Damn....talk about getting kicked when you're down. Unbelieveably, the SAME EXACT things happened to me, and it sucked. In '87 I "rescued" a 7 or 8 (they didn't know) year old male Basset Hound from the pound. Spike had been abused to the point that he pulled back and cringed when you reached down to pet him. Took a long time and a lot of ear scratching to bring him back, but he was a great, loving, and faithful old hound. Due to massive cancer, I finally had to let him go in 1997...17 or 18 years old!
A short time earlier I had become partially paralyzed in a boat accident, and losing Spike was the final blow.
I was crushed to the point that I went to spend some time home with my family over Thankgiving. For some reason I decided to visit the Humane Society just to see the dogs, and do some ear scratching. And what was there but an abused, malnourished, 7 year old male Basset Hound. I didn't want to jump into anything, but four visits later, just before Christmas, Butkus came home with me. I again have a happy, healthy, funny, and VERY affectionate 3 foot long, 50 pound lap-dog, with a 22 inch "ear-span", who saves my life every day. I couldn't get along without him. I swear, part of Spike is in there somewhere. Please get well soon, and I hope you find a new friend when you're ready, GunR. Don't worry; you'll know.
I know what you're going through, and my prayers go with you. Take Care & Get Well- Dakotan