Off subject...UPDATE

Lorikat
Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
edited January 2013 in Anal Cancer #1

But I lost my two Bichons this morning and I am so sad.  I knew when I took Sam, the oldest at 16 , that he might (probably) not come home.  At 16 he was deaf, blind abd generally ill.  BUT I just thought Ginny had an upset tummy and would get meds and go home with me.  Afterblood work it was determined that what we thought were fatty rumors were actally cancer.  She was 14 and my 50th birthday present from my husband and I had to leave her there.....        I miss them soooooooo much.   Cancer strikes again.  Lorie

 

Pls see last post..

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Comments

  • eihtak
    eihtak Member Posts: 1,473 Member
    Lorikat

    So sorry for you. To many people their pets are family. They bring unconditional love and lifelong memories. They may have been suffering more than you knew. I will keep you all in my thoughts.

  • sephie
    sephie Member Posts: 650 Member
    animals are my children

    i am sooooo sorry for your loss.    i know how you will miss them.    hugs  sephie

  • mxperry220
    mxperry220 Member Posts: 493 Member
    So Sorry for your loss

    I have a Bichon who is 19 years old.  She can hardly see or hear and has to be lifted upon my bed and furniture.  The vet said Katy is healthy internally.  I know that day is in the near horizon.  We had to have other other Bichon put down when she was 14.  They are the best friends we could have.  I have said many times I do not think I would have grieved anymore had one of my immediate family members passed when we put our first Bichon (Bijou) down.  This breed of dog has a great personality and is very loyal and affectionate.  My thoughts and prayers are with you during this time of loss.

    Mike

  • Marynb
    Marynb Member Posts: 1,118
    Lori
    I am so very sorry for your sad loss of your little friends. I lost a pet to cancer too and I often wonder if it is related to the water we both drank.

    I am sure you gave your dogs a wonderful life!

    Hugs.
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    Lorie

    I am so sorry for the loss of your dogs.  I can't imagine how heartbreaking it is to lose both of them at once.  I am so very sorry.

  • Lorikat
    Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
    mp327 said:

    Lorie

    I am so sorry for the loss of your dogs.  I can't imagine how heartbreaking it is to lose both of them at once.  I am so very sorry.

    Thanks everyone..

    I broke down and cried and grieved my doglets like I not cried in a very long time.  

     

    And yes Mike, they do have wonderful, loving personalities.  Sam was a "foster child" we could never give up.  Ginny was just my baby who never grew up.

  • AZANNIE
    AZANNIE Member Posts: 445 Member
    Lorikat

    So sorry for your loss...

    Ann

  • OMG 1012
    OMG 1012 Member Posts: 61
    I am so sad

    Oh no, I am so so sorry :(  

    Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers

    May God Bless You and keep you safe

    XO L

  • Kraut
    Kraut Member Posts: 22
    So sorry for your loss, times

    So sorry for your loss, times two at once sounds heart wrenching.  They are never with us long enough.  Most definitely leave a huge hole in our hearts.  

     

  • Jo Joy
    Jo Joy Member Posts: 40
    They are our babies

    So sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine the grief you must be feeling. I feel honored that you would share this with us. My very first pet died from metastasized breast cancer when I was twelve. A cure needs to be found for us and also for our furry family. I believe it will happen in my lifetime.

  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    Lorie

    I am so sorry for your loss,  I would like to share a quote from a card my vet gave me when I lost one of my beloved pets.

     

    Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you, I loved you so...  Twas Heaven here with you.

    Jsla Paschal Richardson.

     

     

  • Lorikat
    Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
    z said:

    Lorie

    I am so sorry for your loss,  I would like to share a quote from a card my vet gave me when I lost one of my beloved pets.

     

    Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you, I loved you so...  Twas Heaven here with you.

    Jsla Paschal Richardson.

     

     

    Thank you all.  Our house is

    Thank you all.  Our house is so empty.

  • Dog Girl
    Dog Girl Member Posts: 100
    Loss of your dogs

    Lorikat,

    As you can probably tell from my name here I am a great dog lover.  This is my nickname within my family and I always keep an extra lease, dog food/treats and water in my trunk in case I find a dog that is obviously lost.  I am 55 now and I think I have had dogs for at least 50 of those years.  I don't have children, so they really are my babies.

