Well, that's put a dampener on things!!

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Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
I was there waiting to go out in the good weather, but unfortunately, Bruno, our 12 year old family dog took ill on Tuesday.

He had had a small tumour behind his eye for a while but it hadn't really affected him (or so it appeared anyway).

Over the last month or two, he hadn't been too great and had been loosing weight, but he was still reasonably ok, and was doing what he always did.
On Tuesday at just after 1pm however, he suddenly started falling over and had lost most of his balance and use of his back legs. After an emergency trip to the vet, they suggested it might be an ear infection, although they also indicated that it could be something more sinister.
On Wednesday, he was seen by other vets to gain a second opinion, and they realised that there was nothing wrong with his ears, it was something neurological, and that any treatment would just affect his quality of life considering the part of the brain the problem would be in, and, well, he was an old dog already, so big operations, and so on wouldn't be fun for anyone, least of all Bruno

By this point he was hardly wanting to walk, was being motion sick and his eyes just kept flicking from left to right as if he was dizzy and couldn't keep his focus on one point. Also, he was dribbling (he was NOT a dog that drooled, so this was unusual), he hardly seemed to know we were there half the time, and didn't want to eat (VERY unusual for him!). He wasn't a happy chap at all!

On Thursday, with him getting progressively worse, and on advice from the vet, my Parents decided to put him to sleep before he started being in pain, and at about 11am, the vet came to the house and did the deed with us all there to cuddle and comfort Bruno in one of his favourite spots beside the full length window in the front room (where he could see people coming to the door, spot cats and other 'intruders' in the garden and walking past the gate, and just watch the world in general).

Being our very first dog, we learned everything from him, and his final journey was no exception.

So, after all of that, no, I haven't been out on my bike yet, it hardly seemed right ...heck, the worst thing was seeing him suddenly deteriorate from being reasonably ok on Monday when I last walked him, to being almost unable to stand by Thursday. :sad::sad:

I'm not sentimental or anything, but:

Goodbye Bruno, and thanks for the last 9 years, we learned everything from you, right from the first day at the Cat and Dog home.


Bruno, 1997-9 - 22nd of July 2010.
 

wafflycat

New Member
Condolences. Having to make that decision to call the vet in is not easy, even when you know it's the right thing to do. And when a much-loved family pet goes it leaves a damn big hole in the heart.
 
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Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
Thanks.
It just seems strange with him not being about, but we do still have Cindy, our 7 year old 3 legged Staffie, so it could be a lot worse.

I keep looking at one of his favourite places under the stairs (strategically placed beside the front door and in view of the kitchen door) and expecting to see a little face peer out at me.

We all knew the day would come, but I don't think any of us thought that it would be quite so sudden!

I have been collecting some of his hair as a keepsake, not that it has been difficult - he was a Staffie/Alsation/labrador/everything else cross, and shed hair like it was going out of fashion all year round! - his grooming brush alone probably has enough hair on it to stuff a small teddy bear!! :biggrin:


Incidentally, I tried to put a picture of him and and Cindy up as my avatar, but it was too big :sad:
Will have to try another picture obviously.
 

bauldbairn

New Member
Location
Falkirk
Goodbye Bruno, and thanks for the last 9 years, we learned everything from you, right from the first day at the Cat and Dog home.

Bruno, 1997-9 - 22nd of July 2010.

How sad for you MDB - my deepest codolences to you and your family. :sad:

At least Bruno had a good life with you for the last 9 years after you rescued him from the home and I'm sure he knew how much you loved him.

Keep your chin up, you did your best for him. :hugs:
 
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Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
Thanks.

12 was only a guess at his age - he had been found as a stray (in Greenock) and the people at the SSPCA thought he was 2 or 3 when we got him. He was no Pup anyway.

He was impeccably house trained and as quiet and as gentle as a dog could be, and yet, he had signs of having been abused and of having tried to chew through things, presumably to escape (his teeth were all worn away at the front).

With us, he worked as a Therapet for 5 years, going into the old folks ward at the local hospital and later a local old folks home - he LOVED people, despite his past.

Actually, him being so quiet almost made us ignore him when looking for a dog. We went round the cages the first time and saw some dogs we liked, but never saw Bruno. On going back to the staff, we asked them if there were any they would recommend, and they enthusiastically pointed us in the direction of Bruno, who had been there for 3 months and had already been taken by another family but had had to be brought back after one of them was allergic to him :wacko:.
It also was coming up to Christmas and I think the staff were very keen to see him go before they had to take drastic steps to get more space (they put down unwanted dogs there, so I think we probably saved his life).

On seeing him, it was clear why we hadn't noticed him. He was the only one not leaping about at the front of the cage, barking and making as much noise as possible. He was sat up at the back of the cage, and eventually wandered down to see us as if to say 'What's the point?'

