HI everyone,

I'm new to this site and I am really hoping that some of you who have gone through this can give me
some comforting words. I lost my German Shepherd Jake on the 10th of September to Bloat. I never
dreamed when I took him in to the animal hospital that I wouldn't be bringing him back home. He had surgery
and the doc said that it was going to be touch and go because there was damage to his liver. He called me
on Wednesday morning to tell me that my Jake had passed. I feel so guilty, if I had gotten him there sooner
maybe he would have made it, and I wasn't there with him when he died... I didn't get to say goodbye to him.
It hurts so much, he was my buddie. He went everywhere I went. He slept on the floor beside my bed. I still
look for him to come bouncing through the room with his big ole ears. Jake would have been three years old
this January, he was so young. After Jake passed I went down to the vets office immediately because I just
wanted to see him to hold him. I told the vet that one day I will see my Jake again and when I get to heaven
he will be there waiting for me at the gates. Its the only comfort I have right now.
Friends and relatives are having a really hard time identifying with my pain, they don't understand why
I cannot move on and just "get over it" How can I? I lost my best friend!
My vet was so upset over losing Jake he was crying when he called me. He was a great friend not only to me
but everyone who knew him. He was so loving, I just don't understand why, why my sweet boy had to go?

He is now resting peacefully on our land and my husband made him a beautiful white cross with his name on it.
I still can't handle going out to the grave because all I picture is my babys lifeless body being put into the ground.
I don't know how to post pictures here, but as soon as I learn how to do that I will post a picture of my sweet boy
so you all can see his beautiful face.

Thank you all for listening to me

Luv4myJaKe

Dearest Luv4myJaKe, please accept my most sincere condolences for your loss. Jake was here then appears not to be. Your heart is broken and this is one of the most gosh awful horrible difficult times in your life. Boy, I sure know that.

Please allow me to share something with you that brings me comfort. I do know that my baby is still here. Really only just a breath away. A breath away truly is not very far at all to where your most precious beloved treasured Jake is, Dear One! Here ... This song will explain.




Who can say for certain maybe you're still here. I feel you all around me. Your memory's so clear.
Deep in the stillness, I can hear you speak. You're still an inspiration. Can it be?
That you are my Forever Love. And you are watching over me from up above!

Fly me up to where you are beyond the distant star.
I wish upon tonight to see you smile! If only for a while to know you're there.
A breath away's not far to where you are!

Are you gently sleeping here inside my dream?
And isn't faith believing all power can't be seen.
As my heart holds you just one beat away, I cherish all you gave me everyday!

'Cause you are my Forever Love watching me from up above and I believe that Angels breathe and that Love will live on and never leave!

Fly me up to where you are, beyond the distant star!
I wish upon tonight to see you smile if only for a while to know you're there!
A breath away's not far to where you are!

I know you're there! A breath away's not far to where you are!


Many Comforting Hugs, Love and Angels to you and Jake!!!

Always,
Dottie xoxoxox

Hi Luv4myJake, I am so deeply sorry for you loss. This is the hardest part, the emptiness. You cannot put any blame on yourself (I know for a fact) it'll eat you alive. You did everything you could and your vet to help, you must take comfort in that. I know it hurts that you was not there. I wasn't for my last one and was for this one and honestly I wish I wasn't sometimes. My last memories were not pleasant. He struggled to meow when he saw us, I scared him 'cuz I was crying so hard, his eyes so wide, looked away from me and towards the wall as if he was so disappointed I couldn't help him and then, those god awful words from the vet after the "shot" ok, he's gone now. It won't leave my mind. Your baby didn't suffer and is now at peace. This is the best place to be right now. We're all here for the same reason, and WE all do care and understand. Only you will know when your ready to move on from this. The bond we share with our furry friends will never be broken. Time will ease the pain, but post often, cry lots, let it out and don't feel bad about it. All I can offer right now is a big hug..Please tell stories and post pictures when your ready.

I am so sorry to hear that Jake has passed on. The grief and agony I know you are feeling is devastating to say the least. Especially since Jake was so young it makes it even more heartbreaking.

Each of us here has suffered the loss of a beloved furry family member whom we loved very much. It's by far the most difficult thing I have ever had to cope with in my life. Though I have had many human family members pass away, it was my sweet Goliath's death that shattered my heart to pieces and turned my world upside down. It may be hard for some of your friends and relatives to identify with the feelings you are having right now. Either they don't understand the kind of love that can be shared with an animal or they have never experienced first hand the sudden and tragic loss of one. It's normal for you to say or think "if only" I had or "I could have" or maybe "I should have." All of us here have gone through the what ifs and felt guilty in the beginning. There was nothing you could have done to prevent Jake's death.