    While I had mixed breeds as a child (and they were all wonderful), I am a cocker spaniel girl now (all but the first one rescues) and I am on my 4th one now.  (I only do one dog at a time however.)  I've been privledged enough to hold three of my dogs while they were put down.  I say privledged because since they had given me so much love I wanted my loving arms around them.  It is a hard experience for us, but it is very peaceful for them and know that they are not suffering anymore.  While I am always heartbroken and grieve the loss of my dear friend, I know also that I now have room to love another dog once I am ready.  I think that it was Will Rogers who said "If there are no dogs in heaven, when I die I want to go where they go."  I can't imagine heaven without all of our loving pets.  I know the heartache you are experiencing and my heart goes out to you.  But I also know that in the not too distant future you will be able to think of them and smile and laugh at the joy they both brought you over the years.

  • Dog Girl
    Dog Girl Member Posts: 100
    Loss of your dogs

    Lorikat,

    As you can probably tell from my name here I am a great dog lover.  This is my nickname within my family and I always keep an extra lease, dog food/treats and water in my trunk in case I find a dog that is obviously lost.  I am 55 now and I think I have had dogs for at least 50 of those years.  I don't have children, so they really are my babies.

    While I had mixed breeds as a child (and they were all wonderful), I am a cocker spaniel girl now (all but the first one rescues) and I am on my 4th one now.  (I only do one dog at a time however.)  I've been privledged enough to hold three of my dogs while they were put down.  I say privledged because since they had given me so much love I wanted my loving arms around them.  It is a hard experience for us, but it is very peaceful for them and know that they are not suffering anymore.  While I am always heartbroken and grieve the loss of my dear friend, I know also that I now have room to love another dog once I am ready.  I think that it was Will Rogers who said "If there are no dogs in heaven, when I die I want to go where they go."  I can't imagine heaven without all of our loving pets.  I know the heartache you are experiencing and my heart goes out to you.  But I also know that in the not too distant future you will be able to think of them and smile and laugh at the joy they both brought you over the years.

  • Lorikat
    Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
    Dog Girl said:

    Loss of your dogs

    Lorikat,

    As you can probably tell from my name here I am a great dog lover.  This is my nickname within my family and I always keep an extra lease, dog food/treats and water in my trunk in case I find a dog that is obviously lost.  I am 55 now and I think I have had dogs for at least 50 of those years.  I don't have children, so they really are my babies.

    While I had mixed breeds as a child (and they were all wonderful), I am a cocker spaniel girl now (all but the first one rescues) and I am on my 4th one now.  (I only do one dog at a time however.)  I've been privledged enough to hold three of my dogs while they were put down.  I say privledged because since they had given me so much love I wanted my loving arms around them.  It is a hard experience for us, but it is very peaceful for them and know that they are not suffering anymore.  While I am always heartbroken and grieve the loss of my dear friend, I know also that I now have room to love another dog once I am ready.  I think that it was Will Rogers who said "If there are no dogs in heaven, when I die I want to go where they go."  I can't imagine heaven without all of our loving pets.  I know the heartache you are experiencing and my heart goes out to you.  But I also know that in the not too distant future you will be able to think of them and smile and laugh at the joy they both brought you over the years.

    I held and loved my babies

    I held and loved my babies until they were set free.  The trust and love in their eyes broke my heart, but I could not let them go alone.  I'm not sure I will ever have another pet.....Ginny was my first pet..  I had her 14 years...

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    Lorikat said:

    I held and loved my babies

    I held and loved my babies until they were set free.  The trust and love in their eyes broke my heart, but I could not let them go alone.  I'm not sure I will ever have another pet.....Ginny was my first pet..  I had her 14 years...

    Lorikat

    I was certain after my old cat died of natural causes that I would not get another pet.  That lasted about a month and I just couldn't stand being in my house without a furry friend.  I finally decided that he would have wanted me to rescue another cat, so I did even better and adopted two.  I realize that we can't save all the ones up for adoption, but saving two is better than none.  My cats give me so much joy and love.  Give yourself some time to grieve and heal and you will know if and when you're ready for another pet.  Hugs to you!

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    Lorikat said:

    I held and loved my babies

    I held and loved my babies until they were set free.  The trust and love in their eyes broke my heart, but I could not let them go alone.  I'm not sure I will ever have another pet.....Ginny was my first pet..  I had her 14 years...

    Bingo, Lori!

    "Trust and Love" in their eyes...

    That about says it all. 

    Sundance had cancer too...it was ironic, because on 2 different occasions, he accurately "predicted" that I had cancer...rectal and when it went to liver...

