This is Romeo, we got him as a puppy for our kids as a Christmas present. As he got older, he became my best friend. Romeo passed last year and there’s not a day that goes by without thinking of him. He made it to his 15th birthday and our family enjoyed every moment we had with him.
This is Sir Olivier Laurence. We said goodbye about a week ago at about 16 years of age. I know it was the right thing, but I’m in that “what more could I have done to buy more time” stage.
I adopted him in 2020. In our nearly six years together, we were thick as thieves. I miss him terribly.
On his instagram, we share little poems. Here is the goodbye one we shared for him:
Thank You, Friends. I Had A Wonderful Time.
Someday soon you’ll pack up my bed,
remove the gate atop the stairs.
Someday soon the vacuum may claim
the last bit of my hair.
But even when things are tidied,
I hope you always find.
The little bits of love
I sought to leave behind.
Even if you can’t hear little clicking
as I shuffle across the floor,
I hope you carry thoughts of me
with you forevermore.
In every steak you order,
should my memory occur,
I hope you keep finding the joy we shared,
like a pesky bit of fur.
A bond like ours is rare and special,
and it can always last.
You can carry my love with you,
holding present what may have passed.
We shared so much together,
and though it could never be enough,
we’ll still always have each other,
forever love, forever fluff.
Idk why. I still feel empty and ruminate about what more I could have done.
I don't know if this will help, but I find writing things down has always made things feel somewhat different to just trying to process them alone in my mind.
Last night my husband and I had to make the difficult decision of letting go of our little 14 year old girl, Bonita. A Toy Poodle x Chihuahua.
I got her when I was 17, she was my first and only dog, something I had wished for since I was little.
She was with me from my adolescence to adulthood, through heartbreaks to marriage.
I can't remember what my life was like before her, all I can remember is a life with her in it.
Although she was 14, she was so energetic and full of life. She'd jump up on our bed, stand up against the car door to look out the window, and occasionally have the desire to sprint on her walks.
She was surprisingly healthy for a dog of her age, but about a month ago I noticed her behaviour changing. She would randomly freeze and stare into the distance, or walk up to a wall or corner of the house and just look at it, unresponsove to us calling her name. She stopped wanting to go for long walks, a lot of the time I'd only take her across the road where she would sniff a little bit and then want to go home. She no longer cared about looking out the car window, and just quietly on my lap. In the early stages, she would still wag her tail with excitement at the offer of going for a "walk" or "drive".
About two weeks ago, she really started to decline, our vet confirmed she had the dog equivalent of dementia as well as arthritis, so we started her on some treatments to help her. He told us that this is part of her aging, and that we would just have to take extra good care of her now that she was slowing down.
In my mind, this just meant that she was getting old, and for the next year or so, we would need to be more gentle and supportive of her needs.
Within the past week, everything changed and she really started to go down - she was getting turned off her food, and after changing it multiple times, she just didn't want to eat. She spent most of her days sleeping, and would just sleep on our chest without hesitation (this was not her style - she loved being next to us, but rarely stayed on us when we wanted to hold her).
After two days of her not wanting to put anything in her mouth aside from water, we made the hardest decision to let her go.
I couldn't bare the thought of taking her to the vet (the one place she hated to go), so we called a vet that comes to your home.
This was the worst night and experience of my life.
I never wanted to have to make this choice, I always prayed that she would go peacefully in her sleep, but I know this was the best decision for her, knowing that she wouldn't suffer any longer.
Holding her in my arms as she slowly drifted away, and then when her body let out that final breath... I can't get that image out of my mind. I've spent so much of last night and today crying.
I don't know how I will ever get through this pain, if I will ever stop looking for her in the house, or waiting for her to jump up on the couch and start licking me.
Can you ever move on from this feeling? How can you go on living when this huge part of you is no longer there, a part you will never get back.
I'm so grateful for all the love, memories and joy she brought to my life. Dogs are truly a gift from God. Something that loves you unconditionally and with all their heart.
I love you my little Bonnie, you were so loved, and will be deeply missed.
this dog is my daughter, please don't let her go soon Lord
Months ago, our 15 year old lab/pit-bull mix started having accidents in the house - which was a first. Then she started having episodes at night, which we later learned was sundowning.