Though Jake's body lies at rest you can be sure his loving spirit will remain alive and well. His loving spirit dwells in your heart and will stay there until the day you and he meet again. The body and soul separated when Jake passed on. Hang onto your faith in that you and he will reunite one day and live in eternal bliss never to be separated again. The bond you have with Jake can never be broken even through death. Your heart and his became one 3 years ago and are bound together with the memories of love you made together. Jake left you with much more than grief............there is a treasure chest of happy memories. This is his gift to you to cherish for the rest of your days until you and he meet again.

You have been blessed in knowing the kind of love you and Jake shared. Many people never have the privilege of experiencing such a love their entire lives. We all know here just how wonderful it is to share our lives and hearts with our furry kids and how much it hurts when we can no longer make memories with them. It takes alot of time and tears to walk this journey of healing. You are not alone because we all walk with you and are here for you every step of the way.

Hugs of comfort and love from my heart to yours,
Beth

Hi, Luv4myJaKe, please permit me to offer you my sincerest sympathies in the loss of your beloved companion, Jake. Losing a beloved furchild is never easy. The grief journey of losing a beloved companion is as painful, if not more so, as losing a family member or friend. You will never "get over" losing Jake, but hopefully there will come a time when you can think of Jake and smile, and then you will know that he hasn't left you for his sweet living Spirit is indelibly etched in your heart and memories. Luv4, bloat is a very dangerous illness, and one that always has a very guarded survival rate. Even when they come through the surgery "okay" there are the post-operative complications that are equally hazardous. Bloat has an immediate onset - - and even with faster than immediate responses the outcome is still very guarded. You did everything in your power to make sure that Jake received prompt medical attention, and your veterinarian did everything in his power to try to give Jake every possible chance to heal from this very serious illness. Right now you need to focus on doing whatever you feel is comforting to do to help you through this painful grief journey. Luv4, please know you are not alone in your grief journey. Our society in general is not knowledgeable about the grief involved in losing a beloved companion, but each of us here knows first hand the heartbreak of having to let a beloved fur and / or feathered beloved companion go home to the angels. And we are here for you for as long and as often as you need us. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, Luv4, and please let us know how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Welcome!
So many of us can relate to everything you said and what you are going through. Know you are not alone. Yes, our families sometime do not understand how we feel and they think its just an animal get over it and get a new one. Everyone here is so kind and understands how we feel. Just over 4 months since my loss and I never dreamed I could have made it this far. I have to say thanks to all the people here. Everyone listens when you cry, complain, gripe, or just posting messages to you furbaby. We are here for you!!!!!
The grief I felt was so different for my Sissycat. I lost her and my stepdad in June of this year and I felt guilty for grieving for her more. It is just something petlovers do I guess. Have found many people react this way.
I can say time will help to heal your pain. Coming here and posting and reading (and crying) was the best thing for me.
Hope to hear from you again soon. (pictures too when you can)

Hugs to you and your angel Jake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank You all so much for your words of comfort, I know you all identify with the pain
that I feel and I would never want anyone to go through this. It is the most horrible,
helpless feeling. I am doing okay. Taking this day by day, some days are good, some days
I cannot stop crying. I know as time goes by that pain will ease some but I will never stop
missing him. You guys ever done this? Yesterday, I called for him....don't know what I was
thinking but as soon as it came out of my mouth I realized he's not coming. Fortunetely
my husband is a very patient person and accepts my love for animals. Not many men
would be as patient as he is. I have a cat who I raised from two weeks old, I did rescue work
with the local vet in our area and was given litters of kittens when they were abandoned so
Bailey boo is one from a litter I was given. The rest I found great homes for.
Then we have a rottweiler coco who is 8 years old, and by the way loved the baby kittens...
she licked them all, I think she thought they were her babies. Then we have the muff girl
who is a bishon. But of them all, Jake was the closest to me. I got him when he was 6 weeks old.
It was love at first site, for both of us I think. He loved his mommy unconditionally and although
I love my other babies, the bond between Jake and I was different, it was as some of you said
a one of a kind love, bond.
Again thank you all for your sweet comforting words, I pray I can only be that comfort for someone
else one day.
I am going to attemt to post a picture through photobucket. Hopefully this will work

okay I think I did that wrong as I havent seen the pictures actually appear in anyones post?
Is there a different way to do it? I'm so sorry I didnt put it in there right

The picture is beautiful. What a magnificent dog...I'm so sorry you lost him.


Sharing your tears,
Dayna

Your picture posted beautifully. I am so sorry about Jake. I never heard of bloat before. (I just read Moonbeam's post to you about "bloat" and will research it to know about it).

