Drying the old girl off after a walk in the rain. She enjoys her walk always seems to want to go, but she looks so tired.
Some bad news- our first Basset Hound, Lola, keeled over and had to be put down yesterday— on what was literally her tenth birthday. Evidently she had a huge tumour we didn’t know about, it burst yesterday and destroyed her spleen. Our family is heartbroken and Hank, our other basset has now pulled the couches and tossed the beds in our house looking for her. It’s not fair that something you love so much is around for such a short time.
Friends, if you get a pet and can afford it, I highly reccomend getting health insurance for them. My wife did when we got Cooper back in '21. I laughed, but also knew she was on to something. I especially know it today. Long story short, we noticed he was bleeding and bruising. We ended up taking him to Cornell Veterinary School where he was diagnosed with ITP. Basically, the vet said he has no platelet count to speak of, though they're not quite sure yet. Could be tick-borne on up to cancer. He's admitted to their ICU for testing and observation, and transfusion if needed. They said he has a 60-80 percent chance of full recovery, though I'm sure that's barring the Big C being the cause. Estimated cost? Six to eight grand. We had to drop $3K just to leave him there. I was already a fucking wreck so that cost hit me like a punch in the gut. But my wife isn't worried because... she got the insurance on him. I'm still a fucking wreck, and I miss my boy, but he's in the best hands there are out there. Also, props to the cop who not only saw me run the stop sign that I didn't see, but also saw I was in rough shape and wrote the ticket for "failure to obey traffic signal" instead of a stop sign. The latter would have been worse.
The New Year has some pretty shitty news for the per thread so far. Here’s hoping that changes for the better soon.
It just got worse. Cornell called at 4:30 this morning to tell us our boy took a turn for the worse. Apparently he was unresponsive and they found he had bleeding on the brain. We made the painful, yet correct, decision to let our boy go peacefully. We've lost a dog before, back in 2020, but she was old, sick, and we knew it was time. Cooper just turned 4. We only had him 3 1/2 years and in that time he taught us what unconditional love looks like. The house has been empty without him the past couple days, but it was temporary. Now our house is just empty. He was one of those "once in a lifetime" companions that you read about. Dear God, I'd give anything to have my boy back.
After Buddy passed, I made a shadowbox for him. It contains one of my favorite photos of him along with his lifelong collar, an extra metal tag from our old house, a small glass bottle with some of his ashes, and an impression of his pawprint. I set the shadowbox on the entryway table and look at it every day. Doing something to honor him that I can look at feels good and right and makes me feel a little better. This way, I will think of him daily and never forget my truest guardian. The thought of him fading from my memories hurts almost as bad as losing him to begin with.
Thanks, and thanks to everyone who reached out. I’m really struggling here because I feel like he wondered where we were before he became unconscious. And it was completely out of my hands. We couldn’t be there with him and if he were here he’d have died suffering. It just fucking sucks, and hurts so bad.
I understand that completely. While out in the yard, I see the new dusting of snow has covered any pawprints. There's none to be found in the frozen mud. It bothered me. We said we wouldn't rush into getting rid of his stuff, but yesterday I threw his bed away. I was going to buy him a new one when he came home anyhow, but having it next to my side of the bed, and seeing the little spots of blood on it were just too much. Then when we went to bed I came unglued for the umpteenth time of the day. I told my wife that today I would put away his dishes and toys in the hopes the constant reminder would make it easier for me to get a grip for the workday. When I got home this morning, I found she did it already so I wouldn't have to. Now to the positive side of things, if there can be any, and the point of your post. We're having him cremated like we did our beagle in '20 and will decide what to do with him later. Ginger, the beagle, is still on the fireplace mantle with her collar on top. We'll also get some pictures printed and framed, I love that one that I posted above. He loved to lounge in the sun. What I'm also planning is a little memorial section in our wildflower garden/ meadow that I already planned to expand this year, but yesterday said, "fuck it, we'll make it even bigger." I'll get a little bench, possibly stone so it lasts, and set along the walking patch, cut slightly into the flowers. Then get a couple of those little pet memorial stones. At that time, maybe we'll seal the little wooden urns up in something and bury them. Maybe we won't, I don't know. But I'll make something beautiful in their memory, either way.
@walt It's going to take awhile. It's ok to grieve. He was your boy and you miss him. E-hugs to you. Lean on your wife. She'll understand better than anyone how special he was. My husband was a great support when Buddy passed. He cleaned up the mess, threw away a soiled bed, cleaned the carpets, picked up bowls. He was about as broken up as I was about it, but having to deal with all that stuff would have put me over the edge. It took me about 3mo for me to clean his nose marks off the door and frame to our bedroom from where he used to push it open. My bearpaw slippers still have a dark line on them from a rope of his drool that got on there and that'll stay there as long as I have the shoes. I hope your garden grows the most beautiful flowers.
I don't mean to come across as insensitive. I know both @walt and @Crown Royal have suffered some very recent losses of treasured family members. I just know that when it happened for me, I was absolutely beside myself. I've grieved a relationship before but never a death. I'm tearing up all over again about it. It's just so, so hard. I sympathize and empathize with you guys and hope you are able to find ways to work through this painful time.