Absolutely sucks loosing a fur baby

GMascelli

GMascelli

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GaryM
Thursday, December 15, 2022

Sadly Mary and I had to say goodbye to our baby girl, Ziva Diva. Ziva was 9.5 and was stricken with degenerative myopathy the canine version of ALS in humans.


Thanks to our friends Lisa and Greg who provided her Magna wave treatment’s that gave her relief for three weeks. Unfortunately this disease has no cure and can advanced rapidly as it did with our girl.

We were overwhelmed with the staff at VCA Vet clinic. The techs that had always made a fuss over our girl all came in and sat with us and Z. One of the techs got a call that we were bringing Z in and came to join us on her day off.

Ziva was finally allowed some Hersey kisses and after playing with the first one determined they did taste good and ate at least three or four. When all the techs gathered Z wagged her tail for the first time today, she was happy.

We will miss her, and the house immediately felt empty when we came home with no happy face and tail wagging to great us. Tomorrow will be another day of firsts. I’ll miss that wet nose poking under the covers to let me know it’s time to get her breakfast ready. Rest easy princess, we love you.













 
Sorry to hear, Gary :(
 
Sorry to hear Gary. Had to put mine down on October 22 after a brief battle with cancer. My best bud for 15.5 yrs.

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Sorry to hear about your fur child.

We also recently went through the sudden loss of one of our two cats, that are my wife and I's only children. We took our girl into the vet because she seemed to be breathing a little faster than usual, but was otherwise acting fine and happy. Once there, the vet discovered she was in cardiac and respiratory failure, and her lungs were filling up with fluid fast. This particular breed of cat is known to be susceptible to a heart problem. There was no choice but to put her down to avoid her suffering. We never imagined that trip to the vet would be the last we'd see her.
 
I'm so sorry to hear that Gary. Dogs are great and it really sucks when we have to say good bye to them. My thoughts are with you and Mary.
 
Yup....just get another one. We are on our forth. After having Labs....we now have a Great Pyrenees.
 

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midwestpa24 said:
Sorry to hear about your fur child.

We also recently went through the sudden loss of one of our two cats, that are my wife and I's only children. We took our girl into the vet because she seemed to be breathing a little faster than usual, but was otherwise acting fine and happy. Once there, the vet discovered she was in cardiac and respiratory failure, and her lungs were filling up with fluid fast. This particular breed of cat is known to be susceptible to a heart problem. There was no choice but to put her down to avoid her suffering. We never imagined that trip to the vet would be the last we'd see her.
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Wow, that’s a shock one is not ready for. Sorry for your loss.
 
It is horrendously painful. To all of you who have suffered through this, my sincere condolences for the loss of your friend.
 
GMascelli said:
Not sure we are ready to go again. We like large dogs and it’s getting harder to pick them up when this stuff happens. We adopted two cats last year, I call them them the Malachi brothers, Count and Rocco.
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Understand. Technically, this "last" dog is my son's. So, he get's to pick him up. He's quite the love fluff....he craves attention.
 
I put off getting a dog for a long time because of this. It was a mistake and life is so much better. Even if she is a bit of a stalker. If I walk out of the house, she'll open the door in seconds and find me. Truly are your best friend and can empathize how awful it is to lose one.
 
Sorry to hear that, Gary.

We lost our cat Tuesday night. I didn't realize this would be the last picture I took (Monday afternoon), at least she was happy enough on my lap one last time.

Edit: I checked the timestamp. This pic was Tuesday, about 11:30am. About 12 hrs later she was gone.

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midwestpa24 said:
Sorry to hear about your fur child.

