First Time Dealing With Pet Loss Options

[Steve G]

hi everyone,
new at this, as well as new at grieving for my best friend, einstein. she was said to be a chow-mix, but if you google "swedish lapphund" you will see pictures that look exactly like her. she was 15 1/2, 108 in dog years, and we lost her suddenly, last tuesday morning. her labored breathing woke me around 3:30 a.m. - i tried to comfort her, and calm her down - noticed her tummy was kind of bloated - called the emergency vet, had to carry her to the car because she couldn't seem to walk. the vet said she was in shock, and noticed her gums and tongue were almost white - she was bleeding internally and the vet estimated she had lost half her blood into her abdomen. of course the option of blood transfusion, exploratory surgery, etc, etc - what could one do?? how could i subject my 108 year old baby to this medical treatment at her age? my wife and i just looked at each other, and knew we had to make the hard decision...

i first got einstein even before i met my wife, teresa. she's been a very special part of my life. this is the first time in my life, that i've had a pet from "start to finish". we had pets when we were kids, but my parents always seemed to find a reason to get rid of them before they got old - so here i am at 51, having to deal with the death of a pet for the first time ever.

been a horrible week, had to take a day off from work, very hard to stay focused, can't seem to get anything done at home, been scanning through old photos, almost anything dog-related makes me want to cry...

not sure how this all works, but any thoughts, comments, ideas, suggestions, are most welcome. from the way this feels, i doubt if anyone ever really can get used to these feelings, but maybe some of you have found solace in something.......

thanks,
steve g
seattle

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[missy]

I am so so sorry you are going through this difficult time.
I too had to make the same quick decision to put my kitty to sleep over a month ago. Mine started have terrible seizures. He was only 3 years old.
I've dealt with the death of a pet many times in my life, but for me this one is the hardest.
What you must remember is that you gave your dog a wonderful life, and you helped to stop the suffering he was in. You allowed him to pass away peacefully. Euthanasia is the kindest thing we can do for our pets when they are in distress.
I am in the same boat as you so it is difficult for me to give a lot of advice on how to deal with this grief since I am going through it as well. I know from my past dealings with loosing pets that time does heal all wounds. You do slowly move on with you life and always hold a special place in your heart for those pets that have passed on.
For me personally, I had to rearrange some furniture and put away his toys and cat bed. It's hard at first to deal with them not being there anymore. I did get a bunch of photos of him printed and some of them I framed and hung on the wall. I got his ashes and put them in a special urn with a couple of his toys in with it.
It's a difficult time. Slowly you will feel better.

[Steve G]

that's got to be really hard, so young.

we knew putting her down was a horribly difficult thing to do, but thinking about what she would have to go through to try and be "saved" by the vet - no one deserves that at that age. lord help me if i lived to 108, then developed something serious - just let me go too!

i've printed a bunch of photos as well, fairly therapeutic, but not the same as a good scratch...

and yes, the bowls, the beds, the leashes, the brushes - everywhere there are thing to remind you - i haven't been able to put much away yet.

thanks for the kind words, and good luck with healing your heart
steve

I am so so sorry you are going through this difficult time.
I too had to make the same quick decision to put my kitty to sleep over a month ago. Mine started have terrible seizures. He was only 3 years old.
I've dealt with the death of a pet many times in my life, but for me this one is the hardest.
What you must remember is that you gave your dog a wonderful life, and you helped to stop the suffering he was in. You allowed him to pass away peacefully. Euthanasia is the kindest thing we can do for our pets when they are in distress.
I am in the same boat as you so it is difficult for me to give a lot of advice on how to deal with this grief since I am going through it as well. I know from my past dealings with loosing pets that time does heal all wounds. You do slowly move on with you life and always hold a special place in your heart for those pets that have passed on.
For me personally, I had to rearrange some furniture and put away his toys and cat bed. It's hard at first to deal with them not being there anymore. I did get a bunch of photos of him printed and some of them I framed and hung on the wall. I got his ashes and put them in a special urn with a couple of his toys in with it.
It's a difficult time. Slowly you will feel better.