Dog care advice

We just said a final goodbye to our family yellow lab, Lucy. I don’t post this in search of sympathy, (although I would humbly and respectfully accept it). I just want to share some things we learned along the end of this journey that may benefit other dog owners.
Dogs have a high pain threshold and HIDE THEIR SYMPTOMS well. Unusual behavior, like refusal to go on a daily long walk, we just attributed to “getting older” or “not feeling like it today”. As I know now, this was because of a serious underlying health condition. We should have had her checked at the vet. Not saying that would have saved her, but would have given her a better chance perhaps. Don’t let your dog fool you.
The University Of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center provides amazing care. After being referred there by our local Vet, who also was terrific, we rushed over to the St. Paul VMC location. Their staff and students were thorough, knowledgeable, and compassionate. http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vmc/
Lucy had a condition called Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) and needed 4 blood transfusions. Yes, there are blood donor dogs, and a program to screen and have quick access to these dogs and their caretakers is in place at the VMC. I never knew this.
I hope in some way this information is useful to you.

Sorry to hear. It’s tough, and I echo everything you say. U of MN VMC is fantastic. We’ve paid them a lot over the years, but they are top-notch. Several of my friends are vets that have been through the program there.

Again, sorry for the loss. It does get easier, but the healing takes a long time. It’s been 9 months for me, and I still think about the big lug almost daily.

Sorry to hear about the pooch. Losing a part of the family is never easy… Good luck to you and yours.

Sorry to hear about Lucy. I can understand very well what your saying. We have a britney – Lilly, that’s got small tumors growing along her gut and sides. She’s 12 and showing her age. Like you, we just contributed everything to her age. We had no idea that other things were going on. One day she was full of energy and playing with out lab, then the next day would sleep all day. We have such a close connection with our furry companions – They bring us a lot of joy for a simple rub on the head.

If you haven’t already, we have a thread in the hunting dog forums that would welcome a bio on Lucy and some pics. All dedicated to the Dogs of IDO

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/dogs_720326/

Sorry for your loss and having to go through some of the tough stuff we have to go through as dog owners. Another good girl joins the IDO Dog Park in the sky.

Makes me a little sad to think my Tuffy is 12, my Athena 9 and you never know when the time will come. Tuffy is down to one eye and sleeps a lot. But I guess you can’t dread tomorrow because you won’t take advantage of today…

Sorry for your loss of Lucy. We had a cat with the feline version of the same immune system problem. We were lucky and took him to the vet for an emergency call on a Sunday and he survived. The only good thing I can say is that at least Lucy won’t have to continue dealing with this because it doesn’t go away. At best it can be controlled, but it pops up in other problems. Our cat’s immune system took his teeth one by one, he became an insulin dependent diabetic because of it, and other health issues. Tomas (“The Claw”) was a tough SOB and with thousands of dollars of vets bills he lived another 10 years, but it wasn’t always easy.

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So sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss!!

Sorry for loss. It is hard when such a big part of the family is missing. Our Reba is gone over 2 1/2 years now and I still think of her most every day. Luckily we had 2 dogs and Nickel our Weim keeps the wife and I entertained every day. She has become so special. Remember all the good times you had and the special memories. God bless you Lucy.

Very sorry for your loss. I dread the day I have to say goodbye to my lab. He’s kind of an a$$, but I love him anyway. I’m pretty sure he thinks the same of me.

Nice Fella wrote:

Dogs have a high pain threshold and HIDE THEIR SYMPTOMS well.

I’ve noticed this about some of the men in my life. I didn’t realize dogs would hide their pain. Thank you for sharing this, and I’m sorry to hear of Lucy’s passing. As a new dog parent, I’m always open to advice on how to better take care of our GSP Fritz. I suppose since dogs can’t talk, it makes sense to watch for abnormal behaviors or changes in preferences which might indicate a health issue.

So sorry for your loss of Lucy. As time goes by the pain lessons but your memories of Lucy will always be there.
We had to put down our Border Collie a couple years ago at the age of 15. Last week I took our new (last Sept.) pooch to the vet which stirred up some tough memories. Pepper hated going into the vets office so when it was time to put her down the vet took care of it outside under a couple pine trees. I swore we wouldn’t get another one because of the pain of making that decision.That didn’t last long however, the house just doesn’t feel right without a dog running around.

Thanks for sharing the info!

Dogs – There is a reason that they are called our best friends.
We typically have three dogs around at al times, but every once and a while you get a very special one. That one takes a long time to get over. I’m welling up thinking about him now and its been 2 years.

Sorry for your loss. It has always amazed me how a dog can live with us for a relatively short time yet touch our hearts so deeply. For all of those who have lost fury companions this one is for you.

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Wow, very inspirational comments by all. I sincerely appreciate the support we can all share. Thank you.
–Chuck