This is Bailey. She was just a mutt that we got at age 6 weeks old. She was 14 when she developed diabetes that we could not control. It took about two weeks for her to deteriorate to the point that the Vet told us she was critical. We had to make the decision to have her put to sleep and it was very hard to do. We held her while the vet gave her the injection. We know it was the right thing to do but still very hard to accept. Our house will never be the same again and we miss her very much. She will be a part of our family forever and we look forward to seeing her again. She was our best and loyal friend.
Bailey May 18,1995 to August 14,2009
Bailey May 18,1995 to August 14,2009
This is a thread I wish none of us ever had to post on.
Teddy Bear
3/27/09 to 7/29/09
In 1999, we adopted 2 brothers, born on 3/27/99. They were the light of our lives, spirited and with awesome personalities. Bailey was the comic while Teddy played the role of straight man of the duo.
In late 2004 we learned Teddy was diabetic. Those first few months were difficult b/c his glucose wouldn't regulate, but on 1/05 vetsulin was introduced to the US market; Teddy was the first in our area to use it and it worked like a charm holding his blood sugar at perfect levels. The following month we noticed Teddy's vision seemed "off". A visit to our vet confirmed that due to those 3 months of glucose highs/lows Teddy had developed diabetic cataracts and an immediate lens replacement was necessary to save his vision. The operation went smoothly and once again Teddy overcame this hurdle.
In Nov. 06 we lost Bailey suddenly to IMHA, a disease we'd never heard of before and one that strikes the immune system. We worried how Teddy would react since they had been together all of their lives, but our little soldier managed.
From 1/08 to 4/08 Teddy began having health problems, and after running many tests our vet could find no cause. In late April as I was petting Teddy I felt 2 small lumps under his jaw; which we learned a few days later were symptoms of lymphoma. We began chemo within days and hoped we'd be one of the lucky ones who gets the gift of a long remission; unfortunately Teddy had "t" cell which is more aggressive and the remission was short lived. For 15 months we tried various protocols, which gave us more time with our boy. Thru it all our little soldier took the many clinic visits and meds in stride.
We had a trip planned, which meant spending a month in Florida. Teddy was doing well and both our internist and local vet saw no reason to cancel, so on July 3rd we left on vacation. For the first 3 weeks of the trip Teddy did well and unless we told somebody Teddy had an illness they'd never have guessed it by watching him. During that last week we could feel his lymph nodes beginning to get larger, then late on 7/28 we began seeing a decline; deciding to be cautious we headed home the following morning. Midway home, during a potty break, his rear legs gave out from under him. As we got off of I-10 in Mobile, which is 8 hours from home, we had a blow out. While we waited for mobile repair service to come our Teddy's breathing became labored and within minutes he crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Based on what we've learned afterwards, the cancer had entered his blood stream.
Our schnauzer mafia has lost their "don" and our doggie choir has lost their lead voice. He was such a brave little guy who fought and overcame so much but his little body couldn't beat that cancer. Needless to say we are broken hearted. RIP little Teddy Bear, and tell Bailey we miss him too.....until we see you again, we love you!
Teddy Bear
3/27/09 to 7/29/09
In 1999, we adopted 2 brothers, born on 3/27/99. They were the light of our lives, spirited and with awesome personalities. Bailey was the comic while Teddy played the role of straight man of the duo.
In late 2004 we learned Teddy was diabetic. Those first few months were difficult b/c his glucose wouldn't regulate, but on 1/05 vetsulin was introduced to the US market; Teddy was the first in our area to use it and it worked like a charm holding his blood sugar at perfect levels. The following month we noticed Teddy's vision seemed "off". A visit to our vet confirmed that due to those 3 months of glucose highs/lows Teddy had developed diabetic cataracts and an immediate lens replacement was necessary to save his vision. The operation went smoothly and once again Teddy overcame this hurdle.
In Nov. 06 we lost Bailey suddenly to IMHA, a disease we'd never heard of before and one that strikes the immune system. We worried how Teddy would react since they had been together all of their lives, but our little soldier managed.
From 1/08 to 4/08 Teddy began having health problems, and after running many tests our vet could find no cause. In late April as I was petting Teddy I felt 2 small lumps under his jaw; which we learned a few days later were symptoms of lymphoma. We began chemo within days and hoped we'd be one of the lucky ones who gets the gift of a long remission; unfortunately Teddy had "t" cell which is more aggressive and the remission was short lived. For 15 months we tried various protocols, which gave us more time with our boy. Thru it all our little soldier took the many clinic visits and meds in stride.
