When it's their time to go

[Kiki]

To Mugzy's mom, Robyn. Your Mugzy's story reminds me so much of my Rocki (11 year old female, my BABY).
We had a another boxer, Buttons, when I was younger; she had to be euthanized when she was 9 due to a brain tumor. She was my dad's baby. Eleven years ago my dad was diagnosed with chronic leukemia and my sister found him a boxer at a pet store. We always had a dog in our lives but after the last one passed (my baby, a poodle, Buffy), my mother said no more, it was too painful. But, with my dad's illness we didn't know what the future would hold and mom agreed to dad's doggie. (Thankfully, 11 years later Dad is still doing great/no major problems at all!!) Along comes Rocki, a definate puppy mill boxer. Within a couple of months she was diagnosed with a slipped disc in her back and would literally not be able to move for days. Thankfully, as she grew the disc slipped back in. But that was only the beginning, Rocki has had everything under the sun and has cost quite a bit, but is worth every penny and more. I've now taken to calling her Timex (she's taken so many licks and keeps on ticking; just when we think she'll stop ticking she turns right back around). Somewhere along the line Rocki went from being Dad's to my BABY. I too, share a bond with her that I can't explain; I'm an animal lover (we also have a 12 year cat) but the bond that I share with her is like no other, human or animal. When I found out about boxerworld, I fell in love with it. I expain it to my friends and family as my alcoholics anonymous for boxer lovers. I feel so at home reading the stories about things that my baby does too! I know I'm rambling...Rocki is now 11 and every day I know is a gift; I know her time will be coming sooner rather than later and I know I have to have the strength and give her up to the rainbow bridge; but I know I will be devastated! I'm afraid to say I hope God takes her naturally because I don't want to give him any ideas too soon, you know what I mean. Usually I say a prayer every day ...."not yet, just a little longer." Well thanks for "my therapy" here.

 

[Lisa M]

It seems to me that in our family we put down the dogs when they are suffering and will die, when we know they are in pain and just want the journey to the other side to be less painful for them. They can't understand or convey suffering as humans can it is seems that if they are having trouble that will only get worse with time it is the right thing to do for your pet. My grandmother tried to keep "my" first boxer alive as long as possible dreading the day when she would be put down, but after seeing her get up from her favorite spot one day and walk into a wall, even I knew that it was cruel to keep her here just for my sake, she was in pain and even though she was happy to have me go over and pet her and snuggle her, she was not living her life anymore, she was just hurt and waiting to die. She was taking medicine but it wasn't making her any better. It seemed that we owed it to her to make it stop.

We've also had boxers die of natural causes, one that was very old ran off into the woods behind my granmother's house one afternoon and when we found he had died not far from the house. We think he just must have known that something was wrong and it was his time to go, maybe he knew that it would be upsetting for us to watch? It was strange, he never ran away when we let him out before. Another of my dad's boxers had died of a heart attack at just six years old (before he knew about health testing etc.) I know it broke his heart because he wasn't ready and didn't expect it.

I think either way is hard for us, we love our boxers so much.

It is a very personal thing, but regardless of the breed, just like with humans as old age sets in eventually so will health problems. Stokes, accidents, heart attacks, loss of bladder and bowel control, cancers, seizures, etc. any one of these natural causes can lead to an owner and a vet deciding that it is time.

(I also agree with Lava Linda especially after taking care of Glenn's mom for two years, after two strokes, she was bed ridden for 8 months and I know that if she had been a pet we would have been able to end her suffering (which she wanted) much sooner than nature did.)

 

[LeedsDevil]

When it comes.....

I must say I am sniffeling as I write this. Many of you know that my Greta wa diagnosed in Dec. with terminal cancer. We were told that she had 3 months at that time and we discussed with our vet what to do. We have decided that if she shows us signs such as pain, disorentation, or trouble breathing (the cancer is in her throat and wrapping around her trachea) or loss of bowl & bladder we would let her go. I will not let her suffer just because I want her to be with me.

She has lived a very good life full of love and happiness and I don't want to remember her in pain or suffering. She has dignity and knows when she does wrong and the few puddles she has left for me (my fault, to slow to get my coat on) make her feel very guilty and bad. She doesn't understand that it's not her fault and behaves like she mortified by what she did!

Thankfully Greta is not showing any signs of pain or other advances of her disease (other then the lump in her throat). As long as she is happy she is welcome to continue being my "Coach Potatoe" and best freind.

