Helen@helshounds.co.uk +44(0)7356 072133
Isaac’s Story
Isaac is a bit of a Heinz 57 dog. We could have done DNA testing, but it wasn’t widely available when he first came to us. He is like a…. Well, a kind of long-legged terrier?
Isaac was found in a schoolyard in Spain by a friend living in the area at the time. He was a few weeks old at the time, we think and being attacked by the children. He was taken to a rescue organisation, but unfortunately, due to the high number of street dogs in the area and the demand for the rescue’s services, Isaac was due to be put to sleep.
Our friend stepped in again and adopted him. Isaac lived with them until he was around 5-6 months old.
Our friends decided that they were going to move home to England. They arranged homes for the collection of dogs they had gathered by this point. Some were re-homed in Spain and others in England.
Those dogs brought to England needed to go through quarantine to get their travel documents.
Isaac wasn’t originally due to be coming to us, but unfortunately, as he was entering the country, the family who had agreed to give him his forever home changed their mind.
After a frantic shopping trip and some quick organisation, we met Isaac the following day. He was mine from the moment he curled up in my lap. Granted, there were a few other incidents that meeting, but nothing we couldn't deal with, we figured.
So we brought him home. I’ve already talked about the trouble we had with training in the early days. Isaac has brought us some laugh-until-it-hurts moments, many if you don’t laugh, you’d cry moments, and so much love and affection.
Now, if you will stay with me, I would like to jump ahead a bit—okay, well, a fair bit.
As Isaac aged, he seemed to be in excellent health for such an old man. He'd always been a little overweight, so no one was overly concerned when his weight dropped back to his “ideal,” roughly 9kg.
He has some arthritis in his back legs, his hearing is deteriorating, and his dental hygiene leaves a fair bit to be desired, but for his age, he is healthy.
That is until the end of 2023. One day, he just wasn't well. It was clear that something wasn’t right.
We decided to take him to the vet. Our local vets were not entirely sure what was happening but thought it might be something to do with his heart. Perhaps he was experiencing heart failure.
Isaac is not the biggest fan of the vets and wouldn't tolerate the oxygen he needed, even with some gentle sedation, so he was brought back out to me in the reception in the hope that he would chill with me.
So, the fat dog and I relax in the reception, people-watching for a while. The vet takes him back to try to get an ultrasound of his heart.
Does Sir Newton comply? Does he heck! They try but struggle to get a good image.
After considering all the options, we decided it was best to take him to the emergency vet hospital, where he could hopefully see a specialist.
Isaac was kept in the hospital overnight. They said, from what they could tell, his heart looked ok, but there was fluid in his lungs.
The following day, Isaac goes under anaesthetic for more detailed imaging to try and figure out what is going on. They also took some samples of the fluid in his lungs.
My heart sank when the phone rang hours earlier than expected. Something was going on.
All I could think of was to please let him be okay.
There was some scarring on his lungs, but more concerning, they had found a mass in his abdomen and wanted to know about his bowel habits and if he had been vomiting.
It must be one of the worst feelings in the world. Someone is telling you that your pet is sick, seriously sick.
When I got a full report later on and got to talk to a vet in more detail (when Isaac wasn't asleep on the table), it turned out that he has a sizeable mass between his small and large bowel. Given the location, his age and recent weight loss, the chances are it is cancer—the big C.
We can try and get biopsies to confirm, but sticking a needle in a tumour doesn't seem like the best idea to me. We could try and take it out, but there is no promise that he will wake up from that surgery.
The bottom line is we have decided to do nothing about the cancer, given everything.
We treated his pneumonia, made him more comfortable, and decided that we would keep him going until we couldn't keep him happy and comfortable.
Another point of this post
I also wanted to discuss when diarrhoea isn’t just diarrhoea.
Loose stools can be caused by constipation, too. Do you know what one of the leading causes of constipation is? Intestinal tumours!
So, when diarrhoea is liquid, maybe a bit slimy, when your dog is still having to strain and only managing to pass a bit of this liquid, it could be “overflow”, which is as disgusting as it sounds. It is also time to get your dog to a vet. While there are many natural remedies for constipation in dogs, you need to know what you are treating before you treat it. And severe constipation may need more robust treatment than you can do with home remedies.
The point of this post!
Now, you are probably wondering what the point of sharing this with you is. I mean, yes, writing Isaac’s story is cathartic for me; it's almost like if I can just get enough of him down on paper, so to speak, he will live forever.
But that is not the primary goal here. I am writing to remind you how important it is to keep up with the vet visits for your old boys and girls, even if they seem healthy. I want to tell you to watch for signs of weight loss, appetite changes, bloating, vomiting, diarrhoea, pain, and discomfort. Anything out of the ordinary. As disgusting as it may be, check your dog's poop for signs of blood. Get them to the vet early; things are usually much easier to deal with then!
I am telling you to make your young dogs happy to go to the vet and be examined. As funny as it is to tell the story, you don't want to need an entire veterinary staff to give your pupper an X-ray.
Isaac update
Ok, so it has been a while since I posted this article; I think it's time for an update.
It's March now; Isaac turned 15 officially this month! 🥳🎁
But on Monday, he gave us a serious scare; we thought it might have been his time. He seemed to lose his balance; he was so wobbly he could hardly walk. It's Thursday, and I can say he’s doing better as I write this. He’s still quiet and wobbly but getting better.
It has now come to the point where we are assessing his quality of life weekly.
For us, we feel that if he is in pain that we cannot manage, or he is not interested in things going on around him, is getting no enjoyment from life, doesn't think about trying to dart through the gate if given half a chance, that's when it’s time.
I told him he needed to tell me when he'd had enough, and I would sort everything out. It will kill me, I know, but it’s the last thing I can do for him, the last kindness I can give my friend, my very loud friend.
However, for this week, we are just going to keep on going, he might only be able to urinate on things on his left side (if he cocks his right leg, he falls over), and perhaps he can only do half a circle when getting comfy, but he's still going!
Entering 2025
So we are now into 2025, and for those who may be following this blog of sorts I thought it time to give you another dose of the insanity that is Isaac.
Who had their money on still fighting? Because he is! I'm not saying we haven't had a few scares in the past year but Isaac seems to have inherited the 9 lives of one of the cats!
It’s May…. We are still going strong!
So, despite the implication that Isaac wouldn’t see Christmas 2023, it is now May 2024, and we are getting him more antihistamines!
I don’t know about you, but I think someone made a mistake somewhere!
He is pretty much deaf, and the rest of the time, he employs his old man terrier selective hearing to do what he wants; he also appears to have a slightly scrambled brain, and his doggy dementia seems to have been working double time.
He can bounce around like the puppy we first met, jumping and barking at everything!
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