a common lesson i've recently learned

[IIIIIIII]

i try not making many threads, because i am not so great at keeping track, and feel bad when people take time to post, and i don't respond. so feel free to not respond if you don't want, but of course feel free to also respond if you'd like.

our family dog of almost fourteen years had been sick for several months. she had cancer in her spine and it basically made her immobile, and her health overall was simply poor. my youngest brother who normally takes care of her couldn't any longer due to the nature of his job (he's a mental-health clinician, and it requires you to be 100% mentally healthy in order to treat patients), so he asked if i'd be willing to take over until the very end. i didn't know what journey it would take me on, so without thinking much of it, i said sure no problem. i'm currently working from home, so it was something i could do.

well to make a long story short, i went through about a six-week journey with bruin (name of our beloved golden retriever), and fed her, cleaned her, took her out to the park, and made sure she was as healthy as can be and in good spirits. a few days ago in the early morning, around 3am, i found her dead. i went to open her eyes, and they were white. she was stiff, and i just broke down. when i called my brother, i was hysterical. it was something i had never experienced.

in a end, i'm glad i went through this with a dog before losing an actual human. i now think it's a good thing for younger families to have a pet, and for the majority of it's life, so that when the time does come, they can experience losing a loved one, and will be better prepared when it's actual human family members.

 

[VulcanNervPinch]

It is a helpful growth experience, painful as it might be.

I don't understand a lot here, though.
You and your brother seem to be adults. Why does he take care of your family's dog?
Mental health clinicians can't have any stress and sadness in their lives?? In what universe does that happen?
If her health was poor and she was terminal, why did you not have her put to sleep right away?

Sympathies
(if this odd story is real)

 

[Gene Tunney]

It's good to hear that you helped your buddy. Animals, by and large, are not treated well. People, by and large, are not treated well. For every life filled with joy, somewhere in the world, there is a life replete with anguish. Although human societies have potential, their inability to prioritize the bigger picture of consciousness is disappointing.

 

[StonedLemur]

i try not making many threads, because i am not so great at keeping track, and feel bad when people take time to post, and i don't respond. so feel free to not respond if you don't want, but of course feel free to also respond if you'd like.

our family dog of almost fourteen years had been sick for several months. she had cancer in her spine and it basically made her immobile, and her health overall was simply poor. my youngest brother who normally takes care of her couldn't any longer due to the nature of his job (he's a mental-health clinician, and it requires you to be 100% mentally healthy in order to treat patients), so he asked if i'd be willing to take over until the very end. i didn't know what journey it would take me on, so without thinking much of it, i said sure no problem. i'm currently working from home, so it was something i could do.

well to make a long story short, i went through about a six-week journey with bruin (name of our beloved golden retriever), and fed her, cleaned her, took her out to the park, and made sure she was as healthy as can be and in good spirits. a few days ago in the early morning, around 3am, i found her dead. i went to open her eyes, and they were white. she was stiff, and i just broke down. when i called my brother, i was hysterical. it was something i had never experienced.

in a end, i'm glad i went through this with a dog before losing an actual human. i now think it's a good thing for younger families to have a pet, and for the majority of it's life, so that when the time does come, they can experience losing a loved one, and will be better prepared when it's actual human family members.

@IIIIIIII
My cat of 17 yrs just recently crossed over, she had cancer in her face.
It was rough for a few months, as we tried to keep her as comfortable as possible.
We kept her clean because she couldn't do it herself, we fed her, loved her to pieces.

Sadly we had to put her sown, I couldn't watch her suffer anymore.
That shit broke a piece of me honestly.

I had moved 9 times with her, to different states and everything, she was truly my best friend.
I seriously miss her, but I do believe she's in a better place ...
(as corny as that sounds)

We buries her in the backyard, and we have perennials planted with her so she'll always be surrounded by flowers.
She deserves that, she was like a daughter to me.

Miss you lil Killa.

 

[Natural Order]

Losing a pet of any kind is hard. Especially ones that look up to us and form a real bond.

Understanding death and dealing with grief are important processes in our lives as humans.

