The Dilema of Not Knowing

The problem is that Holly is not in pain. The cdm destroys the nerves which has been the cause of the decline of her back legs and internal plumbing it also means that messages of pain and discomfort are not being registered.

This makes knowing when to call it quits and let her go much more difficult than normal.

I have a few friends who also currently have end of life pets who are all saying that as the end comes they are planning or are getting some pain killers from the vets to allow them to have a couple of days to spoil them and say goodbye.

For Holly there is no magic pill to make her walk again so I decided a while ago that it would have to be when she could no longer be independently mobile. I think that day has more or less arrived. Over the weekend the temperature dropped and we tried a couple of slightly longer length and a bit more undulating terrain. The longest planned walk was 1.75 miles and the steepest hill was not very steep at all. Poor old girl struggled, she needed to stop for a breather at regular intervals and when she did stop I needed to go stand with my leg/knee against the back of her trolley to stop it rolling backwards. If I didn't and it rolled she was unable to tell, unable to stop it and therefore fell over.

So while she is still OK on the flat that does cause a problem as Yorkshire is better known for it's hills rather than it's flatness. During the walk I could hear a scraping sound of nails on floor, on just about every step her front nails were dragging across the pavement. When we got home I had a good look at her feet and her nails are showing the same signs of uneven wear that her back ones did right back at the start, to me this is proof that things are progressing and her front legs are starting to be affected.

She still enjoyed her walk but I think it's time for some carefully planned flat walks (there are a couple not too far from home) some extra special treats and then saying goodbye while she still has the ability to walk (with assistance).