Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Gus


With great sadness...I have to tell you all that we lost a wonderful family member and friend last week.
Gus was such a wonderful and sweet dog...Smudge's best buddy and babysitter.
His passing was a great shock to us and it is still very hard for me to believe he is gone.
We noticed that Gus was slowing down a bit and contributed it to his older age.
He would have been 10 in October and he also had some leg issues that we thought might be causing some of the slowness.  He had to have both legs operated on when he was two, due to cruciate ligament problems.  It has also been extremely hot here this summer and that was another thing we imagined was bothering him.  We even took him in for a check up just about a month ago to discuss his age and leg issues.  He seemed as healthy as a horse....other than just walking a little slower. 



I took Gus and Smudge down to my neighbor's small pond for a swim one day and 
Gus got right in and paddled around.  Smudge on the sideline playing in the mud..
We walked back home and...again he was a little slow, but nothing that concerned me other than that.

The next day....he would not eat...Gus never ever passed up a meal and would jump up and down in anticipation...I knew something was really wrong.  We took him to the vet immediately...thinking maybe he had a kidney stone.  He had problems with that in the past and that was the only other time in his life that he had turned down a meal.  When we got him to our wonderful vet... she told us that he looked a bit dehydrated.  This surprised me because he had been drinking as normal.  We gave him fluids and did some blood work...the blood work did not look good.  High white cell count and low red.....
Our vet wanted to do an x-ray to check him out a bit further and she decided to keep him overnight.
The x-ray revealed some sort of mass on his heart.  Our vet already had suspicions of this...a type of 
cancer that grows on the blood vessels on the heart.  She told me the name...but I can't remember...I was just so shocked and devastated.  The tumor is very aggressive and grows at a fast rate.  It ruptures the blood vessel and then the heart and surrounding area fills with blood. Making it very hard for the heart to work....She suggested we get an ultrasound just to be positive...we did....it was....and we made the decision at that point to let Gus go....In two days time he went from swimming with his 
friend to not having the strength to stand.....

We miss you buddy......







13 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear about Gus. May he rest in peace.

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  2. THERE is sorrow enough in the natural way
    From men and women to fill our day;
    And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
    Why do we always arrange for more?
    Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
    Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
    Buy a pup and your money will buy
    Love unflinching that cannot lie
    Perfect passion and worship fed
    By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
    Nevertheless it is hardly fair
    To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

    When the fourteen years which Nature permits
    Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
    And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
    To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
    Then you will find - it's your own affair, -
    But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

    When the body that lived at your single will,
    With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!),
    When the spirit that answered your every mood
    Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
    You will discover how much you care,
    And will give your heart to a dog to tear!

    We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
    When it comes to burying Christian clay.
    Our loves are not given, but only lent,
    At compound interest of cent per cent,
    Though it is not always the case, I believe,
    That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve;
    For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
    A short-time loan is as bad as a long -
    So why in - Heaven (before we are there)
    Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

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  3. Oh I'm so sorry to hear about Gus. What a beautiful dog. And what a stunningly quick end. (John, your poem is wonderful, too.)
    -Cathy Webster

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  4. I'm so very sorry to hear this. In some ways, it is nice that he was active up until the very end. In other ways, the sudden lost is so painful. Give Smudge and Zippy a hug for us. They'll help you through the shock and sadness. Gus seemed like such a "good ol' boy".

    Hugs,
    The Heartbeats

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  5. Jill, these words consoled me once and hope they do you..."grieve not, nor speak of me with tears but laugh and speak of me, as if I were beside you...'twas Heaven here with you...I loved you so..."...:)JP

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  6. Our hearts go out to you, Jill. We are so very sorry. Godspeed Gus. You are such a handsome boy.

    Love ya lots,
    Mitch and Molly

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  7. How sad. We're tearing up with you. We know what a shock losing a good friend is.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & roxy

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  8. We are so sad for your family and the passing of Gus. Poor Smudge probably misses him terribly.
    Benny & Lily

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  9. Oh Jill! I am so sorry for your loss of Gus. Such a beautiful boy. Why do they have to go so quickly? I'm glad he got to go for a swim two days before his trip to the bridge and that you'll have mostly happy, joyful memories of him.

    Sending gentle rottie kisses...

    -Lisa

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  10. I'm sorry for your loss. What a shock to go so rapidly from healthy to not.

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  11. Jill - just seeing this and crying this morning. What a beautiful soul Gus was (is?). I really like to think of him and Bumble reuniting in absolute joy. Sending lots of hugs to the Smiths.

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  12. God speed, dear Gus. Having lost canine family members before, we know how hard this is for all of you.

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  13. Sweet Dreams Gussie....massive hugs to you all!

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