Pet stories: sometimes happy, sometimes sad

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:14 pm

I have a sad story.

For the last 12 years I have enjoyed the honor of having the greatest good boy I have ever known. Ozzy was a highly intelligent Dachshund / Border Collie mix (just looked like a super-sized Dachshund).

I’ve had many dogs in my life (and still have two others), but he was the One. He’s been getting older so started to have the normal aches and pains of age. Two weeks ago, he suddenly wouldn’t use his back leg.

Turned out to be a sprained knee. So he continued being himself, just with a bit more hobbling. On Wednesday he wasn’t interested in dinner. In the 12 years I have known him (he was 4 months old when we got him), that has never happened.

I didn’t have a good feeling about it so we took him to the emergency vet. My kids are adults but happened to be around (this is their childhood guy), so we asked them to come - just in case (given his age). Maybe the pain meds for his knee led to constipation? We didn’t know.

As soon as the vet put her hands on his abdomen I knew something was wrong. She took him back to get an x-ray which revealed a giant mass on his spleen, and that his abdomen was filling with fluid.

We had 8 more minutes with my good boy, and then just like that I will never see him again. I cannot imagine how long it will take me to process this loss. It has broken me inside in a way I didn’t even think was possible (that’s a longer story).

There will forever be an Ozzy-sized hole in my life.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:23 pm

Brutal. I am so sorry. I had years with Greta to prepare. I can't even imagine the pain of that kind of suddenness.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:30 pm

I am so sorry for your loss. I'm glad he didn't suffer and had his family with him.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:37 pm

Very sorry to hear it. We lost a cat once with somewhat similar circumstances, so I know how gobsmacked you feel. That was over five years ago and I still feel sad every time I drive past the pet hospital where he died.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:59 pm

Oh wow that is fast. Im so sorry. Bless you all and Ozzy. Its my belief that all dogs and animals and even bugs go to heaven. So I believe he is waiting for you to play again one day just like mine are. Doesn't make it easier I know.

When you said his mix of parents I got a strange mental image and wondered how he looked and how that happened lol. I big weenie heheh. He must have been a real fun handful.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:36 pm

naednek wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 4:26 pm Toby, our yorkie poodle is at the vet getting checked out. He threw up between 3 and 5am. 1 time was barely anything, 2nd time some black thing came out, 3rd one was holy crap that was a lot. It looked like poop. We cleaned it up and threw it in a bag, stuck it in the garage and went back to bed. Toby wouldn't eat this morning and was laying around, stomach gurgling. I went to inspect what he dished out and saw that he ate and swallowed one of my daughter's hair ties (3rd time this has happened now) and some other foreign object we can't identify.

So far, $1k. Thank God for insurance.

I'm taking my daughter with me today to pick up Toby and hoping I can get the Dr to give my daughter the riot act because none of my talks seem to sink in.

So after x-ray, and blood tests it was determined he has pancreatitis as a result of this. We took him back in today for a follow-up, and we'll be doing it again tomorrow. Dr. gave him an ultrasound at no cost to us to get a baseline.

Dr. said he should bounce back, but there's a chance for hospitalization or worse. He said we need to be extra careful about what he eats as this can flare back up and get worse.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:42 pm

One of our little chihuahuas had that when he was younger. We couldn't give him anything fatty or even pork like pig ears to chew. We had no idea bacon..not much...would hurt him. the old timers gave their dogs crap and bones all the time . We educated ourselves quickly because of him and all the ones after him we better for it.Strict diet cleared him up. tha twas when he was like 4 or 5 years old. he lived to be just shy of 19.

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 8:18 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:14 pm I’ve had many dogs in my life (and still have two others), but he was the One.

Oh man, that is so hard to read. My heart goes out to you.

My current dog is also "the One". I've had a couple dogs now as well, and there will never be one that is like her, it's clear. I can't imagine what it will be like when I lose her.
My heart goes out to you. Dogs are just -the best-.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:00 pm

I think all our dogs have been the one at their times.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:41 pm

Unagi wrote:Oh man, that is so hard to read. My heart goes out to you.

My current dog is also "the One". I've had a couple dogs now as well, and there will never be one that is like her, it's clear. I can't imagine what it will be like when I lose her.
My heart goes out to you. Dogs are just -the best-.

I have two dogs and three cats here, and I love them all. The little Chihuahua/Dachshund mix is the one that is almost grotesquely affectionate. The Great Dane is the most lovably dumb creature that I have ever known. The cats are cats, I’m just their roommate.

Ozzy was so much more. The house feels silent without him. I will learn to focus on the joy that he brought to my life, but I’m still too in shock to move forward.

I know your future is pain, but until then there is the joy that you found her.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:43 pm

Daehawk wrote:I think all our dogs have been the one at their times.

