It has been 1 month since we lost our boy. They say time is a healer but really all it does is soften the blow. Whilst we are honoured to have the opportunity to have shared his life with you all and can never take from the positive impact it has had on so so many, it times like this you wish you could escape from it. Having to share our grief with the world draws up raw emotion again and feels like starting over. That being said, the true reality and impact that a solitude dog has is apparent in all your thoughts prayers and well wishes and we thank you all for your support. Phil was definitely unique in many qualities you've all recognised. He was a human in dog form, so emotional. He spread happiness wherever he went despite his own troubles. He grew more and more a fan base as the years went on and he did himself and us as his family proud. He was a happy boy, a good boy, the goodest in fact and in his time of slumber he remained that way.

Degenerative mylepothy was diagnosed only by process of elimination. There is no test for it here in the UK it's too invasive. Phil wasn't in pain from it. What I've tried to get across in the video is that though this was degenarative, we were never pointed in this direction or hinted of a possibility or even had knowledge of the same. As such it went amiss with arthritis and old age which is typical of the condition. Phil had collapsed, his rear legs were unresponsive and whilst shane managed to effectively wheelbarrow him to go to the toilet he refused as of course the position umcomfortable. Swapping hand to support him under his stomach he wouldn't go either due to the pressure. Phil went to the toilet 10x more than the others, he would drink a litre then go to the toilet for a long time on account of cushings, he had no schedule despite being fed the same time every day it wasn't something we could control. The next morning his front legs had gone too, he wouldn't bear any weight at all. Shane hoisted him by wrapping two pairs of trousers under his hips and front legs to try and lift him to the grass. He wouldn't go and by this time he would have normally gone to the toilet 3 or 4 times. Phil was a big dog, he weighed a lot and there was no feasable way to determine when he wanted to drink or go to the toilet let alone help him. Wheelchairs were out of the question as he had no use of legs. At the vets a long way away they tried to express bladder and couldn't, a catheter was the only way and it could stay for a maximum 5 days. We couldn't do anything Phil was crying from discomfort not pain. He refused to go to the toilet lay down in his own bed too proud, as ever all he wanted to do was be a good boy.
We held him, thanked him, talked to him, told him we loved him and that we were proud of him and watched him go to sleep as we continued to praise him.

Unity Until we meet again Phil, you'll always be in our hearts, rest easy. x

Phil's book
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what...