Departed pets;

Irish Stones

Beerwolf, I'm deeply sorry to read that your beloved Molly had to leave you.

No doubt she had a wonderful life, the best a dog can dream of.

You wrote some fantastic words, I have rarely read such a strong tribute, a true love declaration.

I love the photo you attached to your post, and the short clip is so touching, it made me cry.

RIP Molly, you will never be forgotten.

borderlinemeath

I knew the time would come when I would have to post in this thread. At the end of January we lost our beloved eldest lady Coco. She was 14.5 and finally succumbed to kidney disease. She had her fair share of ailments in the past few years, she was getting stiff and arthritic since maybe 2017, had become a little bit incontinent around Christmas 2019 and started going deaf at the start of lockdown in 2020. But her kidneys were noted a few years back at a senior health check as starting to wane. We got her the kidney food, which of course she hated. I went onto forums to find home made foods that were low in salt and phosphorus to supplement it and it was all she ate in the final months. In her final few months she would go and thump on the fridge door when she was hungry as she knew that was where her food was now kept.

Just after Christmas she started to get quite wobbly, she alread had muscle wastage from the arthritis and the kidney disease exacerbated it. Bloods weren't good at the start of Jan so we knew it wasn't going to be much longer. When she stopped eating we knew it was time, I got one more blood panel to be sure but they only confirmed what we knew was coming. While her body had finally failed her, her mind was still 100% so her final journey was not going to be me bringing her into the vets where she hated going. Our vet came out to help her go, so she took her final breath in her comfy bed while I was hugging her.

I'm tearing up writing this now, even though it's been over 2 weeks and we've finally started to smile and think about just how brilliant she was. She was so, so clever, she trained us, rather than us training her. She loved the company of all the dogs we brought in, of course all our other setters, but in particular she was drawn to black greyhounds and lurchers, she would flirt outragously with them! She helped Benson when he arrived a shell of a dog and realised now she had a partner in crime to get up to some mischief with. She communicated so well with us, and with paws, gestures and eye movements would literally tell you want she wanted. We will miss her so, so much. Sleep well Coco Peggy.

Gremlinertia

@borderlinemeath it's tragic, so so difficult to lose a loved one. I'm sure Coco Peggy had a great life, celebrate that when you can eventually

sdp

@borderlinemeath So so sorry to hear, its a heartbreaking time.

What a wonderful tribute to such a special lady.(tears in my eyes reading it) It's so hard to let them go, But lovely to hear she went to sleep at home. It's still early days, allow yourself time to grieve, take care of you all.

Run free Coco Peggy. R.I.P

@borderlinemeath

Heartbreaking @borderlinemeath so glad you got to keep her at home in the end

borderlinemeath

Thanks so much for your kind words. I know everybody thinks their dog is the best (and they all are!) but Coco was one in a million. She gave so much to her humans and her other dog pals and was part of our lives for so long that we still feel lost without her. I was so relieved she got to go at home. Our vets are lovely but she was one of those dogs that absolutely hated going into the building. Not so much the veterinary staff, but the smell, the poking thermometers in places they shouldn't be and the times she needed to be sedated, or rather the wooziness of coming around from sedation. She never minded the odd injections for vaccines but could see the intranasal KC coming a mile off. One more than one occasion I had to bring it home to sneak it up her nose as she slept.

I looked up her breeder, I was just going to thank him for choosing her for us (I recall when we initially went to choose he pointed her out as "a good girl") and he died a few years ago, so never got to thank him. Or tell his elderly mother - who interrogated us as to our suitability for ownership - while simultaneously feeding us tea and sandwiches - that Coco had the best life a dog could possibly have. She had a family who adored her, doggy companions who adored her, every visitor to the house adored her. She would come out and greet people with a smile and nuzzle her head into their leg in the expectancy of a head rub. She got to run free in fields and at the beach, swim in the sea and rivers and spend every day with her family. She couldn't have wanted more from life. We were so grateful to have her.

Meemars

oh @borderlinemeath What a post, and what a tribute to your exceptional friend. I'm in tears, you must be so lost without Coco. Both of you were so lucky to have each other, it sounds like you had an amazing relationship, such understanding and great communication - both ways! You gave her the very best life, and she gave it back to you. So sorry for your loss. RIP Coco 😥

