Last night my beautiful, loyal yellow Lab died suddenely of an overwhelming infection. Whatever he had caused him to lose 10-12 lbs of water in 24 hours.
When the vet did CPR, he said that fluid poured out of his lungs, his stomach, and his back end. His fever was so high that if he had survived, he might have
had brain-damage. Once he was settled on an IV, laying on ice packs in front of a fan, they let me go back to see him. We made eye contact, and for the first
time that day, he wagged his tail. An hour later, he was gone. I am so grateful for that moment. I am so incredibly sad. Forty-eight hours before he died
he was perfectly fine, full of Lab energy. He was only 7. I feel cheated of so many years.
He was my friend. He would actually lift his top lip to smile at me when I came home from anywhere. In the last few months, he even began returning my smiles. I swear, I could smile big enough to show my teeth, and that dog would smile back. I could even say in the morning, "Where's my smile?" and he would do it!
He was also my protector. Whenever my ds 14 would start getting aggressive and in my face, Sparky would give a firm warning bark, and nip at my son, but never touch him. Ds would back off everytime. I was counting on my dog to keep me safe throughout the teenage years. My ds will hurt me. I have no doubt. He only gets that way occasionally, but I have feared being thrown down the steps and being hit.
I could leave my kids home as with instuctions to keep the dog in. I knew that no one would touch my kids with him there. Even when they were small, I could let them play in our wooded lot knowing that they were safe with him.
His presence will surely be missed. I always say, "A little dog is your baby, but a big dog is your friend." (We had both--still have the baby.) It is so hard to say goodbye. I'm just crushed.
He was my friend. He would actually lift his top lip to smile at me when I came home from anywhere. In the last few months, he even began returning my smiles. I swear, I could smile big enough to show my teeth, and that dog would smile back. I could even say in the morning, "Where's my smile?" and he would do it!
He was also my protector. Whenever my ds 14 would start getting aggressive and in my face, Sparky would give a firm warning bark, and nip at my son, but never touch him. Ds would back off everytime. I was counting on my dog to keep me safe throughout the teenage years. My ds will hurt me. I have no doubt. He only gets that way occasionally, but I have feared being thrown down the steps and being hit.
I could leave my kids home as with instuctions to keep the dog in. I knew that no one would touch my kids with him there. Even when they were small, I could let them play in our wooded lot knowing that they were safe with him.
His presence will surely be missed. I always say, "A little dog is your baby, but a big dog is your friend." (We had both--still have the baby.) It is so hard to say goodbye. I'm just crushed.
I'm so sorry. You made me cry, actually cry, not just
teary eyes. I have a yellow lab who is almost the same age and he smiles too. I know exactly what you mean when you say he was your friend.
Chris