As for losing other pets, I have been lucky enough to have only lost a few animals of my own (that I was close to) in my life time, Rudy, the springer spanial who was hit by a car and died on the way to the animal hospital, and Binky the cat who died of kidney failure. Other then that as a youngster my family insulated me from the death of our animals, but I came to find out that many were put down because of the cost of treatment at the time. They also had a "Throw away pet" policy which meant that if an animal did not behave properly they were either taken to the pound or put to sleep (we grew up on a farm and I was told that the "animal ran away"). :( Perhaps that is why I feel so strongly that animals are for "life" and have tried to pass that on to my children. The only animal that I had to put down was my mothers cat who was 14? and had lost all control of her B & B. I had never particulerly liked the cat (she was mean and didn't like me) but I still cried as I held her when the vet gave her the shot, the last thing she did was bite me. I cuddled her in a towel and cried as we took her home to the "Family Pet Plot" to be with out other animals.

I'm sorry this got so long winded but the more I wrote the more I remembered and wanted to share with all of you. Thank you for starting this topic Linda.

 

[Aimee]

I grew up with Shelties and we had two. Shellie was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 11 and was my mothers soul mate. My mother did everything she could to save this little soul but to no evail, they had to put her down. My memories of Shellie's last days are haunting. My mother couldn't bare to let her go and she suffered for so long. Shawn, who was my sheltie lived until he was 18 and so was I. I took him to the vet to have some abcessed teeth pulled and he went into cardiac arrest under anesthia. A decision, thankfully I did not have to make. I rescued Garrett (a sheltie) when he was 12 and he had a host of health problems. He did wonderfully in our care for almost 3 1/2 years. My vet said he was a miracle boy. He always pulled through..he was energetic and loving. What a joy he was. But my mother made me promise to never let him suffer a day. We had to have Garrett put down in December. This was the hardest day of our lives. He gave us his last kisses and we held him and talked to him. We were thankful that he went peacefully, no last breath no nothing...he was just gone immediately. We knew it was coming for some months before he had his last bad spell. But you are never prepared. I felt better knowing I was able to help him cross peacefully. I work in a Trauma ER and have watched people literally gasp for their last breaths of air. I find it so inhumane that we let people suffer to the bitter end. I could never put my animal down before it's time but I certainly couldn't watch it struggle for it's last breaths of air!

 

[Jo Ellen]

This is a topic I hope I never have to deal with but would like to be prepared if this would happen. Thanks for the topic!

I would like to tell you that for some reason your Shannon's story breaks my heart. When I first came to the board I read her story and cried my eyes out. Everytime I visit your site I cry when I look at her. I think it is because I couldn't imagin your pain and helplessness finding her like that.

 

[Linda]

Originally posted by Jo Ellen
I would like to tell you that for some reason your Shannon's story breaks my heart. When I first came to the board I read her story and cried my eyes out. Everytime I visit your site I cry when I look at her. I think it is because I couldn't imagin your pain and helplessness finding her like that.

Thank you so much! How nice of you.
I joined this board shortly after we lost Shannon. It was indeed very hard on ALL of us. Now everytime I hear a dog bark in the middle of the night, I wake and get a feeling of panic.
I have to remind myself and feel grateful that she didn't suffer long. The night before when we went to bed, she was acting fine.
I know our time may be running short with Remy, and I cherish every day with him.

 

[jicksies]

Hi there....just read your post on the death of boxers...made me sad but also thought it was a good question to ask. I have lost three boxers in my lifetime...Bozo to cancer when he was three, Brick to severe arthritis at age two, and most recently, Billy, a heart attack, at age ten. The first two I was not with them at the time and that still haunts me...this last time with Billy, although extremely painful, I was right there with him when he died...My kids and I cradled him as he passed on...afterwards we buried him under our apple tree and I read Rainbow Bridge to my children...lots of tears but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Billy was extra special (but aren't all boxers!?) and fought long and hard to stay with us. Two weeks prior he had a heart attack in our backyard in front of my kids. My husband and i resuscitated him with cpr and he lived for two more weeks. From that day on we lived every second for Billy because we knew he could leave us at any time...hours before he died, I took him out in the field behind our home and took pictures of him and me and my husband...i developed them that day and they were exceptionally beautiful pics. It's like somehow we all "knew" this was to be his last day...he died that very nite...anyway...thanks for asking...its a painful question but its nice to hear what others have gone through so we know we're not alone in our pain...jackie