Sky – the last days
Yes, Sky has gone from us.
Up until just before Christmas 2008, she was happy and seemed comfortable. She still enjoyed her walks, would go for short gallops ahead of me, then stop and look back as if to check I was still coming. She loved her food, mainly raw, or tenderly home cooked by me. Changing Sky’s food to home-made had worked a miracle for her in 2006, but the best diet in the world is not going to keep an old dog alive forever.
The first sign that something was amiss was when she declined her daily walk, turning back at the gate and slowly re-entering the house. Then she started leaving some of her food. The Vet. found nothing untoward, but the next development was rapid, laboured breathing and sudden weight loss.
Xrays and blood tests showed Sky to be anaemic and having a slightly enlarged heart. The Vet. thought her immediate problem was probably a bleeding tumour somewhere, probably in her spleen. No masses were palpable in her abdomen.
Here’s the thing: you have an old dog; you know the time will come when something will end her life. But nothing really prepares you for having to make the decision of when.
I had to weigh up the stress of surgery for her at her age (17) against the time it would buy her if it was successful. And of course, there were financial considerations as well.
Medication relieved Sky’s symptoms somewhat, and while the whole family was gathered together for Christmas, we debated what to do. We decided that on a daily basis we would assess Sky’s comfort level. If she deteriorated again, we would give her a peaceful end.
Sky enjoyed her last Christmas – re-acquainting herself with people she had not been with for a long time, eating tidbits, creeping under the Christmas tree (a mysterious activity she has done every Christmas – we think she liked the smell, or perhaps the feel of the pine needles gently scraping her back).
A few days later she began to show signs of discomfort again and now, the medications that had been helping her symptoms, began to lose their effect. The day came when she looked so miserable, I knew it had to be her last.
The Vet. very kindly came to the house, which saved Sky the stress of going to the clinic, which she hated, having been there many times for surgery for skin cancer.
Afterwards, Sky looked so peaceful, I was plagued by concern that perhaps I had left it too long. Did she suffer? Was she in pain? I do not know, but I do know I made the right choice.
Sky is buried in a friend’s pet graveyard, on a property where she loved to hunt rabbits when she was younger. It’s a lovely position on a grassy knoll, where daisies, agapanthus and a rambling rose grow against a fence. Many family pets and working dogs have been buried there over three generations. She is in fine company.
So sorry to hear of Sky’s passing. 17 is a very fine age for any dog. I have always fed raw meaty bones and have a 15-year-old dog and a 10-year-old. My 15yo is only just starting to slow down and she is teaching us all to take time to sniff the roses
.
Please keep up the fine work on your blog.
~ Erin
Hi Sue,
Firstly, sadness for your loss of Sky, but privileged that you have shared that experience with us through your blog. It is knowing others share our sadness that makes the load more bearable. Secondly, I love your blog and look forward to reading more in the weeks to come. Good luck with the masterclass.
mandyallen.com
Hi Sue, I know that feeling, we lost our wiemaraner Mia on christmas day 2007 at only 5 years old, she went blind overnight with sudden onset glaucoma. The vet tried to persuade me not to have her put to sleep,even though he admited she was totally blind, but a dog of that size and that activity level would have no quality of lifeif blind. So i held her as she went to sleep for the last time and said goodbye….
Best wishes
Colin
Hi Erin, Hi Mandy,
Thank you both so much for your sympathy; I have had many dogs, but Sky was very special.
Thanks also for your kind words about the blog.
Cheers
Sue
Hi Sue…Thank you for sharing your story. It was very touching and I had a tear in my eye when I was reading it. We have a 12 year old Dobermann who is my very special friend and we just love dearly. We have had her from birth, but she has started to show signs of slowing down, and I just dread the day that she will leave us and I know that I will be complete mess.
Love the articles on your blog…some of the things I wasn’t even aware of.
Regards
Basil
Sue,
what a touching story. You write so beautifully from the heart. I’m in the Masterclass. I am joining your list since I am planning on getting a dog. It has been a few years since I had a dog and I really miss the companionship and unconditional love of a pet. Wonderful idea for a blog.
Ann
Hi Ann,
Yes, dogs are true friends. Good luck with your choice when you get yours. I’ll look forward to hearing about it.
Cheers
Sue French
Hello Sue,
I’m sorry you have lost Sky. My comment is a bit prosaic, but I noticed you have white text over-writing your header. If you want to delete this you go to, Site Admin – Settings – General, then delete the Blog Title and Tag Line.
You probably didn’t notice in the present circumstances but I hope this helps.
John
Like all other comments, I feel your loss.
From time to time I relect on all pets that gave me so much joy.
Without a pet in my life, it just wouldn’t be right.
I plan no venturing into the pet niche in the near future.
Gotta to what you love.
