My dog died today
 

So it was a typical Sunday and there was nothing to believe that anything was wrong. Tippy is a 13 YO Black Lab mutt that lives with her 15 YO Black Lab mutt older sister, not genetically but they have been together forever.

I go to let them out and blood is everywhere on the floor. I let them out and my head is realing trying to figure out how I'm going to figure out which dog. I put on gloves and check their private areas to no avail...then I notice Tippy is bleeding from her paw...good I thought, better than internal.

An hour later we're at the Emergency Animal Hospital because I can't get the bleeding to stop.

An hour later we learn it is a tumor that ruptured.

An hour later we have to make the horrible decision to put our friend of 13 years to sleep because the condition would mean only pain and suffering.

Life comes at you fast.......sometimes we forget until we're faced with some of its shocking realities.

The bad news, my firend of 13 years is gone just like that....the good news is I'm going to have a better life for having her and realizing the little stuff isn't as important as I made it out to be.

Life is to be lived.

Spyder

Sorry about your loss. :(

Sorry for your loss Spyder.

So sorry for your loss.....been a year since my dog died and you can never replace them.

:( Sorry Spyder. It is very difficult when we cant save a friend that has spent her whole life keeping us happy as her main goal. Remember the good times.:(

Very sorry to hear Scott...it sucks so much when you lose a pet.

poor baby. so sorry you guys had to say good bye to your dog.

Sorry Spyder! It's a shock to be sure. They seem healthy and then they're gone. Had the same thing with a Shepherd about 1 yr ago. We knew he was old, but never had any idea of the cancer inside him. At least you have the other one....it's going to be rough for him,too! Take care

Geesh, Spyder, so sorry for your loss. Too sudden.

:( Sorry Spyder

Sorry Scott..very tough

Condolences...

Sorry Spydee.

13 years is a long time. They go through a lot with you as well as you going through a lot with them. That is why the bond is so strong.

I lost my dog of 13 years and it broke my heart. It took me two years before I got another puppy.

The shock of the day and it's events will slowly fade and your memories of the good times will brighten.

Hang in there.

Dogs are family members. So sorry. I love my little girl like she's my kid.

Very very sorry to hear of your loss.

We had to make the same decision with our 13-year-old lab mix about a year-and-a-half ago, also very sudden, also leaving his then 13-year-old "sister" alone. Still miss him every day, but now more often than not think about the good times rather than the end, so it gets a little easier over time. Eventually, we got a new puppy, who is doing his best to fill the empty spots. Life goes on.

Scott - Very, very sorry for your loss.

So sorry for your loss and all your pain.

Sorry for the loss Spydee, just try to remember to great times you had.

Ahh geez...that's horrible. All I can say is that the day I went through the same was the day I realized that the people here at DT really were like family. If you search the thread I started about Shadow my golden, you'll see what I mean. My heart goes out to you Scott, your dog knew you sincerely loved and cared for him and may we all be gifted so lucky....God Bless

Sorry for your loss, our household has empathy for you and your family. We had our 13-1/2 YO Catahoula Cur dog, Muffin, euthanized last Monday. She had fought off several problems in last year. However, Cushing's Syndrome, mild strokes, and brain cancer had taken their collective toll on her body and soul.

It is giant adjustment when you lose member of your family. I drove by place where we found her in summer of 1996 and smiled. Unfortunately, someone had turned her out when they dropped off their trash in dumpster at my wife's then-place of business. She lived under delivery van for several days until she came home with us. It was wonderful 13-1/2 years, too. Sweetest, kindest dog I ever owned.

Also, you must deal with grief of surviving dog. Our 2-1/2 YO Australian Cattle Dog (aka Blue Heeler) has been lost without her friend and mentor. She has been keeping watch by entry door to our house. Some extra attention and a new chew toy have eased her pain.

RIP Tippy and RIP Muffin

sorry Spyder, I lost my heart :{>: dog Duncan 2 years ago, he was 12yo and cancer as well. The dog on my avatar is his nephew, not the same, but a good guy too. As a veterinarian I am called upon my duty to relieve suffering and it is always hard. When it is one of my own pets, that is event tougher, but we can not let our friends that give un-conditional love to us all their lives ever live longer than they should if it means they are in pain that they can not tunderstand.