martin101

I had to say goodbye to my best four legged friend Lucy a month ago. She seemed in good health, eating, drinking , going for walks all no problem. Just seemed like a healthy little 8 year old yorkie. But then two weeks before she died her weight loss became rapid. I brought her to the local vet who said it was nothing to worry about but I still had a gut feeling all wasn't right. So we got a second opinion, turned out she was very sick with advanced kidney damage. She spent a week in the vets getting fluids and came home each evening. My little girl was slipping away from me. I knew she was dying but my wife was more optimistic. On her last day of fluids she came home and seemed a little better but I knew deep down that she was slipping away. A few days after she was home she sort of stopped eating. And she was just hanging in there. We went to the vets and got more meds etc to try and get her appetite going. She wasn't the little ball of life that I remembered and I knew she wanted to go even though she was still young. I told her it's ok to let go, if you need to let go it's OK, she looked at me and it's like she understood, she knew how upset I was . The next day she stopped eating and drinking all together. By day two of this it was time to bring her to the vets to say goodbye. The vet asked me to come to them at 6 that evening, it was 2pm and I couldn't believe I'd only have 4 more hours with my little girl. I carried her into all the rooms of the house and then we sat on the bed. I told her how much I loved her and how happy she made me. She got me through some hard times in my life. It was now half 5 and time to leave and say goodbye. In the room where she was to be put asleep I picked her up one more time and she cuddled into me like she used to do when she wanted comfort. I wanted to just run out with her and keep her at home but I knew that wouldn't be possible. Then she got the injection and I said goodbye. I brought her home and put her in her favourite bed. The next day I told the family to go out for the day and I dug the grave. It was honestly the hardest thing I've ever done. She was only 8 and she was gone. I never thought it would be this hard and I don't know if I'll ever get over it. People will say it's just a dog but she was more than just a dog. She was my shadow. I feel empty since that day and don't know if there's an hour goes past in the day that I don't think of her. She will always be in my heart.

RIP Lucy 2013 -2022

Gremlinertia

My heart is broken for you. I'm near in tears, what a life you gave them, all of my love to you.

Tony H

Run free little Lucy ,really sorry for you loss Martin

jellybear

In tears reading about Lucy. I'm so, so sorry for your loss. 8 is just too young to have to say goodbye 😔 Sleep tight Lucy.

sdp

Also in tears, so so sorry Martin, for your loss. It's heartbreaking, run free Lucy.

martin101

Thank you all for your kind words. I just changed my profile picture to a picture of her. Even uploading it has set me off. It's good to talk about it and how much I miss her. Some people just don't understand the grief. Thank you for listening to me.

Martin

Mollyb60

I watched this video the other day from Jackson Galaxy (a TV cat whisperer type guy) about grieving for your pet and it really hit home for me. Our girl is gone 18 months now and it still had me in tears. I thought it was appropriate for this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyvDA5kmtw4

And Martin - I am so so sorry for your loss. Lucy was a dote. I feel your pain.

Tomorrow I’m almost certain I have to say goodbye to BooBoo, my 3 legged cat , who had left rear leg removed 2 years ago due to a locally aggressive and advanced osteosarcoma. He had two years of great life after that, but seems a new tumour has grown in pelvic canal, blocking his digestive system, and possibly invading his nerves as he is losing strength in remaining leg. He is about 10 years old. Inherited him from a cousin who died of MND. Heartbroken.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118989202#Comment_118989202

Left him In at vet this morning for the preliminary X-ray & thorough exam under anaesthetic to confirm suspicion of bony cancer in pelvic canal. Due to the painkiller he woke up in very good form this morning, unlike his ragged self yesterday. All self-groomed & shiny. Didn’t object too much going into cat box but of course never likes that. Yesterday he was objecting vehemently. Better that I say goodbye when he is in good form, not in pain.

Mollyb60

I'm so sorry rtd, it's always an impossible decision to make.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118992612#Comment_118992612

Got surprisingly better news from the vet this morning, but treatment will be tricky. He has two fractures in pelvis in side where leg had been removed, but no evidence of tumour. The displaced bone is cutting off his anal canal and has caused megacolon. They are performing a manipulation to see how much this can be corrected and affording him cage rest for healing of the pelvis. However he will likely need to have some combination of removal of a lot of colon as well as perhaps surgery to widen pelvic canal. He is insured. In meantime they will try and clear colon to give him comfort.

Vet is happy after procedure and they are keeping him in the vet hospital for a week to help him recover from it all 😃

Gremlinertia

Amazing! So happy for ye

SillyMangoX

It’s been so long since I’ve posted in this forum and I hate that it’s in this thread.

We said goodbye to Cream today. I can’t even believe I’m typing those words. 13 years wasn’t long enough but it was his time today and I was glad we could all be there with him.

jellybear

Awh @SillyMangoX, I remember Cream so well from over the years!! I'm so sorry for your loss. Sleep tight handsome boy.

DBB

Ah god SillyMangoX 😔 It really does feel like we all knew Cream from your posting about him over the years. It's the end of an era now... I'm so sorry.

Gremlinertia

I'm so sorry SillyMango

sdp

So sorry for your loss SillyMango, Loved all the posting you done of him, rest easy Cream. take care of yourself SillyMango.

muddypaws

I'm so sorry @SillyMangoX I just saw your post in the chit chat thread so came to check in here.

Cream was very much a Boardsie cat, I feel like I knew him from the posts through the years. I hope you're all doing ok

Manach

To mark the passing of a cat, Sally Anne. She was found as a stray kitten shortly after 9/11. She was always a proud creature but settled well into domestic life. Goes without saying, she will be missed.

Mollyb60

So sorry for your loss Manach. RIP Sally Anne and hugs for you.

sam t smith

She had a good run, 20 plus years.

Mike Litoris

I lost my beautiful, beautiful boy last Thursday. I'm absolutely devastated. He was my son, my best friend, my shadow, my buddy. I cant believe he's gone. Such a gentle, friendly, loyal, intelligent, affectionate soul I just cant put into words how much I miss him. I brought him with me everywhere I could. Everyone loved him.

R.I.P Fudge