If I Just Knew Why...., a piece of me is gone Options

[My Mia]

Our adorable chocolate lab Mia only got to be 5 1/2 years old. I took her to the vet march 2- she had been acting strange for two days and something was not right. loss off appetite and not happy.we thought she might have gotten something stuck in her throat-it seemed swollen.The vet told me she was in renal failure-we were devestade and could not understand why-she is an indoor dog,hadnt gotten into any poison-just dont understand!she percked up during the day and she was happy to see us thursday night when we visited her-they kept her overnight for fluid thearaphy to flush out the kidneys
-but friday everything started to shut down.her body temp went down fast and she didnt respond to any treatment-the ironic thing is her kidney values were getting better...friday afternoon we had to put her to sleep-she wasnt getting any better.we dont understand...the loss is tremendous and sudden-I dont know how to coop and I just cant seem to stop crying...
A month ago she got her booster shoots vaccinations-and she did have a reaction to them-vomiting-had to take her in the same day for treatment-they gave her benadryl and antiinflammtory shoots.she got better but I cant help going back to that-could that have caused this???My vet says no-but has anyone heard of that ?

Mia Forever...

[Caroline]

I am so very sorry for your loss. That is a terrible thing for both you and Mia to have gone through. I lost my 5 year old chocolate lab Lucy to lymphoma last February (over a year ago). It was horrible. They thought she had eaten poison, but it turned out to be cancer. She, like your Mia, was way too young. Try and hang in there and take each day as it comes. It will get better. I never thought it would, but it does. You are in my thoughts...

Caroline

[kmom]

I'm so sorry for your loss of Mia. It's soooo hard when they go so quickly and you want answers and there just arent any. 2 1/2 weeks ago I lost my 7 1/2 lab. He got sick one day and I had to put him down the next. Probably cancer, but I'll never know for sure. How quick he went was and still is the hardest thing, other than missing him terribly. I didn't have the time to spend with him, try to make him better, say a proper goodbye.
It's getting better. Try and focus on the happy times. What made her happy. The fun times you had together. Just this past Sunday we took our kids and other dog for a walk for the first time since Kasey past. I cried. I knew I would. Something just wasn't right. Then I started picturing him ambling along, trying to catch up to Murphy, just having fun. It does help. I will miss him til the day I see him at the Bridge. But until then I'll will continue to focus on the happy times, not the last 24 hours of his life. Eventually you will too. I know the pain in unbearable at times. Take the time for your grief. Cry. It all helps.

[QorquisDad]

I'm so sorry to hear about Mia.

I don't know if the vaccinations are directly related to Mia's passing on not. I've read that most vets tend to give annual boosters but it's not really necessary. I've also read that you should give the boosters every year, so I don't know for sure what the right answer is. I'm sure there's some balance for your area that's really right, but only a well qualified local vet can give you a useful answer.

Sometimes things just happen that we're not prepared for. It doesn't mean anyone did anything wrong, it's just what was to be. I know that doesn't make it any easier, especially since Mia was still so young. My Qorqui wasn't even two years old when I lost her. Although the cir%%stances were very different, I did lose her very suddenly and unexpectedly. I know what it's like to feel like you've been cheated out of many years with your best friend. You will make it through this.

Try not to dwell on the "what if" and "if only" things. It'll only prolong your grief. But, don't hold your grief in either. It's very important to let it out. It can be a bumpy ride, and, for many, one that seems to get better then worse again many times before you're really healed. Like kmom said, try to focus more on happy times than the last few days. Mia, as all our past furries, would certainly rather see you enjoying your memories of her.

Take care of yourself,
Tim

[My Mia]

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts...it has helped coming here.
We got the call to pick up Mia's ashes-it feels better now having her here at home with us.I keep hearing her and thinking I see her reflection-its still so so hard...
the vet has a strong suspision she had lymphoma-although there was never a diagnosis-it all happen so fast.
thank you again for your thoughts.

Mia Forever...

[Caroline]

What happened to Mia sounds familiar to what happened with Lucy. Lucy's was really jaundiced and enlarged. They did a bunch of tests before confirming lymphoma. Lucy had a decrease in appetite and looked really sad. She also had the enlarged lymph glands in the neck.

The whole thing was like a bad dream. You just do not expect a 5 year old otherwise healthy dog who is primarily indoors to become so sick at such a young age. I was really angry about that for a long time. We had Lucy with us for 3 weeks after her diagnosis. Lymphoma is very quick. Our vet put Lucy on steroids which gave her energy and an appetite for about 3 weeks. In that time, we did as much as we could with her to make her feel very safe and loved.

As soon as she started showing signs of weakening and hurting, we had her put down. It was one of the hardest days of my life.

Just know that there are many others who feel your pain, and trust me, the pain will lessen over time and won't be as sharp as it is now. It sounds like Mia had a great family while she was here on earth. What a lucky girl...

Take care, Caroline