Departed pets;

Posting now with heavy heart, and also pretty late. There's a reason I haven't even wanted to look in here for the past couple years, I think, and that's because I didn't want to be reminded of what was coming down the tracks.

Because 2 years ago our gorgeous dobie Lola suffered a slipped disc. She was almost parlysed halfway down her back, and I was absolutely devastated, although she herself was amazingly calm about the whole matter. She just gave us the look that said, "fix it!" and it happened. She responded very well to treatment that time, and gradually recovered very good strength and mobility. I'd already got a hint of her mortality, but we were reprieved for the time being.

I took her to hydrotherapy, and gradually restored her activities to almost all of what we had had before. Then, Easter last year, she suddenly broke out in an abscess below and to one side of her tail-bone. The vet diagnosed it as an infection which had most likely been incipient all along from her dock, and also as a possible cause of the slipped disc the year before. It's quite possible there had been some pain there, as that's quite likely to be present long before it breaks through to the surface tissue, which caused her to move wrongly, leading to the spinal injury.

That infection proved quite hard to treat, relapsing twice more before it finally remitted fully, and causing more tissue damage each time, of course. Last Autumn I took her to the vet with reduced mobility, suspecting pain was the cause, which the vet agreed with.

We got a final good lease of life with NSAIDs after that, until a couple of months ago, when she suffered a relapse of the spinal pressure, again almost paralysing her behind.

Once again she did respond to treatment, and had a lot of good walks and extra spoiling all the time: I knew the writing was on the wall, and sooner or later she would relapse again with this, and not respond to the treatment.

And so it proved. Just over 2 weeks ago, it happened again, or rather almost. This time she was still able to walk into the vet surgery, so it wasn't as sudden. She had the injections and came straight home with me, where when it was total paralysis, he always kept her the rest of the day.

Again she started to improve, we had a few nice walks, but then 3 days later, almost full paralysis behind again, so back to the vet again. I let him try one more time, but without great hope, mainly because Lola was still looking at me with the hopeful eyes, so I knew she wasn't quite ready to give up the fight. She spent that Friday in having fluids and everything again, and was showing some improvement by evening, so I took her home again.

However, this time I could see she was not gaining back the control of her movement that she'd gotten the other times. Also her arse kept dropping away under her, which was very distressing, as I couldn't seem to be always there quick enough to catch her, and it obviously still hurt.

A complete change in her demeanour came about at this point, and I could see that it all suddenly wasn't worth it for her any more. My OH, whom she utterly adored, cuddled her for 2 hours on the sofa, and she couldn't even get her smug on.

Once we'd seen that, last Friday night, that was enough for me. I knew it was time. We'd done enough, and couldn't bear to put her through any more, so we made that last, heavy-hearted vet trip on Saturday morning. Stout-hearted OH began digging as soon as we got home, and she was buried an hour later in the (very young) orchard.

I must say tho, our vet did a wonderful job for her. He was walking an ownerless RTA victim he'd treated during the week when we arrived, and when he saw us, he told us to wait with her in the car: he'd come and do it there.

After a few minutes he came out, got me to sit with her, brought up the vein, and then when he saw the stuff sting a bit, and that she was getting nervous, brought out some sedative first instead. He left her with us for that to work for a while, and suddenly she got happy and smug again while we cuddled her, which she hadn't been since this last downturn the previous thursday evening.

So we got a much nicer last half-hour with her than we ever expected when we drove in there that Saturday.

And then when he finally came and did the deed, she was quite relaxed, and just went gently to sleep. It's an awful thing to have to do, but honestly couldn't have been nicer for her at the end than he made it. I really was very grateful for that.

Oh, and one other thing, we often used to have her in bed with us, back in the better times, but for the past couple of years that was rare, as the stairs were quite difficult for her.

But the last night, when I'd pretty much decided it was the last night, I said sod that. Got up, went down, and carried her up to the bed. So she did at least spend her last night cuddled against my body. And I'll always be so very glad I did that! She also got all the duck necks we still had thawed out for her last breakfast. She absolutely adored those, and I made sure she had plenty.

