Members twosticks Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Woke up around 9:30am to my wife's (really the whole family's) dog panting really bad and struggling to breathe. Sometimes he follows us out in the yard as we're working and outworks himself and needs water and a cool down in front of the fan. I did this and it still wasn't helping. Took him to the vet and he got better as they sedated him to check out his throat but had to take him back since I got him home and he started doing the same thing. Wife went back with me. Basically he had gotten so fat and so old (13) that it made him labor to breathe and then his throat became enflamed, swelled up and he just couldn't breathe. The vet said she could try 24 hours on O2 but not sure for how long or if it would take, etc. Wife told me on the way that "Spanky" was having trouble sleeping last night, which he has had restless some nights this past year as well. He was suffering so much this morning and we just couldn't stand for it, so my wife got to hold him and I held my wife as the doc put him under. I was doing pretty good until the vet checked a for a heartbeat and announced he was gone. Is just sad here tonight since he is normal under foot or with his butt up to our feet as we sit down. Spanky is the big black dog in the pic. He was a Min Pin/Chihuahua mix (although he looked like a Dachshund as he got heavier) I know is better because he's not in anymore pain, but still miss him. We got him when my wife and I were dating in 2001 for the pound. She had lost her old Chihuahua about 3 months before. So he had kinda been like our kid! Please DO NOT let you animals get this big! It will kill them in the long run. Need some cheering up and knowing I did the right thing. Wish I could have done more earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twosticks Posted August 26, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gremson Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Mojo sent man. It's never easy. TGf and I lost a 2 month old kitten a few months ago. My dog, Sage (13) is doing well, but it's obvious that this winter will very likely be her last. Losing a member of your family, human or not, hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MX DRUMMER Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 I'm sorry to hear this. Pets tend to be more than just pets. They tend to end up beig a member of the family. Our two dogs are, and neither myself nor my wife could get through losing one without shedding some tears. I'm sure you guys did a great job and that there was nothing you could have done. At 13 that's a long time for a dog and I would bet he greatly enjoyed life keep your heads up, everything will be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Know how you feel. The last of my family's 3 labs, was put down a couple days ago. He ended up having a big tumor in his stomach that probably burst. He was around 12 years old. He had a good life though. Euthanasia is most certainly the right thing to do, and I have no qualms about it what so ever. A life of suffering is no life in my opinion. In some ways it makes me wonder how much of his life in the months prior to this, was a chore. Maybe he should have been put down even earlier. While I'm sad he died...I also understand that it's just nature...biology...I was preparing myself for this as it was obviously close to his time. It actually makes me happy that there is a system in place where his suffering is minimized. Most animals aren't so lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chunkaway Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Been through that same thing, and it is never easy. My only comfort in those times was remembering that our dog was no longer in pain. My condolences to your family member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Pets are special period. Lost several over the years. Hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Drumstix101 Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Sorry to hear the bad news. It's always hard to loose a pet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Yes, you did the right thing. May God help to heal your heart quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kmart Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Don't beat yourself up over it.We decided to put one of the cats down several years ago. He was 18 and suffering from several long-standing ailments. We actually kept ourselves kind of hostage to him for almost a year at the end, changing so much n our lives to keep him going...when ultimately, he was still suffering. Once we made the decision, we realized how far we had let things go...it was actually refreshing for us not to have to be burdened, to be blunt. The positive attitude change in the other two cats was ndeniable as well. So a few weeks ago, when the second cat had been showing signs of diminished physical capabilities for the preceding two months, we took her to the vet...one kidney shut down, growing tumor in her abdomen, total personality change indicating she was declining kind of rapidly...we knew what we had to do, and we're able to make the right choice pretty quickly. Do we miss those pets?Sure. But they wouldn't have been better off keeping them alive and suffering, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carminemw Posted August 26, 2012 Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do...I had to with Linus my Bassett Hound. He was my mom's 2nd son who stood by her side faithfully till the end. Ya did the right thing, even though it doesn't seem so at times...Ya keep saying "what if"... He's in a good place so you should be too! He's probably hangin' out with my dog...after all...they're all there somewhere! Mine got cremated and buried with my mom. right by her side always! Be happy...he's not suffering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twosticks Posted August 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 27, 2012 THANKS to everyone! It means a lot! Just to know that others have been there as well. I'm normally a cat person but Spanky was special and part of our lives for awhile. Is getting better but is for sure a quiet empty spot around the house now and that's what reminds us that he is no longer around. Yep, he had developed cataracts, had to have back and leg pain and then trouble breathing. He was our shadow for many years and we will miss him very much. Thanks for all the emotional help. Yes so glad that he is not suffering anymore and wouldn't want him to live even a "half-life" so why we decided to do what we did. Thanks again everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fusionfunk Posted August 27, 2012 Members Share Posted August 27, 2012 I feel for 'ya man. I've gone through it way too many times, and it's never easy. Hang in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnbe Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Of course you did the right thing. I lost an animal last November. One day he was fine, four days later he was gone. Had him 9 years. It's been almost a year and it still kills me. He was a feral cat that adopted us but soon became family. As advanced as veterinary medicine has become, he couldn't be helped, and money was no object as far as I was concerned. We took in two more kitties two weeks later. Now they're almost one year old now. We love them, we spoil the heck out of them, but they'll never be a replacement. It seems like the older I get, the tougher this sort of thing gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twosticks Posted August 30, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Of course you did the right thing. I lost an animal last November. One day he was fine, four days later he was gone. Had him 9 years. It's been almost a year and it still kills me. He was a feral cat that adopted us but soon became family. As advanced as veterinary medicine has become, he couldn't be helped, and money was no object as far as I was concerned. We took in two more kitties two weeks later. Now they're almost one year old now. We love them, we spoil the heck out of them, but they'll never be a replacement. It seems like the older I get, the tougher this sort of thing gets. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Hey man, I'm sorry to hear for your loss. As said, pets are our friends, our families, our companions -- we all share special bonds with our furry brethren. Your pup is in a safe, happy place now, doing whatever Doggie Heaven entails, which I'd assume is endless miles of other dogs' asses to sniff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boomboomdrums Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Not sure what to say, only that I feel for you. I've been there and know it's hard. Wait a little while and when the time is right, get another dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danrothmusic Posted September 1, 2012 Members Share Posted September 1, 2012 I feel for you, man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twosticks Posted September 2, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 Thanks to everyone! Is getting better, but every now and then is a toy or water dish that he always used. Now I just hope that he wasn't suffering for too long. Thanks Again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.