[spidey]

So sorry. I know how hard this must be for you. :(

Most holistic treatments are in the "can't hurt/might help" category, so it's certainly worth a try. However, I agree with you that quality of life is what matters, assuming he's got it (and there's still that 1% chance that he doesn't), nothing you do will cure it, so even though there are diets you can try which some feel can slow the growth, if it were my dog I'd be spoiling him rotten and making him the happiest puppy I could. As to when to PTS - that choice has to be made by you, I certainly see no reason to do it as soon as you have the diagnosis - as long as he's relatively pain-free and as long as he has more good days than bad, there's no reason to jump the gun (by the same token, be able to recognize when it's time, for him or for yourself - he won't know what's happening, so you won't be doing him any disservice by not wringing every last good day out of him).

I'll also say what I say to others in your boat - what I did when my wonderful cat was dying of kidney failure was to keep a journal and take lots of pictures. That journal is terribly hard to read for me, but as it turned out I really needed to write down how I was feeling to get a grip on it, and it also makes me laugh and remember what day-to-day life with Huey was like. It's something you certainly won't regret having done a year from now, a kind of very personal memorial.

Hang in there - try and make the time you have really count, and remember to have fun with him. Hugs.