Oops he's down again...........and back up again

Well the bad days are closing in.
Bugsy had a bad night and this morning he was subdued and sleepy.
I left to help a pointer rescue get to her foster home and when I got in, I got the usual welcome from Bugsy but with a twist.
He as usual greeted me with a toy, but then I heard him scrambling, and he was at the front of my car. It seemed he was trying to reach a squirrel or other critter under my car.

He wasn't.
He had collapsed again.

I helped him up and stood there holding him up until he seemed to settle. No more than a minute or 2.

Then he shuffled off, had a pee, picked up the toy he had brought to me and went inside, as if, no biggie.

Quick vet contact and she said, "poor guy, his heart is weak"

He happily ate up a bully stick and we are now watching some TV.

The indomitable Bugsy Lee is not actually indomitable.

The end isn't far away.
My heart is both broken and full.
Thank you Bugsy for every damn day.

Another close call, but we are still moving forward

Well we have just had another bad week or so.

On Saturday 9/9/17 Bugsy on an early morning chase collapsed. It could have been cardio-vascular or perhaps orthopedic or both, we don't know and won't ever know.
But since then he wasn't himself.
Oh sure, being Bugsy he had a few bursts of insanity, but everything in between wasn't good.
In fact, it was downright scary.

My heart and mind wandered to all the questions loving owners ask themselves.
Bottom-line, what are the indicators that precipitate making the call?

Back in late March/early April, Bugsy started to have "intermittent" blockages and got really sick. We stopped feeding kibble and started feeding human food. Since then the food issue has mostly been "dang this dog eats my paycheck" rather than a "it's going in but it isn't going out" issue.

But this week I started to think about how much was going in and how little was going out.
After a rough few days, we have things going out again.
And we have a happy, mischievous, if still old and tired Bugsy.

The blockages are caused by lumps in or around his intestines. Could be tumors, could be abdominal lymph nodes (other lymph nodes are swollen), either way there isn't much to be done.

So my Beast soldiers on.
He is skin, bones and lumps.
He walks daily, eats like a teenage boy, steals important papers, trips you on your way out the door, and seems to always have a smile on his face.
He pants incessantly, labors as he walks, but still leaps up stairs (tripping at times) and chases critters.

And he sleeps deeply.
God bless you Bugsy, I don't know how you do what you do, but it's powerful to experience.

I pray that you enjoy life to moment you tell us you are done.