Rescue Journal

wilbur's autopsy results are back

Carol  ·  Nov. 29, 2012

he had severe arthritis in both of his elbows...everything else looked good.

Comments

Bridget

when you think about it, those elbows would affect everything. it's just not the same as us humans with ours. it means general movement, and a great deal of pain during. sometimes meds can't help that if the arthritis is really bad as you say it was. there's no arthritis Remicade infusions for pigs... and who knows if it would have worked? that's more for RA.
you did the right thing.

Shelley

Quality of life isn't always about tests and diagnosis. It's also about the intuition of experienced care-givers and the guts it takes to make that final decision. You cannot allow an animal to continue to suffer when you have already done everything possible to fix it.

Fiona

He certainly wasn't happy last weekend, didn't want to move at all. :-(

Penny

You say it's always about quality of life, Carol. Wilbur would have been in chronic pain with severe arthritis in both elbows. And it would have been so difficult for him to walk - he was a big boy - trying to support that weight with arthritic legs would have been terrible for him. You made the right decision, and didn't let him suffer. Sounds like he was trying to let everyone know that he wasn't happy or enjoying life anymore.

erin

just because they didnt find it doesnt mean it wasnt there. my opinion? have some baileys and know you did the right thing.