Man's Best Friend

 

 

 

Top: Clyde & Bonnie

Bottom: Molly & Ginny

 

 

 

These were my 4 babies for the past few years. The top are my NC dogs, which Lance has had since they were puppies, and I took over as Mommy 3 years ago. The bottom are my MS babies that we've had since they were pups.  Clyde is 15, Bonnie was 12 1/2, Molly was 13, and Ginny is 12.  I knew there would come a time when we would have a sad few years since they were all so close in age and getting old, but I was hoping that somehow they would be super dogs and live forever!

 

 

 

 

You might have seen yesterday I posted we had to put down our sweet, but crazy girl Bonnie. Or as I called her (and Lance hated- Bon Que Que).  This dog ruled the roost.  She was a mean, bossy little thing.  I will admit she made me mad at least once a day with her crazy barking, staying under my feet always tripping me, and her little attitude, but I loved that feisty little dog. She had her sweet cuddly side and she was our Bon Bon.  Her story is a bit harder because we didn't think we were anywhere near losing her.  She might have been close to 13, but this dog could have lived 5+ years.  She was as hyper and energetic as they come. Lance always said she was tough as nails.  About 2 or 3 weeks ago, we noticed that she got super mopey and just wasn't wanting to do anything.  This dog LOVED, and I mean loved, to be on the back deck at night and eat bugs. Yes, eat bugs.  We would turn the light on for her so they would all attract by the door and she would jump up like a bunny for hours and catch them. I know this is weird, but it was her thing! haha  When she got to where she didn't even want to do that, we knew she was feeling rough.  Now she has been on thyroid medicine for years and years, and when her levels get off, she gets this way.  So honestly, we didn't think too much of it.  We scheduled her appointment at the vet since it was almost her yearly checkup time, and asked them to get her thyroid levels.  About 2 days before her appointment, Lance noticed a red lump on her poor little bottom. We just assumed maybe it was a hemorrhoid and heck, that could be what was making her mopey! I mentioned it at the appointment and as the doctor checked it out, he said it was actually a tumor! What?!? Then he found another red growth in her mouth and 2 lumps on her chest.  He took a sample from the lumps and they weren't cancerous, so he just scheduled an appointment for the week later to take the red ones off and didn't seem too concerned.  As that week went on, she got worse and worse.  She wouldn't eat (this was definitely a concern since this dog LOVES food) and then 2 days before her appointment she was constantly throwing up white foam and was wheezing, as we could tell it was hard for her to breath.  By this point we knew it was something bad, but hoped for the best. Also, we found another red lump that had grown within the week in her mouth and her whole body was starting to be covered in hard knots.  When I took her yesterday morning, I informed the vet of all her changes and I could tell then he was concerned.  He said to leave her there and they would do chest xrays first and call me with the results before they did anything to her.  At 10am I got the call that she had a massive tumor in her chest/lungs area and she had a rapid growing form of cancer in her lymph nodes. The spots he tested last week they didn't have cancer cells, now did. We could go to a dog oncologist, or put her down.  Of course I completely broke down and told him we would get back to him after I talked to Lance.  I called Lance and he came home, knowing what we had to do.  We made the decision to put her down as we knew how bad she had gotten and how much she was suffering.  The vet kept her on oxygen all day and with pain medicine, so we knew she was comfortable those last few hours.  As we got there and told him our decision, he then told us he 100% agreed that was the right thing to do. He said never in his years of practice (and he was late 50's/60 years old) had he seen a cancer spread and grow that fast.  The tumor in her chest was already the size of a baseball.  We said goodbye to our sweet Bonnie and brought her home to bury.

 

Losing a pet is one of the hardest things to go through.  It's so weird being here at home today and not have her following me around and constantly being under my feet, or asleep in the room I am in. I feel so terrible for Lance, she was his baby and I know how hard this is on him.

 

 

 

 

We also said goodbye to this amazing dog earlier this year, Molly.  She was definitely getting into the "old lady" dog category, but her death came very quickly too. She got sick and was put down within a matter of weeks as well. I think it was a bit easier that I have lived here for over 2 1/2 years now, so I wasn't in the same home with her anymore, but it was still devastating losing my Molly Bolly.

 

 

Now we have these 2 pups left. Clyde and Ginny. 

 

 

 

Yes, Clyde- our 15 year old OLD MAN dog who cost us almost $2,000 a few months ago when he ate a penny. Clyde, who we never thought in a million years would outlive Bonnie.  This dude is a trooper. He honestly doesn't know who he is or where he is half the time, but he is trucking along.  You guys better hang out, because I can't handle anymore sadness right now! It's still hard to believe Bonnie won't get to meet Tilly.  I thought she would be around a few years with her, and now that I could have her any day, Bon Bon is gone.  Sometimes life just isn't fair.

 

I hope Bon Bon and Molly are playing it up in doggie Heaven together (even though they were both the attitude dogs, so they might not get along haha)!! :) :)