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OT: Dog Story -- Sad Time at My House


Olorin

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For about a year now, my wife has wanted a German Shepherd. We've looked around, but when the time was right the dog wasn't, or vice versa. Finally, three weeks ago, everything lined up and we found her German Shepherd at the local SPCA.

He was an adult dog who was found at large in the city. He was at the shelter for three weeks and had already been to the table once before the handler decided he was just too good a dog to put down. He had three more days when we adopted him.

He had kennel cough, and we treated him. He got all his shots, and became a loved member of our family. Today he woke up with a nosebleed, so we took him to the vet. We figured he just had something lodged up there, so they'd anesthetize him and have a look. Before they could anesthetize him, though, they had to do a blood panel to make sure his body could safely process the anesthesia.

The blood work revealed that he was in the mid to late stages of kidney failure. He had only 25% kidney function. The vet told us he might have two good months, maybe six, maybe a year. In any case his disease was terminal, and some time fairly soon he was going to meet a bad end. We decided to spare him that, and had to let him go.

It's amazing how attached you can become to a dog in just three short weeks. We'll miss you, Bear.

Bear2.jpg

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O, you're not alone on this journey. Lots of us have faced the same thing and it is never easy. The important thing is that you did open your heart and feelings to another creature. Despite the pain of loss, you and your family will be better for the experience. Being able to feel is an important part of life............when we lose or hide from that ability, we limit ourselves. Peace my friend, feel the sadness now but remember the good, albeit too short, feelings you and your family had during your time with Bear.

Sorry to get mushy , peace.

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I'm sorry to hear that. 15.gif

I've had lots of pets come and go, but luckily I was a kid then and was more or less care free. We've had a cat, dog, and many hampsters... and I was always sad when we lost one (although we gave the cat and dog away when I was small). Now, we have a cute little kitty... siamese/himalayan mix or something along those lines. I am quite attached to that cat even though she is very moody and only likes to be petted when she wants to be petted. If we lost her...

Just try to remember the happy times, even though it may be hard to do sometimes.

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I extend my sympathy to you and your family. I lost my dog in the summer when my dad hit her in the drive-way. hurt like hell to see her on the lawn struggling. sometimes i REALLY miss her8.gif8.gif. she wasn't really smart(didnt listen well and was defensive.ie-nippy) but d@m, it doesn't matter when they're a part of the family. i guess i had to share my story too. you'll make it through this tough time though. try not to get too dragged down by it. keep busy and dont sit around(i think im bad at suggestions for this kind of thing. buy im trying).

scp53

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How ironic that you put your dog to sleep. Today my dog passed away too. It was just so fast. It turned bad this past christmas where it would not eat, drink, move. We thought it was food poisoning. My dad was a vetrinarian in his home country but could not become one due to at the time the united states did not percieve the college he went to as credible. So he never became a vet in america. But this was 20 years and a stroke later for him so he forgot most of the things. So we perceived it as food poisoning, vomitted, diaherria, fever normal signs of food poisoning. But then it became worse for a week, got better last tuesday, it moved and ate a bit. But Thursday and Friday it was apparent. We brought it to the vet when it became bad. But he also thought it was food poisoning and so. So then My dad called all his vet friends and they confirmed finally it was cancer... Cancer.......................................

I had my dog for 9 years, it's birtday was december 9, 1995. She died today saturday January 8, 2005. Her last movement was to get up from the living room away from where my father and brother was watching her, it took 10 minutes for her to get up while crying, My dog was crying, then walked away to the dining room and laid there vomitted and died. She didn't want us to see her die.....

Well rest in piece Tina (moo monger)

We had her cremated today.....

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A very good looking animal. Appears to be a pure bred. G.S. dogs are so inbred that their susceptible to any number of health problems. We stopped with them after losing 2 way too young. Started up with greyhound rescue dogs. Wonderful, wonderful pets (females). They enjoy a lengthy and deep gene pool and their breeding is for speed not appearance...so, few health related problems.

It's terribly hard to lose a loving and loyal friend. They count on us for their welfare and it's not fair to enlist them through suffering for our sake. They don't understand pain and it's not medically treated like human pain is. Heartbreaking as it is we do them a favor by putting them down.15.gif

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Nice looking dog.

The extended family just lost Cocoa early last year. Cause of death was essentially old age.

Now there can't be any cause and effect in a medical sense. But I've noticed that sometimes when a family dog passes away, other family members become prone to illness.

I really wonder if having the canines around tweeks up the human health system in a presently unknown way. Keeping dogs goes back to pre-history. Maybe there has always been a reason.

Gil

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I'm sorry for your losses, Olorin and Jay 481985. Dogs provide an unconditional love that is indescribable and it hurts when they're gone.

Olorin, you and your family are to be commended for rescuing an older pet from the shelter and a cold end. You provided him with warm, compassion, friendship, and understanding.

We are kinder to our pets in their last hours of need than we are to each other.

Jay4811985, there is a kind respect shown in your post to your family as well as your pet, which speaks beyond words.

Here's a site that has helped me.

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

And my avatar, that's Misty. She's been gone since Dec. 21, 2003. Now we've got Cammie - a 6 year old rescued from the shelter. You guys and your families - take care. Hamish

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I am very sorry to hear about the losses of your dogs. We have two dogs. They are 7 and 8 years old. I just dread when their times will come. To us, they are like our children (we don't have any kids). I know that losing them will tear me up. Again, sorry for your losses.

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Thank you all for your nice replys. Myhamish I am sorry that you lost your dog so near christmas. And I am little dumbfounded that the attach file is not working for me or I would have uploaded my dog's picture instead of using the yahoo photo that doesn't really want to work all the times...

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That's an ultra bummer. Keep that picture of your dog in your wallet to remind you of how happy you were when you were together. It might make you cry but it will remind you of love, and there is nothing wrong with being reminded of that.

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Olorin/Jay,

Very sorry to here of your losses. We have a Malinois we got from the pound and were instantly hooked on her. She goes nearly everywhere with us. She is as much a family member as anyone is in our household. So I know how much this really hurts to loose a loved pet like this. I know when her time comes I will be very broken up. I really feel for you, animals are so innocent, ask for so little and give so much in return.

Take care

Jim

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Olorin and Jay:

My heartfelt sympathies. Pets are part of the family.

I have had a Husky/Shephard and a full blooded Shephard.

As we have no children, our dogs may have even been closer. We always took them to the same Vet and boarded them there.

My Husky Shepard aged and arthritis set in along with loss of hearing and sight. It would have been selfish to keep him. Our full blooded Shephard had a tumor that hit his spinal cord.

In both cases I was with them and as the Staff knew them well, there were tears and I cried like a baby.

They were there for me, I should be and wanted to be there for them.

Their leads collars and tags are on the by the door. I look at them, miss them but if tears come now, they are there because I feel bleed that I was Part of ther lives.

I am sorry for both of you and your Families, the only positive is that you both gave them a Home.

I'll keep a good thought for the Both of you.

dodger

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I'm sorry to hear of your losses. Pets are tough to lose, but dogs are especially hard. Our dog Chloe is 12, yelloe lab, she's half deaf one day, then good the next, we think she has selective hearing, hears only what she wants to. Can't quite jump up on the bed like she used to, but breaking through the ice to get into the water in the spring probabaly hasn't been the best for her. I can see she's going downhill slowly, but until the day she can't maintain herself, or we can't do it for her, she's still our dog. A cherished member of the family.

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