My old dog’s getting older

Kai got homemade sardine sauce on his kibble today (homemade from canned sardines; I didn’t go out and catch & smoke those little fishes myself). He won’t get any breakfast because he’s having surgery done tomorrow. He has a growth under an eye that the vet believes is cancerous and rotting teeth that need pulled. He’ll need general anesthesia, which is dangerous for an old dog.

I was having trouble deciding whether I wanted to put him through that. But then when John was gone last week (John’s been gone a lot again recently), and I had the dogs in Santa Fe, I noticed that Kai was crying when Kira was playing with him. Kira is our youngest dog, and I don’t think she means him any harm, but I don’t understand why she doesn’t have an instinct to back off when he cries. John’s home now, so we have them separated; Kai is in Santa Fe with me, and Rosie and Kira are in Placitas.

Anyway, based on the fact that Kai is in pain, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. It would be very sad, but not the end of the world, if he doesn’t make it through surgery. My main goal is to keep him comfortable – not to extend his life at all costs.

By the way, while I’m on this difficult subject, let me digress and mention, for posterity, that’s how I feel about my life also. If I’m brain dead or terminal, I just want to be made as comfortable as possible and let go with reasonable expediency (morphine – yes; feeding tubes – no.)

Anyway, not to unduly upset anyone – we are anticipating a fine outcome, a speedy recovery, and another few good years for Kai-boy. I’ve got more of that sardine sauce all ready when he’s ready.