Tough week

remy3424

remy3424

Well-known member
My GSP, Dude, turned 13 on Monday, that night he was a little out of sorts and had a nasty cough develop and labored breathing. My wife took him to the vet the next morning, he wasn't acting too bad, but once she told him about the cough he has experienced on & off , he gave him a chest x-ray. That revealed his lungs were full of tumors. The vet was surprised he was acting as well as he was. My wife was told he was a very very sick dog and not a good prognosis, maybe 3 weeks remaining. He was given a bottle of prednisone. Well, after a couple days, he seemed to be snapping back and I was almost thinking the vet missed this one. Well, last night he really struggled, he had been pretty much been off food, just some people food. He wouldn't eat anything (people food) during the night, breathing beginning to be an effort and his mobility was not great. I got him to come outside, he just stood around. I brushed him and his hair was unusually coming out. Brought him in and he wouldn't eat the raw hot dogs I placed his pills in. That was the moment I realized his last ride was coming very soon. It was one of the tougher things I have ever had to do, this was MY first dog. I buried him in the back of our farm where we started our permanent pheasant habitat 16 years ago. Heck of a father's day. He was a good family dog (best temperament ever) and the best all-around pheasant hunting dog I have ever hunted with, I was very lucky to have experienced that for his 12 seasons. He provided me tons of great memories and many amazing hunting stories of points, retrieves and recoveries. For the last year or so, every night once I crawled into bed and pulled up the covers, he would jump onto the bed and lay on top of me, chest-to-chest (he even managed to do that last night). I would rub him-up for a minute, then he would usually jump down and sleep on the couch...not sure what that meant, guess he was showing me his love.

Well, it is early, but I know I need another bird dog. Not sure I have a chance of finding another one like Dude, but I am going to see what I get. I don't deserve to have another one like him, but I will see what comes my way. I am close to 60, so this one (if a puppy) will likely be my last one. I will be willing to rehome a GSP that new owners can't handle or who's owner is moving and can't take the dog or what every the excuse (no gun shy dogs), might visit the shelter. I do think most GSPs will become decent hunters will lots of bird contacts, which is one thing I can provide. Might end-up with a puppy, I will just see what happens for a couple weeks and then start looking in earnest.

I don't usually post my personal stuff, but I thought this might help me a little right now.
 
Sorry to hear that. They only hurt you at the end. You never replace them you only find another story to tell. But as far as your last dog, I'm looking at 70 with a less than 2 year old pup and am already thinking about another pup. I just make arraignments in my will for when something happens to me they are taken care off. Got that tip from somebody in her downsides of late 80's who couldn't live without a dog.
 
Sorry for your loss Remy. Dude sounds like he was one of the great ones.

Will be interested to see what you decide to do for your next one. It's easy to have expectations, but it sounds like you're approaching it much as I've had to learn to do. Realize he/she will most certainly not be just like the last one; never a direct replacement. But you love them, treat them right, & get them on birds & they amaze us how good they are; just slightly different. And for me, anyway, the memories don't leave. Many stay quite vivid. But man, they're sure tough to handle sometimes.

Meanwhile, Dude's up there w/ my dogs Walt & Buzz. Roosters galore. And until we hunt with them again, they've found someone up there to shoot for them who never misses.
 
Thanks for the words guys. Thought I had got it out of my system and then this morning a buddy called me (he just lost a GSP maybe a year ago) that heard he passed and said "people who have never had a GSP live with them, just don't understand that they think they are people"...that just hit me hard. My father said something very similar tonight, he says "Dude thought he was people" ... and he did.

.IMG_0931(1).jpgIMG_4924.jpgIMG_4925.jpgIMG_4848.jpg
 
remy3424 said:
My GSP, Dude, turned 13 on Monday, that night he was a little out of sorts and had a nasty cough develop and labored breathing. My wife took him to the vet the next morning, he wasn't acting too bad, but once she told him about the cough he has experienced on & off , he gave him a chest x-ray. That revealed his lungs were full of tumors. The vet was surprised he was acting as well as he was. My wife was told he was a very very sick dog and not a good prognosis, maybe 3 weeks remaining. He was given a bottle of prednisone. Well, after a couple days, he seemed to be snapping back and I was almost thinking the vet missed this one. Well, last night he really struggled, he had been pretty much been off food, just some people food. He wouldn't eat anything (people food) during the night, breathing beginning to be an effort and his mobility was not great. I got him to come outside, he just stood around. I brushed him and his hair was unusually coming out. Brought him in and he wouldn't eat the raw hot dogs I placed his pills in. That was the moment I realized his last ride was coming very soon. It was one of the tougher things I have ever had to do, this was MY first dog. I buried him in the back of our farm where we started our permanent pheasant habitat 16 years ago. Heck of a father's day. He was a good family dog (best temperament ever) and the best all-around pheasant hunting dog I have ever hunted with, I was very lucky to have experienced that for his 12 seasons. He provided me tons of great memories and many amazing hunting stories of points, retrieves and recoveries. For the last year or so, every night once I crawled into bed and pulled up the covers, he would jump onto the bed and lay on top of me, chest-to-chest (he even managed to do that last night). I would rub him-up for a minute, then he would usually jump down and sleep on the couch...not sure what that meant, guess he was showing me his love.

Well, it is early, but I know I need another bird dog. Not sure I have a chance of finding another one like Dude, but I am going to see what I get. I don't deserve to have another one like him, but I will see what comes my way. I am close to 60, so this one (if a puppy) will likely be my last one. I will be willing to rehome a GSP that new owners can't handle or who's owner is moving and can't take the dog or what every the excuse (no gun shy dogs), might visit the shelter. I do think most GSPs will become decent hunters will lots of bird contacts, which is one thing I can provide. Might end-up with a puppy, I will just see what happens for a couple weeks and then start looking in earnest.

I don't usually post my personal stuff, but I thought this might help me a little right now.
Click to expand...
Hardest thing a dog owner has to do but we all have to go thru it. I currently have a 15 year old GSP who is also nearing his last days. I've had to put 3 other dogs down in my time and you never get used to it. They're all special and they all have different personalities and touch your heart each in a different way. I usually put together a slide show with all the pictures I've taken from puppy hood to current and add some music to remember each by. Time heals and don't think you have to rush right back into another pup asap. Reflect for a bit on your buddy who has gone on to the rainbow bridge and when the time is right there's nothing like puppy breath. God speed.

 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top