I have had 2 German Shepherds be my best friends. I just wish I could give you a big, tight, hug and cry with you. This breed was always my very favorite..silver and black...mine were. Jake was much too young to be taken.

Yes, I have "called" for a special one but knowing they were not coming...just hoping that maybe they would.

You could use this picture as your avatar so Jake will be in every post you make.

you said: I feel so guilty, if I had gotten him there sooner maybe he would have made it, and I wasn't there with him when he died... I didn't get to say goodbye to him.

Don't feel guilty about anything. Getting there sooner would not have changed the outcome and I agree with others that you and your vet did your very best for Jake.

I can understand the extra hole it leaves not being able to say goodbye but his spirit will always be a part of you and he knows how you feel and if he could physically be here, I am sure he would lick the tears off your cheeks. That's just how wonderful these babies are.

It is the shock of expecting him to come home and that not happening..that makes it all so much worse. I am glad you have other furbabies to give a hug to.

Your last post here describes the grief cycle perfectly. We all know we must take it one day at a time. It is a special bond truly that we form with these babies. We love all of the ones that are part of our lives but sometimes there seems to be a unique connection with a certain one that is simply just....unlike any other in certain ways.

you said: Friends and relatives are having a really hard time identifying with my pain, they don't understand why I cannot move on and just "get over it" How can I? I lost my best friend!


I think your last sentence answered your first question. It hurts more to try and get comfort from ones who cannot understand how extremely painful this loss is. That is why this forum is so much help. You can write your thoughts and feelings and be surprised how many have thought or done the same thing and it is okay. It is okay to do what helps you to feel better.

There is no time limit on grief. We "move on" when WE are ready to do so..not because others think we should. Here you can say how you feel...you are not alone here. We all have the same pain and understand exactly how you are suffering.

I wish you peace and healing and we know it all takes time....a lot of time for many of us.

One Mom's saying has helped me and maybe her thought can ease some of your pain also.
She said: The pain of losing him will never ever be greater than the joy of knowing him.

Hugs to you and your new Angel, Jake.....a very special friend and a very special Angel

OMG Luv4myJake, Jake is just about the most beautiful German Shepherd I have ever, ever seen! Bless you and him from all you've said and thank you so much for sharing.
It really means the world, honest and for true.

I hope you don't mind but I did take his photo to a program, adjusted his hue, contrast, saturation, brightness, lightness and so forth. Then I also sharpened his image and framed it. He is awesome!!!



For you and Jake both:

Your Love for each other burns so Brightly and can never, ever be extinguished!

Many Comforting Hugs, Love, Peace, Faith, Hope and Angels!!!

Always,
Dottie xoxoxox

Thank you so much, the picture is beautiful after you adjusted it and put in into a frame!
He was always, always smiling just like that. He was such a happy go lucky dog.
One of my most fondest memories of him is of him biting at the water coming out of the hose.
Every evening when I went out to water the garden, Jake was right there with me biting at the
water as it came out. He was so goofy, but he always made me laugh. Afterwards he was a nasty
mess.... but he had so much fun! It's those memories that keep me going.
He was so incredibly smart, one day I will share somethings with you all.
Thanks again for all your comforting words and support, it means so much right now!

I just love the picture. Who couldn't love a furbaby like that!!!!

I think alot of us have done that. Called the one we lost. I even called her a few times on purpose just so I could hear myself say it again. Now is that silly or what.

No we will never forget our precious furbabies, but the pain does lessen. I am glad your husband is understanding. My family was to a point and then thought it was silly of me to keep on.

One day at a time is all we can do. I come here at least once a week and post a note to my Sissycat. Maybe that would help for you to talk to Jake with a post just to him.

Hugs to YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're most welcome and how very dear, adorable and funny about Jake biting at the water coming out of the hose. Awww! And I sure can see Jake smiling right now.
Perhaps something like this?



Please do share more when you're able. We'd love to hear! Awww!

Tons of Hugs, Love, Peace and Angels to You and Jake!!!

Always,
Dottie xoxoxox

Jake is (not was ) a beautiful dog.When I lost Willy,my boy on sept-3-08 He was panting alot when I had to go to work.I thought he would get over it as he always had panting spells throughout his life.He is a bulldog and this can be common.But I assumed it would stop soon as it always did.I got a call from my wife when she returned home from work and told me that Willy had died.I was not there when he died.He was my 'heart' dog.I love all my bulldogs(we have had 4 and one is left). Willy was the first and Just like Jake, was so friendly and all who met him fell in love with him.All 70 blubbery pounds of him!!!!! He was 12 days shy of his 11th birthday.Let me save you some time and added grief:Don't waste your time on friends and relatives.THEY DO NOT GET IT AND THEY NEVER WILL!!!!!!!!! Please post here often(God knows I have).This forum is blessed and quite special.You might already know this but if not google:

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE----------AND BELIEVE WITH EVERY FIBER IN YOU----------AS MY FRIEND SAYS:WE ARE JUST A BREATH AWAY----LITERALLY

THINK OF JAKE IN THE PRESENT TENSE---------BECAUSE HE IS!!!!!!!!! YOUR FORUM PAL,
BUBBA.....................

