Beng’s Last Day:
Beng was unable to stand up this Wednesday morning. I helped him to his feet, he took a couple of steps and
fell down. He never got up again. I gave him a little hot cereal with Mocha Mix but I had to hold the bowl for
him since he could not stand up to eat. At 0800 I phoned Companion Pet Clinic and told them I was bringing
Beng in. At 0820 I asked Ross next door to help me get Beng into my car. Beng didn’t like Ross touching him
and I was unable to help due to my bad back so Ross got Bob (another neighbor) to help. I muzzled Beng and
they rolled him onto his blanket and used the blanket as a stretcher. I left for Forest Grove around 0850 and
arrived around 0915. It was raining moderately and around 45 degrees. Brian (staff helper) carried Beng from
the car to the clinic and into a small room where I was able spend several minutes with him to say goodbye in
private. Michele examined Beng and suggested she could give him a cortisone shot that might temporally help.
She said the shot was just a “band-aid” and there was little chance he would recover. Beng was nearly blind due
to cataracts, barley could hear and now unable to walk so I decided it was time to say goodbye. The only pain
Beng felt was a minor sting when the sedative was administered. There were no convulsions or other signs of
stress when he died. Michele, Brian and Kathy (receptionist) were all very supportive and sympathetic. I have
never experienced anything so personally painful before. Even when my Mother died I was not so affected
because she died over such a long period.

The events that facilitated his death:
11 Jan 2010 - Beng and I walked two miles at lunchtime. At 1400 Beng went outside, walked around a little,
urinated then went into the south east corner of the yard and started making tight circles clockwise. He then fell
onto his right shoulder like dogs do when rolling in something (nothing there) then fell to the ground and
quivered which lasted a couple of minutes. He got up on his own and came back into the house. That evening he
ate about one half of his dinner but later finished it. The next day he seemed normal.

13 Jan 2010 - Woke up at 0430 to noise and Beng was having another attack, followed by two more. By 0600
the attacks stopped and he was feeling better but he could barley walk. I phoned Dave Olsen (N7IBI) at 1000
and he came over. We took Beng to the Aloha Companion Pet Clinic. Dr. Grotbeck said he probably had a mild
stroke, gave him a shot for nausea and some pills for nausea. He said there was a good chance Beng would
compensate and recover on his own unless the stroke was caused by cancer or a brain tumor. During the next
few days Beng got dizzy easily, had some problem walking and did not have a very good appetite.

21 Jan 2010 - Beng was disoriented this morning and could not find his way from the master bed room to the
kitchen. After lunch, Beng and I were able to walk about a half mile. He gradually got stronger over the next
couple of weeks.

01 Feb 2010 – Beng had another attack at 1900, shaking and panting and vomited and shaking his head from
side to side. Then a second attack at 1925 with heavy panting and he vomited again. By 1950 he was feeling
much better and drank some water. He was pretty much back to normal by 2100 so it may not have been
another stroke. In a couple of days we were walking up to two miles.

21 Mar 2010 - Noticed for the first time that Beng’s motor control is not stable; like he has a very mild case of
Parkinson's.

03 Nov 2010 - When you tickle a dog he wiggles his leg. Beng is now doing that if I pet him just about
anywhere below his collar and it is especially bad on the top middle of his back. He sometimes just shudders if I
pet him there. He behaves normally otherwise and doesn’t seem to be in any pain. This phenomenon resurfaced
again just before he died but it wasn’t as strong.

01 Mar 2011 – Beng fell down during our walk today. It seemed like he just lost coordination. This problem
with falling down continued from this point forward every couple of weeks or so until his death.

16 Mar 2011 - Beng did not eat breakfast or anything at lunch. We did walk about a mile and he seemed normal
but has diarrhea. I have tried various types of meat and fish and he will not eat anything; he did drink a small
amount of water.

17 Mar 2011 - Beng had to go outside five times during the night due to bloody diarrhea, classic symptoms of
cancer. I was able to get him to drink some water each time. He refused to eat anything in the morning but he
did play a little ball although he didn’t have much energy. Took him to Companion Pet Clinic in Forest Grove
to see Dr Michel Bartholomew. She was very nice and gave him a shot to settle his stomach after the
examination. She also gave me two types of oral pills to give him to help control the diarrhea. Beng ate a
handful of peanuts in the late evening, he drank quite a bit of water but wouldn’t eat anything else. The lab
results were negative for parasites. There was no further development from this incident and he was soon back
to normal.

