Forums » Smalltalk » Time for a goodbye

This morning my dad texted me, telling me that it looks like we're going to have to say goodbye to Binky, our family dog, today. I'll be visiting today to do just that, but I'm struggling unexpectedly much with this.

He's 13,5 years old and has been having health issues lately. I knew a few days ago his end was really close because he just didn't feel right to me. That doesn't make it hurt any less though.

So I guess this is a goodbye to Binky, and a message letting you all know I'll probably be keeping a low profile for a couple of days and putting roleplays and other things on hold for now. The videochat I had planned probably won't involve me tomorrow, but if you all still want to hang out feel free to - you can create a room whenever you want to.

Maybe I'll bounce back really fast, maybe I'll need a bit longer. I can't tell for sure. I'd like some time to myself for now though.

Sorry to hear Sanne and take all the time you need. We'll miss you and the light's on for when you return.

All the best to you Sanne! *throws a bunch of strength and wellwishes your way*

I'm so sorry to hear that Sanne. It's never easy to say goodbye to a family pet. But it sounds like you gave him a good, long, healthy life. I'll keep you in my thoughts this week.

I'm sorry to hear Sanne~ I know how it feels to loose a best friend if not an own family member. Even though they are pets they always end up more then that. I had a lovely Husky/German Shepard mix named Storm as well as a Black Labrador named Bindi that my family lost and it's always tragic. We all love you! Take as much time as you need.

I am sorry *holds*
I know how it is to grow up with a dog and then have to say goodbye.
If you want to talk, I will be always there for you.

Thank you everyone. We're about to go to the vet's and see if there is anything they can still do for him. If not they will put him to sleep and my parents will take him to be cremated.

He's in far worse condition than I thought he would be so it's almost certain we're saying our goodbyes.

So sorry, Sanne. Keeping y'all in my prayers.

I'm so sorry, honey :'(
I know how hard it is to lose a family pet, and I know that it won't be easy -- know that a lot of people are thinking about you, today!
Good luck, sweetness.

He's gone.

The vet suspected he had a stroke Tuesday, which means he couldn't walk right, he didn't eat, he peed himself and so forth. Our best bet was a vitamin B shot treatment to try and help him recover any nerve endings that might have been damaged, but unless we would go through with extensive testing we couldn't be sure. The success rate of the vitamin shot was also extremely difficult to determine. Damage done to his brain could also never be repaired and we didn't quite know to what extent it was damaged. The chance was big he'd spend a couple more months just suffering by laying in his own filth and not being able to take walks or anything, so we opted to put him down.

I'm not doing so well, he was an exceptional dog who is still very much loved even though he's gone. I was there with him and petted him until his very last breath. I'm glad he no longer has to suffer.

Thank you everyone. I might be in and out today depending on how I'm doing.

I did that when we put our dog done aswell, petting her until she was gone.
It gave me years of nightmares, but finally they are gone.

I am sorry about Binky, and I am sorry that you have to go through this. *holds*

I'm so sorry to hear you go through this. It's so incredibly sad when a pet dies. I can imagine the sadness you're going through. I've lost pets as a child as well. It's a terrible thing to go through.

Take all the time you need, Sanne. I like to think friends never really leave if you just don't forget about them. It comforts me a little, maybe it'll comfort you a bit too. I can only hope so at least.

Try to focus on the fact that he doesn't have to suffer anymore, and he got to go out feeling your love. *hugs* We'll be here for you whenever you feel like coming in.

I'm feeling a ton better today. After all the sadness and stress of yesterday, I still find myself crying randomly, but I also feel better knowing that he's no longer suffering. I think that was the most heart wrenching thing about the ordeal. Watching him suffer after the stroke.

He was cremated this morning at 11am our time and he's now sitting in an urn in my parents' living room.

I've been pondering on whether or not to do this, but it might be interesting to those who are curious. My parents took pictures of Binky at the cremating facility and I'm sharing them here, including the ashes and teeth.

Don't click unless you're okay with seeing Binky after he passed away.

And some information as well. Highlight to see, same warning as above - don't read unless you're okay with reading about things related to dead dogs. The reason his eyes are open in the pictures is because dogs don't close their eyes from artificially induced sleep. It's kind of weird, but that's how it is.

