"The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive." - John Sladek

Had to have Al put down today.

This morning he came out to the living room and immediately stopped to pee on the carpet. He hasn't done anything like that since the day we brought him home so I knew things were worse. I gave him straight canned food, which he ate, but things just seemed different. We did not want to saddle Josh & Aubri with a difficult decision in our absence or, worse, Al dying while we were gone. So I called the vet when their office opened at 8:00.

The receptionist was very helpful and gracious. She said they do a "quality of life" assessment for the cost of an office visit, so after Pam and talked about it I scheduled an appointment for 12:30. Almost as soon as I got him inside their office I knew what the outcome would be.

They weighed him and he'd lost 12 pounds in five weeks. His temp was four degrees lower than it should be. She explained that's a result of his system shutting down. And whereas here at the house he'd just lay on the carpet, in their tiled examining room he stood, shifting from side to side in obvious discomfort from the bone pain that is part of Valley Fever in dogs.

The vet said some dogs just can't fight it off, even with meds. She was surprised at his rapid deterioration and took that as an indication of what would follow. So the appropriate decision was obvious. I was afraid we'd be in one of those in-between zones but that certainly wasn't the case.

A clear decision isn't necessarily an easy decision. I felt very sad. Hey, I still do.
Now that I'm home I'm struck by how unnatural things are with Al not here. Walked into the house and he wasn't here to greet me. I have taken him on a fairly long morning and afternoon walk almost every day I've been home for a year and a half. My morning and evening routine are going to be all out of whack.

Dogs are animals. I think we handled this situation with a balance of financial responsibility and respect for God's creation. We really liked having Al and agree he was the best pet we've had over the years. Before I left for the vet Pam said, "I never thought we'd have to do this with Al." That struck me as an odd thing to say ("Did you think he'd outlive us?") so I asked, and what she meant was that she never thought we'd have to do it for any reason other than old age. Me neither.