For all the dog lovers...

CWebHokie

New member
I hate to be a downer but my golden retriever, Weston, had a stroke today and will most likely be put to sleep sometime tomorrow. He has been with me for literally half of my life and even though he has lived at home with my parents since I moved to blacksburg, he's my buddy... The kicker is, Friday would be his 13th birthday. Although we knew he was getting up there in years, we thought we would get to spend one more christmas with him. He was fine when I was home for thanksgiving. (thank GOD I went home, bc I almost didn't.) I honestly thought that I was prepared for this but when it happens you realize that you can never be truly ready. He lived a very long and happy life. I am thankful for that but it doesn't make it any easier to let him go...

If you have a canine companion, do me a favor and give him/her an extra hug from me because you never know when they will no longer be with you...
 
CWebHokie, sorry about your dog. We have lost 2 in the last 3 years with our last dog Coke, now 14 years old, still hanging on. When I put our last dog to sleep(TV) this year I cooked her a $10 T bone steak and she ate it, bone and all. She had to be put down because she could not walk with her back legs at all. Just so you know I just gave Coke a nice little rub over her big old growth on her shoulder from you and Weston. If you are coming up with Matt, you will be able to see Coke and give her a rub yourself. Don't worry, all Dogs go to Heaven. Michael R
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss CWebHokie. I still grieve for my dog Blake that I lost about 8yrs ago, he was a 16yr old Lab/shep mix and we had been together for 14 of those yrs.

The thing that helped me a lot was remembering that he always had a good happy home with me, we brought love and laughter to each others lives and no matter how many other dogs I will be lucky enough to share the rest of my life with, he will always be remembered as my first dog, my buddy.

Noodles my dog has been sitting on my lap as I type this, I called Sam but he is too busy staring out the window to pay me any mind. He'll come by later to get his hug.

If you are not able to get to your parents house you might consider giving them a call and asking them to hold the phone to Weston's ear so you can tell him good bye.

colleen
 
doggonnit

doggonnit

I too own a lil one that runs my life(let my wife tell it).Couple years ago I traded a forty ounce bottle of beer to a guy on the street for a malnurished AmStaff.Anyway I took her home cleaned her up vet bills and all just to find out after 3 months she had a heart murmur and a dislocated hip,$2,500 plus she could never run again(thats no life),so i had to put her down.C-ya sat.
 
Excellent News!!!

Excellent News!!!

Well, it's been a rollercoaster the last couple days, but things are looking better. The blood work came back at the veterinarians today and ruled out stroke or other neurological event. Weston showed some mild improvements in mobility today at the vets office, so at the suggestion of the vet they decided to give him a few days to see how much he improves. This evening he has been holding his head up for up to an hour at a time, drinking water, eating small amounts of food, has managed to stand up on his own and stood for up to 5 minutes. (All things he couldn't or wouldn't do yesterday.) He is still far from OK but the vet said that although they don't know exactly what happened a large percentage of the dogs that they see with this condition make a nearly full recovery without any drugs or crazy therapy. It's a difficult situation, especially since I had made peace with the fact that he was at the end of his line, but if he can recover and maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle even for a short time, I'm all for it. Here's to hoping for the best... I will keep you all posted with his progress.
 
Thank you...

Thank you...

Also, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. It is huge to know that you all are out there pulling for him.
 
That is awesome news that you got a positive prognosis.... We had a cocker spaniel that @ age 11 was given just a few more months to live , due to multiple conditions too numerous to mention here..... after all of that and preparing to say good bye to the best friend I had ever had @ that point ... "Gremlin" finally passed @ the ripe old age of 17 6 and a half years later..... We changed his diet , built him a ramp for the stairs and just plain pampered him a bit more and I think the last few years were his best ... So my thoughts are w/ you and Weston ...


On a side note to all of that , the biggest part of Gremlin doing so much better was the change in diet , maybe this is something you could ask about when he goes back to the vet. We have never been much on medicine or treatments when good old TLC would do , and when we finally did change his diet he was a puppy all over again ...... Keep us posted please ....
 
Glad to hear he is doing better, I for one do not look forward to that day that will inevitably come :( as I have a Doby that I love so much it's hard to even think about, but will enjoy her company as long as the good Lord sees fit. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. Steve
 
update

update

Weston is doing even better today, walking a little bit more and getting his appetite back. His head has a little list to the right, making it difficult for him to move to his left. However he has already figured out that a loop to the right is just as good as a short left turn. Hopefully he keeps on improving, my parents swear up and down that he has a lot of fight left in him and that he is determined to walk and do all the things he used to. Let's hope they are right!!!
 
Re: Excellent News!!!

Re: Excellent News!!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8754858#post8754858 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CWebHokie
Well, it's been a rollercoaster the last couple days, but things are looking better. The blood work came back at the veterinarians today and ruled out stroke or other neurological event. Weston showed some mild improvements in mobility today at the vets office, so at the suggestion of the vet they decided to give him a few days to see how much he improves. This evening he has been holding his head up for up to an hour at a time, drinking water, eating small amounts of food, has managed to stand up on his own and stood for up to 5 minutes. (All things he couldn't or wouldn't do yesterday.) He is still far from OK but the vet said that although they don't know exactly what happened a large percentage of the dogs that they see with this condition make a nearly full recovery without any drugs or crazy therapy. It's a difficult situation, especially since I had made peace with the fact that he was at the end of his line, but if he can recover and maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle even for a short time, I'm all for it. Here's to hoping for the best... I will keep you all posted with his progress.

CwebhOKIE,

Went throught the exact same experience with my 14 yr. old dog you see as my avatar last summer, and I know exactly what you went through. We had left our dog at the kennel in Radford while we were on a trip to DC, when we got a call on my cell phone while I was driving back that our dog had had a stroke. I can tell you - I almost went off the road !!! The VT Vet hospital was great in taking care of Patches, and an MRI ruled out the stroke and pointed to a "vestibular neuropathy" which has a 99.9% recovery prognosis. I am glad to say that with medication and care Patches is almost back to her old self.

I am sure Weston will be OK. Go ahead and PM me if you want to talk about it.

Shivaji
 
I am happy to hear your dog is doing better. :sad1: I lost my little girl (dog)earlier this year, ---- it felt as if I had lost my wife, or child!! :sad2:
I have adopted 2 dogs from a rescue organization, They are awsome dogs!!! And I love them so much after only 5 weeks!!!While they will never replace the love I feel for my little doxie--Please, to anyone considering a new dog----consider a rescue dog, Thry do make great pets!!
 
Update...

Update...

Weston is doing great!!! He is making progress every day. Walking, eating, not making a mess in the house. Here is a pic, mind you this dog could not lift his head a week ago... He's my buddy and doing alright for a 13 year old Golden...

(Not a very good picture, taken with a camera phone.)

weston.jpg


Once again, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers... It means more than you could know. :D
 
:bounce1: :bounce3: :dance: :celeb1: :celeb3:

I'm so happy for the both of you. What a great Christmas present!!


colleen
 
Three cheers for Weston. Hip Hip Horrrrrray! Dogs love is unconditional and it takes so little to make them happy. Just a little pat on the head. I am happy for the both of you. :D Michael R
 
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