    He would lay his head on those areas when I obviously had it, but didn't know it...he was so smart...and way out ahead of his time.  When it went to my liver, I had joked, "Sundance, does papa have cancer again?"

    Bingo...

    He could barely walk on his last day...the vet was coming to the house, because we physically could not take him there...I don't know that I could have done that anyway...

    So, we sat with him too...they gave him the drug to put him to sleep...I saw his eyes glaze over...it was pitiful and hurtful...the next drug stopped his heart...his chest stopped heaving...and I hugged him and just begged him to come back.

    Somehow, even sick and hurting, I still wanted him there with me...I think it's much like that with cancer patients and their spouses...even though the spouse knows it's over...they want to hang on and cling to every moment.

    Because, that way we won't have to deal with the inevitable...we just want to prolong pain as much as possible with those that we care for.

    I remember hugging him...touching my forehead to his and shaking that big paw...they suggested we go to the other room while they removed him...probably a good idea.

    But for 13-years he was by our side...all the way...he physically lived through and survived an F-3 tornado with me and my wife, inside our tiny laundry room that evening....he stayed with me through 2 1/2 of my cancers...smiling all the way to the end...just trying to make us happy.

    We went 18 months and then got another Golden...first 2 years of his life I was sick with the last cancer...so now, we're trying to figure the other one out.   His name is Harley...but he's a Marley...and he's not Sundance...there can only be one of those.

    I chose his name for this site, because of how he helped me with my cancer...I honor his name by trying to help folks out here from time to time.

    I already dread the day when I'll have to put Harley down...said I would never do it again after Sundance...but my wife really needed one and so we went around one more time.

    But, I won't do it again...

    See, you're right...it's in the eyes...and the eyes never lie...there's a look there...and it still haunts me....like a trust that was broken.

    Condolences on the loss of your pet...you got a lifetime with her...I hope that whatever way you go in the future, will be the right direction for you. 

    -Craig

     

     

  • Lorikat
    Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
    Sundanceh said:

    Bingo, Lori!

    "Trust and Love" in their eyes...

    That about says it all. 

    Sundance had cancer too...it was ironic, because on 2 different occasions, he accurately "predicted" that I had cancer...rectal and when it went to liver...

    He would lay his head on those areas when I obviously had it, but didn't know it...he was so smart...and way out ahead of his time.  When it went to my liver, I had joked, "Sundance, does papa have cancer again?"

    Bingo...

    He could barely walk on his last day...the vet was coming to the house, because we physically could not take him there...I don't know that I could have done that anyway...

    So, we sat with him too...they gave him the drug to put him to sleep...I saw his eyes glaze over...it was pitiful and hurtful...the next drug stopped his heart...his chest stopped heaving...and I hugged him and just begged him to come back.

    Somehow, even sick and hurting, I still wanted him there with me...I think it's much like that with cancer patients and their spouses...even though the spouse knows it's over...they want to hang on and cling to every moment.

    Because, that way we won't have to deal with the inevitable...we just want to prolong pain as much as possible with those that we care for.

    I remember hugging him...touching my forehead to his and shaking that big paw...they suggested we go to the other room while they removed him...probably a good idea.

    But for 13-years he was by our side...all the way...he physically lived through and survived an F-3 tornado with me and my wife, inside our tiny laundry room that evening....he stayed with me through 2 1/2 of my cancers...smiling all the way to the end...just trying to make us happy.

    We went 18 months and then got another Golden...first 2 years of his life I was sick with the last cancer...so now, we're trying to figure the other one out.   His name is Harley...but he's a Marley...and he's not Sundance...there can only be one of those.

    I chose his name for this site, because of how he helped me with my cancer...I honor his name by trying to help folks out here from time to time.

    I already dread the day when I'll have to put Harley down...said I would never do it again after Sundance...but my wife really needed one and so we went around one more time.

    But, I won't do it again...

    See, you're right...it's in the eyes...and the eyes never lie...there's a look there...and it still haunts me....like a trust that was broken.

    Condolences on the loss of your pet...you got a lifetime with her...I hope that whatever way you go in the future, will be the right direction for you. 

    -Craig

     

     

    Thank you Craig...

    You really understand..  They are not "just dogs"......

  • sandysp
    sandysp Member Posts: 868 Member
    Oh Lorie

    I rejoice that they made it through your treatment and recovery process before this happened. What friends our dogs are - like no other. I would rather spend an evening with our dogs than with people any day.

