Sad weekend - and then there was ONE


 

Ron G.

TVWBB Wizard
Had to put-down TWO of our beloved hounds within about 8 hours this weekend -

GLORIA - was about 12 years old (we only had her for about the past two, but she was a mellow little sweetie), survivor of a scraped-eye (lost sight in that one). Her teeth were BAD and gums got infected, but that could not be fixed due to her high-risk for General Anesthesia due to Arrhythmia. She had not been eating for about 2 days.
Had her at the Vet on Friday - Stuff from her mouth caused an infection in her bronchial tubes (bacterial bronchitis).
The antibiotics that were prescribed upset her tummy / killed her appetite further.
Got her to a different Vet early on Saturday, and they put her on IV fluids and a different antibiotic overnight. Our morning follow-up showed that by then, we were just "prolonging the inevitible..." She "went to sleep" on Sunday morning. There were just "too many dominoes in motion..." (Lungs / Heart / Tummy / Strength / Eye...)

PENNY - Was about 15.5 years old (ANCIENT for a hound) and a cancer-survivor. We had the pleasure of her company and "naughtiness" for over 15 of those years.
We were hoping for her to make it to Monday - so that her last appointment could be with an excellent, very nice Vet who we have worked with many times over the years.
But it was not meant to be - she stopped moving around and was whimpering late Sunday night - so, she was humanely put to sleep peacefully at around 2 A.M.

They both had long lives and were VERY loved while we had them -
Penny was basically expected - she had lived a LONG, mostly happy and healthy life, and had recently been diagnosed with Cancer throughout her guts.
We had expected Gloria to be around for a while yet - so her passing was more disappointing.

We still have Scrappy - our 10-plus Basset / Beagle, former stray. This skinny little squirt has been a bit more "clingy" than usual - Although he had never really "bonded" with the two girls; I'm sure that he is also adjusting to the new living arrangement where he is the only dog.

We took the day off on Monday, due to lack of sleep and the need to adjust to the new sense of quiet in our home...
 
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I'm so sorry for your loss. It stinks to lose them, they really are a family member as much as any human.
 
Barb and I am so sorry for your loss, we know the pain you feel as we have been down that road many times ourselves. But we keep going back for more, the joy they give us all those years was worth the pain we felt when they passed on.
 
Know what you're going through (but I know is of no comfort). We enjoyed our lab for 10 years and had to put her down a long time ago. The thoughts of what was never leave :( . Still brings a tear to my eye when of think of the fun (and heartache) we had with Mandy.
 
Barb and I am so sorry for your loss, we know the pain you feel as we have been down that road many times ourselves. But we keep going back for more, the joy they give us all those years was worth the pain we felt when they passed on.

Yeah - gotta' agree. After about a year (or a few months), we'll probably fall in love with some new little fuzzball who needs a home, and the cycle will repeat.
Like I said before - they cram A LOT of living into their relatively short life span. (Makes us REALLY feel for the folks who are "into" the giant breeds, which only make it to about 6 years...)
About 5 years ago - we lost 3 dogs in 3 months (Old age, Cancer, and one that got "doggy dimensia" - which was really sad...)

OTOH - with a dog in your life / home - no matter how bad of a day you've had at work, etc., when you get home, at least SOMEONE is ALWAYS happy to see you!
(That may be the main reason that we keep going back...)

Thanks for the kind thoughts, all
 
Deb & I are so sorry to hear of your loss. Its always so hard to loose one of our furry family members.
HB7GKIT.jpg
 
No dogs, but we lost both of our cats within 6 months last year, and the first one died just weeks after losing a close friend, and my mother, just 5 days apart.

Is that one of your deceased hounds in your avatar, Ron? I always liked that aw-shucks pose. So sorry for your loss.
 
...Is that one of your deceased hounds in your avatar, Ron? I always liked that aw-shucks pose. So sorry for your loss.

No, Rusty - that was my "best bud" Sebastian:
He was a 70-pound puppy for ALL of his life - not only did he not have a MEAN bone in his body; he didn't even have a "GROUCHY" bone. We adopted him when he was about 3 years old, and he came from a home with a young single woman who loved the heck out of him, but just did not have the TIME to devote to him. He had ALWAYS been loved and it showed. He had one eye sewn-shut when we got him (Gloucoma), which affected his other eye later. Blindness hardly affected him one bit. He succumbed to Pancreatitis about 3 years ago when he was about 7 years old (MUCH too young).

My wife and I volunteer for an area Basset Hound Rescue group, and have had about a dozen hounds pass through our lives over the past 18 or so years. Some stayed (mostly "Foster Failures") and some went to other homes that were a better fit, but we enjoyed all of them.
 
After the last critter went down, I don’t think I have the heart to see another one living with us, my wife started having dreams about two of our old cats walking across the tops of doors and then down the side, I don’t know what that means but, I’m not sure I want to either!
It’s harder to lose an animal than just about anything else. Time can be so cruel.
 
Sad to read this Ron.... It is soo hard to have them go, no matter their age... Scrappy must be lost without them as well. So sorry for your loss.
 
My condolences on your loss.
I know the pain of having to have your fur babies put down.
It does get better with time.
 
Sorry for your loss. When your pain eases a bit, I hope that you will give 2 more dogs a chance in honor of their memories.
 
Thanks for all of the well-wishes.

Scrappy is adjusting to being the "only-dog" (at least, for NOW...). Actually, I think that the skinny little stinker is LIKING it - because he gets ALL of the attention now.

The pain of loss with beloved pets "is PART of the package" that comes with being a dog owner - particularly when one starts acquiring an assortment of OLDER dogs. (We just don't have the time to deal with puppies anymore - so, by the time that they're 3 or more years old and "settled-down a bit" which is the best "fit" for us; you get to spend a shorter amount of time with them.)

We'll probably do it all-over AGAIN -- but it'll be a while.

Thanks again, Buds
 

 

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