My 13 Year Old Greyhound Died Yesterday~

[Musicman408]

So, last summer, our greyhound baby had her teeth cleaned and the doctor said she felt a mass on either her pancreas or spleen. She told us she had cancer and that she had 2 to 3 months to live.

For several months after that, her personality never changed and she continued to eat regularly, but she was getting much much thinner over months.

Sunday two weeks ago was a bad day for her. She had trouble getting out of her crate and she laid down pretty much the whole day and did not eat or drink. Then the next day came, and it was the same thing, and we thought that was going to be her day.....But the morning came, and she was still around.

The next two weeks, Baby did not walk at all. We kept her quite comfortable in our garage, and she actually seemed to do better, eating and drinking a decent amount. Every extra day we had with her was a blessing.

We hated that we had to leave her to go to Alpharetta, but my mom's brother stayed in our house and took absolute excellent care of her, and he fell in love with her, those two days he was with her. We came back Wednesday night and she seemed a little disoriented, and she looked even thinner than when we left.......

Yesterday both of my parents were at work, so my sister and I took care of her. I went out there twice during the morning and gave her some water, but she didn;t want to eat anything. Then around noon, right before my sister and I were going to go to the pool, I popped my head into the garage to let her know that we were going to flip her over to her otherside and she was gone........

We burried her last night......

She was only supposed to live 2 months.....

But she lasted a year.....

Talk about a story of strength......

[gretchen]

Oh I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your Baby. My thoughts are with you.

[michelle2677]

i'm so sorry to hear about your loss. i had no idea you had a dog! do you have a picture of her? she was a little survivor

[mylittledemon]

Wow. Sounds like the terrier I had when I was a boy. Can't believe you didn't put her to sleep. When Dude got sickly like that we couldnt bear to see him suffer. I didn't want to do it, but he was peeing on himself...wasn't eating. All he would do was wag his tail. Poor fella. He was such a good boy.

[dnightshade]

This is heartbreaking. My sympathies are with you and your family. Losing a pet is indeed losing a member of the family. But like you said, you were only supposed to have her for two months and look how long you were blessed with her.

My dog, Marcelius, is going on 15 and I know his days with us aren't long. He's very thin and disoriented. But he's still able to eat, drink and go outside for his business. I still take him, and my other "baby", Marlene, for walks in the evening when I can but they are both getting tired so easily now. Tho they both still love a ride in the car.

You're lucky you didn't have to put Baby down. I know it's the humane thing to do and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to ease my pets into a more peaceful world, but I just hope when Marcelius' time comes he goes in his sleep too.

[SuzeQuze]

Sorry you lost your Baby. Sounds like she was a sweetie, I'm glad you had some extra time with her.

[The Catdancer]

I'm very sorry to hear about this, Ethan. Hang in there!!!!

[kathy1]

i am sorry to hear about your loss. you will be in prayers.

[Lee]

Gosh, so sorry to hear about that Ethan. I know what it's like to loose a pet; I've lost several dogs, parakeets, hamsters & a guina pig over the years. It's never easy when they are gone, but I always enjoy the time that they are on this earth with me. It's going to be hard when I loose my present toy poodle, Bogart. But I know someday that he won't be around & I'm just enjoying him while I can.

Take care,

Lee

[Steviefan49]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your baby Ethan. My Parent's just lost their cat this past Wednesday as well. It's SOO hard when we get attached to them, as it feels like a part of us goes with them. Did you get to put her up on "Rainbow's Bridge" yet? If not, that's a wonderful way to honor your pet.. "www.rainbowsbridge.com"... My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this hard time..


Arlene

[Brad]

Hey Ethan,

I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am for your loss. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I haven't personally lost a pet since I was about 10 years old, so I really don't remember it that well.

I went to the Rainbow Bridge site that someone posted. While reading some of the stories that pet owners have posted, I started to think of my parents' 12 year-old beagle who recently underwent surgery/chemo/radiation for colon cancer. She's doing very well now, considering. But she's already lost some of her spark - she no longer jumps up in my mom's lap to watch TV with her late at night, and she doesn't sleep in the bed with my parents anymore. She's getting a little better about it now that she's on medicine for arthritis -- getting back to her old self again somewhat. Anyway, so I sit here and think about how, in a ll honesty, 12 years is a long time for a dog to live -- even without cancer. And I know it's just a matter of time before shes passes. And thinking about that is unbearable to me. I know that I'll be a total wreck when she goes, and I haven't actually lived with her in 10 years. I can't imagine how my parents will react (they don't have grandkids, so this is very much their grandchild). And then I look at my 2-year old beagle and how much she misses me when I'm at work and how excited she gets when she sees me walk in the door. And I know that I still have a long time left with her -- but then I think back to my parents' dog and I get a knot in my stomach all over again thinking about the inevitable, and I get physically ill almost to the point of vomiting.

I'm sorry for rambling. I came here to tell you I'm thinking of you and Baby and I go off on this whole tangent about my parents' dog. It just feels good to type it all out to someone, because honestly, there's not a whole lot of people a 28 year-old guy can talk to about his feelings over a dog.

I'd recommend visiting that Rainbow Bridge site for consolement and advice if you need it. But reading the stories that people have posted about their pets that have departed kills me.

Anyway, best of luck to you through this tough time. I'd like to say that it'll get easier, but I honestly don't know. I think once it happens to me, it's going to take a very long time to feel back to normal. Hopefully you have a good support system helping you out.

Take care,

Brad

[jannieC]

Hi Ethan,

I remember losing my dog when I was 17 years old. My parents had gotten her when I was a newborn, so she and I grew up together. I was absolutely devastated when we had to put her to sleep.

Someone else mentioned that this loss, combined with your parent's divorce, is a major stressor combination. I agree, and I hope that perhaps you can talk with someone- a guidance counselor at school?

[BTFLCHLD]

I'm sorry, Ethan. You and your family will find comfort here http://www.petloss.com/ when you are ready.