It's been a rough couple of weeks

[ChoiceStriker]

Hi everybody,

 

I don't really know what my reason for posting this is, because I'm sure it's not something everyone wants to hear. It's just kind of therapeutic to write something, anything, about it.

 

This afternoon my parents e-mailed to tell me that our beloved family dog, Bear, died this morning peacefully in her sleep. She had been struggling the past few weeks with a tumor in her chest, so it didn't come as a surprise, but it still hurts. She was 9 years old and she should have lived longer. But there's relief in the fact that she didn't suffer long and now she's in a better place.

 

My girlfriend has a seven-year old veiled chameleon also struggling with cancer, and we're planning on taking him to the vet this weekend to end his suffering. I know reptiles don't show affection the same way as dogs and cats, but he will be missed too.

 

And finally, our friend's beautiful cat Benny was in the final stages of his life just a few weeks ago after massive kidney failure and had to be put down to end his pain as well. They say that bad news comes in threes, so I hope the worst of all this is over.

 

Thanks for listening, everyone. Sorry to be such a downer.

 

Eric

[Robot Monkey]

I'm sorry to hear about that, Eric.

 

-j

[Failsafe]

Thanks for sharing, Eric. I wish you and your family the best and hope the worst is behind you.

 

I have not had a pet in over ten years. Our family dog, a german sheppard named Sheba died on Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning of 1993. We were living out in the country then. She happily ate a plate of leftovers from Christmas Even dinner, then later that night we couldn't find her to put her in for the evening. This was not all that unusual since she often didn't come right away when we called her but she was usually pretty close by. We all woke up the next morning to go looking for her and after about an hour of search the bush adjacent to our house, we came across the spot she had chosen to pass away. She was 12 I believe. What's weird is I still to this day remember the first song I heard on the radio after finding her which was 'Rhythm of My Heart' by Rod Stewart.

[Guest Bryan]

Eric,

I am very sorry for your losses and I understand the heartache. Our dogs, Molly and Belle, are family.

You will be comforted in coming days by the great times you shared with them and the unconditional love they showered on you and your family.

 

Best wishes,

Bryan

[Angry the Clown]

Eric, you should never, not even for a split second, think that sharing something like this would be unwelcome here. I?m deeply sorry to hear of the losses. Can you share any pictures?

 

I am always exceptionally attached to my pets and know how hard it is to let go. Past pets always have a special place in our hearts. New ones then continue to display the pleasures of a pet in their own inimitable ways, and so it goes on. They all come and go, but they?re never, ever, forgotten.

 

 

Daniel

[Jeff W]

I know what you're going through, yesterday I had to have our 7 year old Bull Mastiff, Bubba, put down. He developed cancer in his lymphnods and it spread throughout his chest, neck, and eventually caused him to go blind. The vet gave us the option to take him down and start chemo treatments but total cost would be in the neighborhood of 8-10 grand and would only extend his life for a few months, maybe a year, the blindness was not reversable though. I hung on as long as I could, perhaps too long, but in the end he was suffering so I took him in to have him put down. It's still pretty raw, I couldn't sleep the whole night before knowing what I had to do the next day, I know it was the right thing to do for him but I still feel pretty shitty about it. They say time heals all so in the meantime just remember them at their happiest and healthiest, below is a pic of Bubba before his troubles.

 

[Cyberwoo]

Sorry to hear about this. Being a big animal lover and current proud owner of a Golden lab/retriever I can relate to the feelings your having. I remember when my childhood dog eventually died of old age. Not fun. They become family members for sure.

[iainl]

:cry: I'm really sorry for you about that. I don't know what I'd do if our cat Katy died.

[ChoiceStriker]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words of support. This really is a great community of people we have here. I found a photo of Bear in happier times to share. Thanks again.

 

Eric

 

[Robot Monkey]

Any lifetime of a beloved pet will feel short, but from that picture it looks like Bear had nine very happy years.

 

-j

[ChoiceStriker]

Thanks Jay. She always was a good dog. Thanks for posting.

[Calvin]

Eric, both Leslie & I hope things get better for you & your family & we are sorry for your loss. We lost a cat that we both loved very much a couple of years ago & it still hurts...

 

But it gets better when you think of the good memories.

[Josh]

Eric: I've lost two chameleons, and it can be tough. While Veiled Chameleons are the sturdiest of the species on average, they're still chameleons at the end of the day.

[ChoiceStriker]

Thanks, Cal & Leslie and Josh.

 

Josh: It's been a real tough decision for my girlfriend because the chameleon (Zeus) has a -large- malignant tumor but he's still eating, drinking, going to the bathroom like nothing's wrong. I know prey animals are very good at disguising illness, but he's starting to get that sagging, hollowed-out kind of look to him. He's mostly dark brown all the time - I can't remember the last time I saw him green, and his eyes are really sunken in. Anyway, I think it's clear his time is nearing.

[Josh]

Yeah if he starts getting that dehydrated look it's time to let him go. It's no fun putting down a chameleon. I've done it many times both for myself and for friends, unfortunately.