We also recently went through the sudden loss of one of our two cats, that are my wife and I's only children. We took our girl into the vet because she seemed to be breathing a little faster than usual, but was otherwise acting fine and happy. Once there, the vet discovered she was in cardiac and respiratory failure, and her lungs were filling up with fluid fast. This particular breed of cat is known to be susceptible to a heart problem. There was no choice but to put her down to avoid her suffering. We never imagined that trip to the vet would be the last we'd see her.
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The vet we ended up talking to on Tue night said that it's very common for cats to hide their medical problems. They adjust and cope until they just can't do it anymore and then they go downhill very quickly. We also took our cat in when she was having some respiratory problems, but not long after we got her to the vet, she started to decline rapidly. We figured we'd be in and out with some antibiotics, but then we got hit with the reality she was probably suffering from a brain tumor and there was only one choice left to make.
 
So sorry Gary! Our cocker spaniel was a family member for 16 and a half years ... made 95% of the family trips and several in my Tiger. I love the image of Z looking over your seat (reminding you you're not wings level:D).

On road trips she refused to drink from a bowl and insisted on drinking from a water bottle like the "humans" ... she loved ice cubes in her water at home in summer, but even that trick didn't work on the road:rolleyes:
 
So sorry to learn of your loss. My sweetie is also getting on in years, but she is in good health. Born in July, 2010, she is showing some age. Instead of us picking her, she picked my wife and I out when she was still with her mama. She is a mixed breed (Shepard/Husky) wolf hybrid. About 75-80 lbs. The rest of her litter looked like the bar scene in Star Wars. My wife named her Ziva. Same as yours. She has the sweetest personality. Likes strangers, especially kids.
So sorry.
Bob
 
Sorry to hear. This week we're sending out xmas cards, girlfriend picked them. On the front is a lab, spitting image of the lab that I lost about 30 years ago. Just a weird coincidence, but kinda got to me. They have a loyalty and kindness that very few people can approach, and way too short a lifespan. Glad she had a happy home while here!
 
I’ve lost my best friend three times in my adult life. And found a new one four times. My dogs are part of my life. They fly with me, walk with me, and go to work with me. My two year old is a great friend. I don’t replace dogs, I fall in love with new ones. They need me, I need them. I don’t look for them, they find me.

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We're dealing with a fading dog here. She's hard of hearing and has cataracts, she's been in liver failure for over a year, and her back legs are starting to fail as well. But she has a great appetite, she's eating four meals a day, and sometimes finds the energy to sass her dog sister. She's also started pooping in the house, which is no fun at all, but has the decency to do so on the hard surface floors. We know the day is coming when she can't go on, but that's not going to make it any easier when it does.
 
That does hurt! Sorry to hear the news. Im sure y'all will bounce back, but it is difficult. It is amazing how much joy and happiness a pet can bring into your life.
 
So sorry, and thank you for sharing those beautiful pics with us. It does suck. Doing Pilots-n-Paws flights made me feel better.
 
This is so sad. After typing this, I'll go give a big hug to my dog (and maybe the cat if he lets me). Dogs just make our lives so much better. Truly mankind's best friend and it's unfair that they don't stick around longer. I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't know you and I didn't know Ziva but it seems like she was an amazing dog and I can't put into words how sorry I feel for your loss :(.
 
What a great looking pup…sorry for your loss…good dogs make us better humans..Ziva did her job well!
 
FormerHangie said:
We're dealing with a fading dog here. She's hard of hearing and has cataracts, she's been in liver failure for over a year, and her back legs are starting to fail as well. But she has a great appetite, she's eating four meals a day, and sometimes finds the energy to sass her dog sister. She's also started pooping in the house, which is no fun at all, but has the decency to do so on the hard surface floors. We know the day is coming when she can't go on, but that's not going to make it any easier when it does.
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https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-dog-diapers-5089770
https://www.petsmart.com/dog/traini...paw/?pmin=0.01&srule=best-sellers&format=ajax

We used the Petsmart Top Paw brand for our male dog...worked well. He didn't protest wearing them.
 
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Truly sorry to read of yours and Mary's loss, Gary. But you gave her a forever home.

We lost our fur baby, Louie, over a year ago and our hearts still ache every day.

I love the quote from Will Rogers: "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
 
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