27 Oct 2011 – All was going well with Beng until this date when he had another attack at 0100. He was turning
in circles like he was drunk with short labored breath and had trouble standing. At breakfast time he was
walking normally and appeared responsive but is still not eating. He drinks a lot of water and is panting even
though it is only 69 degrees in the house. After lunch, Beng only walked about a block and then wanted to go
home. This was probably another stroke and I have notice that they also screw up his appetite. This time he
wouldn’t eat meat but would eat candy coated peanuts. He had another attack at 1800. This time he was
standing and just fell flat over onto his right side and again had short labored breath. Another minor attack at
2100. At 2300 I coaxed Beng outside to urinate and he did. Then he came back inside and collapsed spread
eagle on the floor and wouldn’t move (like he was paralyzed). After around ten minutes he was able to lift his
head up and at 2317 he was able to walk to the kitchen and drink some water.

28 Oct 2011 – Beng was alert this morning and went outside to urinate, no problem. Then he wanted to go out
again to defecate and collapsed on the lawn at 0726. After five minutes he was able to walk back into the house.
At 0900 I was surprised when Beng got his ball and wanted to play so we did for a few minutes. Then he
wanted to go out to urinate and defecate again. He came back inside and collapsed on the floor at 0923 but was
back up after five minutes. Another attack at 1315. By dinner time Beng’s appetite had returned and he ate all of
his dinner. Another attack at 2100. There is a correlation between exertion (even defecating) and the onset of an
attack. Another attack at 2300.

29 Oct 2011 – Walked Beng about a half mile which was tiring for him. At 2015 Beng went out to defecate and
had another attack.

30 Oct 2011 – A mild attack at 1600 but he has stopped eating again. He is drinking water.

31 Oct 2011 – Another mild attack at 1230 but his appetite has returned and he had a big dinner.

01 Nov 2011 – This morning Beng seemed to have no stamina and was barley able to walk outside to urinate.
He drinks water but does not want to eat. After this point Beng improved and we were again walking about a
mile every day. By the end of the month we were doing our usual two mile walk.

06 Dec 2011 – From this point we dropped to a one mile daily walk.

21 Jan 2012 – On our usual one mile walk, Beng fell and had trouble getting up.

24 Jan 2012 – Beng had trouble getting up to his feet this morning, took four attempts. We did a one mile walk
but he fell down and I had to help him to his feet.

27 Jan 2012 – Beng again fell during our walk and he also fell at the back door while I was unlocking it.

31 Jan 2012 – On our walk today Beng started breathing heavily then he had a seizure right in the middle of
Lenore Drive. I had to direct traffic to keep him from being run over. It lasted around five minutes, then he got
up and we walked home. After this point, Beng’s walking speed was significantly reduced and I had to be very
careful not to stress him for fear of initiating a seizure.

27 Feb 2012 – Beng had a seizure on our walk today. This one lasted around ten minutes and then he was able
to get up and walk home.

02 Mar 2012 – Beng is having trouble walking one mile so we cut back to half mile daily walks from this point
forward.

13 Mar 2012 – Beng is loosing stamina, just a ten minute walk today and he was getting shaky and having
trouble balancing.

16 Mar 2012 – Walked Beng about five blocks round trip and he was exhausted. We cut back to five or six
blocks from this point forward.

21 Mar 2012 – Let Beng out to relieve himself at 2300 and he had another attack.

22 Mar 2012 – Beng did not eat his dinner last night and didn’t want to get up this morning. He drank one half
his usual amount of water yesterday. He tried to play ball this morning and within a very short time had another
attack, this time with convulsions. The convulsions did not last long.

23 Mar 2012 – Walked Beng in the cul-de-sac maybe two blocks total and he was exhausted. He is very weak
now.

26 Mar 2012 – Only three blocks round trip with Beng and he had a seizure right at the back door.

28 Mat 2012 – Beng wanted to play ball so bad this morning but he is so weak he can barely walk. When I try
to exercise him it usually brings on a seizure so I don’t have much hope that he will last much longer.

30 Mar 2012 – Beng did not want to walk today.

31 Mar 2012 – Beng tried to play ball this morning but after a few minutes his muscles started quivering and he
collapsed. He has no stamina. Beng is having frequent muscle spasms now. It’s almost like his brain is shorting
out.

02 Apr 2012 – Beng is having trouble maintaining balance and frequently falls.

03 Apr 2012 – Beng had a lot of trouble getting up this morning.

04 Apr 2012 – Beng was unable to stand this morning so I asked Ross and Bob (neighbors) to put him in the car
for me and took him to Forest Grove Companion Pet Clinic. Michele Bartholomew DVM said there was little
hope he would recover and recommended he be put down so I agreed.

Final Notes:
I would have never gotten through the euthanasia procedure had I not asked God to give me the strength to bear it.

I used a scanable Bible trying to find a reference regarding the reunion of Christians with their pets in Heaven
but was not able to find anything so I don’t expect to ever see Beng again. He was a gift from God and the best
dog I have ever had. The grief from loosing him is almost unbearable.

Charlie Kronschnabel
4 April 2012