We took her to the vet and all her bloodwork was perfect - and she looks great for her age. Nobody believes she’s almost 16.
The vet concluded she was at the beginning stages of dementia. Meds were discussed, but we declined them because the side effects seemed to outweigh the benefits for her, especially at her age.
But these past few months have been a roller coaster. The erratic sleep schedules. She pants so much that I can tell it exhausts her. And she will drink water because apparently she forgets she drank it and she’ll just pee all thru her diapers, on herself, me sometimes. 😔
I volunteer, I’ve had sooo many dogs throughout my life. When they got sick or I knew they were in pain and medical care did not help, I would do the final act of love and have them go to sleep peacefully. I never want to see an animal suffer.
But I’ve never had a dog with dementia. For the most part, she’s happy. She eats. She’ll even play most days. But the bad days… are bad.
I literally clean for hours, do countless loads of laundry, and plan my life/work schedule around her. And I would do it forever if I had to. But I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing for her.
Sometimes I look at the confusion on her face and wonder if she’s suffering. Does it bother her that she pees all over herself? The vet doesn’t think so. But I do. And I just don’t know if keeping her like this is right. But I hate giving up on her too. 😔
I know I wrote a book here. Maybe I just needed to vent too because this is hard.
Any advice would be appreciated. If nothing else, thanks for taking the time to read this.
Hello, I don't usually do this sort of thing but I need to spread the word about a fundraiser for my dog. I made a gofundme page for him because he had been trouble with his legs, we thought it was arthritis at first, but the vet thinks its his spine, which surgery for such things are very costly. Please consider donating, even if its just a dollar or sharing on your pages, I would appreciate getting this to as many eyes as possible. Thank you!
Our 12, almost 13 year old Jack Russell x Miniature Pinscher, Pepper, was put to sleep yesterday.
Before I begin I want to say she was the family dog but sole carer and provider was my mum. I don’t want to go into it too much as I am so angry about it, but she never got Pepper spayed. So this is what ultimately lead to her death and my mum is completely heartbroken so I’m trying my best not to blame her.
On Wednesday Pepper started to get what we thought was a vaginal prolapse. Mum called the vets and explained her history and euthanasia was booked in. We gave Pepper a wonderful last day and gave her all her favourite things. Get to the vets and he examines her before we make the impossible decision.
Vaginal prolapse was actually a benign vaginal polyp, out because of her seasons and too much estrogen. Wouldn’t have happened if she was spayed. Vet checked her heart and said she had a significant heart murmur. His words “it’s not life or death, I’ve seen people euthanise for far more and for far less, ultimately I can’t make the decision for you” and explained the surgery to spay and do whatever else needed doing was to cost £2,400. My mum is due inheritance as soon as my grandpa’s property sells and asked the vet what she can do to give Pepper more time until she can get the money.
Vet explained about giving her a barrier cream to stop the polyp getting infected, wearing nappies, and monitoring her heart and the amount she coughs due to the heart murmur as if it’s very bad then she may not survive the anaesthetic anyway. He did warn that as the polyp was significantly growing, it will likely get bigger and bigger and more uncomfortable. Mum decided she wanted to give Pepper a chance and we left with the barrier cream and the heart monitor.
Yesterday I got a call from my sister to say Pepper was whining and panting a lot, the polyp had gotten bigger and redder and looked infected. It was then I feel my mum realised the quality of life Pepper would have if she tried to wait out for the money.
It was decided that Pepper would be put down. At 9:40pm last night she peacefully left us with so many cuddles and love surrounding her. It’s an image I’ll never forget but I would’ve never forgiven myself if I hadn’t been there. All that dog knew was love and all she gave was love.
The nurse was lovely and so comforting. She told me that the surgery Pepper would’ve needed would’ve been brutal, she would have had a huge wound and it would’ve been very hard for her to be comfortable during recovery - and that’s if she would even survive the operation. She was very small so not sure if size and age factor in as well as the heart murmur in the case of the surgery. She said she also had a tumorous mammary and if it was her dog she would have made the same decision as us.
Pepper also had worsening cataracts and what we believed to be doggy dementia.
