Very Sad!

Flush 'Em Hard Rocky

Flush 'Em Hard Rocky

New member
My 15 year old Lab is most likely on his final days. He is having trouble getting around and today it took a turn for the bad. He is hardly able to get up and move! We will most likely be putting him down this weekend. It is always hard, especially when he has been a great friend and companion for 15 years!
 
That's rough, Rocky. 15 yrs sure is a long time for a pup to be with you. Losing any type of friend is tough, but dogs are particularly hard. Dogs are easier to be around than humans because you always know what's going on by looking in their eyes and at their tails. Good luck, friend.
 
Rocky; you have my deepest Condolences. I have been there and had to do that, is no fun. I dread the day I have to do that to Tony. He has really become part of my life. Retirement does those things.----Bob
 
My Sable is almost 15 and he has a hard time on the stairs now but still tries to jump into the truck when i go to coffee in the morning. He gets the front end in but i have to lift the back. Certainly not looking forward to the day either. My condolences.
 
It is actually kind of interesting to watch my 5 year old Springer. He must know, he has been a totally different dog today! I am sure you all know this, but man does this suck! Champ, my lab, has been my best friend for 15 years!
 
>Sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortanately most of us have been through it and can sympathize with your pain. A friend of mine sent me this after my dog suddenly died on a trip to South Dakota. It won't fill your void but it sure helped me in my greiving. I still get teary eyed every time I read it and think of Cody. Best wishes.


>>> How sweet!!
>>>
>>> Why Dogs Don't Live Longer than People
>>>
>>> Being a veterinarian, I was called to examine a ten-year-old Irish
>>> Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and
>>> their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were
>>> hoping for a miracle.
>>>
>>> I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family
>>> there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the
>>> euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made
>>> arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for
>>> the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though
>>> Shane might learn something from the experience.
>>>
>>> The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family
>>> surrounded him.
>>> Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I
>>> wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes,
>>> Belker slipped peacefully away.
>>> The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any
>>> difficulty or confusion.
>>>
>>> We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about
>>> the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who
>>> had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."
>>>
>>> Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned
>>> me.
>>>
>>> I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are
>>> born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving
>>> everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old
>>> continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have
>>> to stay as long."
>>>
>>> Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply, Speak kindly. Leave the
>>> rest to God
 
Rocky, sorry to hear about your lab. It does suck and I can sympathize with you as I had to put my 13 year old Brittany down last September. I cried for a week. There is that special bond we have with our pets. When the time comes I hope you find comfort in knowing that the rest of us on this site feel your pain.

Here is a neat poem that may help you:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...


There is also a web site you can visit. http://www.rainbowbridge.com/

My thoughts are with you.

George
 
End of the Trail

Flush 'Em Hard Rocky said:
My 15 year old Lab is most likely on his final days. He is having trouble getting around and today it took a turn for the bad. He is hardly able to get up and move! We will most likely be putting him down this weekend. It is always hard, especially when he has been a great friend and companion for 15 years!
Click to expand...

When I lost Sport two years ago, my cousin told me to get another dog right away. Best advice I've ever gotten.
 
Putting a dog down is a gut-wrenching decision, but sometimes it's the right and loving thing to do. I had to help my best friend and constant hunting pal that way fifteen years ago, and I still hate it.

But, please, do not make the decision until you're sure. My present dog, age 14, got in trouble a year ago. My regular vet, and then a specialty clinic with ultrasound and biopsies pronounced incurable bladder cancer, gave him no more than a few weeks. I was minutes from doing the right thing, but decided too wait a bit.

A year later he's a happy, well dog. The experts, two local vets, plus board certified surgeon, internist and oncologist were, all of them, wrong.

It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

I'll never let a dog suffer, but I, and no one else, have to make the decision.
 
Sorry to hear. No matter the age it is a hard thing to do.
 
Rocky, I am of the opinion; That when the dog is suffering, be a good humane master. Let the Vet., give the poor suffering animal that final shot. As much as we love them and enjoy their companionship. It is better to just let them go. I know it hurts me worse than the dog to see it suffer. I find that this outlook makes it just a little easier for me anyway. Not that it is ever an easy thing to do.---Bob
 
:(I just finished burying my faithful hunting buddy Boomer.:(
He was 14 and suffered from congestive heart failure (so said the vet).
He did not have much stamina or strength near the end...but he never lost his desire. He retrieved a couple of bumpers just last night, ate his supper, and was wagging his tail...but his breathing was labored.

I will always remember his career day 4 years ago in a large ravine in SE SD! Some snow on the ground with a very light rain....5 hunters, 12 roosters and one lab who rousted all of them out of the snow and retrieved at least 8 of the 12! One retrieve on a bird who had submerged himself under the water. Boomer stuck his head under the water and came out with a very soggy rooster! Thanks for the memories Boomer.:)
 
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