Sincerely, Barry
Hi Sue,
I’m sorry you lost you Sky, its always a painfull but, life is like this.
We sorrow and then we need to get our head up and carry on.
I Love you website, very beautifull
Have a wonderfull day,
Rui Ludovino
Hi Barry,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, pets are surely important – all that unconditional love that’s never withdrawn.
Sky was very special. It will be a while before I am ready to have another dog.
Sue
Hi Rui,
Thank you for your comments. I will always have beautiful memories of Sky; she was old,so her passing was not such a shock, just another stage of life.
Sue
Hi Sue –
Thank you for sharing your story. It brought tears to my eyes as I remembered Charlie. He was my first ever dog and trained me to be a dog owner. We got him from Battersea Dogs Home when he was five years old. He was “gifted” in. How anyone could give up such a brilliant dog after five years beats me but their loss was our gain. He was a staffy/jack russell cross with a personality many times bigger than his size. A bright dog, and a complete escapologist. He cost us £90 and we spend a further £1,100 “Charlie proofing” the garden (we ended up completely putting up a new fence all round). He dug himself out, we put down flags. He scrambled into the trees – we cut branches. And all to chase squirrels, foxes etc.
He developed a heart murmur, which deteriorated slowly at first but rapidly towards the end. He started collapsing occasionally, then daily. Our walks got shorter but his spirit was willing and he always tried to chase rabbits – but the exertion caused him to collapse. It took him longer and longer to recover. I knew I would have to make the decision at some point and on that day, he just looked at me as if to say “I’m ready” and sat the whole afternoon under a leafy bush in the garden. He hated collapsing every time he chased anything. And he just had to chase squirrels in the garden. Not to chase just wasn’t in him. We said goodbye May 23rd 2008. I still can’t part with his ashes.
Knowing Charlie was amazing. He was just 12 when he died and we had had him only 7 short years. It wasn’t long enough. But he gave so much and I will always remember him.
Susan
Hello Susan,
yes, Charlie sounds a real character – he will always have his own place in your heart.
Sue
Sorry to hear about your loss – we too have lost a much beloved dog a couple of years ago and recently had too have one of our cats put to sleep (kidney cancer)- still best not to dwell.
Loving the blogging – keep it up
Follow me on twitter-
Regards
fellow masterclass student
Hi Tom,
It’s not so bad when your pet is old. Sky had a great life and I have good memories.
I haven’t caught up with Twitter yet. Must add it to my ever-growing list of things to learn about.
Cheers
Sue
Sue,
Sorry for your loss. As like everyone else who has a pet that has been around for a while, the loss is hard to take.
We have a cat, a maine coon, that has lost vision almost completely. It’s sad to see him not be able to do the things he could 10 years ago. It will be a sad day for us when he leaves.
On another note….the blog looks good…keep up the good work.
Ron
Hi Ron,
Thanks for your comments.
Sky could hardly see, either, but she seemed to manage, mainly by smell, I think. She had also lost most of her hearing.
Cheers
Sue
Sorry for your loss. It’s hard to let them go. I have 6 rescue dogs that I got from the local shelter. All but 2 of them are over 10 years old. My oldest is a 16 year old Beagle that someone dumped at the shelter. I of course couldn’t stand the thought of him spending the short time he has left at the shelter so I adopted him. I found out soon after I got him that he has cancer. The vet and I made the decision that we are concentrating on the quality of his life and when he doesn’t have a good quality of life then I will let him go.
There are so many animals that need our help. You are making a great contribution homing six dogs. Keep up the good work.
Cheers, Sue
Hi again, Sue,
All of the comments from fellow masterclass students has brought a thought. I have a spiritual site up and running now and it takes the form of a forum where people can add spiritual experiences or information that others might benefit from. It has made me realise there needs to be a memorial page in there for people to write about loved ones who have passed on. All these comments on your post are from the heart and we have needed to talk about our pet-loss experiences. I have been astounded at the ideas that have grown from reading other masterclass students writings. Thank you for sharing, without it I would never have realised.
Mandy
Sorry to here of skys passing.We had to put our
dear Cat down awhile back similar problems.
Its hard when you lose a dear friend.
Regards Rob
Hi Sue, sorry to hear about sky’s passing. I had to put my dog to sleep about 6 weeks ago. He was a staff of 14 years and kept bleeding heavily from his nose. It got so bad that he could hardly breath, so we had to let him go. It was the hardest decision we’ve had to make and miss him terribly. I used to feed him titbits from every meal i had, and whenever food hit the floor it was a golen rule that it was his. Now when the food hits the floor i look around for him and feel that pain again. Such is life eh?
Take care, Regards Barry
Hi Sue, hope everything is ok.
Regards, Barry
http://easethesqueezewithauctions.com/