R.I.P. Eliot

We put our beloved beagle, Eliot, to sleep on Saturday. He was 7 years old.

As many of you know, Eliot had epilepsy. He was on a combination of Potassium Bromide and Phenobarbital to try to control the severity and duration of the seizures, but lately he'd been having more clusters of them than usual. A side effect of the use of Phenobarbital is frequent urination and increased water intake. Well, Eliot drank like a camel and peed constantly - on the floor, the carpet... He would be standing and just pee, like he couldn't help it. We were concerned and upset that the drugs were making this happen all the time. Turns out Eliot had probably also developed Cushings disease - we don't know for certain but he had EVERY symptom - increased water intake and frequent urination (same symptoms as the Phenobarbital) but also weakness, raised liver enzymes, thinning of the skin, and hair loss. Eliot hadn't been able to jump on the couch with ease in a very long time - we have been helping him up for the past 6 months or so. He never played with his toys, only for a few minutes until he got tired. He never could make it home after a walk without going really slowly and panting. He couldn't jump on the bed easily anymore. He struggled to make it up the stairs because it exhausted him. That's not a life for a dog. His liver enzymes were high - that we know from when he got bloodwork done in May. But they weren't high enough to cause real concern. They were just going to monitor him. His hair on his belly disappeared - Steve called him "moo cow" since you could see the black patches where black hair had been. And the skin on his belly was really thin, like an old lady's hand. So, when we took Eliot to the vet on Saturday, the vet said he probably had Cushings and that it would entail a new drug regimen and potential complication with the epilepsy drugs and more tests and further monitoring... we were reluctant to stress Eliot's body even further. And for what? To keep him alive to be our pet? No. Eliot was tired, and it was time to say goodbye. The vet understood and didn't try to convince us that Eliot's health issues were an easy fix and he got the drugs, administered them in an IV in Eliot's left leg and 20 seconds later, and with one last sigh, Eliot was gone. No more tics and twitches. No more being a "bad dog" for peeing on the carpet. No more struggling. No more seizures. No more pacing. No more restless nights. Eliot was at peace. And, after getting over the shock of having to say goodbye to our dear friend, so were we.

Though we only had him for 3 years (his first 4 years being shuffled around between families that didn't really want him) Eliot has left an indelible mark on our souls and we will love him forever. R.I.P. Eliot.