A personal loss in my family tonight...

[GMTruckGuy74]

Hello my friends. I am besides myself at this time, finding it hard to sleep. I know tomorrow will not be any better, and I would like to share with you the reason why I feel this way tonight.

One of our two family dogs (both Lhasa Apso's, Benji [11 years old] and Snickers [8 years old]) over the weekend suddenly became ill - the younger dog, Snickers. He has always been in good health, but this weekend he was showing signs of distress. An appointment with the vet tonight did not bring good news. The vet listened to his lungs and verified that he was having major breathing issues. An x-ray showed his lungs were enlarged due to advanced cancer and the only humane option was to ease his pain by euthanizing him. This caught us off guard and totally blindsided us. He's been a part of our family since he was a little puppy (born February, 2003, we brought him home in April) and he was a well-mannered & well-behaved little dog. This is the first time in my life I had to make this type of decision and in the end say goodbye to a loving and loyal furry member of my family so suddenly. It was heartbreaking to see the tears in my 6 year-old son eyes as he learned "Snicky" was not coming home with us ever again.

I appreciate the thoughtfulness you've shown me in the past and I consider all you to be part of my extended "family".

[bobo]

I'm sorry for your family's loss. There's nothing quite like the love and loyalty that these four-legged family members bring. Hang in there.

[SAmadei]

Sorry to hear about the loss, GMTG. Take solace in that Snickers loved and was well loved all his life and his suffering, if any, was kept to a minimum. Take some time to grieve and when you are ready, adopt from a kill shelter, so that you're not replacing Snickers, but saving another pet from the needle in Snicker's memory.

Losing a pet is a tough lesson for a 6 year old, but pets can teach us so much growing up, and birth and death can be part of that. While heartbreaking now and I'm sure he's going through a bit of emotional confusion, in the end, he should value our every day we have together. To me, its better to have closure, even as a child.

Making the decision to euthanize is tough, and I've been involved with the family decision process, which is tough enough... but I know I'm going to have hard solo decisions in the future, as my cat is 18 years old and "my" Golden Retriever (actually was dad's dog) is 12 years old, so both are deep into the twilight, and both had nasty health scares this year (when I can least afford it). The dog will probably be the hardest, as I have to channel Dad from the beyond to ensure I'm making the right decision... I have a feeling my cat might save me from needing to make a decision. But who knows? I hope they both live for another couple decades, but I know I'd be fooling no one, including myself.

[ocnblu]

Roger, I'm sorry to hear of this. Pets are HUGE, no matter their size. To you and your family, please take care.

[ZL-1]

[Robert Hall]

I'm sorry to hear that and can relate.. two of my (actually my sisters') dogs are getting along in age (both 14) and having some health issues...they've become an important part of my life since moving to AZ in '08. Pets are like part of the family, I love my little entourage that follows me around the house (5 terriers in total).

[Camino LS6]

Sorry to hear this, Roger. I know the feeling all too well.

...and will know it again.

[caddycruiser]

Sorry for your loss, Roger. This is one of the hardest things to deal with, as pets can be more of a family member than anyone sometimes.

Rest in peace. I can't remember if I met both of your dogs when I was up in fall of 2009, but I remember at least one by the garage door.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thank you all for your kind words and well-wishes. What hurt the most was that this was totally unexpected and unforseen. He's always been in good health, compared to our other dog, and for that reason I figured he would survive longer. I'm starting to feel better today.

[A Horse With No Name]

Sorry to hear of this Roger....thinking of you and your family!

[RjION]

It's never easy ............

[daves87rs]

Roger...I'm real sorry man....it sucks so much....

This hits me hard personally because we have Lhasa Apsos as well, Catera (yes, the darn car) and Tessa....it's almost like having extra kids! But very worth it!

My mom has shown these dogs for over 30 years, so I guess I can say I know quite a bit about them.

I'm going to run into the same problem myself sooner or later, since Catera is 12 already (but thank goodness in good shape so far.

Hopefully after some time healing, you'll be able to open your heart to another......

[knightfan26917]

Aye, Roger ... so very sorry. Thoughts/prayers continuing....

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