That sounds wonderful and horrific. I can’t do this more than once.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:45 pm

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Fri Mar 15, 2024 11:01 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:14 pm ...
having the greatest good boy I have ever known.
...

So sorry for the heartache. I feel the love and admiration with the phrase "good boy".
Peace and comfort.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:05 pm

Very sorry to hear that RunningMn9. I've had cats I've had to put down that I loved dearly, but dogs definitely seem to be on a whole different level of attachment.

We had a bit of a disaster this weekend. We were hanging out outside and the neighbors let their dog out to play with ours. They are besties and love to chase each other so this is something we do regularly.

On this occasion, however, my wife happened to be in the way when they were running and she got hit with a combined 150+ pounds of dog. She went down clutching her knee, and couldn't get back up. She's going for an MRI tomorrow and we're hoping for a sprain and not a tear.

"I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took a lab-pit mix to the knee."

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:04 pm

So sorry about Ozzy. Nothing can ever prepare you...

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:21 pm

Here is a happy story:

The day before Thanksgiving, Mrs Lassr and I went to local mom and pop restaurant for their thanksgiving lunch. as we were leaving, we see a small kitten dart by our feet and hide under a bench. It was scared and starving, very weak. We brought it home, plan was to nurse it to health, and give it up for adoption...Ha.

4 months later meet Laney. (Cat #5) She had our heart about 3 days later when she was energized, happy, and playful, and we took this picture.
How could we give this up for adoption?

4 weeks old

4 months old (and she is a bobtail cat, our first. She is very fascinated with the other cat's tails)

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:14 pm

Kittens are the best, and Laney's white eye is adorbs.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:00 pm

I really appreciate the kind thoughts.

RIP my short (legged) King

Side note: Kittens rule, congrats on the rescue "fail".

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:08 pm

So sorry about your "good boy", I can't even click on this thread without getting emotional.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Tue Mar 19, 2024 12:12 am

I wish my family would let me have my dog back. they took her away to train her.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Tue Mar 19, 2024 12:48 am

Lassr wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:21 pm How could we give this up for adoption?

i'm a big fan of torties, their eyes are too adorable

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:27 am

Lassr wrote:We brought it home, plan was to nurse it to health, and give it up for adoption...Ha.

Been there, done that!

That's how we got our Maui. My wife found him at her workplace abandoned, about the same age. Needless to say with two kids in the house, bringing home a cute kitten and NOT keeping it was never an option.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Tue Aug 27, 2024 9:24 am

Now for a sad one...

I think we've lost our precious Coal. He was an inside/outside cat and he's been missing for 9 days now. I fear the worse. He was 8yrs. 4 months. Too short of a life. Possible he could still show back up but longest he's ever been gone is 4 days.

Day we brought him home:

Sitting on my lap back in the winter:

Last pic taken day before he disappeared:

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Aug 27, 2024 9:56 am

Hoping for the best. Nine days is a long time, but cats are survivors and Coal looks like he knows his way around the outdoors.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Aug 27, 2024 10:31 am

Im sry about yer cat. Our cat disappeared one day as well. I hope the best for yours.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:50 pm

I never want to say “at least” when it comes to grief, because it is always such a powerful thing for those that experience it. I can’t imagine trying to process grief for a missing pet. I think it would take me a really long time for hope to dwindle, and that is unimaginable to be.

“At least” there was no uncertainty with my boy. No way I could handle grief and uncertainty. I’m so sorry your cat has gone missing.

F this thread.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Tue Aug 27, 2024 4:07 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:50 pm I never want to say “at least” when it comes to grief, because it is always such a powerful thing for those that experience it. I can’t imagine trying to process grief for a missing pet. I think it would take me a really long time for hope to dwindle, and that is unimaginable to be.

“At least” there was no uncertainty with my boy. No way I could handle grief and uncertainty. I’m so sorry your cat has gone missing.

F this thread.

You are right. I grieve, but I also have some hope and check every morning and evening to see if he's peering in the back door. The dreams that Coal shows up are the worse. You get up, check the door but he's not there.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Sat Sep 28, 2024 2:45 am

I'm sorry, this is a sad one. But I want to remember her.

Mrs. Nym and I had to put our little girl Tish to sleep today. She was only a year and a quarter old. She had an untreatable tumour that was affecting her ability to eat and breathe. It's so crushing because she was so young. I thought we'd have at least a decade together. The severity of her diagnosis and the immediacy with which we had to say goodbye completely blindsided us. I took her to the vet today knowing she was ill, but I didn't think we'd be coming home alone.

