What Would You Do?

Diana Panico Pintel

   Breaker was the lion king of our pack for the first 12 years of his life.  He reigned

with a majestic aire about him, seasoned with mischief and laughter. Daily he flew into his wire crate behind the seat of his loving master.  No other crate would do, and no other dog would attempt to invade that space.  During the past four months, Breaker, our 12-year old Labrador, has been in pain with his back.  We thought it was just the aging process, and we put him on higher doses of Glucosamine and finally resorted to some Prednisone.  Last weekend we decided something more had to be done.  Breaker began to drag his back feet, but at that time he was still walking.  I talked to a friend who said that a shot of Adequin might help him, and I made an appointment in Oroville, a town located 100 miles away from our home. The appointment was for the following Tuesday, but on that day he could not walk at all.  The vet in Oroville said that the shot would not help.  We had seen an orthopedist in Redding for other problems with our dogs, and I had a back-up appointment with him on that Friday.  I called the office and told the doctor that Breaker could not stand up, and they said to come immediately.  It was lunch, but they would wait.  Breaker and I left within 30 minutes, and we made the trip in about 1½ hours.  I have a fear of driving, but we just kept going.

    The office staff was waiting for him, and we carried him into the office.

Victor had said goodbye to Breaker with a big bear hug.  We did not think the future looked good.  The doctor examined him immediately and said we needed back films. They returned within a few minutes with the x-rays.  The dog was not sedated, and the films told a sad tale.  The back had normal aging except for a blown disk near the end of the spine.  The results could not be much worse.  The spine had been that way for several months, and the disk was now closing off the blood supply to the spinal cord.  He needed a dye test, blood work, and a deep pain test.  These things would have to be done before the doctor knew if he was a candidate for disk repair.  The operation would relieve the pressure on the spinal cord.  He said that there was only a 50/50 chance that Breaker would walk again.  He also said that he would no longer be in pain, and that a wheel cart could be used if needed.  The doctor said that he would not do the surgery without the other tests.  Time was real important. 

  Breaker looked up at me "out of pain" because he had become paralyzed.  He was bright-eyed and looking better than he had in a while.  I had no more questions and I said,  "Go for it!"  The doctor said that he would telephone me when the blood work came back for the final go ahead.  He tried a tremendous squeeze of Breaker's back feet resulting in only a slight move on his part. I walked out of the office to wait for more test results.  I said, "By the way, about how much is this going to be?"  He said two thousand dollars.  The sub floor would have to stay in the bedroom without the new surface, and the engine for my old Sprint would not get replaced.   What would you do? 

     At 7:00 PM he called to say that it was a go for the surgery.  I said, "Tomorrow in the morning?"

    "Oh no," he said.  "It must be done now, and I will call you at 10:00 PM tonight to tell you how he came out of the anesthesia."  

     He also said that we might not know anything for a few days. He called at 10:00 PM to say that all had gone well and that Breaker could go home in a week or so.  He had high hopes.  I went home for a couple of days and then returned to spend more time in the office keeping my special dog company.  He could not get his head up by himself, but we felt in time that he would.

 

    We put Breaker to sleep today, November 18, 2000, three weeks after the doctor had told me that he had come through fine and would be walking in a few months.  His heart and soul gave up slowly over 3 1/2 weeks.  He never lifted his head up on his own and seemed in constant pain.  A new drug to help paralyzed animals seemed to give him some movement.   On the drug he could wag his tail and give me a swift kick. He ate and drank, but at the end of 3 ½ weeks Breaker was not able to sit up.  Breaker got diarrhea and became so weak.  We ordered a cart that helped us take him outside so that he could relieve himself.  Lifting Breaker's rear end with a towel so that he could use his front legs to walk had become too difficult on our backs.  The cart company is located in Oak Harbor, Washington and does a wonderful job on carts for all handicapped dogs. They even refund a portion of your money if the dog has to be put down.  They have been in business 30 years and manufacture six carts a day.  They are K-9 Cart Company, and their telephone number is (360) 675-1808.  They have a web site and are extremely helpful with the fitting.     Breaker was only able to go out in the yard the day we took the picture. Breaker had lots of message, physical therapy and a warm place by the fire.  It was not to be.  Day by day he gave up to a pain in his neck. He was never able to pick his head up on his own.  He could not regain his strength, and it was difficult going to sleep each night with the heavy emotion over us. 

    This last day the vet took more x-rays and could not find the cause of the pain.  The pain wasn't on the x-rays.  It was in his dying soul, and I felt that the Breaker we knew had already left us.  The doctor suggested the use of isoflourine to ease him into a sleep before the lethal injection was given. We decided that this method was so much kinder.  He was put into a deep sleep and snored before the last shot.  He gave Victor a big kiss and slipped away. We brought him home to rest in the daffodils and slipped his stuffed raccoon neatly next to his peaceful head.

    The question I ask myself is would I do it again if a veterinarian said to me that a 12-year old, healthy and strong dog would have a 50/50 chance to walk again.  We live on one teacher's salary, but we felt that the cost was within our means.  The answer for me is without question "YES."  It is for everyone to decide how far to go in the last days of your dog's life.   But for me the options given were good enough.  I know that I learned from the experience, and that perhaps I can use the knowledge to care for another of my old dogs in the future.  I did not know about Mestinon, the medicine for the stimulation of muscle movement.  I did not know about the cart.  I did not know there was a kinder, gentler way to put Breaker to sleep.  My heart aches to hold him.  Many dogs live through back repair and go on. 

The following email went out to friends spread over the West Coast and Canada:

                             

Can CH Mistypoint Ice Breaker, Am/Can CD, WC, CGC , 9 points

Best in Show at the Hangtown Kennel Club Match.

8/2/88 to 11/18/2000

Breaker was known to us as "the Hulkster", "boo boo Breaker", "Breaker Breaker good buddy".

He was put down today as he could no longer fight to recover from his back surgery.

We buried him next to Phoebe in a field of daffodils. We hope he is running free.

He was our true and loyal friend. He gave Victor a kiss on the mouth before he left and

told him it was OK, old friend. Our tears are filled with his spirit; we will feel him in so many places in our daily lives. Lady cried a strange cry as we put him in the ground.

Victor and Diana

    The question that had been posed to me on that first day after he was paralyzed was if all tests checked out and we did the surgery, would he walk or wouldn't he.  He would have to use a cart if he could not walk, and that was fine with us.  We did not think that he would die or have his life ended.  We thought that the quality of his life could only be improved.  The fact is that he was an old man, older than his tests. The new drug really helped him move.  The cart helped us so much with taking him outside.  Victor and I received many supportive wishes from across the country.  The schoolchildren in our small town sent Breaker a life size Labrador with 3 helium filled get-well balloons.  The isoflourine let him go quietly.  I know that I will always go for surgery if there is a fair chance for the dog to recover.  We don't know the answers as to why he did not recover, but I know it was the right decision for us.