Saddened by a great loss this year, new family member helping us heal.

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
My sweet boy Bigfoot was euthanized at eight years old this past October, at home. He was very sick over a year, was on high dose Prednisone and other medications. Without them he wouldn't eat and quickly became like a skeleton.

Toward the end, he could no longer stand from a lying position or walk around, I was carrying him in and out to help him go potty in the yard. He had developed an auto-immune disease, had kidney damage, ultrasound showed likely lymphoma, and he tore his ACL in the yard.

When he started to no longer be able to go on even short walks, I kept him home. Threw the ball a short distance for him one day because he finally looked interested, but he took a sharp turn and hurt his knee. Vet said his health was too poor to operate. He was truly miserable, our hearts were broken watching him go downhill. He was so loving and affectionate to all people and other pets, including our cat. The medications no longer were working. :(

My husband saw this pup online and he was available, a Smooth Fox Terrier we named Bear. Don't have many pics of him yet, but this is before we got him, he's twice the size now, and doing well. Took awhile for me to want to post about my Bigfoot, still get teary thinking of him.

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I remember when you lost your beautiful Schnauzer, @SeaBreeze , and then you got Bigfoot and he was the most adorable puppy ! I am so saddened to hear that you lost Bigfoot so early in his life, and I know it must have been totally devastating for you to have to put him down.
My Heart Dog, Chipper, had kidney damage also ( we think from being close to a soybean field that had been sprayed) and he was both blind and deaf by the time we had to put him to sleep, and had gotten where I had to carry him out to potty, too.
It is so heartbreaking, but something that we have to do out of love.

Sending love and hugs to you as you grieve your loss, and happiness and smiles that you found such an awesome new dog. How large will Bear get to be ?
 
Pepper said:
Same with me (((@SeaBreeze))) Feline Version. Life ain't worth living without them.
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Thank you Pepper. Sad to hear that.....hugs. May your kitty rest peacefully. Mine is getting up in years, and I often think of that. They are very important and special to us, aren't they?

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CallMeKate said:
I'm so very sorry to hear this. :cry: Bigfoot sounds like he was a very special boy. I hope Bear will continue helping with the healing process.
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Thanks for your kind words Kate, he was special and I think Bear is a sweet boy too, he'll be better once he's done teething and biting stuff....including me, lol. He's bringing smiles to our faces every day, so that's always good.
 
Happyflowerlady said:
I remember when you lost your beautiful Schnauzer, @SeaBreeze , and then you got Bigfoot and he was the most adorable puppy ! I am so saddened to hear that you lost Bigfoot so early in his life, and I know it must have been totally devastating for you to have to put him down.
My Heart Dog, Chipper, had kidney damage also ( we think from being close to a soybean field that had been sprayed) and he was both blind and deaf by the time we had to put him to sleep, and had gotten where I had to carry him out to potty, too.
It is so heartbreaking, but something that we have to do out of love.

Sending love and hugs to you as you grieve your loss, and happiness and smiles that you found such an awesome new dog. How large will Bear get to be ?
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Thank you so much Happyflowerlady 💙, glad you remember Hans, seems like yesterday we were saying our last goodbyes to him.

Very sorry you lost your Chipper, I remember that precious photo of him where it was kind of an action pic with his ears flying in the air. I called my husband over to the computer to see him, and he agreed he was really, really cute.

Bear was six pounds when we brought him home, he just weighed in at 14 pounds at 4 months old. He should be around twenty when full grown. Smallest dog we ever had, but it will be nice to be able to carry him if needed. Helping Hans into the Jeep when he was elderly, and carrying Bigfoot in and out of the house was a backbreaker.....but when you love them, you find the strength.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
I remember Bigfoot. You mentioned him in the thread about pets ( 2018 ) and the walking threads. I’m so very sorry for your loss. Bear looks really cute. Terriers are great pets. You’re a good doggie mom Seabreeze.
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Thank you very much. 🧡 I walked him almost every day in the nearby State Park, neighborhood park on weekends, he loved it! We hiked together in more remote areas on camping trips a couple of times a year, when my husband was able, he'd go with us, those were the good days.

This past year we skipped both of our camping trips because our baby was too sickly and we never put our pets in a boarding kennel. Looking forward to going again with Bear, we'll have to watch him closely as he's full of energy, loves to run, explore and dig, not sure how he'll swim. We're usually by a mountain river stream, so the water is cold and fast running, especially in the spring. will keep him on a long leash and keep a close eye.

Nice to be called a good doggie mom, I love my kitty too, animals are very special and it's a gift to share your home with them. This is when I went to take a picture in the truck of both of them together, as soon as Loki saw me turn around with the camera, he got up and walked to get his close up, lol. Loki was noticeably sad when his buddy was gone, he went through that with Hans before him.

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Nathan said:
@SeaBreeze Aw, so very sorry, the heartbreak is I'm sure unspeakable. 🤗
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Thank you Nathan. 💙 We knew things didn't look good for awhile, the decision was made by us as we watched him deteriorate and his spirit sadden. We did what he depended on us to do, put him out of his pain in the most loving and gentle way possible.

The vet from Lap of Love was very soft spoken and caring, I brought Bigfoot into the living room and laid him on the couch. His head rested on my husband's lap, and I sat behind him gently petting him. We both assured him with gentle words of love, he lifted his head once when the sedative was taking effect, and then rested again on my husband's lap.

Very emotional for us both. I helped the vet place him on a small stretcher, he was strapped in and we both carried him out to the van, which was prepared in a respectful way, as in a funeral. Once it was over, we felt some relief that our boy wouldn't spend another day or night fearful, uneasy or in pain.

As you and many other folks here already know, sometimes true love means saying goodbye. Glad I shared this, I've been very emotional all day, and ready to end a distressing year.

Thanks to you and all the kind people here who showed such empathy and compassion. Can't say how much I appreciate it. ☮️
 
SeaBreeze said:
My sweet boy Bigfoot was euthanized at eight years old this past October, at home. He was very sick over a year, was on high dose Prednisone and other medications. Without them he wouldn't eat and quickly became like a skeleton.

Toward the end, he could no longer stand from a lying position or walk around, I was carrying him in and out to help him go potty in the yard. He had developed an auto-immune disease, had kidney damage, ultrasound showed likely lymphoma, and he tore his ACL in the yard.

When he started to no longer be able to go on even short walks, I kept him home. Threw the ball a short distance for him one day because he finally looked interested, but he took a sharp turn and hurt his knee. Vet said his health was too poor to operate. He was truly miserable, our hearts were broken watching him go downhill. He was so loving and affectionate to all people and other pets, including our cat. The medications no longer were working. :(

My husband saw this pup online and he was available, a Smooth Fox Terrier we named Bear. Don't have many pics of him yet, but this is before we got him, he's twice the size now, and doing well. Took awhile for me to want to post about my Bigfoot, still get teary thinking of him.

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@SeaBreeze we had a very similar experience 18 months ago and I still get very teary eyed when I think on it
Allow yourself to grieve as much and as often as you need to
BTW Bear has a most beautiful and endearing face 🤗
 
peramangkelder said:
@SeaBreeze we had a very similar experience 18 months ago and I still get very teary eyed when I think on it
Allow yourself to grieve as much and as often as you need to
BTW Bear has a most beautiful and endearing face 🤗
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Thank you my friend, I'm sorry for your loss also, it is very hard, leaves an empty spot in our hearts that doesn't go away.....hugs. Thanks for your kind words about Bear, our love grows for him every day, Bigfoot would have wanted a little one like him to live in our home and soothe our hearts. Have a very peaceful, joyful and healthy new year ahead. 🧡
 

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