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Dealing With the Loss of a Pet

102_0118This is Sparky, a shepherd beagle mix who will go down in history as one of the sweetest most lovable dogs ever.

One year after this picture was taken Sparky died of cancer after a couple months of being sick. I tried everything to save him and thankfully I worked as a vet tech at the time and had access to reasonably priced treatment options. I understand after going through that experience that when it’s their time to go no matter how hard you fight it, it’s just their time. His last few days were hard because I put him through chemo treatments and tons of medications that were supposed to help. I was under the understanding that he was going to be cured and survive this horrible disease. I was wrong, he died after his second chemo treatment and at that moment I decided to never put another pet through that again.

On his last day, I was giving him his medicine and tried to give him some food so he didn’t take any medications on an empty stomach. I quickly realised he didn’t have an appetite and decided to run to my work a few minutes later and get a high end dog food called AD that is meant for sick dogs that need to put on weight. It really is a miracle food that I have fed to many sick animals over the years at work. My husband stayed home and as I arrived at my work my coworkers informed me that I had an emergency phone call.

I answered to find out it was my husband saying something is wrong with Sparky you need to come home right now. I grabbed the can of food and raced home. I don’t remember that ride home at all, the only thing I remember is pulling in the driveway and seeing my husband on the porch with Sparky wrapped in a blanket shaking his head. I knew he had died and I couldn’t even get out of my car, I just sat there and cried.

When I finally got out of the car, my husband said that as soon as I left Sparky went into the bathroom. I thought this was weird because Sparky hated water and never went into the bathroom because in his mind this was a torture chamber where the dreaded bath takes place. He went in after him to see what he was doing in there and said Sparky just laid down and died.

I wonder sometimes if he waited for me to leave. At the animal hospital a lot of our clients had spoke of similar things happening with their pets as well. Some people claim they were with their pet all day until they took a shower or a nap and came back to find they had passed on.

I had never had to euthanize my own pet before but after this experience I was more understanding to the clients that felt this was best for their pet. Before losing my own pet I never really was able to see things from a different perspective. Now I am more open to the idea but hoped to never have to make that decision for my pet.

Have you lost a pet?  Tell me about it, in the comments section below.

About Thirty Something Super Mom

Melissa Dixon Thirty Something Super Mom
Thirty Something Super Mom | Website

My journey started after a Crohn's disease diagnosis, inspiring a commitment to well-being. This site shares my distinctive approach to healthy living with my collection of nutritious recipes that boast authentic flavors, mimicking the indulgence of traditional dishes. I love sharing guilt free recipes for low carb, keto, gluten-free, paleo, and the specific carbohydrate diet. I also share tips on natural living, including homemade cleaners and cleaning hacks. I also share my experience as a veterinary technician and pet groomer, to integrate pet health tips, homemade dog food recipes, and grooming insights to ensure your pets thrive.

Victoria+Sanchez+Cantrell

Tuesday 25th of November 2014

This is a very horrible thing. Something quite similar happened to my dog. As sad as it is, some people just let their dog lay their and suffer. And as reluctant as you may feel about it, you must take it to the animal hospital immediately and put it out of it's misery. My family has a thing where before we take the dog to the hospital, we go to McDonalds and buy it a double cheeseburger and a chocolate shake. Not to mention the hot and crispy fries burned to perfection. I know it is very hard to recover from loss of a dog. I still haven't.

Best wishes, Victoria