Old dogs

candyman · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:15 pm Post subject: Old dogs

Well, my best bud in the world, whom i ve owned since he was 10 weeks, have traveled 100 of thousands of miles with, lived out of multiple vw buses with him, moved him xcountry several times in said buses, backpacked 100s of miles with, caught many a trout with him on looking from the bank, and in general spent very little time apart from him. He's 13 now and spry and energetic as a three year old. Meet Poonce the black lab. He damn near trained himself. Living with him, he has taught me so much about myself, i know that sounds silly but the connection we have and the way we can communicate through non verbals, i have never experienced with another animal in my life.
I was floored when I took him to the vet yesterday for a bladder infection that cant get under control. She did some tests and went to check his prostate only to reveal to me that it is extremely large. Fucking cancer! He is neutered so she ruled out any other prostate enlargement issues that commonly occur in intact dogs. She is great vet and i trust her prognosis. I am taking Poonce to a specialist on Monday to do an ultrasound to verify for sure if it is cancer or not and if it is, how bad it has spread and how much time he has left. This is killing me. Its like losing a member of your family. The worst part is, he has so much energy and life left in him that having to make a decision to put him down seems so surreal.
I have a second lab, yellow lab Kombi. He is 9. The thought of having to go through this again really sucks! As for Kombi, he has lived his entire life with his big brother, so I imagine he will take it the hardest. They are both laying at my feet as I write this. He's had a kings life and will be missed by many of my closest friends and family. They live short but they live hard!
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aaronr25 · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:45 pm Post subject:

Man sorry to hear about your dog.
I lost a golden retriever a few years ago and it was the worst.
The golden I have now is 5 years old and I hate to think one day she will no longer be with us.
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Tram · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:10 pm Post subject:

The sweetness of pet ownership outweighs the sorrow of the end of it. It's no fun to go through.
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meredith murray · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:28 pm Post subject:

When the day does come remember the good times knowing he brought you Years of Joy and you provided him with a Kings Life! It hurts beyond compare because Dogs Never let you down like humans do.

MLTIGGER2 · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:34 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear about your dog
It's tough to lose them, dosen't really matter if it's illness or old age.
Two of our dogs are 10(a Newfoundland) and 14(Austrailian Cattle Dog)
And even tough they are healthy, we know it's just a matter of time Crying or Very sad

CANCER SUCKS!!!
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far rider · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:52 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear about Poonce's condition. Nothing worse than losing a devoted dog. Best of luck.
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crukab · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:09 pm Post subject:

We feel your pain Jason, our 14 year old Lab went last April, stomach cancer,I couldn't talk/post about it, I just posted a pic in the gallery then, and got several condolance pms from fellow samba dog lovers.
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It took several months to look for another, but our other Dog needed a friend to hang with during the day, it was tough to think of replacing a wonderful pet, but you need to move foward in life.
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MLTIGGER2 · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:11 pm Post subject:

This thread is making me cry Crying or Very sad

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79SuperVert · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:34 pm Post subject:

I lost my dog last month. Had him for 9 years. I guess my loss was so visible on my face that the vet's assistant hugged me when we put him down. My condolences to you on your loss.
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DAIZEE · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject:

I too feel your losses. People who don't have or don't like dogs don't understand how close and part of you they become, especially if you are single with no family. The pain eases with time but is always with you. I've found the pain no less than that I've felt for a humans death.

I lost my first dog suddenly, after 12 years of congestive heart failure. I still blame myself that I didn't take his restlessness more seriously. The pain and agony I went thru was overwhelming and I swore I'd never go thru that again but after 3 years I adopted a rescued companion (American Eskimo who had been abused - that was quite a chore but successful) and at about 11-14 years(we didn't know his age) he had periods of real down and other times like a pup, I didn't want him to be in pain and yet i didn't want to put him down too early.

Fate took it out of my hands when he and I were attacked for 40 minutes by 3 over 100 pound each pit bulls. Simba was torn apart while he was still alive, I had to have him put down, I just oh so hope he was in too much shock to know. and feel, I also incurred some serious permanent damage. Losing him and the way it happened pretty well put me over the top. To maintain myself I knew I had to take care of a dog who had no one to take care of it. I phoned the dog rescue agency and said I needed to foster a dog that needed fostering more than any other dog. I took care of Goldie for 18 mths (she was 12 yrs) and then had to have her put down as she had no control of stomach, bowels, bladder. But she knew she was loved and well taken care of she I'm glad I had the opportunity to take care of her. She helped me get thru the hell of Simba's death. And now my companion pet is 11 lbs, ShihTzu, blind, young, full of pee and vinegar, doesn't know she is blind, type A personality with even some BIG dogs, she's fiesty, a thief, funny, continuous motion but also cuddly and snuggly and has cute down to perfection. I'm not even thinking about the future. I still have PTSD from the attack 3 years ago. Guess it will never go away but hopefully it only bothers me when I'm stressed out or overly tired. I don't want to think of no Munchkin.
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joe h. · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:34 pm Post subject:

Your 13 year old Lab has had a full life.
Keep in mind, the treatment can be really tough, expensive and not buy you much more time.

