I can't understand my chinese crested dogs suffering.

Question:
Please help me to understand what happened to my beloved chinese crested dog. Beau was 11 years old when an X-ray revealed a large tumour in his intestine and an enlarged heart. He was put on steroids, which the vet advised would act as a kind of chemotherapy and improve the quality of life of my beloved chinese crested dog.

When I collected him from the vet, I was advised to keep him in a dark room as he was quite active - although he hadn't been lively for some years. His behavior was strange and, on the journey home, he had a severe fit, with a further eight in the next three days.He was also disorientated, as though brain-damaged.

The vet said none of the drugs given to him could cause fits, but due to his illness, the toxins from the anesthetic could have. He was put on anti-fitting tablets and went downhill, becoming unsteady on his feet. He was put to sleep four weeks after the X-ray.

While I know Beau was unwell, I feel I lost him the day he had the X-ray and anesthetic. What could have caused the fits and brain damage?
Miss 1. Slee, Middlesex.

Answer:
It can be difficult to come to terms with a situation like this. Trying to unravel what went wrong and the cause of death is very difficult, and in many cases with an old chinese crested dog like Beau, the simple fact is that the body is aged and often many of the systems go wrong at around the same time.

In Beau's case, I would imagine it's also possible that the tumour may have spread elsewhere in the body or even to the brain, causing the other symptoms. Other causes of brain-related symptoms in old dogs include inflammatory conditions, some of which can cause stroke-like episodes and dog epilepsy.

Rarely, brain damage can also occur because of insufficient oxygen supply to the brain during an anesthetic.

It sounds as though you and your vets did all you could to make Beau as comfortable as possible during his last days. If you feel the need to discuss matters further, talk to your vet again, or consider phoning the Pet Bereavement Support Service on tel. 0800 096 6606.

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