So I need to know. I’m fighting with every fibre of my being to believe the right choice was made. I want to believe it but I just wonder if I’D done more and overruled my mum and just got a loan out for the surgery or something, anything, that Pepper would still be here now. I can’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t her time, even though she was so tired and I could see it in her eyes. I just can’t help but think there could’ve been something else done. I don’t know. My heart is hurting and I’m angry and have so many emotions directed at my mum and myself really because if I earned better I could’ve just spayed Pepper earlier and this wouldn’t have happened and I could’ve just done what my mum was too out of it to do. My mum has ADHD and autism so I’m trying not to blame her but I am livid. And I’m blaming myself.
Did we do the right thing. I am so broken. Please, be as truthful as you need to be. Was she doomed with all that was wrong with her?
My Boo is over 16 years old and has been with me since he was 6 weeks old. We still spoon every night, and I love him more than anything, and through that love I have to let him go. He has a heart murmur that is no longer responding to meds, but he’s got something else going on - a mass and associated blood work that points to disease. I don’t think it would be right to even put him through the diagnostic - and he might not even survive anesthesia, let alone treatment. He’s retaining almost two pounds of fluid - went from 7.8 pounds to 9.6 pounds in a month and it’s not from eating because he hardly eats, and even the procedure to drain it might be too much for his heart to take anyway. So while he’s still wagging his tail, cuddling, and not in too much pain, it’s time.
He’s tired and he’s weak, so I pull him in a wagon for his walk - this morning we went for two hours and we’ll go again tomorrow, and then at noon I’ll say goodbye. My heart will break, but it’s the only thing left that can do for him.
As does everyone else on here,
I’m just looking for reassurance that we are making the right decision for our 16.5 yo beagle mix.
Over the last couple years, her hind end function has slowly degenerated. She walks okay once she gets going but falls often and often needs help getting up. If she falls on the wrong surface, she’ll just wait for someone to come find her and help her out. If she has to stand still for any length of time her butt will slowly droop until she falls. We’ve tried different pain killers hoping that reducing pain might help her feel more balanced but nothing has made much of a difference.
She’s been struggling with getting into her poop position for a while and has accidents pretty frequently. We’ve tried getting her out more often but it just seems to be that she has to wait for the poop to come and whenever that is, that’s when she goes, she doesn’t seem to have control. She doesn’t really have pee accidents but she’ll “leak” a bit in her sleep if left too long between trips outside.
She eats well but only if we put hamburger on top of her kibble, which isn’t a great sign for a beagle-type dog. (But also she clearly KNOWS we will put treats on top of her food if she demands it!) She still loves a snuggle and wants to be with and near us consistently, though sometimes she gets confused trying to find us in the house.
We are also heading into a couple months of a lot of travel, which is hard on her and hard on me and/or my husband - whoever is left home with the two dogs with vastly different care needs.
I have an appointment to help her pass this week but feeling really unsure. She seems so happy and content to just sit on the couch and watch TV with us but I’m not sure that balances the rest of the issues. Just looking for reassurance that I’m not jumping the gun.
Hi, I’ve been struggling with the recent loss of our family dog Oliver. It has been just over 2 weeks. I am 34 y/o. I now live with my fiancé and our two rescue dogs, a mile from the house I grew up in. I was living at my parents’ when we adopted Oliver, so I “grew up” with him. In 2016 he jumped from a high surface and landed wrong, resulting in a spinal stroke. His mobility in his hind legs didn’t quite return to normal but he was able to walk completely independently again. My dad would say “he runs better than he walks” because he would be able to kind of bounce around and gain momentum. Sometimes when walking/going up steps he’d stumble, but he’d pick himself right back up again and keep going with his tail wagging. He was so happy. In 2021 he had a disc injury, and we were kind of back at square one again. We did rehab, got him a Help ‘Em Up harness, and with time he again was able to walk independently again. We’d just lift up his back end if he needed a little assistance, stumbled, etc. In 2021 he was at least 10 years old, but still acted like a puppy otherwise. I guess I say that to provide some context, because as the years went on his body gradually slowed down, got tired, aged, and gained arthritis.
