It is with great regret that I announce the death of my beloved dog Sam.
He was with me at home and passed away on December 28th at approximately 11am. He was 8 & ½ years of age.

The cause of death was that Sam had pleurisy caused by him chewing on a stick or a bone (?) and swallowing a sliver which punctured his esophagus and inserted infection into his chest cavity.
These bacteria caused what is called a lesion on his lung in the plural membrane.
These bacteria are very hard to treat and Sam's chances of survival were very slim.
Our veterinarian and her assistants did everything they could. Sam spent time in their care, after which I was given a grim prognosis. She said I could try to help him pull through at home with love, care & of course medication.

We went home and I tried my best to help him through this terrible time.

Sam’s death was premature and it was frustrating because Sam appeared to be making some progress. His breathing had become less labored, his temperature stabilized and he was drinking water & eating small amounts of food. However, things started to go downhill. He started refusing all food(s) and the water that he drank was for the most part, barfed up. He stopped peeing and got very weak. I helped him to get up and move around a little bit and tried massaging his limbs to help. On his last day, he could not get up at all. He had a pretty heavy duty convulsion. It was horrible for both of us. When it subsided, I decided enough was enough, he was now really suffering. I went outside to get the car out of the garage, to take him to the local vet. When I came in the house, Sam was laying there with his head up and he appeared alert. I offered him a little bit of food and he ate it. I thought, this is great! He laid down again and I offered him some water. No interest. A less intense convulsion ensued and when it subsided, I stroked his face, looked him in the eye and said
“ Sam, God be with you.. if you’ve got to go, you go!”
Three seconds later he died. It was quite surreal. It seemed that after getting my permission. he just went to sleep.
Faithful to the bitter end, such a fabulous dog…

Sam & I gave it our best try.
It has been 8 long days now, it seems so much longer.

God rest his soul, his ashes will be coming home this week,

I love and miss him dearly and remember him fondly.
Anthony James (JimmyPat)

JimmyPat ~~

Sam is a lovely dog, and he was so lucky to have had you as a daddy. I, too, am very new here to this site. My husband and I just said goobye to our beloved keeshond, Caesar, four weeks ago, yesterday. Oh, our babies... Would that they could live with us in the here and now, always. But they are still with us, as long as people like us love our pets. They won't ever leave us. Speak Sam's name whenever you feel like it. I honestly believe they hear us. And it's said that to speak their name, makes them live again. Bless you, and bless your beloved and lovely Sam. ..... I love you Caesar... Mommy misses you sooo much....

Amarna, Proud to be Caesar's mommy Forever

Hello.I am so sorry for your loss.Sam sounds like he was a wonderful dog.Thank you for sharing his story with us.I know you are in pain right now but please try to remember that Sam is no longer in pain.You tried your best to care for him and you were there with him till the end.I know how it feels to lose a beloved pet.We lost our kitty Sox on Oct. 13th and it is still painful for me to think of him not being here with us anymore.Sox had to be put to sleep because he had feline diabetes and kidney failure.He was 16 years old.You gave Sam a good home and a great life and he'll be waiting for you when it is your time to pass on.My thoughts and prayers are with you and I hope things get better for you soon.Please feel free to come here as often as you need to.We understand what your going thur and we know how hard it can be.Yes,8 years is a short life but in that short time he lived a full life with you and in time you'll have those memories to help get you thur the rough spots.I would like to say that it gets better with time but it really doesn't,you just learn how to live with the loss.Sam was a beautiful dog,thank you for sharing his photo with us.Sincerely,Renee (Sox's mommy)

Dear Sam's Dad, I am so sorry to hear of your loss, I too lost my G.Ret Hrudey boy, on Christmas morning. I feel your pain, Sam is beautiful, and it sounds like you did all you could and he was with you in the end, that's quite an amazing story, how they try to keep going, unfortunately, we didn't read all the signs and I feel like I let my pal suffer longer than I should have, my heart is with you, and your family, that's terrible to lose a guy so young.....I wish I had all the words to make you feel better, just know I understand and am feeling just like you, pretty lost at the moment. You will see him again, on the other side, have no fear, he loved you for that is certain. Take Care, Tory, Hrudey's momma.

