Thank You!

The last 2 weeks have been the most awful I have had and has left me heartbroken and devastated :heartbroke:.

My little Westie of 15yrs and 4 months hadn't been himself and had lost weight (2.5kgs). A trip to the Vet and blood tests showed he had renal failure which had been causing him to be sick. Although old, he was still very bright so they decided to keep him in for a couple of days to flush his kidneys out and hopefully with diet and medication it would not make him better, but give him a few more months with us.
Things were looking positive and we brought him home, he hated the tinned dog food and trying to get the tablets down him was awful and made us feel very guilty because we didn't want him to be frightened of us as it took a few goes.

Two weeks ago today he started being sick again and looked very tired, he was due at the Vets for a follow up and they took more bloods. We took him for a little walk whilst they did the count...not good news, one count should have been 60 and his was 500, he would go downhill fast. We arranged for a home visit for him to be put to sleep...they could only do Monday 14 September and I couldn't do that day, you see that weekend would have been Mum's birthday, 13 September, she went to sleep the following day 14 September and to top it all, she actually bought him for us all those years ago, it would have crucified me!

Another Vet arranged to come out on Saturday 12 September. The drive home was horrendous and I told O/H that no way was he having the diet food that night, he was going to have a beefy dinner. We called at the butchers and O/H went in to buy a piece of steak. When he came out he broke down saying that the butcher had given him a piece of steak for free when he found out what it was for because he had just done the same with his dog and knew what we were going through...there are still some very nice people out there. My little doggy loved his dinner and its the first time in ages that he wolfed it down. He slept all night on the sofa and we stayed up until gone 2.00am, but we couldn't sleep at all. Daybreak came and our little boy woke up on the bed, his little eyes said it all, he was tired and had had enough. I told him it would be OK and that he would go sleeps and feel better and he looked into my eyes and gave me a feeble lick.

We stayed with him throughout, it was very peaceful and he went up those doggy stairs, where he'll be waiting for us one day with his waggy tail!

I found a really nice pet crematorium who managed to fit us in last minute and our boy is back home with us. The Vet sent us s lovely card with hand written poem which meant a lot.

The void he has left behind is tremendous.

I just wanted to thank everybody who wrote on a previous blog, when my Westie had been poorly.

Sorry if this is not the right place.

I am sorry you lost your dear friend and companion, he had a long happy life with you. Remember him as he was before he became ill.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know I will have to go through this pain in the foreseeable future with my Eric - coming up for 18 which is geriatric for a cat, bless him. He's fine at the mo but little animals fade away quickly don't they once they get poorly.

EM xx

I know exactly how you feel, the vet came to put our house rabbit to sleep on September 10th, I posted about it in the Drop. Sadly my experience wasn't a comfort as it took over 90 minutes for him to pass away and it's haunting me that it was more of an ordeal for him than taking him to the surgery would have been.

Your lovely Westie had a loving home, but while it's still so raw it's difficult to avoid dwelling on the negative. Be kind to yourself, sending my love. x

Jude x

Only other dog/cat lovers can know what you are going through. I have lost both my parents in recent years, plus a husband several years ago and another loved one. However, though devastatingly upsetting all this grief was, I was taken aback by my feelings of total devastation when I had to make the decision 2 years ago of sending my 17 year old darling whippet off to his maker. I still hurt inside, but it was the physical pain at the time that sent me into a spin. I was beside myself with grief for my dog, but not so much for my human loved ones. WHY ? I've asked myself this many times, and still cant come up with an answer. I have a bundle of gorgeousness in my 15 month old Border Terrier, but the love I felt for my Whippy will never leave me.

Really sad to read this. It is heartbreaking. Thinking of you. XX

It's heartbreaking when the time comes to let them go.

Wishing you peace at this sad time and remember, your little doggy is still with you, snuggled in your heart xx

How very sad , I am sending hugs
Hx

What a heart breaking time you're having - reading your report brought a tear to my eye.
I dread the time when I will have to say goodbye to one of my cats - they are my children.
My heart goes out to you at this sad time, but please try and stay positive and remember the happy times, I'm sure you're little Westie wouldn't want you to be sad.
I strongly believe we will one day be reunited with our beloved ones - both humans and pets

My thoughts are with you. I lost my beautiful 14 yr old Birman cat ( my baby) three and a half years in similar circumstances and I still cry for him. I have another Birman now- it was over two years before I could even consider it. He's a lovely typical Birman cat- not my sasha, but a very funny, loving Ollie. He has started to heal the hole in our lives. X remember the lovely times you had with him and try to smile about them at least once a day. Eventually the pain will recede behind the happy memories.

These little guys are so generous with their love!

How sad but what a lucky boy he was to have such a loving home and happy life. Thinking off you all who have lost dear loved pets x

Thinking of you, so, so sad. Your Westie was special because he had your love and devotion in abundance.

I'm so very, very sorry for what you and your family will be going through right now, to lose a beloved member of the family, the pain and the grief is unbearable. I'm sure I won't be the one shedding a tear for you right now, God bless xx

Thank you, all of your lovely replies have moved me to tears. I really do feel for anybody having to make that very hard decision, it isn't easy and I also feel for all those who have lost a loved one.

Akimbo - So sorry for your loss, and the fact it took such a long time, can't have been easy for you. Thankfully, our boy was sedated first and it was relatively quick after that and a blessing that he wouldn't have known about it. I suppose pretty much like when you yourself get sedated for an operation, you go to sleep not knowing anything really.

Brissles - I feel for you also, having to put your whippet to sleep and as for the grief, I think its because their love is unconditional and when they look into your eyes they look deep inside your sole. That's what my boy did and I knew he was tired and had had enough.

I think its the little things that get to you, doing the washing today, I always used to say 'are you going to help me do the washing' and as soon as I opened the washing machine door he used to stick his head inside and have a look round, then follow me outside to peg the washing out. The sound of his paws on the kitchen tiles, the way he used to fill himself up with water and get full of wind and come and sit by my feet for me to rub his back until he got the wind up, like a baby!

He most definitely left his paw print on our hearts.

I really do feel for everyone who's having or had to make such a terrible decision. My daughter's twelve-year-old cat, Poppie, will make her last journey tomorrow, a little being who's brought so much joy to so many people, including us from cat-sitting whenever we're needed from 12 weeks old, and the people in the street she used to rub up against and greet every day. She has mouth cancer and is in terrible pain, but the thought of her leaving is almost unbearable. She'll never be forgotten and in time, the joy she brought everyone will be what remains, but for now we're just facing an abyss. Thanks to all for listening.

I do feel your pain. Remember the many happy years you have had with him, and think he is now free of pain. I hope you know the poem called 'The Rainbow Bridge' I think it is a lovely poem and might bring you some comfort. I love all dogs but my favourite is a westie....xxx