 

[IIIIIIII]

It is a helpful growth experience, painful as it might be.

I don't understand a lot here, though.
You and your brother seem to be adults. Why does he take care of your family's dog?
Mental health clinicians can't have any stress and sadness in their lives?? In what universe does that happen?
If her health was poor and she was terminal, why did you not have her put to sleep right away?

Sympathies
(if this odd story is real)

well from what i could tell, and by seeing my brother and her, everything was fine. my brother isn't a dumb guy, and once he realized it would become an issue, he let me know beforehand. it wasn't like he was going mental or anything. he asked if i could volunteer, and i accepted.

of course it's not something that they can't have in their lives, but they try not to allow outside distractions to enhance stress and sadness if possible. so in a situation like this, he thought it would be good to ensure it wouldn't distract him as the process went further.

it was our first family dog, and a lot of money was spent on the hopes of a cure. it was hard to let her go, and we probably did let her live longer than needed. it's one of those learning experiences where mistakes take place, and you try to learn lessons and make better decisions in the future.

 

[StonedLemur]

It's good to hear that you helped your buddy. Animals, by and large, are not treated well. People, by and large, are not treated well. For every life filled with joy, somewhere in the world, there is a life replete with anguish. Although human societies have potential, their inability to prioritize the bigger picture of consciousness is disappointing.

Tremendous post sir.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

I’m sorry this happened. I’m glad you were able to see a silver lining.

For me, losing the people most important to me, nothing helped prepare me for that loss and nothing ever could.

I hope it somehow helps you.

 

[Tone C]

*hugs*

 

[Ballsaque]

@IIIIIIII
My cat of 17 yrs just recently crossed over, she had cancer in her face.
It was rough for a few months, as we tried to keep her as comfortable as possible.
We kept her clean because she couldn't do it herself, we fed her, loved her to pieces.

Sadly we had to put her sown, I couldn't watch her suffer anymore.
That shit broke a piece of me honestly.

I had moved 9 times with her, to different states and everything, she was truly my best friend.
I seriously miss her, but I do believe she's in a better place ...
(as corny as that sounds)

We buries her in the backyard, and we have perennials planted with her so she'll always be surrounded by flowers.
She deserves that, she was like a daughter to me.

Miss you lil Killa.

So sorry to both you and the OP. Losing a pet is hard as fuck, same happened recently with my moms dog, had to come and scoop him up and take him to the vet. My mom was obviously hysterical and bawling her eyes out.

Can we get some pics of the pets to commemorate?

 

[IIIIIIII]

So sorry to both you and the OP. Losing a pet is hard as fuck, same happened recently with my moms dog, had to come and scoop him up and take him to the vet. My mom was obviously hysterical and bawling her eyes out.

Can we get some pics of the pets to commemorate?

yeah, definitely will. will try posting some photos later today. thanks everyone who read my original post, posted, or both.

 

[StonedLemur]

So sorry to both you and the OP. Losing a pet is hard as fuck, same happened recently with my moms dog, had to come and scoop him up and take him to the vet. My mom was obviously hysterical and bawling her eyes out.

Can we get some pics of the pets to commemorate?

I can't add a pic to this thread for some reason

I'll PM you one though sir.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Tough loss, my condolences. Death is never easy, especially someone you loved dearly.

Was the dog in a lot pain in those final months?

 

[Joe Mama]

Its definitely going to be a tough one for me when my latest finally passes.

While I have had several cats in my life, he is the first one that I acquired from a box of kittens til his last breaths (hopefully in my lap or with me nearby) We have been through A LOT together and I am grateful for all of his loving assholeness.

And always remember - While we share a portion of our lives with them, they share all of theirs with us.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

 

[IIIIIIII]

Tough loss, my condolences. Death is never easy, especially someone you loved dearly.

Was the dog in a lot pain in those final months?

she didn't seem to be. in fact, a few days before her passing she walked with little to no pain for almost 100 feet. i have it on video, but will not be showing that, too personal. her pain came and went. though a lot of that had to do with the medication, i would imagine.