My boy Riley....

[rileyrumom]

He had suffered with Lymphoma since May. We had him on prednisone which gave us 4 months with him we probably wouldn't of had. But he lost his battle Thursday. I had to take him to our Vet and he laid in my arms as she gently let him go. I am heart-sick. I love him so very much, and will miss him everyday.

I do have a question if anyone can help. My other Boxer, Ruby is suffering also. She and Riley have been together for 8 years. Where you saw one, you saw the other. She is looking for him in every room, even outside. And she whines. It's heartbreaking. She didn't eat for 3 days. She is now eating some, but not like she used to. I wish I could help her understand. Does anyone have ANY suggestions?

Thank you so much....I am grateful to all the love I feel on this forum.

Julie

 

[undercg]

My deepest sympathies on the passing of Riley.

Ruby is mourning too. You just have to give her some time. An extra walk, an unexpected cuddle, even a conversation. Time is the key.

 

[Disneygal]

Riley

Dear Julie,

I'm so so sorry, I somehow missed your post about Riley passing on Faith's lymphoma thread. I just found it today. When someone wrote about Riley passing I thought they mixed up Faith's name. Today I finally re read and realized Riley passed as well. You and I sure went thru this ordeal together. I'm glad that Riley's passing was peaceful.. it sounds exactly like Faiths. They deserve to go to rest and not suffer and be so uncomfortable.

I can imagine how Ruby is missing her friend. Just talk to Ruby and reassure her that all is fine. Ruby trusts you and just needs reassurance that all is going to be okay. And just like we grieve it is okay for her to grieve some too. Comfort each other. I do think animals have a sense about things. I think they can tell when another animal is sick.

My cat Yo Yo is the last of 4 animals so I have a real empty nest right now. We call Yo Yo, "the sole survivor"... it is sad but we just talk to him and give him lots of attention.

Julie, I'm sorry we had to go thru this, but it did help me feel less alone knowing someone understood. Thank You so much for always posting and sharing with me. From your posts I know that Riley had an abundance of love and lived the good life.

Sincerely,

Terri

 

[iluvfrankie]

Poor you and poor Ruby. She must be so confused and lost without him. I have never been in this situation before but i would see some extra t.l.c being a must for the poor girl. She needs you like you need her. Talk to her and be with her. Dogs understand a lot more then we know. Hopefully she will come to terms with things soon.
Good luck with her,
Hugs and kisses,
Frankie, James and Grace

 

[kcgal]

So, so sorry...r/o

When Tess passed away in July, my Riley suffered too. He'd wait at the top of the stairs for Tess everynight for bed. He didn't eat or drink. It was just terrible. Give your buddy some time. Try giving her ice cubes so she doesn't get dehydrated. Give her lots of love, (which I'm sure you're already doing) Try taking her for a walk or getting a new toy. She'll come around but it takes a while.
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's terribly sad.

 

[rileyrumom]

Thank you...

Ruby is drinking her water now, and eating a little bit. I left the TV on Animal Planet for her when I had to leave for work this morning. She was laying on her down blanket on my couch. It's been raining so I truly believe she slept all day. Bless her heart.

Thank you for all your thoughts and suggestions. Terri, I can't believe we went through this also, but I am thankful to have found such wonderful Boxer people on this forum. I got a call today that Riley's ashes were here. I'm not ready to go back there, so a friend is picking them up for me.

As another dear friend told me...."they are family, and their love is unconditional. Nothing more needs to be said."

Thank you again. I am just hoping time will really make things better. I miss my boy so much:(

Hugs,
Julie and Ruby

 

[Lizzie]

I am so sorry to hear about Riley passing and my deepest sympathy to you and your family. It is heartbreaking and I found it very hard to deal when Monty died suddenly because Diva would look for him all the time. For example, just sit on the deck and look for him to come running past - it was heartbreaking. What I did was change her routine - when I went to work both Diva and Monty were outside in the kennels and runs. When Monty died winter was approaching and so Diva now has the entire house to herself when I am at work. I just spent lots of time with her, lots of cuddles and attention (even more than usual) and we went for lots of walks and we slowly built up a different type of routine.

It will take time for Ruby, but I am sure that she will be okay.

 

[Madea]

So sorry to hear about your lost

 

[Independence]

I am so sorry for your loss. Ruby will grieve and she will come around. Keeping you all in our thoughts in prayers.

 

[Disneygal]

How are you?

Hi Julie,

Just checking in to see how you and Ruby are doing. I know it has been hard here. I know that we will heal though and remember the good times.

For me the toughest part is coming home and not having her to immediately greet and take care of. Hearing her drinking all the time... being careful not to step on her when she layed on my bedroom floor. Lifting her up on my bed to snuggle by me. Carrying her up and down the stairs. I had to clean the poops in my back yard for the last time when the gardeners were coming. It used to take me a long time to get ready to leave my house. I had to make sure Faith went to the bathroom and it took a while since she could barely walk. Now I feel like I'm forgetting something when I just leave.

I have to keep reminding myself that she is no longer uncomfortable. At the end I just knew that she was not comfortable and that it was up to me that she not suffer. I'm glad she is at rest for her sake.

We did the right thing for them. Time will heal and we will always have the fun times to remember. Each time we cry we are closer to healing.

Sincerely,

Terri