    When I was really sick before diagnosis and in a lot of physical pain, our beloved dog, Albert was dying. I could look in his eyes and knew he was ready to go so emotionally I let him go a few weeks before we took him for the last time to the vet. In the meantime my husband carried him everywhere since we have a lot of stairs in our house, something I could not have done.

    I did not last long without a dog. I pushed my husband who thought he couldn't go through that kind of loss again. But now we have two dogs, an English Cocker and the other one a havanese which is a member of the bichon family. I think of all the dogs i have had in my life often and still love them greatly. But I know they don't mind we have new dogs. As a matter of fact, I feel spookily like our dog, Luke was waiting for us and there was some sort of universal knowledge he and Albert shared and then we got Lucy when my mother was in hospice just before she died and there is a wonderful connection there. When I close my eyes I think of Albert and how much he and Luke share when we hug each other. When I laugh I always think of my mother's laugh and how much delight she would have had in Lucy and it increases my joy in her.

    You have been through a lot my dear friend. Take care of yourself. I know it's a big commitment but I vote for a couple of new dogs or other pet. Some people make the leap to birds with great success. I have come to appreciate how much communication and love there can be between humans and birds too. We also have a cat so there is enough chaos in our house.

     

    Love,

    Sandy

  • Lorikat
    Lorikat Member Posts: 681 Member
    sandysp said:

    Oh Lorie

    I rejoice that they made it through your treatment and recovery process before this happened. What friends our dogs are - like no other. I would rather spend an evening with our dogs than with people any day.

    When I was really sick before diagnosis and in a lot of physical pain, our beloved dog, Albert was dying. I could look in his eyes and knew he was ready to go so emotionally I let him go a few weeks before we took him for the last time to the vet. In the meantime my husband carried him everywhere since we have a lot of stairs in our house, something I could not have done.

    I did not last long without a dog. I pushed my husband who thought he couldn't go through that kind of loss again. But now we have two dogs, an English Cocker and the other one a havanese which is a member of the bichon family. I think of all the dogs i have had in my life often and still love them greatly. But I know they don't mind we have new dogs. As a matter of fact, I feel spookily like our dog, Luke was waiting for us and there was some sort of universal knowledge he and Albert shared and then we got Lucy when my mother was in hospice just before she died and there is a wonderful connection there. When I close my eyes I think of Albert and how much he and Luke share when we hug each other. When I laugh I always think of my mother's laugh and how much delight she would have had in Lucy and it increases my joy in her.

    You have been through a lot my dear friend. Take care of yourself. I know it's a big commitment but I vote for a couple of new dogs or other pet. Some people make the leap to birds with great success. I have come to appreciate how much communication and love there can be between humans and birds too. We also have a cat so there is enough chaos in our house.

     

    Love,

    Sandy

    Yikes!

    Sandy, I guess I didn't mention the fact that we still have one dog in the house!  He's an awesome little  "thrown away dog".  Back when Bichons were so popular breeders were not being smart about how they bred the pups as long as they had pups to sell, and apparently he was born to an inbred situation.  He is albino, only has one coat of hair instead of double coated, is bowlegged.  The breeder turned him and apparently a litter mate loose in the desert to die.  He was found and sent to the shelter, sunburned, hungry, and not well.  I happened to be at the pound donating old towels when he came up and put his head against my leg and looked at me with those sad, strange pink eyes!  He was soooooo homely!  With so little hair he looked more like a baby piglet.  I knew NO ONE would ever adopt him, but I already had my Ginny and Sam and couldn't possibly have a third dog!  No way, no how. and besides, the vet told me he had an enlarged heart and spleen, and would not live long. Maybe a year? Soooo....

    I picked him up, paid my $100.00 adoption fee and took him home.  He is my husbands  best friend.  And 12 years later we are STILL rubbing him down with sun screen in the mornings!  Now he is sticking close to me, seems to know I am grieving Ginny and though he is blind and deaf, still offers comfort.  My Dad, who died 5 years ago, called him "Ugly".  He'd come over and say, where's old Ugly?  And Dad, who did not like animals would pick him up and love on him.  

    His official name is "Last Chance" but we all know him as "Ole Ugly".  Ugly is as Ugly does?  We think he's aroun 13 or 14 so like many of us "there's no expiration date tattooed on his A**".  Enlarged heart and spleen!  Short time to live!  Stage what?

    Lorikat

    p.s.  we think he is beautiful!