Had to take Buster for his final trip to the vet last night.
For a Persian, he kept himself remarkably well-groomed, until 2-3 weeks ago... then my wife discovered a lump on his head. He was becoming more and more lethargic, and a week and a half ago we noticed his one eye (nearest the lump) seemed to be bulging and he was having trouble breathing. We took him to the vet this weekend, and she gave us some antibiotics for him in case it was just an abscess... then yesterday we noticed he had trouble going down the stairs, trouble lifting his back legs, and seemed to be stumbling side-to-side, and his breathing was getting even worse. At one point, he just squatted in the dining room, peed right there in the middle of the floor, and then sat in it.
So we made the sad decision to take him back to the vet after work and put him to rest
Can't believe how quickly he went downhill, but at least the end was fast and painless and he had his family with him.
Rest in peace, Buster Brown - may you always stalk slow rodents, bask in unending sunshine, and torment unsuspecting doggies...