Sunday, October 31, 2010

Sad News

Unfortunately, I have some sad news to share.  On Friday, we had to put down our 5 year old dog, Rusty.  He had been really sick, vomitting and diarreha, for about 2 weeks.  We brought him to the vet on Tuesday and without doing tons of tests, they had no clue what was wrong with him and sent us home with some medicine.  Well the medicine helped him hold things down, but he was not eating.  He also went from 29.5 pound last year to 19.3 pounds.  That is a dramatic weight loss for such a small dog.  Since things weren't improving, we transferred his records to an animal hospital for a second opinion.  She was baffled too so we agreed to start doing some tests, x-rays, blood work, heartworm test and lyme disease test.  When they did the x-rays, they noticed that there may be a blockage in his stomach so they wanted to do a barium test to see if it would flow through him.  If not, we agreed to pay $3 to $4 thousand to have surgery to remove the blockage.  That afternoon, we got a call from the doctor saying that the barium made it through him and that surgery was not needed.  Finally, a ray of hope until we got the second phone call.  They tested his blood and they discovered that he had critical kidney failure.  The doctor believed that he has been sick for a long time and possibly had it since birth.  At this stage in his disease, endless amounts of money would not help him and would only extend his life for 3-6 months in enormous amounts of pain.  We could not do that to him.  So unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our dear friend.

Rusty was a wonderful and sweet dog!  He loved to go camping, kayaking, chasing my husband on his mountain bike and most importantly, he LOVED playing FRISBEE!!!  I'd like to share some pictures of Rusty with you.

My Christmas Present 2005


Playing Frisbee in Wells Beach, ME


Kayaking



Camping


Eating Birthday Cupcakes


Hiking



Singing


Being Goofy


Rusty, we both love you more than anything and we miss you so much!  We could not let you suffer and you deserved better than that out of life.  We had a wonderful life with you even though it was only for 5 short years.  We miss you singing, barking at the pans, chasing squirrels, chasing bikers, sleeping in bed with us and sharing ice cream and popcorn with you.  You are in heaven now with your big brother, Brandy so you are not alone.  You will never be forgotten!  We love you!

Love, Mom & Dad

17 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about Rusty, you must be heartbroken Diane, its a brave decision to let him go. Sending you hugs
    Claire xx

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  2. Blessings on you Diane for having the courage to let him go quickly. I'm sure such a loved soul will never be far from your side :) XXX

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  3. oh Diane you have me in tears i am so sorry you had to put your best friend down i have a dog so i hope to think i know a little of what it must be like .You dod the right thing as he would have only suffered bless him.The photos show that he had a wonderful life with you and your hubby and like you said he will be in heaven with his brother now having fun.I hope you are ok i really do feel for you so sorry for your loss try to remember all the good times you had with him.
    R.I.P Rusty mommy and Daddy will miss you heaps.
    Take good care Diane huni xx

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  4. Oh, I'm soo sorry for your loss. He looks like he fit very nicely with your family! You were great pet owners!

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  5. I'm so sorry :( What a beautiful dog..He looks very happy and sounds like he had a wonderful time with you and your family.

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  6. Dear Diane,

    my deepest condolences with the loss of your dear furry friend. What a sad news you have. I know that you will miss him so deeply. I wish you all the strenght and courage in this difficult time.
    I keep you all in my thoughts.
    Hugs
    Marion

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  7. Diane, so sorry to hear of your loss. You are so fortunate that Rusty was part of your family and that you have lots of good memories and pictures. Hugs, Vickie Y

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  8. oh Diane, I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. I know how badly your hearts are aching right now, but you did the right thing in not extending his suffering any longer.

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  9. oh hun i am so sorry....sending lots of hugs and love your way...i don't know what i would do without my abby....
    hugs

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  10. I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. Sending cyber hugs for you.

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  11. Oh Diane, that is just the saddest news, I'm so sorry. I know that pain of losing a beloved family pet and how raw it feels. (I lost my GSD after 13 years and was heartbroken!) There are no words to make you feel better but I Know you will support each other through the bad days and enjoy the wonderful memories.
    Huge hugs
    Dawn x

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  12. I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. Losing a pet is so hard because they are family. Maybe it will be helpful for you, so I'm going to share this, but my friend started a site to help people cope with the loss of their beloved pets. You can visit the site here: http://www.letterstopushkin.com/
    Feel better soon!
    Camille

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  13. Diane, I am sending a huge hug your way! Our pets become part of our family and I know how much he will be missed.

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  14. Diane, I am so sorry to hear of your lose and my prayers are with you and your family.

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  15. Diane--I am so sorry to hear about poor Rusty. It is hard to loose an animal, but especially one that young. However, you made the right decision to not make him suffer, and he appreciated you doing that I'm sure. I know you heart is still aching, but it will get better. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you! Patty

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  16. Di - You did a great write up about Rusty and I love the pics you chose - they really showcased him in every way. We will all miss him dearly. RIP Rusty xoxo D,H,K&J

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