I lost both my best ever kids. Moose-dog who was the best boy ever. He loved his friends and made it his job to protect them from evils. He never did a bad thing. And he was the cutest puppy EVER Bat-dog was my heart and soul. She loved me and I loved her. She had rules and held grudges against those who broke those rules. They were an amazing pair of dogs and loved each other. Yesterday, we got the bad news that Looney2 has leukemia. We believe he was born with it and his mama's antibodies caused a false negative when he was tested as a baby. He has been losing weight and is severely anemic, but he is still getting his cuddles and glaring at Tornado-dog. He loves watching nature shows on tv And his baby tummy was worship worthy (it is still adorable). Brother Looney1 got an all clear today. He is healthy! So we are giving Looney2 all the love and cuddles we can for as long as he chooses to fight. And we are remembering Moose-dog and Bat-dog.
I'm so very sorry. The price we pay for having the love of our pets is the worry when they are ill, and the grief when we lose them. (I have had a cat with Leukaemia and he lived with it for quite a long time).
If it doesn't hurt too much, how did you lose both Moose and Bat Dogs on the same day? Please ignore this if it is too traumatic.
Moose-dog was 15 years old (shepherd/newfie/poodle) and was running down physically. He had cancer and his back legs were going. He could have gone on for a bit longer when Bat-dog (11 years) developed a brain tumor. She went from healthy to unable to stand in 4 days. Unfortunately, Moose-dog was a "very poor only dog" - he got extremely anxious and stressed without another dog around. It was like he had the world on his shoulders and he tried to be everything - companion, protector, etc - and he was miserable trying to be everything. With another dog in the family, he could ease up and let that dog take on some of the responsibility. After his sister, Dog, died he was neurotic and couldn't leave my side to go potty. When Bat-dog came home, he instantly relaxed. It was night and day. So, I made the decision to let him go too. I felt it was better for him at his age and in his condition to let him go rather than stress him out by being an only dog again or bringing in a new young dog. It was a very difficult decision but I know it was the right one for him. And honestly, I had expected to lose him within the year (most likely by autumn). Bat-dog was a complete surprise - she went downhill so fast. Although in hindsight, there were some signs that suggest the tumor had been there for a while - just a slight increase in her people fear reaction in the last year or two - but it was so minor that it didn't register with me. Their Aunt C was with us. That made Moose-dog very happy. He loved her. He made it his job to protect her when we were out - he left my protection to Bat-dog. He'd watch Aunt C non-stop and if she left without telling him, he'd stress out. On walks, if someone passed us, he'd stop and watch them to make sure they didn't grab Aunt C. He was really amazing in his protectiveness - never aggressive or anything. Never growled. He just kept watch over her. One time, her parents joined us for a night on a camping trip. Moose-dog decided that they needed his protection and he just ignored Aunt C. She felt a bit abandoned - I told her "now you know how I feel". As soon as her parents went home, he focused on her again. But even with all that, he loved me. I was his protector. When the fan developed a rattle in the middle of the night, he climbed behind my head on the bed - all his bony 85lbs crammed in the 3-4 inches between my head and the headboard shaking and shivering.
Looney2 has been feeling a bit better. He is very anemic and after moving around he has to rest and breathes heavily, so the leukemia is taking its toll. But he has been a bit more active since yesterday. Looney1 showed up at my driveway in May 2019 at 9 months old and within 2 days had moved in. Looney2 showed up at my driveway in October 2019 at 7 weeks. So, he is not even 4 years old yet. And in April at his annual, his doctor said he looked great. He had lost about 0.3 lbs since the year before but that was it. But between April and May, he had lost a full pound and was showing anemia, so I brought him back. I've had other cats with leukemia over the years - some went quickly, others fought it.
I would have made the same decision in the same situation. My leukaemia cat was a ginger longhair, I wanted to call him Robin but my OH said he didn't want to be calling Robin, so he ended up just being called Ging. When he became ill, Ging moved in with my friend who showed Goldens, (as we did too at that time), and lived in a house which fronted our plot. The great attraction that drew him away was a solid fuel burner which he could sit by all day - he was probably thinking of the future when his lovely long fur would go so thin. I hope Looney 2 stays well for a good while yet.
This was Looney2 at Death Valley He was only 4 months old. He's my Lion of the Desert. He loved that trip. With his brother hanging out at the door to the trailer. This was him camping last year. I'm hoping he keeps feeling a bit better for a while at least. He's my cuddler.
