My little guy was put down...quick question?

Question

Yesterday around noon the vet called to say that our 11 year old labrador retriever had 2 tumors, one in the esophagus, another by the lungs. We knew he was suffering and that by the hour he was getting worst. So yesterday around 4:30 he was put down. he was my best friend, had him since i was 10.

So I was just wondering, my birthdays tomorrow and I am so depressed. I cant stop crying. But is there anything I can do on my birthday or how can I enjoy the day without crying?

Answer 1

why don't you go to your local shelter and volunteer, it might make you feel better that you can help another dog. Its normal to be sad over a loss of a loved one, animal or human. But the point is to keep them in your heart and take care of yourself.

Answer 2

Boy, do I know how you feel! If you want to cry, cry. Those are your feelings and no one should try and change the way you feel. Pets are part of your family, it sounds like you did the right thing, we had to put two of our dogs down because they were so sick, it took a lot out of me and I even took a week off from work, that is how bad I was, but as the old saying goes, time heals and now we have 4 wonderful dogs and I know at some point we will lose them and I will cry my eyes out then, birthday or no birthday, you can always celebrate your birthday later on when YOU FEEL better.
Kuttlebug

Answer 3

Dear Holly,
It is only right to grieve and unfortunately your loss is on your birthday. I can speak from experience time heals and so does a new lab. I too lost one of my all time favorites on my birthday last year to the same type of cancer. You did the right thing so don't feel too badly. I'm almost 50 yrs old and it is difficult but you did not let him suffer needlessly.

God put us in charge of the animals they look to us for their care. Their life expectancy is so much shorter than ours and their litters so much larger. Go to petfinder.com and see all the labs that need homes. It is hard to believe there are thousands of these guys that are unwanted. They are being killed through no fault of their own. Fill that empty space with a new friend. You won't be sorry, it will give you new focus and lessen your grieveing experience. And please everyone spay and neuter so there won't be so many out there needing homes.
Cathy

Answer 4

Oh Holly I am so sorry to hear about your dog. He was lucky to have such a loyal friend in you.

I know some people are suggesting getting a new dog now but I think you should wait and do what's best for you. If right away is the answer, then so be it, but if not and you want some time to mourn, that's OK too.

If you do feel like celebrating your birthday, maybe a small, intimate dinner with family and/or friends would be the best option. You should buy yourself a cute picture frame and put a great picture of your dog (or you and your dog) in it, so he's always with you.

If you don't feel like celebrating tomorrow, you could wait til next week or next weekend. Everybody grieves in their own way, so you do what's best for you.

Happy Birthday, hun. Hang in there!

Answer 5

I'm so very, very sorry about your darling.

Know that your poor doggie is not suffering anymore.

It is heartbreaking to lose a beloved pet, but it is cruel to let them suffer because you don't want to part with them.

Know that he is safe from pain now and take comfort in the fact that he loved you with all of his being for all of his life and you will have that forever.

He wouldn't want you to be so sad and you know that is true.

Grieve for him, then let him go. He really can't be free until you let him go.

I have had 5 dogs die of cancer in the last 15 years and the only thing that they had in common was the food that they ate.
Since this last pet food scare I have been making all of their food. I got some recipes online for healthy dog food and also got some books on dog food and treats from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

My pets are healthier now than they have ever been. They have more energy, they play more and sleep less. Their coats are shinier and I know that it is because of their good homemade food. They also get a vitamin supplement to make sure that they aren't missing anything from their diet.

Go with your friends and have a happy birthday and get your mind on other things for awhile.

Have a happy birthday, you know that he would want you to.

Answer 6

Something like that happened to me a while ago excet my 13 year old french puddle was killed in front of my eyes by a labrador my dad adopted. My dog bleeded to death in front of me and the vet could not do a think to save my dog because the other dog was too much bigger and the bites were deep. I cried way too much for weeks and also I could not stop rememberin the scene over and over and every time I cried. So think about this. Your dog died while sleeping with no pain i wish my dog had the same luck. Besides they are in a better place than our right now.

Answer 7

well, know that you did the right thing by not letting your best friend suffer. You will surely miss him, and the hurt of having to go through that will sting for a while.

Keep your birthday simple. Grab a good close friend so that if you feel the need to confide you can. It's okay to cry on your birthday. You lost your friend! But you don't have to spend the whole day crying, let it out and grab another human friend and go to a movie to get your mind off it. then grab some cake and icecream.

I had a bad event, and had to take my son out. during the movie i occasionally kept thinking of the bad thing we were going through, but the movie did help to get my mind off it for a little while.

My condolenses to the loss of your friend, and I hope you have a good birthday doing something special with another friend.

Answer 8

I'm so sorry hon. You did the right thing by ending his suffering. Maybe to celebrate your birthday tomorrow you can look at pictures and remember him, and have a little memorial day to celebrate his life. Go on a walk and visit places you went together, etc. Remember the happy things, and focus on the fact that his pain is now over, and this was a good thing for him.
It will get easier, but right now it will hurt a lot and crying a lot is all you can do to cope, so don't try to stop that. ((((hugs))))

Answer 9

You gave your boy the best life he could have possibly had....He knew it was time long before you did, he was just waiting till you were ready. We put my Ozzie down for the same reason a tumor had been growing in his esophagus also. His breathing was rough and he stuck it out for us till the end. Now when I find myself thinking of him....I do get teary eyed, but I turn it into good. Saying these are happy tears, I am thinking of him playing up there with relatives and other dogs. Just waiting patiently for us with a big goofy smile. So for your birthday turn your sadness to happy thoughts of all the good, and fun he had with you, and all the fun he is having now in an endless field of play time!

Chin up girly

Answer 10

Sorry for your loss. There is nothing you can do to make the sadness go away that quickly. Try to remember the good times you had with the dog. Go thru pics, make up flowers for the grave (if there is on) or go to a jewelry store and have a Little plaque engraved for the ashes. Some kind of Memorial. Just forget about your birthday, how could you even think about 'Happy Birthday' ? Your childhood friend just died !! Show some RESPECT for his years of Love & Devotion! If your sibling or parent died, would you be thinking about your birthday ???

Answer 11

All pets eventually have to be put down, it's a part of being a pet owner. Just take comfort in the fact that you did the right thing and be grateful for the 11 years you got to spend with your dog. Even though it probably does not seem long enough, it never does. I've had to put down several dogs and it is never easy but like the saying goes, time heals all wounds.