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Bulldogs Cadillac's loss

So sorry for your loss.  I put my dog / boat buddy down last April so I know the feeling.
 
Wow, as dog lovers I feel your pain. Sorry for your loss.

Steve
 
Sorry for your loss!
 
We lost Strider this past July. It was not easy, but it gets better. It is the price we pay for unconditional companionship and a price I would pay again. I feel for you.
 
Wow, thanks everyone, and thanks Mark for starting this thread. This is the first I've been on the forum since. I am actually just heading to work, but I will make a point of furthering my comment tomorrow. The only reason we even had a chance to save his life is because a friend of ours had the same thing happen to their dog so we recognized the symptoms. Maybe my sharing will help one of you save your best friend. Thanks again, I am out of likes for the day so I couldn't like all your comments.
 
So sorry for your loss Derrick. I can only hope that time will help ease the pain of your loss. My best friend and my "child" has 4 legs too and can't even imagine what you are going through.
 
Okay, here goes. Saturday night we went to a local hockey game. Gibson was fine, laying on "his" chaise when we left. When we got home he was dry heaving / wretching and restless and a bit of drooling, slight panting. At first we thought maybe he had tweaked his hip or back and was in a bit of pain. So we tried to give him a bit of Metacam(an anti inflammatory). We put a bit on a few pieces of kibble and he wouldn't eat it. Anyone who knows Gibson, knows that now this is serious because he ALWAYS eats! So we started thinking. Friends of ours had told us of losing their fur baby a while back to something called GDV, Gastric Dilation and Volvulus(basically bloat / twisted stomach). It is common in larger breed dogs, with deep barrel chests, more so in males for some reason. This is a killer. Usually because people don't recognize the signs until it is too late. What happens is the stomach twists and begins to bloat. This bloating just keeps increasing until it pushes on other organs and it will cut off blood supply, thus killing our best friends. It is the reason you should never run your dog right after eating or drinking a lot of water, and also not let them have a ton of food and water right after vigorous activities. But sometimes, it just happens when they are laying peaceful on a chaise. Some large breed owners will actually have a surgery BEFORE it ever happens(Great Danes, Greyhounds, etc) and they will actually attach the stomach to the abdominal wall to avoid this. Back to Gibson,

So the friends of ours actually had it happen to another of their dogs only a few weeks ago, so it was fresh in our minds. They live in a large city and were able to rush their dog in and have surgery and save his life. We called our local vet around 11-11:30 Saturday night and she actually has never had a case of it, never done the surgery, but also being that she was the only person on, she couldn't perform the surgery alone. At this point we still weren't 100% sure it was GDV because we couldn't see any visible signs of bloating in his waist. She offered for us to come in and she could take a look, but wasn't sure what she could do. So we kept an eye on him and kept looking to see if we could notice any bloat, about a half hour later we thought when he finally laid down that we could see a slight bloat, so we called her back and met at the vet office at 12:30 at night. We brought his bed and everything to try to make him comfy, and the thought was we would take some x-rays and see what we could see. Unfortunately our vet has a machine that is realistically probably 25-30 years old, and not nearly as detailed and helpful as some of the new digital ones. That would be the downside of small town living. So we took a couple of his chest and abdomen and she could notice his heart was slightly enlarged, which we knew from an ultrasound he had had a while back, but also that it seemed more upright. She wasn't 100% sure if the stomach was twisted so wanted to take another x-ray closer to where it looked problematic. She also called the owner of the clinic who knows us from our regular visits for shots and stitches. This was now about 1:30 AM. She came down to take a look at the new x-ray and yes, the stomach was twisted.

At this point I should mention that it had been actually raining for a lot of the day, and currently we were having snow and 50km/h winds and it was quite miserable outside.

So our regular vet gave us the option to either have the surgery, she could refer us to Brandon (2 hour drive in normal conditions) , or do nothing. She had only done the surgery twice and both times unsuccessful. If it was a clear summer day, that 403hp Cadillac would have been making record time to Brandon, but in these conditions, it would probably be closer to 2.5 hours at best, if we made it at all. Since time is of the essence in a situation like this, we decided to have them do the surgery. There was no way I was going to sit there and watch my best friend die if there was something I could have done to maybe prevent it. With him being 11 years old when his normal lifespan is 10-12 years, we knew a surgery like this is a little risky, and the current state of his heart definitely adds to that, but he means everything to us, so in we go.

I realize this is long winded and far more detailed than probably most care to read, but this account is probably more for me to get it out than anything else. Hopefully none of you ever have this happen, but if you ever do see these symptoms, maybe it can save your best buddies life.

