03/10/2025
Unfortunately the time has come to share some very sad news, our precious boy Pepper has gone to live with the angels. He actually passed late last week, but I just couldn't bring myself to compose this post until now. It is a very long story, so bare with me. I had been noticing some signs he was in pain. I thought it was his mouth because he stopped eating hard food, but ate ok when I soaked it. He would NOT let me look in his mouth, so I made a vet appointment for the same day as Skye was spayed, last Tuesday. During the exam she noted possible pain in his spine so we decided to sedate him for xrays and a full oral exam. They found alot of tarter and a possible broken tooth, so recommended a dental, which we scheduled for next week. The xrays showed some moderate arthritis in his spine, but nothing extreme for a 10.5yr old dog. They sent him home on gabapentin and carprophen tablets. He refused to eat that night and continued to refuse for the next 2 days. He also was demonstrating some significant behavior changes. He started trying to bite me when I administered his meds and acted like he didnt know who i was. So I called and took him back to the vet that day. By the time we got to the vet, he could barely stand on his own and would scream out in pain if we barely touched him. He was conscious, but his pupils were non-reactive and he could not stand on his own without falling over to one side. It was HEARTBREAKING! He was examined by all 3 vets and the concensus was he either had a brain tumor or he was actively having a major stroke. There was nothing we could do for him at that point except let him go, so I made the decision to put him to sleep. I could not let him suffer. As hard as it was, I know in my head it was the right thing to do, but my heart is another story. š He gave us some beautiful babies and will be terribly missed. RIP my sweet Pepper Jack. We love you!!