The rest was history, and even years later, the staff remembered him well! (I'd like to think that one of them might have adopted him in the end, they seemed to be genuinely affectionate towards him, but who knows?).

We didn't even hear him bark until the first night at home when someone came to the door, he was that quiet.
 
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Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
So, there you have it, don't just look for the dogs who are up at the gates saying 'Take me take me!', and ALWAYS ask the staff what they think, as, after all, they will know the dogs better than anyone, especially the more senior/experienced members of staff.

It worked for Bruno.
 

taxing

Well-Known Member
I have been collecting some of his hair as a keepsake, not that it has been difficult - he was a Staffie/Alsation/labrador/everything else cross, and shed hair like it was going out of fashion all year round! - his grooming brush alone probably has enough hair on it to stuff a small teddy bear!! :biggrin:

You might find you don't have to try, my dog died 5 years ago and just a couple of weeks ago I found one of his hairs and a muddy paw print inside a book.

I'm sorry for your loss, losing a dog is awful really. It's great that he had a nice life with you and that he wasn't allowed to suffer towards the end, but it still sucks, right?
 

Norm

Guest
Reading it with.... no, it's only dust in my eyes... honestly.

Jasper, our first dog, went downhill even faster. When I went to work, he was a little unsteady, I got a call halfway through the afternoon and went straight to the vets to say goodbye.

He was a pedigree Lab who had problems as a pup (we took him out of the litter at 5 weeks because he needed individual care) and, when he was hip scored at 18 months, we were told that he had no left hip so he wouldn't make his sixth birthday.

Because we knew of his hip issues, we kept him fit and agile, not allowing him to climb stairs, only running him in straight lines and not exercising him with other dogs, and he was a month or so shy of his twelfth birthday when he went, with kidney problems. He was very muscular, weighing about 45 kilos but he didn't have any problems with hips.

Time heals, MDB. Unlike your first girlfriend, you'll always remember Bruno. B)
 
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Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
Yes, there are better things in the world that can happen, but hey, it's happened.

Regarding the hair, I have HUGE piles of it now! (any more and it'll be a small tumbleweed. I also did things like wear an old black top, lie down at his favourite places and deliberately get it as hairy as possible! He was tan brown you see, so his hairs show up really easily on things, especially anything dark!).:blush:

And as for pawprints, well, we have a set where you could make casts from plasticine/clay, which when left for a few days will harden.

I had got this ages ago (ironically as a 'present' from Bruno) but had forgotten about it, so this was all done on Thursday before the vet arrived - to be fair, I don't think Bruno really cared what were doing anyway, but we now have a print of two of his paws, and one also has a hair right in the middle of it, which is nice (although to be fair, I think it's actually one of Cindy's).
 

skudupnorth

Cycling Skoda lover
It's a horrible choice to make to have a pet put to sleep,we had a 23 year Persian which i had to make the painful decision due to his health failing and he had finally gone blind.I am not ashamed to say i was in tears,he was a brilliant cat and also very strong till the end.
Sorry to hear of your loss.
 

Chrisc

Guru
Location
Huddersfield
Sorry to hear it. We lost our collie Meg last year in similar circumstances and I still expect to hear her clattering across the kitchen when I come in.
 

soulful dog

Veteran
Location
Glasgow
Awwww, condolences and bye to Bruno.

Like taxing said, it's rubbish how you know you gave your pet a good life, and stopped him from suffering when he was ill, but it stull hurts. 
 
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Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
Reading it with.... no, it's only dust in my eyes... honestly.

We are trying to decide where to scatter his ashes, but up at Loch Lomond where he liked to swim seems like the best bet (it's better than his other favourite haunt, Asda :biggrin:).

Depending on the wind direction, I might get some dust in my eyes too! :laugh:

Jasper, our first dog, went downhill even faster. When I went to work, he was a little unsteady, I got a call halfway through the afternoon and went straight to the vets to say goodbye.

He was a pedigree Lab who had problems as a pup (we took him out of the litter at 5 weeks because he needed individual care) and, when he was hip scored at 18 months, we were told that he had no left hip so he wouldn't make his sixth birthday.

Because we knew of his hip issues, we kept him fit and agile, not allowing him to climb stairs, only running him in straight lines and not exercising him with other dogs, and he was a month or so shy of his twelfth birthday when he went, with kidney problems. He was very muscular, weighing about 45 kilos but he didn't have any problems with hips.

Cindy, our other dog only has 3 legs, so we have to keep her weight down. Luckily she's a very small Staffie, so she's nice and powerful, but also a nice size.
She's 7 and also came from the SSPCA when she was 11 months old. Her previous owners had handed her in after she lost her back left leg in a car accident (they had got her for show and then obviously didn't want her any more, the cold hearted b*stards).

Time heals, MDB. Unlike your first girlfriend, you'll always remember Bruno. B)

Oh aye, I think I can just about remember...... :biggrin:
 
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