NOW IT IS TIME TO SAY GOOD-BY.....

Two weeks ago we had to say good-by to our wonderful dog, Rowdy.  She wasn't feeling well on a Monday morning, but seemed to feel better that afternoon. On Sunday, she was chewing on some wood kindling that we had by the fireplace.  She always loved to chew on those little sticks, they were from our yard, so we just let her chew away.  So I was afraid that on Monday when she didn't feel well that maybe she had some type of blockage due to the stick. We talked to the vet and they suggested we watch her.  She had no problems going to the bathroom and ate her dinner just fine. Tuesday she was a little slow but ate and went out like usual. Wednesday she was pretty much back to normal, sitting by the chew bone jar and barking until we gave her one!! BUT all of a sudden on Thursday night she just lay by her water bowl, which was not at all usual!!  I stayed up with her until about 1:30am, then she wanted to go upstairs.  She always slept on our bed.  It took her a little while to get up the stairs.  I felt so sorry for her, she just kept looking at me with her sweet face, I knew she was sick.  Friday morning we called the Vet and took her in around 7:30.  They just kept her until they had a chance to check her out.  We were afraid that it was that stick and worried that she might have to have surgery.  We NEVER even thought it would be so bad!!!!  As it turns out, she had some tumors on her spleen that kept bleeding out and filling the cavities around her organs. Apparently, they bleed and then the body absorbs them, then they bleed again.  That is why she felt bad and then seemed better.   It might have been going on for a couple weeks.  Sometimes at night she could not jump up on the bed.  Our bed is a high Colonial 4 Poster,  so we thought she was just starting to get older.  She would put her front paws on the bed and wait for one of us to lift her back and put her on the bed.  I kept saying that she had gained weight and maybe that was why she couldn't jump up.  So her larger that usual body was due to the bleeding out.  They said that they could do surgery but she still would only have about 2 months longer to live.  It was so sad, here we were sniffing and trying not to out right bawl.  Even the Vet cried.  She was Rowdy's vet from the very beginning and also took care of her 9 puppies:)  It was such a shock.  We just didn't want to bring her home and have her suffer.  So we said good-by.  The hardest thing we have had to do in a long time!!

This is the first time in a very long time that we only have one animal:)  We usually have at least 2 dogs and a few cats:)  We are thinking about getting another Golden, but the Vet said that the tumors that Rowdy had is not unusual in that breed and usually happen around their 9th-10th year.  Rowdy was only 9 1/2.  She did have tumors on her body that we had removed. So I guess she was just prone to them.  Poor ole Charlie seems a little lost.  He is used to having her to boss around:) They played all the time!  He has never been without her!

I guess with our pets we just have to love them as long as possible and always remember the love they gave us!

This was her favorite chair and her most comfortable position!!! We laughed at her all the time!!

This is my favorite picture!  Charlie is one of her puppies that we kept!  I am so glad that we did, he is really sweet!!!

So go out today and kiss a dog!!