My mom called last night to let me know she had to put our dog, Ernie, down. She had just visited me for three days and had been back home for a few days. When she woke up yesterday, Ernie was lying on the floor and couldn't move. His eyes, the whites of which are usually completely red (genetic thing) were totally white and his gums were very pale. His belly was also very sloshy. She got the neighbours to help carry him into the car and took him to the emergency vet. They ran some tests and told my mom it looked like either his liver or spleen had ruptured from a tumor and he had massive internal bleeding. Told her that with surgery and chemo he might have lived another 3 months to a year and would've cost $6000+. She and my Dad agreed they did not want to put him through that so made the difficult decision to have him put down. We all really loved him, especially my mom, so it's a very sad time.
A bit about Ernie. He was a golden retriever and also a therapy dog. My mom took him to old folks' homes, mental institutions, and he was about to start a program with young offenders. He had the perfect disposition for such work, because he was extremely laid back. The old people could smother him with violent hugs and he let them. He brought a lot of joy to people who needed it. He was about 9 years old. Even though he could barely move, when he was on the table and the doctor was giving him the shot, my mom was rubbing his face and his lower paw. He lifted up his other paw and put it on her arm.
Here's a picture of Ernie from a couple years ago:
One of him chilling out:
And one of him doing his super-canine psychoanalysis: ;)
It was weird and unsettling for a few reasons. First, that this happened so soon after my mom had visited. Second, she had tried to reach me during the day, but this was the ONE day that we were all out of town attending a May Day festival, so she couldn't reach me. I also would've liked more tests to be done, but they weren't and what's done is done. It just came out of nowhere, no symptoms beforehand. But regardless of all that, he's gone and we all miss him...
A bit about Ernie. He was a golden retriever and also a therapy dog. My mom took him to old folks' homes, mental institutions, and he was about to start a program with young offenders. He had the perfect disposition for such work, because he was extremely laid back. The old people could smother him with violent hugs and he let them. He brought a lot of joy to people who needed it. He was about 9 years old. Even though he could barely move, when he was on the table and the doctor was giving him the shot, my mom was rubbing his face and his lower paw. He lifted up his other paw and put it on her arm.
Here's a picture of Ernie from a couple years ago:
One of him chilling out:
And one of him doing his super-canine psychoanalysis: ;)
It was weird and unsettling for a few reasons. First, that this happened so soon after my mom had visited. Second, she had tried to reach me during the day, but this was the ONE day that we were all out of town attending a May Day festival, so she couldn't reach me. I also would've liked more tests to be done, but they weren't and what's done is done. It just came out of nowhere, no symptoms beforehand. But regardless of all that, he's gone and we all miss him...