The picture you posted of the Shepherd reminded me of one I had very simuliar of Jake.
I will post it here so you can see it.
My son, who will be 14 in January was also very close to Jake. The two of them played chase
out in the yard all the time, and most of the time my son got tackled by Jake but he loved
every minute of it. Jeremy like me took it hard when Jake died. I will never ever forget his
words to me. He said "Mama please tell me you are going to bring my puppy back home to
me, please tell me he is going to be okay" It hurt to see him in pain and I could do nothing
to help. When we went to the vet to see Jake after he passed my girls and I went into the room
to see Jake, but my son stood outside the door just looking at him and would not go in. I didn't
force him to go in of course because I know everyone has their own ways of dealing with the
pain. My oldest daughter, took one of the pictures I have of Jake and sat down with charcoal
and did a beautiful drawing of him for me. I now have that framed, and she wrote "Jake
forever in our hearts" I know that was therapy for her, her way of dealing with it. I think about
my boy all the time, he is always on my mind. I can't help but go over this in my mind over and
over again, what if I had done something different would it have saved him.
And I keep thinking before he passed he must have been wondering where his mommy was,
why I wasn't with him. I think that hurts more than anything.
You guys have truly been a blessing to me, it helps so much to talk about Jake and I can't thank
you enough for listening.

A beautiful picture. I see you picked it as your Avatar so Jake is with every post here.

And I see in that picture....that is definitely a true German Shepherd SMILE!

Keep posting your feelings, thoughts, stories, and more pictures.

Hugs and peace

Judy

I did research "dog bloat" on Google. I have owned dogs most of my life and had never heard of this problem.

I am so very sorry Jake had this. He is a beautiful boy who deserved a better chance at life.
What power thinks of all these illnesses these babies go through? I know life is not fair but this is doubly not fair.

You and your vet did your very best. Moonbeam was right about what a dangerous condition this is. I think dog owners should be told about this illness. Especially since I read it is 2nd only to cancer in taking these babies away.

I can only say again how sorry I am. It is truly devastating to have this happen. I know my Little Guy's problem was out of the blue, an ER emergency and it was devastating to me especially everything happening so quickly. And I read that's just how bloat happens..very fast..
This speed just makes it all even more heartbreaking and overwhelming. It's like experiencing total shock.

Our two boys are at peace now but we will feel this pain forever.

Take care...I wish you peace and healing.
And a tight.....cyber-hug

Judy

Luv4MyJake-

I am so sorry for your loss and can relate. I feel as if I was reading about my own story. I took my baby boy Doxie to the vet and he died the next day. I go over and over in my head all the different "What ifs...." I feel the pain of guilt constantly. My baby was also young. He was only four.
Try not to let your relatives get you down. Not everyone understands how special our pets are to us and we are to them. It's not something you are ever going to get over and you shouldn't have to get over it. Jake will be with you forever. I read somewhere that said we never get over them we just learn to live our lives without them and for some reason this made me feel a little better because I always want to honor my dog's memory because that is all I have now. Learning to live a different way to me means he made such an impact on my life. I had to learn a new way to sleep- I still felt him up against my legs at night-, to eat-he cleaned up the scraps my baby threw down-, walks at the park will never be the same. But time will hopefully heal.

I put all the pictures of my baby in an album and bought a beautiful box and put all his things in it. I can still smell him on his collar and his jacket. It helped a lot actually.

My heart goes out to you.

Thank you guys for all your comments!!! ****HUGS****

I too had never heard of Bloat, and I have had many dogs in my lifetime. It is horrible.
Occurs in large chested dogs. I think the German Shepherd is like 2nd on the list.
A few days after I lost Jake, I ran by my vets office to make an appointment for
one of my other babies and also to drop a thank you card off to them and when I
walked in I was in complete shock to see my babies xrays in the waiting area up on
the xray board with a write up on Bloat and the warning signs.
I absolutely lost it. I was not angry with them for putting his xrays out there but
just shocked to walk in and see them. People should be warned that have large
breed dogs. I was completely caught off guard with this and if this makes one more person
aware of the signs then maybe their baby will be saved and they won't have to go through
this. And maybe in the future they will be able to come up with an early warning sign.
It happens so fast, that by the time you know something is wrong.... its too late.