We had a trip planned, which meant spending a month in Florida. Teddy was doing well and both our internist and local vet saw no reason to cancel, so on July 3rd we left on vacation. For the first 3 weeks of the trip Teddy did well and unless we told somebody Teddy had an illness they'd never have guessed it by watching him. During that last week we could feel his lymph nodes beginning to get larger, then late on 7/28 we began seeing a decline; deciding to be cautious we headed home the following morning. Midway home, during a potty break, his rear legs gave out from under him. As we got off of I-10 in Mobile, which is 8 hours from home, we had a blow out. While we waited for mobile repair service to come our Teddy's breathing became labored and within minutes he crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Based on what we've learned afterwards, the cancer had entered his blood stream.
Our schnauzer mafia has lost their "don" and our doggie choir has lost their lead voice. He was such a brave little guy who fought and overcame so much but his little body couldn't beat that cancer. Needless to say we are broken hearted. RIP little Teddy Bear, and tell Bailey we miss him too.....until we see you again, we love you!
Moira Elsbeth, or Beth, our sweet baby girl.
Born 1/11/94. Came home to live with us in April of that year, driving home through a heavy spring snowstorm. She was a wild girl from the beginning, having far too much energy for an upstairs apartment dog. But, as starving grad students, it was all we could afford, and couldn't bear NOT to have her, so we endured her shenanigans.
Later when we returned to CA and bought a house, she had a yard of her own, and wasted no time becoming known as the cat-slayer. I have always regretted that I wasn't able to give her a job when she was young. She would have excelled at anything, obedience, agility, herding, you name it. But busy with careers, we couldn't do that, and her job was companion and cuddlebunny. She took her job very seriously, following us from room to room.
When our first corgi and her soulmate Zack passed in 2005, the new puppy was trained from day one to be an obedience dog. Later Buddy came along, and was also prepped for competition from the start. Beth loved tagging along to the trials, hanging out in her crate or at the RV and cheering the boys on.
My favorite memories were of her, back in that first apartment, running down the hall with a leg from the coffee table in her mouth. Many years later, a much more tender favorite memory would emerge. In December of 2004 DH had major abdominal surgery, and spent 5 days in the hospital. When I brought him home, Beth delicately jumped up on the sofa beside him and proceeded to burble and trill for nearly half an hour, telling him all manner of "things".
Every morning for as long as I can remember, Beth has "chaperoned" shower time. If you turned on the water in the shower, she would lie down on the bath mat and wait for you. Looking at that empty space these last couple of days has been very hard.
In 2005, at the age of 11, Beth developed an occasional tremor in her hind leg. The following year she stopped jumping on the furniture, but still had good mobility. She remained healthy and fairly active. There was no way she was going to die and let one of the other dogs be Alpha. She made that very clear to us.
In October of 2008 she caught a stomach bug. It left her very weak, and we feared losing her then. She did recover, but began having more trouble with her rear legs. She had a lot of trouble getting up, and often times when I helped her up, her legs would cross. For a few months, heavy doses of NSAIDS kept her from getting worse. But when her condition started to decline even on the meds, we knew we were dealing with Degenerative Myleopathy. Over the last two weeks she got worse and worse, hardly walking at all, mostly dragging herself. When bowel and bladder control faded away, we knew the end was upon us.
sweet baby Beffie, you wil always be our baby girl. Rest well, sweet Beth
1/11/94 - 6/3/09
Born 1/11/94. Came home to live with us in April of that year, driving home through a heavy spring snowstorm. She was a wild girl from the beginning, having far too much energy for an upstairs apartment dog. But, as starving grad students, it was all we could afford, and couldn't bear NOT to have her, so we endured her shenanigans.
Later when we returned to CA and bought a house, she had a yard of her own, and wasted no time becoming known as the cat-slayer. I have always regretted that I wasn't able to give her a job when she was young. She would have excelled at anything, obedience, agility, herding, you name it. But busy with careers, we couldn't do that, and her job was companion and cuddlebunny. She took her job very seriously, following us from room to room.
When our first corgi and her soulmate Zack passed in 2005, the new puppy was trained from day one to be an obedience dog. Later Buddy came along, and was also prepped for competition from the start. Beth loved tagging along to the trials, hanging out in her crate or at the RV and cheering the boys on.
