Guys, I am fucked up. We suddenly had to say goodbye to my boy, my best friend, Samson, our German Shepard. He was an elder bub, especially for a Shepard, but he was still spry. We just had gotten home to Michigan from visiting with the wife's family in WV 10 days ago. He was herding the nieces and nephews per usual and more or less himself. But a few days ago he just stopped eating, which is incredibly divergent, and just took terrible turn vomiting, weak, losing weight, confused. I know he was old but I just we had more time, so many things I wish I knew were going to be his last. I'm angry, devastated, I haven't stopped crying. I'm lost.
I’m so sorry. It’s a pain that I’ve never felt and still feel. The suddenness of it is what kills me. Yeah, you can try to mentally prepare yourself, but when they act like they feel great and are their old selves, hope starts coming in and you think you have all the time in the world left. Sucks so much. Y’all will be in my thoughts.
My boy still seems okay for now, but he has a tennis ball size tumor of the anal sac on his right side. He's showing signs of kidney damage and constantly drinking water. We leave for a cruise tomorrow and the vet is concerned he might not make it until we get back. I think that's what makes it tougher is the thought that maybe I could get a few more good weeks for him, but the thought of him going while we're on vacation weighs heavy.
He was 13, so he lived a good long, life, especially for a German. I knew he was slowing down, and he'd have scares where we'd worry, but then he'd bounce back and be fine, and we'd think we're over reacting. His last normal vet visit a couple months ago was glowing. Over Christmas with the in-laws he was his normal self, and then we get home and not long after he rapidly started declining. I wonder if he was just trying to through the holidays, visit WV one last time, and finally rest. He was just such a strong, smart boy. He was like my shadow, wherever I went there he was, I was his job. I think I'll hear him in the house somewhere, or I'll find him on one of his beds...fuck me, man.
thanks for being a good steward of Samson. Dogs a the purest example of God’s unconditional love for us on earth and we truely don’t deserve them. Sorry for your loss and hope you and your family find peace and comfort in your time of grief.
Worst feeling I have ever felt was when my parents dog passed after 15 beautiful years 4 years ago, it gets better but it stays with you. so sorry, always take solace In the fact that you gave him a great life. They are like us, at some point it’s time to go, we just tend to be selfish and want to hang on to them longer
came to post a funny story about Groot and some updates (good and bad news) about Flash first post I saw was pelican’s and I just didn’t feel right. We don’t deserve dogs
Had to deal with this for the last year of our girl Penny’s life; and now with our boy being 14, we’ve held off on a lot of travel. We have a great sitter that comes to the house and stays with him, but I don’t know that I could deal with him going without me there. With Penny, I held her in my arms as she quietly went. It was hard, but I don’t think I’d want to have it any other way. Sorry you have to go through what you’re going through.
maybe it's not a big deal for your dog but they sell soft cones on amazon/pet stores that my dog found much preferable to the hard plastic ones that the vet gives out. my dog couldn't sleep at all the last time she had to wear a cone. could've been pain from the surgery or an issue with the meds, but i rush ordered a soft cone and she slept about 20 hours the next day.
I understand what you mean, but post them IMO. Seeing other people’s love for their young or healthy dogs gave me comfort that I’ll have that bond again, even if I’m still not ready yet. If someone doesn’t want to see other folks dogs while they mourn, they probably won’t open the thread. Definitely not the only one, but shoutout to THEBLUERAIDER for consistently supporting people through their loss on here. Seems like a good dude. It’s been months and I still get fleeting feelings that he’ll be there when I come down the stairs or through the front door. Or I’ll think I hear his collar jingle behind me. Slowly the pain is replaced by appreciation for what you shared with them instead. I can finally look through old pictures and think about the life he lived, and not focus the end. People deal differently, but right away I gathered all of his beds, toys, leashes, etc and took them to the local non-profit shelter so he could live on through others. I knew I wasn’t getting another right away, and wanted a fresh start when I do. It was cathartic for me. Kept his collar and his favorite toy to put away.
Thanks for saying that. I don’t have kids so my dogs are our family. I know how devastated I was and still am, so trying to provide some small comfort to people who obviously love their pets is the least I can do. We will miss them every day, but like you said, it does get a little easier when you can look back on the good times. On a positive note, my wife bought a human dog bed to better snuggle with the dogs, and I’d say it’s pretty comfortable.
Yeah. He hates the cone, mostly just because it causes him to bump into things he's walking by. I got him one of those inflatable neck pillows for dogs that arrived yesterday. It seems like it does just enough to prevent him from licking the incision on his elbow.
I'm very sorry. Over time it will get less painful. Sounds like he had a great life and brought you and your family a lot of joy.
So sorry RockHardJawn39 . I agree with Drew Swinney Esq that people deal differently, but this is pretty much exactly what I have been going through the last month. My wife and I don't have any children, so Gracie was our world. We lost her really quickly. Like Drew, we donated her food and cancer meds before the holidays in the hopes that it could help someone else. Overall, as I come up on a month without her, talking through it and authentically grieving and not repressing the sadness has helped. Now I can look back on our time holistically with warmth and not just the last days with sorrow.
I know it’s cheesy, but for me, writing my thoughts down on Instagram and on this board really helped me. It was an obituary for Opie of sorts. I probably should have used a journal to not be so look at me, but I didn’t think of it at the time. I’m not great at talking about my feelings, but writing it down in some format really helped me.
He’s a lucky boy to have had you. Thank you for giving him such a good life. Dogs truly deserve our best. I hope the good memories you made help mend your heart.
I completely get this, but I did it just as much for other people as myself. I had a lot of conversations with friends and colleagues about our dog's cancer battle, and when she passed, I didn't want to have to rehash the same "How is Gracie doing?" conversation, where I have to control getting upset, and they are feel bad for asking.
My dogs breath is terrible. Any OTC recommendations? Wife said the vet told her it’s like $400 for a cleaning.
We do a Costco brand/ Kirkland Greenie daily and the fresh breath water additive randomly. It seems to help our older dogs.
we love the snow (although we don’t totally understand why we can’t stay outside indefinitely in the cold)
This thread is pretty morbid at times, but definitely serves as a reminder to enjoy time with your dog while you still can. It softened the blow when I lost my dog knowing there wasn't anything I would have done differently.
Wife signed us up to foster 3 pups for a month. I don’t think Sully even knows what they are lol. This is our first time fostering.
Good for you man, congratulations on doing something amazing! Puppies are a ton of work but there's no feeling in the world quite like it
My dog is getting bullied by them Sounds weird but I'm honestly most excited for when their new parents come and pick them up. I remember how excited we were when we went to pick Sully.
My dog had the same problem and it turned out to be tooth problems. May be worth getting checked out to make sure - that's one of the symptoms. He got a few teeth removed and the smell went away.
My dogs love nothing more than rolling in the snow. I don't get it. Last weekend we had wind chills in the -50s, both dogs would still run outside to roll on the snow before pissing and coming back inside. They'd spend enough time rolling that they'd basically be limping their way back to the door because they were so cold.
My god these little turds are insane Inhale their food. Spill it everywhere while attacking their bowl. Let them out of the baby gate and they all go in different spots to shit. Piss every ten seconds. we’ve gotten about 4 hours of sleep each night. Sully has been a saint this whole time. I know they’re driving him crazy but he just ignores them.
Was glad to see my homie was still alive today. Fed her the last 2 times I visited Jakarta, but it had been 7 months and the plane she lays under wasn't there any more. She came trotting up after 20 minutes or so. Still skeptical of humans, but she recognizes the bag of dog food at this point.