I hope this wasn't too weird to share with you guys. Besides the emotional part of this experience, I never had a pet die on me before so this was all pretty new to me. I figure others may feel the same way and this might be interesting to learn more about for those who don't know what to expect.

I know the pain of loseing a beloved dog. its been many years but i still miss him. Chessnut was his name, he was half german Shepperd half husky. I loved that dog but he got sick... very sick and my dad took him to the vet and he had to be put to sleep. i cried at school latter that day when i found a picture of him in my bag.. my friends had to take the picture from me to get me to top crying for a bit.


then there was Thunder. Oh how i loved that cat. he was perfect in every since of the word. Would let me do praticly anything to him, put cloths on him and roll him in a baby doll stroller. He would ever cry out" mama" when he wanted me. 12 years i had that cat... he left home and never came back. Guess he did not want to hurt me to badly.

I'm glad you're feeling better today. Grieving is a long, strange, unpredictable process, and this dog earned his place in your heart.

I am so sorry for your loss, Sanne :C
I hope that you can find peace in the fact that your friend will, at least, no longer be in pain

This really sucks, Sanne, but I'm glad you're pulling through well enough. It brought me to tears. Even though it's been over a year, I still hurt from putting our family cat, Patches, to sleep. I had never felt a hurt so strong and I've had family and friends die.

Patches was 18. She lived a long and full life for a cat. We rescued her when she was 5. Her owner went to college and the parents didn't want to take care of her. She was declawed and was living a miserable life in their garage, despite the fact she was about the gentlest soul you could ever imagine. Calico Maine Coone, huge and fluffy. With us, she had a best friend and sister, our other cat Sassy. She had people who always loved her and played with her and treated her as if she were just another one of us.
The last year of her life, she went down quick. She went into renal (kidney) failure. We spent more money on her than we did ourselves going to the vet and getting her treated. But we were only prolonging the inevitable. She was really more moms cat than mine. She was moms best friend. Her soulmate. Mom just couldn't let her go. By the end, though, not even the meds were helping. She had gone from a 22 pound cat down to barely 5 pounds in about 3 months. I told mom it was time. She still refused, at least until a few days later when she called me at work saying it was now or never. So I left work early, drove out there, and no amount of telling myself to be strong could have prepared me for what was to come. The drive to the vet was long and quiet. Patches was barely even responsive when normally she'd be meowing up a storm. The vet stayed open late especially for us. Mom was in tears the moment we pulled up. While she filled out paperwork, I took Patches back for the vet to examine and prepare. When he deemed her in bad enough shape to be put down, they gave us some time with her before they did it. Mom was a mess and so was I. I grew up with her. She'd always been there to comfort me. Silently loyal, offering her soft purrs and pawing at me.
Mom had to leave when it was finally time. I refused. I wanted her to go in the arms of someone she knew loved her, not held down by strangers, scared, on a cold table. They put a towel in my lap under her and calmly explained what would happen. She would likely vomit and defecate herself, convulse a little, and then go silent. I held her tight as the vet administered the drugs. I whispered sweetly and calmly, as best I could, that she would be okay. She wasn't going to hurt anymore. She went through everything they said she would, and then she was gone.
The assistant wrapped her up in her favorite blanket we brought her in, then we put her in the cute little casket we had a friend make in preparation. We went back to moms. My fiance met us there. 8 at night, freezing in december, the ground hard as a rock, my fiance and I dug her grave and laid her to rest.

That day is horribly vivid. And the pain still fresh. I miss her every day, but what gets me through and makes me feel better is that she isn't in pain anymore and that she had such a good life with us.

It's so strange losing a pet. It's a bond unlike anything else. Not even family shares the kind of bond you have with your four legged best friend.

I'm glad Binky is free from pain now. I'm glad you guys did the right thing, and I'm glad you stayed there until the end. As much as it ripped me apart inside, I wouldn't have done it any other way with Patches.

I really appreciated you posting those pictures, I've never seen cremation ashes before so that was actually pretty neat, and Binky looked so peaceful