I've loved every cat we've had over the years. Isaac, whom we lost several years ago, was my little buddy. But Tish expressed her love to me in a way no cat ever has. She'd hop up on my desk a couple times a day, curl up against my chest and cuddle, and make biscuits on my arm. She was absolutely gorgeous. A big clumsy fluff. Both a princess and a queen.

She's survived by her little adopted brother, Reth. No doubt he'll feel her loss in the coming days. They were so close, behaving like littermates. We'll seek a new companion for him once the wound begins to heal.

Hug your pets tight for me. Don't hesitate to get them care if there seems to be something wrong. I don't think getting her to the vet sooner would have made a difference in this case. But my anxiety and our financial situation caused me to delay (in my research I didn't think insurance made sense for a young cat, but I'll be reconsidering for the future), and she suffered longer than she needed to. But she provided us with so much joy, I'm thankful we got to spend as much time with her as we did.

Some pics from happier times:

A couple days after we brought her home from the pound, just shy of a year ago. She was so tiny!

All grown up, in the sploot position she loved so much. Never before had a cat who did that.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 28, 2024 9:17 am

Losing pets in their prime is even harder than at the end of a normal lifespan. Condolences.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 28, 2024 9:46 am

Sorry Sudy. Little furballs are hard to lose especially when they are unique and make their own impressions on us.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Sep 28, 2024 10:25 am

I'm so sorry for your loss. Fortunately most of my pets had long lifespans.

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Sat Sep 28, 2024 11:27 am

Super cutie, Sudy - really sorry for your loss here. I just gave our cat, Noodles, and our dog, Kaylee - a big hug.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Sat Sep 28, 2024 11:38 am

How awful to have to do that when she's so young. Cancer sucks! So sorry for your loss.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Sun Sep 29, 2024 3:26 am

Thanks so much guys, that means a lot to me.

This one's really hitting hard. As mentioned, we've lost cats before. But most of them were senior and their decline was gradual and obvious. Losing them was, ultimately, a relief. Their little bodies had lost all their fight and they were clearly suffering. But Tish... she too was suffering, but we didn't realize how much. Cancer in such a young cat seemed unthinkable. The most heartbreaking part was that she wasn't ready to go. At the final visitation before her euthanasia she'd temporarily improved after an afternoon of oxygen and IV and was crawling around being her usual curious, clumsy kitten self. It was so hard letting her go. I thought she'd be sedated, barely clinging to life and the path forward would seem clear and inevitable. Then it would have been easier. But I have to remind myself what the doctor told me, and showed me on the x-ray. She was no longer able to eat or breathe on her own.

If there's a silver lining it's that this experience has allowed me to reconnect with Mrs. Nym in some ways, as well as bonding with our remaining cat Reth and re-evaluating how I treat him/cats in general. I mean, I'm always been close with them. I speak cat. But in recent years (and to a degree always) my moderate mysophobia/OCD has limited my interaction with them. I'll play and cuddle, but then feel I must wash my hands before I can continue to do anything else lest I rub my eyes or touch my mouth, etc. And obviously hygiene around animals (even indoor-only ones) is extremely important, but as a pet family you've got to go with the flow to an extent and accept that, yeah, you're a little more likely to get sick. But humankind evolved to survive in filth and grime. Keeping them at arm's length isn't worth it.

I initially made a measure of this adjustment when I met Mrs. Nym, who hails from a big pet family. I did grow up with cats but they were outdoor-only, and the importance of hygiene was instilled deep within me. But now I feel like I'm ready to go all-in, at least as far as common sense and my neuroticism will permit. Reth has been lying in the bathroom sink and hiding behind the toilet? Fuck it. Come cuddle. I might even forget to wash my hands before I make a snack. I'm even giving him head kisses. I don't want to regret missed opportunities on the day--hopefully long from now--that he too will leave us.

Obviously, I'm still grieving.... As the pain fades, some things are going to retreat to the status quo. Sometimes I'm going to kick the little bugger off my desk because I have work to do. But I really do sense what I think will be a small lasting development to my mindfulness.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Mon Jan 06, 2025 6:33 pm

Our 5-year old, highly energetic sheepadoodle (Cali) managed to somehow hurt her back leg while she was out of our sight for less than two minutes while she was out to do her business yesterday morning. When she came back, she wouldn't put any weight on her back leg, completely holding it off the ground and hopping along on the other three. There were no visible signs of injury and no particular spot that seemed to cause her any discomfort when touching, but she didn't want to walk. We didn't address it yesterday because she's had minor injuries in the past where she limps for a few hours, then is totally back to normal pretty quickly. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this time. When we woke up this morning, she still didn't want to put any weight on her back leg, so we took her to the vet...