I can’t pinpoint when exactly he was completely unable to walk on his own. I know last summer/fall I have pictures and videos of him still standing and walking unassisted. We live in Ohio, and my parents have a condo in Florida that they spend winters at. I’d say earlier this year when I flew down to visit I noticed he’d changed in just the 1-2 months or so since I’d last seen him in Ohio. At the condo I noticed and my parents told me he could no longer walk without his back end being held up while he walked with his front. Up until the very end he was still able to take steps if we supported his back end. I realize this was not the best quality of life and I am terrorized by thoughts of us not intervening sooner. His demeanor definitely changed this year- was it flat? Was it him being 15 and tired? Was it depression? He still ate all his meals, he knew when he had to go to the bathroom, he was always surrounded by family and love and still was spoiled and so completely doted on. I would lie and sleep on the floor next to him. He of course was still always happy to see us and always had his tail wagging when he did. He had dog beds and rugs everywhere to help support him and his paws/legs. He could sit up on his own. He got peanut butter daily. He had a wagon he’d go for rides and watch the sunset in. One weekend my family and I stayed right on the beach and my sister and I brought him all over the beach, boardwalk, and into bars with us and he loved it. He was so social and loved activity in that way. He loved to sit outside near the beach and people watch and just be a part of everything. He loved having my dogs around and they’d all lie and hang around together. My parents also have a cottage on Lake Erie, so there was also a wagon there that we’d use to take him on “walks” around that neighborhood.
At what point did we do too much? It’s so hard to say because it was all so gradual. He hasn’t walked normally in 10 years however we kind of just always adapted and adjusted. My mom and I are both nurses. We did absolutely everything possible under the sun to support and accommodate him and we were happy and felt privileged and lucky to do so. Did we do too much though? I think I told myself all year that he was old and deserved to just live out his golden years in peace and quiet. He slept a lot this last year and I like to think that again he was just old and tired. I try to tell myself he still lived a rich life full of love and people and care. Please keep any comments/responses kind. I am already struggling. I guess I am just looking for insight.
One day I'll see you again and we'll be together forever. I love you Benji and always will. 14 years wasn't enough.
My family boxer is 13 years old and lives with my parents but I'm currently taking care of her while they're away. She has never had problems peeing inside before but in the past week and a half she's peed inside multiple times (once in the apartment and 3 times in the hallway).
I thought it might be because I took too long to take her out (5 to 6 hours which is usually since she doesn't do well with the summer heat so my parents usually take her out only once during the day and longer in the morning and evening). But then one day we went out, 4 hours later she peed in the hallway on the way out and 4 hours after that peed in the hallway again on the way out (both times we still went out for a walk ofcourse).
I got her diapers just so we can make it outside but the moment we stepped outside she squat down to pee and in an instant the pee poured out of the tail hole. I'm worried that the next time this will happen in the hallway and the diaper won't help at all.
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if the diapers just aren't ment for a dog actively squatting down and peeing?
And the first two weeks of staying with me she had no problem so I don't think the problem is specifically being confused for staying at a new place.
I know this is probably some health issue and we'll be taking her to the vet for a checkup, I'm just asking for a very short term solution so I won't have to clean the hallway again in 3 hours when we go for a walk.
TLDR I bought diapers for my old dog but when she squats and pees it instantly leaks, are diapers meant to help with active squatting and peeing?
My dog kinda very not energetic like before, is it might be because of her sign of aging?
My soul dog has recently been declining and I’m struggling. Heard Past Lives song and started bawling and it speaks to me right now - please send me ways to help get through the rough times of an aging soul dog and this song just hits me in my feels. She’s still here and I’m doing everything I can to make sure she’s still with me, but damn. It suck’s my constant 14 year old best friend is not going to be here forever. Just need happy thoughts and encouragement please 🙏
I let my sweet little girl go, it's been 4 weeks and 3 days. Gigi was 10 when I adopted her 5 years ago. We had many adventures together, both big (moving to an unknown city!) and small (shopping is fun if you bring a poodle with you!). Her happy dance when I came home was legendary. I was so lucky to be this little sweetheart's mom. Goodbye Gigi, yes you're right, you were the cutest and the sweetest!