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Goodbye my best buddy.

xStaticSnow

xStaticSnow

New member
Today was a hard one. My 14 year old black lab has always suffered from occasional seizures, but as she has gotten older her health really went downhill.

This afternoon I noticed she was drooling heavily and she eyes were moving back and forth. I thought she was having a mild seizure but after 30 minutes it still hadn't stopped. She threw up several times, most of it was just water. We rushed her to the vet who said given her age and physical condition she probably wasn't going to recover. She couldn't walk, keep down fluids, and was pretty scared. So we said goodbye and took away all of her suffering from her.

She was one of the best dogs I've ever had. We adopted her from the humane society about 9 years ago. She lost her home as a young puppy and spent the first 5 years of her life moving from shelter to shelter. She was never adopted, probably because of her seizure disorder and large size, but she was the sweetest old lab ever.

I miss her so much and am really sad this all happened so suddenly. She really was one of my best buds and was always a big happy girl.

I love you Sobe and your family will always miss you.
 

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That sounds a lot like vestibulitis. Which is treatable and very often has a good outcome. ;_;
 
Shiari said:
That sounds a lot like vestibulitis. Which is treatable and very often has a good outcome. ;_;
Click to expand...

I think the vet talked about this, but the consensus between vets was that this condition would have resulted from neurological conditions which cause her seizures, and therefore would not be treatable. Also, the vet was concerned about her health otherwise due to her loss of appetite in the past several weeks, worsening pain in her hips and limited mobility, more frequent seizures, large intake in water over the past few months, dental decay that has been worsening lately, and now the vomiting up of all food and water, and her inability to stand and walk.

I was not really in great support of my dad's choice to euthanize, but in the end it was a difficult choice that had to be made. The vet explained that if her condition was caused by her neurological issues it would likely not be treatable, and if it wasn't caused by neurological issues it could be treated but would liked take several weeks for her to recover from. Since it would have been impossible for us to be home with her at all times, and since she weighed about 90 lbs, it would have been difficult to make sure she was drinking enough fluids, eating food despite her distaste for it lately, and getting outside to relieve herself if she couldn't stabilize herself.

In the end it's impossible for me to know if we could have squeezed a few more weeks or months into her life, and it's even harder for me to believe that she is now gone, but I just have to remember that she was in pain and now she isn't. She had to be on several painkillers twice a day in order to be able to get around. She was getting weaker and weaker all the time and could hardly manage to climb the one step up the back porch, and her back legs weren't strong enough to hold her up while she ate her food. It broke my hart to watch her struggle to get down her meals. Like most dogs, food use to be one of the most exciting part of her day, but eventually it just seemed like a task for her. She would only eat because we were asking her to and she was so loyal she didn't want to let us down.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. She lived a good long life with us and I am so grateful we got to have the time with her that we did.
 
I am so sorry that you are going through the most difficult part of sharing our lives with the pets that are so important to us. It never gets easier. But the time we have together still makes it all worthwhile.

My thoughts are with you.
 
Oh sweetie, sad day. Why is the best decision usually the hardest decision? I think all of us here have been through what you are going through, and while the pain is always there, use the memories and pictures to keep Sobe with you. I lost two of my furbabies this year within 10 days of each other, I thought I would crumble. Posting here helped a lot, we all know the pain of losing a loved one, be it furry or scaly.

Pick some of your favorite Sobe stories and write them down. When you are really feeling down, read them and smile, know she is with you right then, helping you through the tears.

Hugs,
Michelle
 
xStaticSnow said:
In the end it's impossible for me to know if we could have squeezed a few more weeks or months into her life . . . . .
Click to expand...

I'm sorry for your loss. From what you've said, I think you and your family made the right decision. Prolonging her discomfort to buy more time would have only benefited her people, not her. I've been in your situation many times, but it never gets any easier. Know that you gave her love and kindness while she was with you. Dogs never ask for more than that.

By the way, you write very well for being just 19!

Kathy
 
I'm sadden by your loss. Loosing any pet that way is very tough. Your family absolutely made the right decision.
She was so fortunate after her time in the shelters for such a wonderful family like yours to come along and give her a forever home.
 
In August we were in the same position. We had to put down our 14 year old rescue. Her health was fading, she was loosing weight and we could not control her pain. AT the time it was tough to see it was the right thing to do. Now months later I'm glad we could give her that final gift. She's no longer in pain and I'm lad we did not prolong her suffering.

My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
 
COndolences. What a sweet dog, and it sounds like she had a good life with you. Sometimes letting go is the only thing to do, as hard as it is, so now there's no more suffering and in time you'll have all those good memories of your lovely old girl.
 
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