Huckleberries Online

HMO: Watching A Beloved Pet Die

Dec. 15, 2009 6:03 p.m. • 27 comments

HMOffsuite: I have been weeping for 5 days. Last Friday morning, my constant companion and best friend, Yogi (golden retreiver/pyrenees mix) couldn’t get up off the floor. We rushed him to the Vet and they did sonograms and xrays to determine he had a tumor on his spleen. They operated and removed the spleen and a tumor the size of a cantalope. Pathology report won’t be back until tomorrow. Then we will learn if the tumor was benign or malignant. (Only about 24% are benign). But, on Saturday, they detected a blood problem and said he might not make it through the night. Transfusions, plasma etc etc. We decided to bring him home to be with us if he were to die. Continued below.

Question: Have you ever loved a pet as much a person?

Not in a kennel cage all alone. Once home, he is making good progress but we don’t know the outcome of the blood problem nor the tumor. If a malignant tumor, normally they have a month or two, from what the vet says. Yogi is 8 years old. I am appreciating any time that we have with each other from this point forward. Who says pets aren’t loved as much as people?

27 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

florined on December 15 at 6:22 p.m.
HMO, I think you shared a picture of your friend some time ago…on a dock? I’m sure all those here who have beloved animals as part of their lives send you and Mrs. HMO warmest thoughts.
Sisyphus on December 15 at 6:43 p.m.
OMG, hmoff, I’m sorry buddy. I grew up with Pyrenees and I was quite attached to several. I remember my dear 4‘11’ momma breaking a rake handle over Beau’s back after digging in her garden. No one messed with momma.

My dog’s fit to go anytime now. His hips are about done. He’s older than Yogi though. I do hate teh cancer.
Soaf on December 15 at 7:08 p.m.
HMO, our prayers are with you on this. One of the Hucksters here posted “The Rainbow Bridge” at one time. I printed it off and read it every time I missing her. Here’s the link. I hope it helps.

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm
JeanieSpokane on December 15 at 7:17 p.m.
Soaf - that was JeanC - “The Rainbow Bridge” brought great comfort to me when I lost my 17-year-old tortoiseshell cat, Squeaky. I miss her terribly. HMO - I am deeply sorry you are going through these days, helping Yogi over the Rainbow Bridge. Indeed, pets are loved like they are our children.
zelda on December 15 at 7:26 p.m.
Oh, yes, many a dog I’ve loved. So sorry for you and Yogi, HMO. The last dog I lost to cancer died on the operating table and that was easier, strangely enough. I still remember how he felt under my hand when I petted him — the shape of his head, the curl of his tail. The memories are with me yet and the tears sometimes. Yogi is lucky to have you as his human every step of the way.
Bent on December 15 at 8:23 p.m.
Man, HMO that is tough stuff. We lost our basset/lab mix (lasset hound) about three years ago. She was 15 years old, and we just assumed she would live forever… She got real bad one night and just as we made a tear drenching decision to put her down, she died on her own… Man, that’s tough stuff…
Phaedrus on December 15 at 9:12 p.m.
hmoffsuite, I am so sorry to hear this news, you and your family are in my prayers.

The first dog I ever owned was a Toy Poodle, a Christmas gift to my wife (ex) that became mine in the divorce. I picked him from the litter at 6 weeks of age and we spent the next 15 years together. He was beginning to show his age and slowdown when one night he sat next to my desk, looked up at me and fell over. He was alive, but appeared to be paralyzed in his hindquarters. I talked with my wife and we decided that we should take him to the vet in the morning and put him down. I slept on the floor of the laundry room with Tubbs cradled in my arms, about 3 A.M. I felt his body tremble and he was gone. I bawled like a baby for the next 24 hours, feeling a loss like I had not felt since my father had died 10 years earlier.

On December 14, 2007 I put down my other Toy Poodle, Trixie, after 20 years together. My heart was broken and I swore I’d never get another dog.