JimmyPat
I am so sorry for your loss. Sam was a very handsome guy and this is a very sad story. You gave him every bit of love you had and tried so hard. You were there for him and that's what matters.

My boy Copper passed on the 31st and it still hurts. He wasn't quite 10 -- another one taken too young. I understand your frustration. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

JimmyPat

I cried as I read your post. Your love shines through as well as your pain. Sam was and is beautiful. You gave him peace when he needed it. The greatest gift of all. I lost my Sherman (minature schnauzer) on Nov. 10th and I feel like a great big part of me is gone. Christmas was not going to be the same and it wasn't. I swore I would never allow myself to love another pet and have to go thru this again. Never say never. Just 4 weeks ago we acquired a pug puppy and named him "Bandit". He does not and never could replace Sherman but he has made his own little place in our hearts and allowed us some measure of joy. We pet lovers have far to much love not to share it with fur babies.

http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/personalt...te.php?ID=62875

Jimmypat - your story really touched me. I understand totally how you are feeling right now, as I lost my precious Old English Sheepdog, Shep on 30th Dec 06. The part where you said to Sam to go if he needed to was so poignant. He sounds like such a loyal companion that I believe he was waiting for your permission, just to make sure you were prepared, in his last act of devotion to you. Remember him at his best, which will be difficult just now, and come back here often, as it is this site that has dragged me back to sanity since i lost Shep.

Take care.

Debbie
Sheps mama

Oh JimmyPat

Your Sam was so handsome! I'm so sorry you lost him, so early too. He was so young.

We lost our Moustache kitty 2 months ago, it was very fast. He, too went just moments after I told him he could go. Maybe they do hear and respond to us. Moose was 10 but he sould have had many years here with us. We feel, as I'm sure you do too, that we were robbed.

For me getting the ashes back helped, I hope it works that way for you too. We put his urn on his kitty tower, in the sun. But sometimes I hold them close to my heart. At least he was home. Be gentle with yourself, it's surreal for a while.

Thinking of you and your Sam
Lori

JimmyPat

I'm glad that you have made your way here, with the rest of us. Nothing can lesson the pain of losing our dear ones, but it helps to be among those who are having the same feelings and experiences, to be able to talk about them to someone who truly understands.

Your Sam was a gorgeous fellow and I am sure he knew how much he was loved. My Alley also hung on longer than she truly should have, which I why I decided to have her put down, before she suffered too much. They hide the pain to protect us, all the while we are trying to take care of them.

He will always be with you.

Thank you all for your responses to my announcement. It is greatly appreciated. I have posted a tribute to my Sam. It takes about seven to ten minutes, to read. I did it on a positive note and it was really helpful for me to do this. It is a partial character profile and a bit about our life together.

It can be viewed at the website:
www In-Memory-Of–Pets.com
Go to the main page.
Go to the icon: “Pets Family Stories”
Go to the quick search icon
ID# is: 64070
Click on Sam boni

JimmyPat,

I remember reading your story about what happened with Sam, and sharing it with my H, both of us feeling such sympathy for you for the roller coaster ride of ups and downs through Sam's ordeal, and for the tragic cause of his passing. I cried with shared pain, for it also reminded me of how Sabin left....only AFTER I'd given him my heart's sincere permission to go if he wanted/needed to...and like you, w/i only a few minutes of having done so.

Your tribute to Sam was so heartfelt and warming and I loved reading about how considerate you always were of Sam's desires and preferences. It's so apparent you loved, and love, him so, just as it's equally apparent how much he loved, and loves, you. Some of the humourous games you played with Sam touched me as well, as I played some of the same types/ones with my beloveds, Sabin and Nissa...even though they were feline, not canine. They evoked an empathetic chuckle, as well as the pain of the end of those games for now. It's a beautiful tribute that helps me feel like I know Sam a bit, even if it's nothing like how you knew him. I would have loved him, too, though. A very special boy, who has a very special dad. May you find whatever peace you need as you go through your loving grief over Sam.