I had to put my golden retriever to sleep today

[imported_hscorpio]

Duke loved to play ball. He was very smart and well behaved. He loved going for walks and thought he was the one taking me for a walk. He also loved the water.

This was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Duke was almost 13 years old. I learned on friday at the vet that he had some kind of mass in his abdomen that was most likely a spleen tumor that I guess is common in goldens and german shepards and that he was going to die soon. I took him back home and spent some time with him saturday just petting him and giving him some of his favorite treats. Then today I went back to the vet and he was put to sleep while I petted him. It was quick and painless for him but extremely painful for me. He was my best friend. He slept beside, on, or under my bed for over a decade and was always there to greet me with his ball when I came home. I will miss him.

 

[Beev]

Pretty dog.

:heart:

 

[Brutuskend]

My most sincere condolences. :brokenheart:

I had to put my best friend down several months back and it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

I still miss him and think of him every day.

I lasted less than a week before I had to go get another companion.
He's turning out to be a good friend as well.

 

[toolboxolio]

Best wishes.

Very cute dog from the pics.

 

[kedlav]

Sorry to hear that. Letting go is always hard when a wonderful dog dies, do your best to remember the good days. Post stories/pics if it helps.

Beautiful dog!

 

[Excelsior]

I really feel for you.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Thanks. I really was not prepared to deal with this since just a few days ago he was fine. When I took him to the vet I thought he just had a minor cold or something since his nose was running. I guess they call this type of cancer a 'silent killer' because by the time you notice anything wrong its really to late to do anything.

I don't know what I'll do without him.

 

[MazerRackham]

Oh man, the pic of your dog looking at his football just made me tear up.

My condolences man... always the hardest thing to do. But you did the right thing because you loved him, and it's never fair to make those old timers suffer.

 

[xAMD4Lifex]

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
Oh man, the pic of your dog looking at his football just made me tear up.

My condolences man... always the hardest thing to do. But you did the right thing because you loved him, and it's never fair to make those old timers suffer.

Very nice looking (a.k.a "cute") dog. Wish you the best and hopefully you'll find another pooch to bring you joy and laughter just like Duke did :brokenheart:.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

There were a lot of lizards where I used to live and they would bask in the sun on the stucco wall of the house. Everytime I'd take him outside he would run up and down the wall looking for the lizards. One time he went after a skunk at night so my grandma made him wear goggles while she bathed him in some concoction to remove the smell. He still smelled like a skunk for a week or two! Here he is swimming in the river. I wish I could find pics of him in my dads pool, he used to play in there all day. He would set on the steps and paw at his ball until it floated away, then he would swim out and bring it back to the steps to do it all over again.

 

[xAMD4Lifex]

The goggles pic made me chuckle. It seems that you were VERY close with your dog. I wish I had a dog that could do fun things and actually enjoy taking a swim but no, I have a yorkshire that HATES the water and barks at other dogs (but I still love her).

 

[Kadarin]

Dogs are precious and wonderful.

 

[Schadenfreude]

I"m very sorry for your loss

 

[theblackbox]

sorry to hear that. my dog, a collie/husky mix, had a similar issue, and my wife removed the spleen, which was a four pound mass due to the tumor. The dog went on to live several more months, but unfortunately, the cancer had already progressed into other parts of her body. at the same time, our pitbull had developed cancer in his bladder, which she could not fix, so we had to euthanize both of them. Before we did, though, we took them down to the beach, took off their leashes and let them run up and down the beach to their hearts content.

Did they offer surgery as a possible solution?

If you want to see what a 4 pound spleen looks like, look at the image below. WARNING!!!! It is not for the faint of heart.

you have been warned

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Originally posted by: xAMD4Lifex
The goggles pic made me chuckle. It seems that you were VERY close with your dog. I wish I had a dog that could do fun things and actually enjoy taking a swim but no, I have a yorkshire that HATES the water and barks at other dogs (but I still love her).

Yeah I was extremely close to him. My mom got him for me when I was a kid. I never had very many friends so I played with him everyday after school. He was very easy going and would follow me everywhere. He was more of a people dog and never paid much attention to other dogs, he basically ignored them and would only bark if he got jealous by seeing me play with another dog. When he was a puppy my mom said she picked him because he came and put his head in her lap while the rest of the litter was playing together. The breeder said he was the loner of the litter but was the sweetest of them all.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Originally posted by: theblackbox
sorry to hear that. my dog, a collie/husky mix, had a similar issue, and my wife removed the spleen, which was a four pound mass due to the tumor. The dog went on to live several more months, but unfortunately, the cancer had already progressed into other parts of her body. at the same time, our pitbull had developed cancer in his bladder, which she could not fix, so we had to euthanize both of them. Before we did, though, we took them down to the beach, took off their leashes and let them run up and down the beach to their hearts content.

Did they offer surgery as a possible solution?

If you want to see what a 4 pound spleen looks like, look at the image below. WARNING!!!! It is not for the faint of heart.

you have been warned

Yeah they said they could do surgery but didn't think he would make it and said he was pretty far gone. The vet basically told me he was dieing and that I could either take him home and let him die there, put him to sleep, or put him into treatment. She thought putting him to sleep was the best thing since he didn't look good. His urine was a dark orange-red which the vet said meant he had liver problems, and his rear leg and belly was very swollen. She thought it had already spread and that he might die while they did blood and ultrasound tests. I didn't want him to die that way, I wanted him to just go to sleep with me while I petted him and made him feel comfortable.

 

[thetxstang]

So sorry to hear about your loss. The loss of a dear pet, particularly a loving dog, can be tragic. Thoughts and prayers to you.

 

[iamaelephant]

This thread is too sad. Sorry for your loss

 

[hzl eyed grl]

I'm SOOOO sorry!

*tears up* I know how you feel. It's one of the hardest things I've had to do as well. (That and my 17-year-old cat.)

My condolences.

 

[jinduy]

i feel for you. but be happy that your buddy had a great friend in you .

 

[sandorski]

 

[Old Hippie]

Major Bummer.

 

[memories2002]

I feel for you man..

 

[GTaudiophile]

That goggles pic is just too precious.

Remember, all dogs go to heaven! He's up there swimming the great river Brutuskend's dog.

 

[murban135]

Sorry for your loss