Thanks, Pat and Brenda. Brenda that would just kill me to make that decision and have my dog acting happy when I'd made the decision to put him to sleep. Yesterday off the pain meds for the first time in these 2 months he was acting like his old self. He was following me from room to room wanting to go for a walk and nudging his treat can with his nose. The vet hasn't called yet with his test results, if he's going to fight I will too. I don't believe he's in worse pain from his kidneys, he doesn't act like it. She said he'll go down fast, I'll probably be eating these words in a month like she said, but for today, I'm going to enjoy my dog and give him what chance I can. He's still thumping his tail at me and waiting until I'm finished with dinner to see if I've got any meat left to give him some. This dog isn't ready to die yet. I hope the people who run these dog food companies have pets who suffer what my dog is doing, not nice but he was fine until he ate their food. I sincerely believe in what goes around comes around. You're right too Pat, this is the last dog for me, it hurts too much. It's family. Brenda, this has been our vet through all our dogs too. I look at Jackson and I think I can't do this, not until there is no hope and he's ready to go...

hapyfrustrated..... I mentioned LS on another thread. I just got two of her dvds. I am 58 need to lose 50 lbs and not very active. I bought LS's " Walk at Home, Walk Away Your Waistline" at Barnes & Noble. It has a 3 mile walk with 1, 2 and 3 mile markers, so you can see how far you walk. The tempo of the music increases as you go along. Also it came with a walk belt you use for resistance. I like it, it is easy easy, and that is what I needed to get started. Since I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I cannot start out gangbusters and hurt myself, or I will quit. BTDT. So I started with the one mile, then two etc. My DD sent me LS Walk the Walk, it is a Christian-inspired workout for FIRMING, lovely music. I like to alternate the dvds for variety. I also got a Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies (I know you didn't ask about it, but I like it),. It is fun to dance around to the oldies songs. Today, dh and I took the dogs for a 2 mile walk, so I will do LS dvd tomorrow. We are retired now, and I find that if I get up and do my 'walk' first thing, and get it over with, I don't worry about it. Good luck with what you decide on. June

DH and I took a walk down the road...we were gone about 25 minutes...stopped and looked at some things, wandered in close to the pond that's on the property next to ours and wondered why anyone would throw trash there. We both hate litterers!!! Sally, The bobcats around here aren't as big as lions and tigers so they don't look as menacing, but I'm still staying away from them. That was twice this week we've seen them. We knew they were around and have seen them on occasion, but not like this. Rosa, Glad your sister wasn't hurt in the encounters with deer. I know it can get bad. My DH hit one when we lived in Indiana on his way to work one morning. It doesn't take long for those farmers to get the carcass off the road and in the freezer! We have a lot of birds, too. We used to have an owl that would come out every night and sit on the top of an old dead tree trunk...DH named him Cedric...he's still around, but not as much since a storm took the trunk down. Pileated woodpeckers are fun...we had a flock of Indigo Buntings last spring....beautiful with the sun shining on them. I love to see the egrets in the median as we drive around. DH is up from his nap, so I can run the sewing machine now. @:) KOKO

My niece has Crohns and has been a deaths door many times. Massive hemoraging, in constant pain, can't eat etc. If he is being advised to have the colostomy tell him to do it!! My niece was in denial also and wouldn't have the surgery...years later and oh so many surgeries she is now no longer a candidate as they have removed so much so much bowel etc. She has far too much scar tissue. If she has a major flare up no one knows what will happen. She has had several sessions of remicade and none helped. Years and years of various medications etc.,she is a walking skeleton, old long before her time and angry/bitter at the cards she has been dealt. She knows of others who had the colostomy and did so much better than she has done. Your friends son is in my prayers.