Apparently her symptoms and exam are consistent with an ACL tear, for which the vet has recommended total rest for two weeks. That means that our puppy who thrives on playing and interacting with everyone in the house is confined to a crate for the next two weeks to minimize any walking, after which time they want to reevaluate and decide what to do next if it hasn't improved on its own. Knowing what I do about human ACL injuries, we're concerned that just ignoring the injury this early in her life, when she's still very active (runs with my wife, loves to catch frisbee), will just lead to bigger issues (arthritis) in future years due to her body mechanics being compromised. With this in mind, my wife made an appointment with a orthopedic vet, but they can't see her for two weeks...meaning she's on strict rest anyway. I'm guessing that they'll want to do an MRI and probably surgery, which is going to cost some crazy amount of money that we'll most likely end up paying because Cali is my wife and kid's best friend...no way we can let something go now that compromises her quality of life in the future.

Anyone out there gone through this with their own dog? Seems like it's going to be a long (and expensive) road.

Pet ownership can be an amazing thing, but man it sucks when they get hurt

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Jan 06, 2025 6:41 pm

disarm wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2025 6:33 pm Our 5-year old, highly energetic sheepadoodle (Cali) managed to somehow hurt her back leg while she was out of our sight for less than two minutes while she was out to do her business yesterday morning. When she came back, she wouldn't put any weight on her back leg, completely holding it off the ground and hopping along on the other three. There were no visible signs of injury and no particular spot that seemed to cause her any discomfort when touching, but she didn't want to walk. We didn't address it yesterday because she's had minor injuries in the past where she limps for a few hours, then is totally back to normal pretty quickly. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this time. When we woke up this morning, she still didn't want to put any weight on her back leg, so we took her to the vet...

Apparently her symptoms and exam are consistent with an ACL tear, for which the vet has recommended total rest for two weeks. That means that our puppy who thrives on playing and interacting with everyone in the house is confined to a crate for the next two weeks to minimize any walking, after which time they want to reevaluate and decide what to do next if it hasn't improved on its own. Knowing what I do about human ACL injuries, we're concerned that just ignoring the injury this early in her life, when she's still very active (runs with my wife, loves to catch frisbee), will just lead to bigger issues (arthritis) in future years due to her body mechanics being compromised. With this in mind, my wife made an appointment with a orthopedic vet, but they can't see her for two weeks...meaning she's on strict rest anyway. I'm guessing that they'll want to do an MRI and probably surgery, which is going to cost some crazy amount of money that we'll most likely end up paying because Cali is my wife and kid's best friend...no way we can let something go now that compromises her quality of life in the future.

Anyone out there gone through this with their own dog? Seems like it's going to be a long (and expensive) road.

Pet ownership can be an amazing thing, but man it sucks when they get hurt

We've been through something similar, and, yeah, it wasn't cheap. Here's the thread from when my dog tore his dog ACL.

(They don't call it an ACL when you're a canine, but it's the same idea.)

tl;dr: In the long run he turned out fine! He's seven, and he runs around today like any other dog, although there is a limp when he's very tired.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Mon Jan 06, 2025 10:30 pm

Thanks for the link! Guess OO has been around long enough that we have a thread for pretty much anything if one takes the time to search

We've pretty much decided already that she's young and active enough that we'll be spending pretty much whatever it takes to give her the best shot at getting back to normal, but we're really not looking forward to dealing with the long recovery time. I guess we'll get a more solid answer when she sees the ortho vet in a couple weeks. It's encouraging to hear that Gus is five years down the road from surgery and doing well.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Jan 06, 2025 10:38 pm

Today was the fourth anniversary of Warren's cure date from FIP. That's all covered in this thread if anyone wants to do the archeology.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Tue Jan 07, 2025 11:14 am

Greta tore her ACL (or equivalent) jumping up on the bed. So it can definitely 'just happen'.

She actually ended up getting the surgery on both her back legs (at different times). The operations mostly went smoothly, but the first one got an infection that led to her never really getting back to 100%.

I do recall that for smaller dogs, they often don't do any repair. The dogs adapt/learn-to-live-with-it/something, and it doesn't end up bothering them after a while. Greta was ~70-80 lb Rotty, so that wasn't an option in our case.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Jan 07, 2025 3:15 pm

Kraken wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2025 10:38 pm Today was the fourth anniversary of Warren's cure date from FIP. That's all covered in this thread if anyone wants to do the archeology.

4 years goes by fast. Congrats to Warren still.

As ffor leg and knee problems our little near 19 year old dog hurt his back knee or just aged into a bad knee at some point when he was about 12. It would simply slip out..I mean totally out..you could see it. All we could do was bandage it tight and let him rest. One time I used the opposite end of two leashes to allow him to go out to pee. Id support his rear where the knee was. After that it never came out again.