Four days later i had my next dog. But this is my last one. I swear.
Me on December 15 at 9:38 p.m.
Our Nikki is 14 - she’ll be 15 in April and she’s a samoyed shepard mix so she’s a bigger dog. She’s had 2 siezures in the last 6 months - very hard to watch - but she just keeps going. She can’t go for walks any longer. She eats well, has control of herself and still follows us around everywhere. We are thankful for every minute we have with her now because we know at her age she’s on borrowed time.

((((huggggsss)))) Hmoff
spokelooneh on December 15 at 9:41 p.m.
Hmoffsuite, sorry to hear about that, man. This too shall pass.
Don_Sausser on December 15 at 10:00 p.m.
Hmoffsuite, our condolances.
JIMMYMAC on December 15 at 10:18 p.m.
Deepest condolances, HMO. Yogi sounds to be well loved and I pray for the best outcome possible. Take care.
kamm on December 15 at 11:40 p.m.
So sorry.

The hardest part of owning an animal is knowing when to act in its behalf even though you don’t you don’t want to.

The love and trust they show us is so pure.

He is lucky to have you there.
BethB on December 16 at 7:43 a.m.
So sorry, hmoff. I hope all turns out well.
wheels on December 16 at 9:05 a.m.
Sorry Hmoff & P ,I know how much U love your animals.I remember with great fondness another dog you had that passed(Freebie).Take care.
christiewood on December 16 at 9:35 a.m.
Hmoff,

You are obviously a very good pet owner and your dog has had a wonderful life. I can only imagine how much fun he has had over the years swimming off your dock. What a lucky dog to have been chosen by you.
My boy Oscar is probably in his last hurrah and it is so hard to watch. He is blind, walks like he is drunk, and does not always make it outside to potty. But we love him dearly so we continue to pick up the poo, and help him out of bed. He returns the favor with a warm kiss. Your story is heartbreaking. You are in my thoughts.
hmoffsuite on December 16 at 9:49 a.m.
I really want to thank all of you for your thoughts, words and posts. It is wonderful of you all. (The poem, soaf, has been filed, for my passing it on to others in the future, in their ‘time of need’) Now …. the good news. I just got the call from the Vet and he said that to everyone’s amazement, Yogi’s tumor biopsy showed it to be NON MALIGNANT. He should have a full and complete recovery. Prayers have been answered. This will be the best Christmas ever for us, having Yogi on the mend. Of course the gifts and presents have been compromised as a result of the checks written to the Vet. :~) Thank you all for your support in our little time of need. HBO is indeed a wonderful community and I am so pleased to have become a part of it. Thank you all again.
scootermom on December 16 at 10:12 a.m.
I understand your pain.

Scooter is fourteen, has heart problems and wouldn’t get up on Monday. After a couple hours, I feared the worst and called the vet. Preparing myself for the decision to put her down was gut wrenching.

As I sat in the bedroom crying, in walked Scooter. Turns out she has arthritis, and the cold wet weather was making it worse.

A Christmas miracle! She’s taking meds and is getting around like her old self.

Funny how attached we get to our four legged “kids.”
Kendramama on December 16 at 11:24 a.m.
Oh, HMO, my heart truly does hurt for you, and with the memories it brings, it hurts too for my own (now not quite so recent) loss as well.

See, for almost a dozen years, I had a rottweiler, Duke, who was about as lovable, trustworthy and good-natured of a dog who ever was. I was constantly criticized for anthropomorphizing him, but I really felt- and still feel!- he was at least partly human, in emotion, intelligence, and just plain having the ability to love.

That dog traveled with me in my beat-up VW Bus from California to Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, back up here, and all points between. He did it uncomplainingly, even when sometimes for chow all I could afford was a rummage through the Dumpster of a McD’s or similar establishment, or if I was a bit more flush, purchasing a couple 99 cent specials for he and I to share. He was my road dog, my bodyguard (outweighing me by more than 50 pounds), and most importantly- my best friend. I was childless in those long-ago days, and whenever asked about children, I proudly named Duke as my “four-legged black and tan son”. I miss him achingly, even though 5 years have passed.