My lab just turned 8 and he's slowing down a bit. This is good because he has had 4.......yes 4 foreign object removal surgeries. After the second I said I would put him down if he did it again......yeah right!
I could buy a pretty nice car for what I got into my damn dog, but he has been worth every penny.
All dogs are great, but for me.......there's just something about Labs. They have so many expressions, they can actually tell you how they feel.

My Beau
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jnr356 · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:47 am Post subject:

my 10 year old 40 kilo black lab was diagnosed with minimal discs left in his neck last week
my best mate
devastated,all i can do is try and manage his pain
very difficult when he still thinks he's a pup

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drpete · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:37 am Post subject:

luckystiff · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:21 am Post subject:

djkeev · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:38 am Post subject:

I too find this thread quite sad. Anyone who has ever had a pet remembers them no matter how many years have slipped by since they left.
I've always had dogs, some good, some not so good one or two that were WONDERFUL!!

As sad as it is to say goodbye, for me it has always been followed with a happy hello of a young puppy wiggling and squirming because he Loves ME simply because I am there with him!

Soon you are busy training, cleaning up puddles and piles as you bond. Before you know it, that old tired dog's loss doesn't sting near as bad as it did last week and then last month. It isn't long before you stop thinking of the old boy as you fall in love yet again with this delightfully irritating little bundle that you now cannot imagine not having around!

That's my dog loss medicine, immediate replacement with a newer version, it has worked well for me for decades.

I do not do rescues, not against it but the risk is too high to get a less than desirable dog, I've seen it happen too frequently. With small children around I will not take the risk of having a problem dog.
Dave
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cdennisg · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:12 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear of these dog problems Candyman. As we discussed recently, our dogs are more like people than dogs. I have my 12 year old mutt sleeping next to me right now. She has slowed down considerably in the last six months, but she's still going strong. Lots of lumps, lots of limps, but always a song for me when I come home. She has ruined me for any consideration of a future dog. The bar has been set immeasurably high.

Be strong, love your dog, and hope for the best.
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DAIZEE · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:48 pm Post subject:

I have to say that my present Munchkin (my 3rd rescue, she's blind but beautiful, feisty but cuddly, snuggly, et al) has the spirit of 2 of my former dogs. I'm not kidding here. She has Simba (my American Eskimo) and DennieNoble (my first and only pure bred (a ShihTzu). Sometimes it is really spooky but I've come to accept it. She even has invisible playmates and I suspect they are as mentionned above.) I'm hoping I haven't left myself open to derision in saying this but even other people notice the same without my asking. Weird but true. Cool

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Mental Health issues affect us all. Ignorance is not bliss. It's up to each of us to educate ourselves.

candyman · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:11 pm Post subject:

Okay here is the update, first off, thanks everyone for the empathetic words. I knew this would be a relatable topic for most. Poonce is my first dog, so this is the first time I have ever had to deal with this. I took him to a specialist today and he did an ultrasound and confirmed that his prostate is indeed enlarged and the result is prostate cancer. The good news is the cancer has not spread to any immediate areas. He is putting Poonce on Piroxocam (sp?) an antinflammatory that is commonly used in this situation. The Dr was quite optimistic, probably because he could see in my eyes that i need a little optimism. He says it could be 2 weeks or it could be 2 years. I prefer the latter, but am happy to know that I will atleast get to enjoy him a little longer. Now i just have to monitor his urinating. Evidently that is the ultimate sign of the end. When he can no longer pee it will be time. This totally sucks but for some reason i feel a little bit easier then i did when i got the news first on friday. Of course when the end comes i will be completely devastated. My other dog Kombi will probaly take it the worst.

Sorry to hear of the stories posted here, i was not trying to make anyone sad, i know this is a tough subject for any pet owner. My intention was just to get it out there so i can start to deal with it and hearing from you all has certainly helped with that, so thanks everybody and go do something special with your dog tonight, let em know they mean the world to you!
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DAIZEE · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:45 pm Post subject:

We are here for you.
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Mental Health issues affect us all. Ignorance is not bliss. It's up to each of us to educate ourselves.

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