My favorite memories were of her, back in that first apartment, running down the hall with a leg from the coffee table in her mouth. Many years later, a much more tender favorite memory would emerge. In December of 2004 DH had major abdominal surgery, and spent 5 days in the hospital. When I brought him home, Beth delicately jumped up on the sofa beside him and proceeded to burble and trill for nearly half an hour, telling him all manner of "things".
Every morning for as long as I can remember, Beth has "chaperoned" shower time. If you turned on the water in the shower, she would lie down on the bath mat and wait for you. Looking at that empty space these last couple of days has been very hard.
In 2005, at the age of 11, Beth developed an occasional tremor in her hind leg. The following year she stopped jumping on the furniture, but still had good mobility. She remained healthy and fairly active. There was no way she was going to die and let one of the other dogs be Alpha. She made that very clear to us.
In October of 2008 she caught a stomach bug. It left her very weak, and we feared losing her then. She did recover, but began having more trouble with her rear legs. She had a lot of trouble getting up, and often times when I helped her up, her legs would cross. For a few months, heavy doses of NSAIDS kept her from getting worse. But when her condition started to decline even on the meds, we knew we were dealing with Degenerative Myleopathy. Over the last two weeks she got worse and worse, hardly walking at all, mostly dragging herself. When bowel and bladder control faded away, we knew the end was upon us.
sweet baby Beffie, you wil always be our baby girl. Rest well, sweet Beth
1/11/94 - 6/3/09
I lost my best friend yesterday. I am broken hearted and in pain, we were inseparable. He lived a good life and was loved and spoiled.
April 1 1992 to May 31, 2009
I miss him every minute
And here is the last picture I took of my boy about 2 weeks ago. He never left my side when I was in the house. His favorite place was either on my chest or on this ottoman laying against me
I need to tell you about my best friend. Turbo has been at my side since we adopted him in April of 1993. The day we went looking for a cat was a nice sunny day. We went to four pet adoption places. At the fourth one we walked into a room with fifty cats. Turbo was high up on one of the kitty towers but quickly made his way down to greet us. He walked right up to me and rubbed his body against my leg and looked up. I picked him up and never let go.
We took him home that day and kept him separated from his new brother. They sniffed at each other under the door for the first day. On the second day we let them meet. Calvin and Turbo ( I did at first want to name him Hobbes) became close friends and generally where one would be the other would not be far away.
Actually there were many times they fought and the fur would fly. The only reason for the fights was if Calvin would climb on me and snuggle when Turbo left the room for some rare minute.
Turbo would return and see Calvin and also climb upon me. Turbo knew how to bide his time and later when Calvin would leave the room, Turbo would find him and attack. Since both are long haired cats, you would literally see fur wherever a battle took place.
Since Calvin was Anneโs cat and rarely left her side, thankfully this was not too often. You have heard of junkyard dogs, well Turbo was always the contractorโs cat when we were remodeling. No matter what noise was being made he would be right there watching. One time one of the guys was under a sink cabinet with a sawzall and Turbo was right on his chest watching him work. As the years went by the โboysโ grew closer and would find exotic places to hide when we were not home.
Over time Calvin grew ill. We brought him to the vet many times. We later learned that the steroids one vet put him on damaged his heart. We eventually lost Calvin and Turbo was the King.
After Calvin was gone we tried to go on vacations but they never worked. We would inevitably get a call from my sister and bil telling us that Turbo would not let them pass him on the staircase. They ended up sleeping downstairs in their living room. Somehow this loving cat turned psycho when I was away more than a day. We ended up cutting our vacation short and picking up our innocent baby. The minute I would pick him up he would start licking my ear and cleaning my hair.
It was then we decided we needed an rv. We tried a few gassers but they did not meet his standards. The gassers were too noisy for him. We eventually got a diesel pusher and he was happy. While on the road, you could always find him ensconced in his bucket between Anne and I.
At least one time every trip he would vacate his bucket to puke. Turbo never traveled very well anyway. Previous to the rv we had a cabin, I think he only made it there once without getting sick. But sick or not it was better he was with me than home alone.
When we decided to move and build a new home we had to live in the new guest house for two years. I think this really hurt his exercise program. He was limited to 500 sf. I donโt think he ever moved the way he used to after that.
We eventually sold the rv when Turboโs legs would not be able to take the travel. We did not want to put him through the pain. As the last year or so went on his legs got worse, the anti inflammatory helped a lot because you would still see his eyes light up when I walked in the room.