Duke was lucky enough, when his hips got bad and his eyesight worse, to spend his golden days out at my mother’s farm- they coddled him, fattened him up atrociously on table scraps, and showered him with love and affection. On my semi-frequent vists (now how I WISH there would have been more of them!) he would frantically wiggle his stump of a tail and slobber me with doggie kisses… you know, right?

We lost Duke on Christmas Eve. He’d been bleeding from the nose and bowels, unable to really move much or eat for around a week. We all knew the end was near, and thankfully were all there to wish him goodbye and godspeed. With only a brief seizure or two, he passed on and was solemnly buried in the back 40, with a gorgeous ironwood and cedar cross marker, “DUKE” spelled out proudly across the center. We even plopped his favorite rock he liked to pee on as a headstone, smiling through our tears as we did so. Every Christmas, fresh tears and poinsettias decorate that grave of my old bestest four-legged friend.

HMO, I’m sure your send-off to your beloved pet will be just as rich with emotion- pain mixed with joyous and loving memories. Hang on to those- and remember: it WILL get easier. :-/
deepee on December 16 at 1:05 p.m.
HMO,
I’m with ya. We lost our beloved Smoak in August, the town dog of Wallace, Idaho. DFO was kind enough to post a tear-spilt rant I wrote the day after he left us. Even four months later, somebody will ask me, Where’s Smoak? and I just have to look the other way for a moment.
In answer to David’s question, Yes. Dogs (and cats, but especially dogs) lack the guile and treachery (though they can be sneaky and sleazy) that characterize all humans, and their love is unconditional. I’ll take my mutt over most of the bipeds I know any old time.
zelda on December 16 at 1:08 p.m.
HMO — So happy for you and Yogi. The gift of life at the darkest time of the year! Have a wonderful Christmas and bright new year with your buddy.
Cindy_H on December 16 at 1:10 p.m.
What great news, HMO, and Scootermom, too.
Now, if I can get Milo to stop eating our Christmas tree, all will be well!
spokelooneh on December 16 at 2:44 p.m.
Glad you got good news, HMO.

My neighbor is blind and she has a seeing-eye dog. Well, a new one actually. Her old dog had become too feeble and ailing to continue on, after some 14 years. Can you imagine the strength, the depth, of THAT human-dog companionship? Mind-boggling.

I had noticed that the old dog was having some trouble getting on and off the bus with her.

I hadn’t seen her for awhile, then saw her with the new dog, so I inquired. She had gone to some seeing-eye dog place in Oregon, where her old dog gets to live out its remaining life, out on a farm, and where she got to choose a new dog, and spend a couple of weeks there in training the dog and getting accustomed to one another. She said the new dog is not quite up to speed as her old one, but is learning and growing.
hmoffsuite on December 16 at 2:54 p.m.
Spoke. One charity that I support is Guide Dogs for the Blind. It is truly a wonderful organization and they do many wonderful things. They may be based in Oregon, but if not, they have a large facility there that I know about. Last year, the head of the organization gave me a personal phone call of thanks. Not many charities are that appreciative.
spokelooneh on December 16 at 3:06 p.m.
Good on ya, HMO. And that’s a SMART executive director.

And I suppose I should have used the more accurate term, Guide Dog.

Looks like they have two campuses in the US, one in Oregon, and one in California.

“Attending a graduation ceremony at Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of the best ways to really get acquainted with our program. We advise guests to bring their tissues, because it’s always a moving event, commemorating the efforts of our students and their dogs over their past weeks in class. Puppy raisers say goodbye to their graduating dogs, and the graduating class members bid farewell to return to their homes and families with new partners by their sides.”

http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?pagename=news_events_grad
Dogwalkmusings on December 16 at 4:11 p.m.
My heart goes out to you. I know the pain. Mine for Bacchus hasn’t diminished; such is the strength of love.
BethB on December 17 at 8:01 a.m.
I was thinking about Bacchus as I read this thread… Thanks for posting, DM.
Soaf on December 17 at 8:05 a.m.
HMO, I’m very happy for you & Yogi.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.