Best to you , remember the fun times with this dog and remember all animals go to a good place because they are not mean or vengeful or have any of these "human '" traits that are not so since.

So sorry for your loss! I lost my long-time friend, Skippy, on April 10th this year. Still think about him every day...went to the shelter and adopted Harley that same day, not as a replacement but as company.
Blessed be!

sorry spydee hang in there. we went through it a couple years ago. you don't realize how attached you get to your pets until you have to make a decision like that. it gets better with time and something will happen that triggers a memory that will make you smile about your lost friend.

Sorry for your loss Spyder. Always very difficult to lose a friend after so many years. Dogs seem like they are around forever, but they are gone way too soon. Hang in there, it does get better.

Sorry for your loss.:(

Scott,

Sorry for your loss.

I think that everyone who has written has experienced some similar loss and can share your feelings in some small way.

It probably doesn't make much difference right now.

Dogs, more than any other pets, help reflect our better selves. When we lose them, we lose a little of our knowledge of who we are. We can recover, but there will always be that small scar of loss. I can now remember the ones I have lost with pleasure and gratitude, but there is always that little ache, too.

Take care.

Thanks to all for your kind words. What started as an exercise in therapy to write that note, turned into an outpouring of great support from the friends on this site. Some of you I have met, many I have not. Still, it's time like these that make the usefulness of Derby Trail, and the web in general, so remarkable.

Thank you very much,

Scott

When I picked Duke up and layed him on that table it was a hard, hard goodbye. But, with time as it has been sayed, it heals those wounds you know doubt suffer.

Cherish the good memories and as each day comes and goes it gets easier. So tough to make the call, I understand.

sorry for your loss
m

Spyder, I'm sorry to hear that. I know how you feel. I've been through it. It's rough. You'll get through it but it takes some time.

Scott,

Just saw and read through... So sorry to hear. Never had dogs, only cats, and it's always hard to lose any pet. I had one 13+ years. Hard to look and not see them in their favorite spots. Chin up. Hope the 15yo companion doesn't take it too hard either...

Mans best friend can often be his toughest loss. I am truly sorry.

That's rough Spyder.....
 

I'm very sorry to hear that, it's always tough losing a pet that's been a part of the family for a long time. Condolences to your family.

Just saw this thread and revisited the sadness that always overwhelms when a fur family member leaves us ...

It is always a shock however the end comes, and the years then seem to have gone too fast ...

It was for me the same when I lost my cats and my horse ...

Life is impermanent but the memories and good times are not ...

I feel for you ..

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Part of Life is surviving as best you can. Losing a pet is very hard, and it's a very concentrated situation. It doesn't come close to the amount of joy you had for 13 years. It's just that the joy is spread out over 13 years, and your pain mainly comes all at one time. Unlike people, dogs are bred to love you. You don't have to court them. There's no way to avoid the pain you're going through. I do think the best way for a dog lover to get through this is with a new dog. It's not a replacement, but it will get you outside of yourself. If the new dog distracts you from even an hour of pain, then you are better off. You thought 2 was the right number to have. Don't let death have a say in how many dogs you get to enjoy. You expected to have 2 dogs for the next 2-5 years. Death changed the who. You decide how many. You, and your family. Don't let death control that. You control that.

What Scudsbrother said was beautiful. So sorry for not only your loss Spyder but everyone else who had one this year too. RIP.

sorry to hear spyder......one of the saddest days of our lives when it happens.

I'm so sorry, Spyder. :(

Spyder, so sorry for your loss. We all feel your pain.

I think I know an old beagle that's getting extra ice cream tonight. Gonna spoil her while I can.

That breed is the one that I only experienced for a very short time. Somebody gave my family one a long time ago. Seems like lil dude was pretty destructive. Somehow got a hold of a stuffed toy animal, and there must have been a thousand pieces. Next day he was gone. Nobody knew how ( or when) he did it. I've since heard that they are pretty good escape artists. Guess my parents could of just taken him in to the pound, and told me he ran off. He was pretty crazy. They probably didn't do that, but it's not out of the realm.