So it is 4am and he is in surgery, we were waiting in the entrance room, about 5:30 one vet comes out and let's us know that they are just stitching him up, everything seemed to go well, but he is still critical. The other vet comes out about 6 and let's us know that he was all stitched up and resting. They were able to get him down off the table by themselves (he's 106lbs and I'm pretty sure weighs more than the one vet, and the other doesn't have much on him. I had to help lift him up). She was surprised that the stomach wall actually seemed intact, sometimes the twist cuts off blood flow and kills the lining and they have to surgically remove sections. There had been some pressure on his intestines, and obviously his heart a little. So she told us it was now the waiting game and that she would call us around noon to let us know how he was doing. We hugged them and cried and thanked them. 

We went home and cried some more and hugged our Lulu tightly. She didn't know what was going on, but she was happy when we told her to get up on our bed, more to comfort us than anything. We never really slept as it was a lot to go through, plus people started calling us at 7:30 when they saw our Facebook post(didn't think that through very well!) so we got up, showered, shoveled the driveway, did some errands that had to be done. Got a call right around noon, letting us know that Gibson was still pretty out of it from the sedation, but seemed like he was doing okay.She said she would call around 3 and see how he was doing. So we tried to eat something and waited. 3 came and she said he had been trying to sit up and wanted to know if we wanted to come down and try to take him to the bathroom and maybe bring him home! We rushed down! He still couldn't stand and his breath seemed a bit short and labored. She listened to his lungs and they seemed clear(his breathing was getting a lot of mucus stuff coming out of his nose). So she said she had to go and would come back around 6 and see if he was doing any better. We asked if we could stay with him and since she knew us, she locked us in the clinic and we laid on the floor with him trying to get him relaxed. She came back at 6 and he hadn't changed, still labored breathing, short breaths, and still couldn't stand on his hind legs. She gave us the option of leaving him there overnight, or taking him home. Needless to say we were figuring out how to load him into our vehicle! We used a lifting blanket that we put under his dog bed, basically a nylon blanket that has handles on the corners and sides. It wasn't easy, but we got him in and out and home! We put him in the kitchen and we each lay beside him on the floor, petting him and trying to get him to relax. He wouldn't lay his head down. The short breathing never became better. Around 1am I texted the vet asking what we should do, she said to try and give him some pain reliever as maybe the morphine was wearing off, so we did. We never left his side. We both stayed awake as best we could, I had been awake for probably 45 out of the last 48 hours, and Melissa not much different. At around 3:30am I looked over and Melissa had dozed off, and I must have too because when I looked at Gibson he finally had layed his head down, then panic hit me as I realized he wasn't breathing.  I layed there hugging my best friend, crying, this was the worst day in my life. I leaned over and hugged my wife, still crying, she woke up, then realized I was crying. It was heart breaking. I can't tell you how many times I've cried writing this out.

We don't have kids, we don't have hobbies, we don't travel, we don't even really have any friends that we hang out with here. We have our dogs. For 10 years almost every weekend we make the 4 hour return trip to Brandon for our dogs to do obedience or agility training. For 11 years, there has not been one day where one of us wasn't with our dogs. If we couldn't travel with our dogs, we didn't go. Literally our whole life has revolved around caring for, providing for and engaging with our dogs. Losing my buddy is the hardest thing. We try to be thankful that at least his quality of life wasn't deteriorated at the end. He was literally fine one day, and dying the next. What makes that hard is it seems like it was too soon. If this hadn't happened I think he still had 1-2 more good years in him. All the comfort he gave me without ever saying a word is immeasurable. I am happy that although due to his hip/back issue and having to "retire" him from doing agility, a couple weeks ago when Lulu was finishing her class, I brought Gibson in to see the instructors and visit and he was so happy to be there he was just vibrating! He was so excited because usually now he sits out in the truck with me, but doing agility was the only time he wasn't nervous and the joy he got out of it was amazing. So as we stood in the class, I told Melissa to take him through the course they had set up. Well he went tearing through the tunnel, turned around and was going to run through it again, but he listened when Melissa called out "jump" so he turned and took the couple of jumps and then hit the weave poles! When they finished he was so happy, you could literally see the smile on his face and he was still vibrating. The instructors all chuckled about him, he was such a goof. Of course that night we had to give him some anti inflammatory because of it, but looking back now, I am so happy he got to run one last time.

Thanks to all that were interested enough to read this to the end. I realize it really has nothing to do with Bennington or boats, but it feels good to let it out here. Even though I have never physically met you folks, I do consider many of you friends. I will try to add a few pics to this thread this weekend so you all can see what a wonderful friend he was. Thanks
 
Derrick ,Thanks for sharing .As I told you the other day we lost our dog last September and I know how you feel .

You have my deepest sympathy 
 
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If I was a dog, I would want you guys as my owner.

Thanks for sharing. My eyes watered as I read that. Both times. If Gibson could read, he would be proud and honored.
 
Well understood your feelings pal.  KP and I also had no children by choice and we are both animal lovers.  I am embarrassed to admit but we favor animal charities over human ones.

