Backstory: I had a 6 y/o pit mix who I've had since he was about 3 or 4 months old. A few months after his 5th birthday, he started having seizures (July 4th 2019). For the next 6 months, he was frequently at the vet, spending the day being monitored, discussing adding or increasing meds, as well as a surgery and 2 consecutive visits after eating a bone (or something) this time last year. In December we added a 3rd medication and he was finally doing pretty well. In May he was doing great on an agility jump my dad and I build him, in June we took a weekend trip hiking with some friends, in July he was swimming in my parents' pool. But sometime over the last few months, he started walking into things, and then over the weekend he started falling down the steps leading out of the house. On Tuesday, I took him to the vet and the confirmed he had gone almost completely blind. At 9am my vet told me I could take him to the neurologist for more answered but when I picked him up after work and told him I had decided to stop his suffering, he told me he thought it was the right decision. I took him home and the next day decided to do it on Monday. Last night he kept panting and when I tried to get him water he could barely stand, so I decided today was the day.
When the vet opened at 730, they told me to bring him in at 9. I then video chatted my friends so that they could say goodbye. My parents came with me (i live alone with Moose and 2 other dogs) and we sat with him for an hour before they put him to sleep then we took him to my parents' house and buried him by the pond. My dad said prayers over him like he was a human (im not religious but it was nice of him to do it). I just got home and I don't know how to process. I'm not sure if i'm numb, havent registered yet, or just cried so much over the last 3 days that I have no more tears.
I feel so sad and angry that his life was so short. He had a good life. For his first 2 years, we lived in an apartment in Colorado with a dog park where he got to spend at least an hour every day playing with his friends. We went to a big dog park at least once a week, we hiked, camped, he got to swim in the creek. I took my dogs everywhere. We then moved to fl and I had to work full time but we still hiked and went swimming in my parents' pool and camped in Georgia and North Carolina. We went hiking with my friend and her dogs.
I'm so angry that he didn't get to live his full life. It hurts when I see people with their happy healthy young dogs or the old dogs that got to live such long lives. 5 good years wasn't nearly enough.
I really thought he was gonna get better, that we would get to do more fun things together as soon as we got the medications right. But after watching him decline so rapidly I think that he had a tumor and not idiopathic epilepsy. I dont know how I will ever come to terms with how short his life as, how hard he fought the last year, how brave he was no matter how bad it got.
I got my first dog when I was 21 years old and Moose my 2nd 6 months later. (My 3rd dog was my brothers who came to live with me about a year and a half ago). For 6 years, everything I did revolve around them. I feel like I have lost such a big part of who I am.
It would be a huge dishonor to his memory if I did say all the amazing things about him.
Pictures of the goodest [boy before he got sick
When the vet opened at 730, they told me to bring him in at 9. I then video chatted my friends so that they could say goodbye. My parents came with me (i live alone with Moose and 2 other dogs) and we sat with him for an hour before they put him to sleep then we took him to my parents' house and buried him by the pond. My dad said prayers over him like he was a human (im not religious but it was nice of him to do it). I just got home and I don't know how to process. I'm not sure if i'm numb, havent registered yet, or just cried so much over the last 3 days that I have no more tears.
I feel so sad and angry that his life was so short. He had a good life. For his first 2 years, we lived in an apartment in Colorado with a dog park where he got to spend at least an hour every day playing with his friends. We went to a big dog park at least once a week, we hiked, camped, he got to swim in the creek. I took my dogs everywhere. We then moved to fl and I had to work full time but we still hiked and went swimming in my parents' pool and camped in Georgia and North Carolina. We went hiking with my friend and her dogs.
I'm so angry that he didn't get to live his full life. It hurts when I see people with their happy healthy young dogs or the old dogs that got to live such long lives. 5 good years wasn't nearly enough.
I really thought he was gonna get better, that we would get to do more fun things together as soon as we got the medications right. But after watching him decline so rapidly I think that he had a tumor and not idiopathic epilepsy. I dont know how I will ever come to terms with how short his life as, how hard he fought the last year, how brave he was no matter how bad it got.
I got my first dog when I was 21 years old and Moose my 2nd 6 months later. (My 3rd dog was my brothers who came to live with me about a year and a half ago). For 6 years, everything I did revolve around them. I feel like I have lost such a big part of who I am.
It would be a huge dishonor to his memory if I did say all the amazing things about him.
- He was the best snugglers, he loved cuddles, and sleeping under the blankets and in my sleeping bag on camping trips, and kept me warm in the winter.
- He loved to play, tug of war was his favorite.
- He was so full of life, he loved running around, hiking and swimming.
- He was the best brother to his sisters and all the foster puppies we had.
- He was absolutely handsome, people always said so, I'd say that why his head was so big.
- He was unbelievable friendly, he made people smile, everyone loved him.
- He was so incredibly brave, until he got really sick, he always had a smile and a wagging tail no matter how many seizures or how many times he had to go to the vet.
- He was loved, more than anything, he was so very loved. He touched so many lives, gave so many smiles and so much love. So many people cried saying their goodbyes today.
Pictures of the goodest [boy before he got sick