than we expected. I have a lot of thoughts, but that's all I can write for now. Thanks for seven of the best years of our lives. We'll always love you, big guy.
Labels: dogs, life and death
- posted by David Johnsen @ 3:30 PM
Comments:
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God bless Teddy and you all as well. It's a tough thing.
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I like your blog, which I stumbled across from the Co-Motion site. Congrats on doing the bike trip, an awesome accomplishment and journey. I'm 63 and an avid biker; love mountain biking and endurance events. Thinking about getting a touring bike next... I think I hear the Great Divide Trail calling my name.
Jack J --ridetolife.blogspot.com
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I like your blog, which I stumbled across from the Co-Motion site. Congrats on doing the bike trip, an awesome accomplishment and journey. I'm 63 and an avid biker; love mountain biking and endurance events. Thinking about getting a touring bike next... I think I hear the Great Divide Trail calling my name.
Jack J --ridetolife.blogspot.com
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