I still keep catching myself looking for her tho! Wonder when that stops? Catches one out something horrid sometimes :rolleyes:

Anyways, she was a wonderful girlie, loved by many people. I was always so grateful that she was so chill and adaptable. We could take her with us wherever we went, visiting family and friends, and people would always just comment on how sweet-natured and easy-going she was. I'll never forget my adorable, softie darling of a Dobermann RIP Lola May 2006 - 30th August 2014

ferretone wrote: »

I'll never forget my adorable, softie darling of a Dobermann RIP Lola May 2006 - 30th August 2014

Absolutely touching
Though the hardest thng to do, it's also the greatest gift we can give our pets after the world of love they gave us without asking anything back.
RIP Lola, you surely were wonderful!

Today is one year since my beloved cat Tom went across the Rainbow Bridge, and not a single day has passed without me thinking of him at least five times a day, not a single day has passed without a tear from my eyes
Today at 6:35 pm, the moment he left me one year ago, I spent more than one tear for him. I remembered every moment of the illness that took him away from me and those memory torn my heart.
RIP Tom, you are always in my heart!

Cannot believe it's been a whole year since my gorgeas boy Frankie passed away on the 24th, he is missed more and more everyday. I was on the train on Wednesday and I remembered the message I sent all our family, friends, neighbours and the post I made on boards about him passing away and It still hurts just as much now.

Love always Frankie xxx

thrashmetalfan wrote: »

my dog spot died two years ago on the 30th of September. I buried him two years ago today. I miss him terribly and think about him all day every day. I feel bad that he is gone I love him to pieces. I want him back.

I'd go to the ends of the earth to get Shadow back. We have a foster dog here and she is amazing and has really helped, but sometimes when I hear her coming down the stairs, I think Shadow's going to walk into the room and it cuts me to pieces.

Karen91 wrote: »

We lost Misty today aged 18 years, she suffered a stroke and had to be put to sleep. I am heartbroken, I was only 5 when we got her and she was my bestfriend right through the years. She always cheered me up if I had a bad day at school or whatever.

And while I am trying to come to terms with the fact that she is gone, people make the insensitive comment of saying its just a dog that can be replaced.

I'm so sorry that you've lost Misty and especially as she was such a part of your growing. Just know that she had all your love in that time and that putting her to sleep was the final act of that love.

I don't understand when 'people' make comments like that. I guess you have to accept that they've never been privileged enough to achieve that bond that you had with Misty and see that as their lacking. Just know that there are plenty of people here that understand completely.

Irish Stones wrote: »

I'm sorry for the loss of your Misty, 18 years is a long path of life together, it's not easy to come to terms with that.
As for those who say that a dog can't be replaced, well, I guess that they haven't understood anything of life and its meaning.
RIP Misty

Anyone who says a dog can be easily replaced has never tried to replace a dog!

I love Opie to bits already, but he'll never be Shadow. With losing my dad, I've probably learned more than some how to accept a loss and know that nothing I do can bring a loved one back, so I've handled Shadow's passing a bit better and admittedly quicker than, say, my partner.
I'd still give anything to be able to play squeaky with Shadow again, just for 5 minutes.
Actually bawling here now!

Millem wrote: »

I don't quite know how to say this - I've been to family funerals and haven't been this upset. It's just like the life has been sucked out of us, an empty feeling, the shock of her being gone has moved on to mourning and a tremendous sense of loss. Just devastated.

Yes.
I believe that there are dogs that are "soul partners" - just as we can have soul partners with humans. Sounds like you were lucky enough to have a soul partner in her. It does get easier - we lost our beloved Pepper this summer -think of him all the time, but it gets easier...

my heart aches for you its 3 years today since I had to put 1 of mine to sleep take solace from the fact you know in your heart it was the right thing for her

we must make these decisions with their best interests in mind but god its never easy

hold on to the good memories she was lucky to have found you that is quite obvious from your post