He never left my side, even as he got slower, and the 17 years took their toll, he spent as much time with me as possible.
There were days I could see he was having a hard time but his eyes always smiled. It was breaking my heart that I was going to have a decision to make and I did not want to make that.
This morning Turbo and I spent time together on the couch, I could see his eyes were different today, they told of pain.
I am telling you this because this afternoon the decision was removed from my hands. At about 4:30 this afternoon, as Anne and I sat at the table talking, we heard cries we never heard before. We both ran to his side, he seemed to be trying to catch his breathe and could not. I tried to help and he ran, I caught up to him and Anne and I held him as he took his last breathe.
He died in my arms in short time. I am blessed to have had time on this earth to spend with Turbo. He was a true companion, he never left my side, slept each night on my shoulder. When I was ill he would cry out in sympathy. So I write this in his honor. I loved that cat. He was the only child I will ever have and he was the greatest.
I know one day I will meet up with him again at Rainbow Bridge, till then I will think of him every day.
April 1 1992 to May 31, 2009
I miss him every minute
And here is the last picture I took of my boy about 2 weeks ago. He never left my side when I was in the house. His favorite place was either on my chest or on this ottoman laying against me
I need to tell you about my best friend. Turbo has been at my side since we adopted him in April of 1993. The day we went looking for a cat was a nice sunny day. We went to four pet adoption places. At the fourth one we walked into a room with fifty cats. Turbo was high up on one of the kitty towers but quickly made his way down to greet us. He walked right up to me and rubbed his body against my leg and looked up. I picked him up and never let go.
We took him home that day and kept him separated from his new brother. They sniffed at each other under the door for the first day. On the second day we let them meet. Calvin and Turbo ( I did at first want to name him Hobbes) became close friends and generally where one would be the other would not be far away.
Actually there were many times they fought and the fur would fly. The only reason for the fights was if Calvin would climb on me and snuggle when Turbo left the room for some rare minute.
Turbo would return and see Calvin and also climb upon me. Turbo knew how to bide his time and later when Calvin would leave the room, Turbo would find him and attack. Since both are long haired cats, you would literally see fur wherever a battle took place.
Since Calvin was Anneโs cat and rarely left her side, thankfully this was not too often. You have heard of junkyard dogs, well Turbo was always the contractorโs cat when we were remodeling. No matter what noise was being made he would be right there watching. One time one of the guys was under a sink cabinet with a sawzall and Turbo was right on his chest watching him work. As the years went by the โboysโ grew closer and would find exotic places to hide when we were not home.
Over time Calvin grew ill. We brought him to the vet many times. We later learned that the steroids one vet put him on damaged his heart. We eventually lost Calvin and Turbo was the King.
After Calvin was gone we tried to go on vacations but they never worked. We would inevitably get a call from my sister and bil telling us that Turbo would not let them pass him on the staircase. They ended up sleeping downstairs in their living room. Somehow this loving cat turned psycho when I was away more than a day. We ended up cutting our vacation short and picking up our innocent baby. The minute I would pick him up he would start licking my ear and cleaning my hair.
It was then we decided we needed an rv. We tried a few gassers but they did not meet his standards. The gassers were too noisy for him. We eventually got a diesel pusher and he was happy. While on the road, you could always find him ensconced in his bucket between Anne and I.
At least one time every trip he would vacate his bucket to puke. Turbo never traveled very well anyway. Previous to the rv we had a cabin, I think he only made it there once without getting sick. But sick or not it was better he was with me than home alone.
When we decided to move and build a new home we had to live in the new guest house for two years. I think this really hurt his exercise program. He was limited to 500 sf. I donโt think he ever moved the way he used to after that.
We eventually sold the rv when Turboโs legs would not be able to take the travel. We did not want to put him through the pain. As the last year or so went on his legs got worse, the anti inflammatory helped a lot because you would still see his eyes light up when I walked in the room.
He never left my side, even as he got slower, and the 17 years took their toll, he spent as much time with me as possible.
There were days I could see he was having a hard time but his eyes always smiled. It was breaking my heart that I was going to have a decision to make and I did not want to make that.
This morning Turbo and I spent time together on the couch, I could see his eyes were different today, they told of pain.
I am telling you this because this afternoon the decision was removed from my hands. At about 4:30 this afternoon, as Anne and I sat at the table talking, we heard cries we never heard before. We both ran to his side, he seemed to be trying to catch his breathe and could not. I tried to help and he ran, I caught up to him and Anne and I held him as he took his last breathe.
