Sad News

The Last Battle
If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this — the last battle — can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close — we two — these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

— Unknown

We had to put out 8 year old great dane Thor down this past November. We are not 100% sure if there was something wrong with him or if it was old age...we also do not know if there was something that we could have done for him before it got to the point where we had to decide to let him go.


Thor was my fiancé's dog I really did not have much control over the situation, though I had been the one to bring him to the vet over the past few years. I think my fiancé was in denial about what was going on with him, the weight loss, the lack of energy, the sores on his feet/body.

I knew there was something wrong and finally was able to convince my fiancé to bring him to the vet, an appointment was made and when I called home to check on them he told me that he had to work and could not leave to take Thor and would not be able to take him until the following week...denial again. By this time Thor had stopped eating. I was concerned that if we did not take him to the vet that we would no longer have that option. I worried every morning that when I came downstairs he would have died through the night.

I took the next day off and brought him to the vet myself. I knew what they would say and I wish I were wrong. They said that they could not find out what was wrong with him unless they did expensive tests that may not show anything and that if they did that they thought that he was too far gone to bring back. We waited too long to take him to the vet. I should have taken him sooner but I wanted my fiancé to take him because HE was the one that needed to hear what they had to say.

I took Thor home that day and told my fiancé what the vet said and told him to call her. She would give more detail than I could, and he needed to hear it from the vet. He made the call and made the decision to put poor Thor down the next day. By this time Thor had stopped getting up altogether and had not gone out to pee in 2 days.

I am not looking for any sympathy here...unless for Thor. I am just wanting to tell people that they have to be very careful with their dogs/pets, if you think something might be wrong- go to the vet - better safe than sorry. I wish I had taken Thor sooner and not held off trying to convince my fiancé to take him. We don't know if going earlier would have helped but we do know that it couldn't have hurt him to get checked out earlier.

Go to the vet before it is too late.