Toller_08

Thanks everyone. She really was a great girl, and it's even harder to deal with because it was very unexpected and she was only just over 4. Laker, yes, that's another picture of her. She lived to run and play and just make the best out of everyday. She loved to have fun!

I just wanted to let everybody know that Tango had to be put to sleep last Tuesday. She woke up (last) Monday morning unable to walk (we thought she had slipped a disc or two - in which case, she would've had surgery). We took her for some tests, and the specialist said that she either had a tumor on her spinal cord (but wouldn't know without opening her up), or her discs were degenerating. He's 98% sure it was the latter. We could have still done surgery, but he said there was no possible way she'd ever be able to walk again. Anybody who knows Tango or has met her would agree with me when I say, that living in a wheel chair for the remainder of her life would not have been at all fair and would most definitely not have been the right decision for her. She deserved better and would have been miserable in a wheel chair. Seeing her in such discomfort and confusion was awful. The most terrible thing I've ever been through. I haven't cried this much in forever - Tango meant the world to me. I'm doing better today compared to the rest of the week, though I'm still angry/sad that this had to happen to Tango. She was such a good girl. It's hard to think that this time last Sunday was the last time I'd ever throw the ball for her again. Bed time is without a doubt the most difficult part of my day. People keep telling me that "she knew it was her time to go", and I shouldn't feel bad (though I understand they don't mean anything bad by it). She really didn't have any idea though. She looked terrified and confused, with a face that said "help me, I don't know what's happening". Here are her last two pictures, before she got progressively worse:

I'm not in Australia so am not sure where Nutro, California Natural, or Innova would be available but I just felt like adding some of my experiences/thoughts on all three of the above foods. My dogs (all different breeds) ate Nutro for years and I had great results. Coats were beautiful, soft, and shiny. Energy level was great. Their stools were good and had virtually no scent, and their breath was good. We switched to California Natural this past summer as my Doberman couldn't tolerate the Nutro for some reason -not sure why, but I'm glad I did as even though I had excellent results with the Nutro and saw no room for improvement, after feeding the Cal. Natural their coats became even more soft and shiny. They all look just as good as my friends' raw fed dogs now. Their energy level is still very high, but they're more relaxed with this food as opposed to the Nutro - hopefully that makes sense. We switch between Innova and California Natural and really, there isn't much difference between the foods and what they do for my dogs. I just switch every so often as Tango gets bored with the same food over and over again. So, I'd recommend the California Natural or Innova over Nutro, but I'm just basing that on my own experiences.