He died in my arms in short time. I am blessed to have had time on this earth to spend with Turbo. He was a true companion, he never left my side, slept each night on my shoulder. When I was ill he would cry out in sympathy. So I write this in his honor. I loved that cat. He was the only child I will ever have and he was the greatest.
I know one day I will meet up with him again at Rainbow Bridge, till then I will think of him every day.
Duchess our sweet Torti Cat and the Queen of the house
Oct 1994- April 21 2009
Beyond The Rainbow
As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played, I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade. I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.
I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide! And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be! My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.
I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night. 'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.
For although we may not be together in the way we used to be, We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart
Oct 1994- April 21 2009
Beyond The Rainbow
As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played, I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade. I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.
I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide! And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be! My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.
I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night. 'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.
For although we may not be together in the way we used to be, We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart
Goodbye Diesel. Born on May 26, 2005 we adopted you in August 2005, said a heart breaking goodbye on March 5, 2009. Your life may have been short but it was filled with lots of love the short time we had with you.
Rylee, who was only 2 1/2 years young, lost the fight yesterday. July 2006 - Feb 25, 2009
The day he come home. The less than one pound kitten vs the 85 pound dog. Dylan quickly became Rylees mom, and loved to lick him.
They stayed pals till the end.
The day he come home. The less than one pound kitten vs the 85 pound dog. Dylan quickly became Rylees mom, and loved to lick him.
They stayed pals till the end.
Of course, none of us ever really want to post here...
Most of you know my story. My sweet baby girl had to be put to sleep on July 19, 2008 due to a multitude of life threatening problems. Diabetes, blindness, Cushing's and finally cancer. She was only 12 1/2 and just full of the dickens most of her life. A part of my heart went with her and I know we will meet again.
Most of you know my story. My sweet baby girl had to be put to sleep on July 19, 2008 due to a multitude of life threatening problems. Diabetes, blindness, Cushing's and finally cancer. She was only 12 1/2 and just full of the dickens most of her life. A part of my heart went with her and I know we will meet again.
It's hard to believe February 6 will mark the 3rd anniversary of the loss of my greyhound Allan to bone cancer at the age of 9. He was a very special dog, unlike any other I have ever had. He was sneaky, crafty, mischievous, goofy and never, ever failed to leave me in stitches (I mean that in a figurative, not literal, way, of course). He had the strangest way of letting me know exactly what he was thinking, and he was always so full of life and fun. I was looking through some pictures of my dogs and came across this one of Allan at my greyhound Lilyโs Birthday party at a dog park a few years ago. I was serving up some doggie carrot cake, and you can get just a little hint in this picture why he was like no other, and why I still miss him so much. How could you ever say no to this face?
My mom lost Little Bit to extreme old age on 17 Jan 2009. She was tossed out on our farm, pregnant, about 19 years ago. My dad and she hit it off. She went with him wherever he went, and she was his heart kitty until his death in 2004. She was the last living animal connection to Dad that Mom had, so Little Bit's passing is especially difficult for her and us kids. She was a very special cat, and I know she and Dad are reunited now.
Today we sent our beloved Tucker to the Rainbow Bridge, who was just shy of 14 yrs. There he'll meet up with my first Golden, Aja, who was lost at 13 yrs. We adopted Tucker in 2000, and he traveled with us, along with Penny, our whole RV'ing life, making lots of people and doggie friends along the way. He had a great, healthy life, in a big yard that was his "kingdom", loved the pool, and chasing his ball and just recently he started to show his age. We are all heartbroken, but we know that we did the right thing for our big guy and look forward to the day when we'll meet again.
See ya on the other side, boys......
See ya on the other side, boys......
rtravis wrote:
My wife and I lost our pal yesterday (11/10/08). Ms. Muffin succumed to kidney disease and the effects of age. She traveled with us many miles during her almost 20 years on Earth. She will be missed.
She looks like my first kitty I got when I was nine years old.
Very very sorry for your heartbreak.
Dee
rtravis wrote:
My wife and I lost our pal yesterday (11/10/08). Ms. Muffin succumed to kidney disease and the effects of age. She traveled with us many miles during her almost 20 years on Earth. She will be missed.
Sorry for the loss of your pal {{{{{BIG HUG}}}}}
My wife and I lost our pal yesterday (11/10/08). Ms. Muffin succumed to kidney disease and the effects of age. She traveled with us many miles during her almost 20 years on Earth. She will be missed.
