My dear dog is going to die tomorrow ;(

He's got cancer in the bladder and the doc said we would know when the time will come - nothing can really be done, he's 12 and the location is at a tricky spot that even an operation is no guarantee it will help, plus it has spread as we noticed not long ago he has got a lump on his shoulder.

The time has come.

dear, dear, sweet Milo. He's a short legged dog, part Corgi and Lab. Sweetest gentleman.
but the circle of life and all that - my daughter got a doggie not long ago and we babysit him and Milo has taught him a lot.

I'm going to fall apart in a million pieces. the doc said there is a choice of him just going into the other room and thats the last I will see of him or the injection can be made with me there.

I want him to see my face last instead of stranger's.

...:hug: :grouphug:

I think that's why he was put in the Shelter where we rescued him from when he was a youngun.

so I found this song for Milo, by the Cowsills from long ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOU5aaDxVsU

i had to put my beloved to sleep last december--she was also part corgi (and probably part border collie), with short legs and a long beautiful tail and long, floppy, soft ears. we found each other at a shelter when she was eleven months old; she sang to me: "aarrroooo" and captured my heart with her mouth in that perfect O shape as she sang. (she also shed like crazy which i always thought was the real reason the family didn't want her--but we were so fortune to have her--she was amazingly wonderful--and so very loved.)

i was there with her and so was my daughter who sang a little familiar song to her quietly. i wish i hadn't cried so much in front of her, but i sat next to her, petted and stroked her until the end.

i am so sorry for both of you. i still cry for her (i'm doing it now, again). i remember giving her a piece of ham as we drove to the vet. (she had been on prednisone so she was still eating). i have two regrets: that i didn't give her more bites of ham in the car, and that i had to lose her.

sending you both a lot of love tonight and in the days to come.

he wasn't a small dog, so his short leggedness caught a lot of attention and funny reactions.

I remember when he was young and my daughter brought over her friends one afternoon for them to see the new guy. They came from the front and Milo was peeking at them out the front gate as they were coming down the walk to the yard, and Kelsey, my girls friend said: ---- 'Why is he kneeling?'.

we still laugh about that.

what a cute combo.
Once again, I am so sorry about Milo. I truly believe he will be waiting for you.

It is a very hard thing to do but take comfort in knowing you are giving your beloved pet the last best gift. I chose to stay with my 13 year old JRT when it was his time because I wanted my voice to be the last he heard, and my scent to be the last he smelled.

I am sorry you are going through this. You will be in my thoughts. :hug:

I am profoundly sorry

I'll never forget the look in my cat's eyes before she was put to sleep.
I'm so sorry for your loss.

you can help this dear friend out of this world, as the time is right. We can't always do that for our human companions.

I feel for you in 1000 ways.

Safe journey to your sweet Milo.

It's always the hardest thing to do, but often the right one.

:hug:

You're definitely making the right choice about going in with him. It will hurt like hell, but you'll be glad you did.

It's heartbreaking to have to make that decision on behalf of your furry family member. Milo had a good life with you, and you're absolutely right, let your face be the one he sees last. I know how hard it is to go through this, believe me, dear Whisp.

:hug:

:hug:

I felt as you do, I had to be there for him.

Hardest thing.

They don't live as long as most of us do.

You're doing the right thing by being with your family member.

Much love and good vibes to you.

:hug:

but it's better to let them go peacefully. :(

You will be ok, and so will he. All dogs go to heaven.

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan."

Having my dog put down was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life. He was a 1 person dog, I was his person. The most comforting thing was knowing I was there to the very end and that he was looking into my eyes and was giving me a kiss as he died. It was so peaceful and he was so loyal, being there was the least I could do.

I miss him.

Great big hugs to you.

That's true love. You're a wonderful person. My sympathies for your loss.

May his suffering be over. Peace and comfort to you and yours, Whisp.

Sometimes the toughest things we have to do for our furry friends are the last things. But the love, joy and amusement they give us over the years are more than worth it. Peace to you and safe passage to your good friend Milo. :hug:

it was very gentle. I'm glad I did it.

Two such gentle breeds.

and it's OK.

Heartbreaking, but he went so quickly and peacefully. And the doctor was so kind. Face to face with him on the floor he never took his eyes off me.

I'm at home now and hear sounds and I think it's him. It just might be.

I know we did the right thing now. Wasn't sure earlier this morning when we were preparing to leave.

Thanks again all for your lovely supportive words.

take it easy and I hope you have support there with you. It could be Milo - he's probably more worried about you as he is okay now -no more pain.

I've lost three Shelties, and I've heard all three of them in the house afterward. Very distinctive sounds, including toenails on the floor. It makes perfect sense that they come back to us, the people they loved the most.

My deal old boy is lying at my feet, going gray at an early age, and I can too easily imagine
how I will feel when it is time for him to go.

Deepest sympathy for you....I know it will take time to get used to him not being there.

:cry:

Being there at the end of life for our critters is one of the hardest things we have to do. It's clear you gave him a wonderful loving life. And your wanting to be there at the last moment is about the sweetest/saddest thing I've read in a long time.

Safe passage, Milo.

And for you, dear Whisp :hug:.

I'm sure you gave Milo the best he could ever wish for. Be with him, he will be as frightened as you are sad. I wish we could all be as loving as our pets are. They give us far more than we can ever give them. My thoughts are with you.

don't go to heaven. Then I want to go where they go when I die.

I had to have my beloved Misty put to sleep two days before her 14th birthday in 2007. I was with her. You're making the right choice on that.

I also can confirm that you're making the right choice on not having surgery. Misty had TCC. She had to have surgery for what we thought were just bladder stones, but our vet found the mass -- which doesn't show up well on X-rays since it lines the bladder -- during that surgery. She lived two more months. During that time, she had to wear a doggy diaper because of incontinence caused by the surgery. I slept with her in the den and took her out several times each night. She was exhausted. If I had known what was to come, I might have made a different choice, but it's the toughest thing I've ever done. She was at the UT vet school her last day, and her bladder ruptured. I refused to put her through another surgery that probably wouldn't even hold and wouldn't cure the cancer, though they gave me that option. She was such a little fighter. Though we didn't have an autopsy, we're 99.99 percent certain her cancer had spread to her digestive system.

My heart breaks for you, especially since our beloved pups had the same cancer. But believe me, you are making the right decision for Milo. My doctor's parents had a Sheltie who had the same cancer shortly after I lost Misty. His father also is a doctor and knew what surgery would do to her, and he decided it was more humane just to keep her comfortable.

Take a little plastic bag and scissors so you can cut off some hair to keep. UT also made us a little clay circle with her pawprint. You might ask about that ahead of time. I think you can buy them at craft stores or in the craft sections of places like Walmart, too. I treasure mine.

She got the injection and died with both of us holding her. I will never forget her.

I share your grief.

Please remember there are many fine dogs in great need of loving homes...


mark

He'll always be with you. Memories will comfort you, and peace be with you.

Many :hug:

I've had to do it twice, and there was no way my two kittehs were going to pass without me holding them.

If it's any help, know that you are helping ease your good friends pain...

when I had to put my arctic down because of a stroke it broke my heart but they let me put his head in my lap while they put him down..I know he was comforted to the end.He never suffered..he just went to sleep.

Let him see you ..it's hard but it comforts him and he deserves that

:cry: