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DownTheAvenue's avatar
Mar 20, 2019

Said goodbye to my foster dog

I foster for a Golden Retriever rescue. I brought into my house and heart a 10 year old male who had been abused probably all his life. He was heartworm positive, not neutered, severe arthritis in his hips, a tumor in one eye, the other eye socket crushed from an old blunt force injury, and last fall a sonogram revealed a 2 mm spot on his spleen. He was picked up as a stray that no one claimed. He was with me for 5 months, and last night he became lethargic, vomiting, and diarrhea. At the university teaching hospital it was revealed that the tumor had grown to 10 mm, and his red blood cell count was dropping. His abdomen had fluid- that tumor was taking his life, and with the heartwworm disease and heart damage it caused, he was not a candidate for surgery.

Tonight I rubbed his belly (he never had belly rubs until I taught him how good they felt!) and petted his head until he took his last breath. His last months of his life with me were his best. He knew love and caring finally.

19 Replies

  • God bless all rescuers. Thank you for taking in this abused dog and loving him for the rest of his days. RIP sweet boy.

    Dale
  • After reading posts like this I always go over and give the dog that lets me live here a belly rub. He still doesn't know why my eyes are leaking and I talk funny.
    Thanks for giving the old guy the love that he should have had his whole life. Dogs give so much and ask so little.
  • I'm so glad that in his last days he learned a kind hand and a loving heart. We lost our golden, Kaiya, last Nov. to the same type of tumor.

    So sorry for your loss.
  • Thank you for taking him into your life and giving him a good life.
  • It is always hard to watch a loved animal go downhill, but you did a great thing in making him comfortable. I have lost several over the years and I can still remember them. we have a rescue now that is old, he is blind and deaf but hanging in there with a lot of help. Thanks for making the foster dog a great home for his limited time.
  • Thanks for making his last days so pleasant. It takes a very special person to be a dog rescue person. I want to thank you for being that type of person.
  • DownTheAvenue wrote:
    I foster for a Golden Retriever rescue. I brought into my house and heart a 10 year old male who had been abused probably all his life. He was heartworm positive, not neutered, severe arthritis in his hips, a tumor in one eye, the other eye socket crushed from an old blunt force injury, and last fall a sonogram revealed a 2 mm spot on his spleen. He was picked up as a stray that no one claimed. He was with me for 5 months, and last night he became lethargic, vomiting, and diarrhea. At the university teaching hospital it was revealed that the tumor had grown to 10 mm, and his red blood cell count was dropping. His abdomen had fluid- that tumor was taking his life, and with the heartwworm disease and heart damage it caused, he was not a candidate for surgery. Despite his poor situation, he was always the happy Golden who loved everyone and everything he met.

    Tonight I rubbed his belly (he never had belly rubs until I taught him how good they felt!) and petted his head until he took his last breath. His last months of his life with me were his best. He knew love and caring finally.