Well, Paul Harvey, here's the rest of the story...we stayed by his side day and night for nine days. During that time it became increasingly clear that Max was not going to make it. His appetite came back and for a few days he ate and drank on his own. But, his muscle spasms worsened until they were constant and were attacking his entire body. He lost his ability to stand or even to hold his head up. The last two days of his life, Max was on high doses of pain medication, but even still he was crying constantly from the pain.
We decided it was best to put Max down but of course that was not as easy as it might sound. We called the two vets that we had dealt with; one was out of town and the other said he could not euthanize animals. The vet that was out of town told Tony how the process should be done.
So, after the pain and exhaustion of watching Max suffer for nine days, we had the added pain of having to euthanize him ourselves. This was one of the hardest things Tony has ever had to do. Even so, Max went to sleep peacefully. During the process, Tony had a vision of Max getting up off the table, shaking off the disease, and running through fields licking cow noses and chasing goats...I'm not sure if "All Dogs Go to Heaven" but we believe Dylan's Max is there!
I have a confession to make to all the dog lovers in the world...I generally don't like dogs. But Max was one in a million...he taught me that I could actually learn to love a dog. Dylan still cries every day because he misses his "best friend." But, just like I said last week...we praise God for his unfailing love and faithfulness and for the gift He has given our family, and especially Dylan, in this special dog!
We decided it was best to put Max down but of course that was not as easy as it might sound. We called the two vets that we had dealt with; one was out of town and the other said he could not euthanize animals. The vet that was out of town told Tony how the process should be done.
So, after the pain and exhaustion of watching Max suffer for nine days, we had the added pain of having to euthanize him ourselves. This was one of the hardest things Tony has ever had to do. Even so, Max went to sleep peacefully. During the process, Tony had a vision of Max getting up off the table, shaking off the disease, and running through fields licking cow noses and chasing goats...I'm not sure if "All Dogs Go to Heaven" but we believe Dylan's Max is there!
I have a confession to make to all the dog lovers in the world...I generally don't like dogs. But Max was one in a million...he taught me that I could actually learn to love a dog. Dylan still cries every day because he misses his "best friend." But, just like I said last week...we praise God for his unfailing love and faithfulness and for the gift He has given our family, and especially Dylan, in this special dog!