Although we love them we have never had a dog, we are very active and social and knew we could not care for a dog properly.  I am know as the dog guy at home and up at the lake.  We cannot see a dog without petting them and talking to the owners,  I have dog biscuits at home, in my car and usually a couple in a ziplock bag in my pocket.  When the neighborhood dogs pass our house they always look for us [actually for their biscuits].  I always buy quality ones and have the ones with glucosamine because there are a lot of labs at the lake and they are known for hip problems. 

We have had two sets of cats, and always have two so that they can keep each other company.  We lost both of our cats last year, one became sick while we were on our way back from Europe and was lost a few days after our return.  We have made the decision to not take on any more cats as we are planning to travel quite a bit over the next few years.  The house is not the same without the cats and we know that once we age and start slowing down we will get another pair of cats.

I hope that time will eventually replace the sorrow you feel with the memories of the good times you shared
 
Oh yeah........ and I also hope that kaydano comes back reincarnated as a cat, I will adopt him, name his stupid and constantly yell "Get over here Stupid"
 
Thanks so much for sharing Derrick. Your dogs have been fortunate to have fun and caring owners such as you and Melissa.

Since we also have a large dog, I also learned something very important.
 
Thanks for sharing as your story might help others recognize the symptoms. We have had a yellow lab since a puppy and it is my wife and I's first dog. He just turned 8 and we are already dreading the day we will have to say goodbye. Thanks for the tear duct test this morning. I'm proud to report they work. Hang in there bud
 
Right now it's all the little things that break me down. Of course the not meeting me at the door is tough, but in more recent times, I would be asleep (working nights) when the wife got home from work, and all Gibson wanted was first to eat, then she said he would sit by the bedroom door, or run over to the bedroom door every time she got up to do something because she started asking him, "Gibson, is it time to go wake Derrick up??" and so recently he thought whenever she got up that it was time to wake me up! He would come into the room and jump up on the bed(they usually aren't up on the bed, only when asked up) and lay down beside me and I must say, it was the best way in the world to be woken up.

Even Monday, the day he passed, we still had to take Lulu to Brandon for a vet appointment, as we are driving I am always looking in the rear view mirror, and he is usually sitting there looking out through the front window, or waiting for me to use the wiper on the back window so he can look out. He rarely laid down, at least not until we got out of the National Park because there are usually deer and moose along the highway and he would jump around to see them. One other thing we never understood was he ALWAYS knew when we took the butter out of the cupboard. He was always trying to get some. I'm not sure where his desire/love of butter came from, since he has never had butter! We were making Kraft dinner the next night and I reached up and grabbed the butter out and started crying because he didn't come running out to the kitchen.

We had him cremated, we still haven't picked an urn, but in the process of looking we came across these paw print keychains that you can put a small amount of ashes in and seal, so we ordered two. That way he can still be with us and make trips to Agility classes with us. It's amazing how expensive everything to do with death is, but he is worth every penny. I hope the vet has a payment plan as I have no idea what that afterhours appointment will run, but at least we can say we tried everything we could and he was able to come home and pass on here where he was the most comfortable. Thank you all for your comments, the light hearted stuff is why I love this forum so much.

I guess on a side note, if we are able to afford to keep the boat, Lulu LOVES the heat and is not nervous on the boat at all, so it may mean she gets to come more often again. If only we can get her to stop lunging after flies! I'm worried she is going to jump right out of the boat sometimes! Hopefully she gets back to her normal self too. Right now she goes out to the washroom often, pretty sure it's mostly to smell if he's been there
 
We also had ours cremated .The facility sells custom urns .We needed a large, he was a 100 lb Lab mix ( would have been 14 on  March 3 rd )  .We choose one that looks like a dog house .Where the door would be ,is a place for his picture .He is now on our fireplace mantle .
 
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Reading your story is something that I would not want to go through. Our little girl has been through the (getting sick on Saturday late at night) and off we went to the Vet. To our good fortune she pulled through but she has a back problem that could paralysis her rear legs at any time.. What do we do? Our life has changed. She must be kept quit. Further damage and then what?

You story brought tears to my eyes. I've become an old softy and I can feel your hurt. I lost an Irish Setter to cancer as a boy You never forget a close friend.

Life has its ups and downs. I know your hasn't been the best this past year. Chin up and we'll all get through it.
 
Derrick,

Having just gone through a similar situation 34 days ago, I feel your pain. It is the worst part of dealing with your best little buddy. You and your wife will shed many tears, but knowing you did all you could for your little buddy is some confort--not relief from the pain of the loss. Take solace in the fact that you and the wife were great doggie parents and your buddy had a loving home.  

Best, Steve
 
Derrick,

We have had an Irish setter die of the same thing. Surgery was a success, but it did not work out. Our Daughter in Law is a Vet and she tells us all the time about the love that she sees from both Pets toward their "moms and dads", and also reversed. My heart goes out to you. There must be a bunch of gnats in here, or something else must have gotten into my eyes. Hope the keyboard can stand moisture!
 
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