HooversMom

Please, please keep sharing your story. I would rather pay attention to ONE story from a heartbroken pet parent like you than a million "scientific studies" from a drug company. Our dogs are not statistics, they are our beloved friends and companions. Your sweetheart did not die in vain. I will never use Rimadyl for my dogs, and will always counsel people to avoid it with theirs. My tears are with you.

No way. The vets I know are not wealthy. The high prices, I think, are due to what I feel amounts to price gouging on the part of the pharmaceutical and supply companies. Looking at the bills, the actual procedures don't cost that much. It's all the drugs and stuff that run up the costs. I wonder if these prices would be so high if there was no such thing as health insurance for people (not that I am advocating this, so don't blast me!). If insurance companies weren't expected to be paying for it, no one could afford this stuff except the extremely wealthy and the drug companies would go bust. Just a thought... Hoover's happy-with-her-vets Mom

Rest well, pretty girl.

Oh, no. I am so, so sorry. May you be blessed with many happy memories.

I think you've got a beautiful doggie angel on your shoulder!

I am so, so sorry to hear of your loss. I wish your first post to GT could have been a happier one. I know beautiful Mocha is looking down on you and watching out for you and those gorgeous little girls. Run free, Mocha. You are loved forever and ever.

15! Wow... what a wonderful loving home she had! Godspeed, KimKim. What a beautiful angel you'll make.

Oh, Cheryl, what a lovely gift Honor has brought you! It is so wonderful when they visit! My bridge babies come to visit from time to time, and I know from the minute they leave they are just fine. It's us that have to stay here without them that have the pain. I remind myself often that the body is just a vehicle that we drive around while we are here on Earth, and when that vehicle can't function anymore, we just trade it in for something better! Happy tears here, knowing that there is such a loving, bright angel up there looking after her earthly family, just as we have ours looking after us. : PS: YES YES! That beautiful story MUST be published. It made my day -- I'm sure it could be a healing thing for many others.

Miss Sissy passed away due to mast cell cancer that spread to the lymph nodes. We arent sure how old she was as she was a rescue. We think she was about 8. ;(

Roughcountrygirl, I am with you all the way. You are not obsessed. You are not abnormal. You are compassionate and empathetic. I take the abuse and murder of innocents very personally, whether they be animals or children. The betrayal of innocence is a sin I just cannot wrap my mind around. There is no such thing as "just a dog" in my world, any more than there is "just a child." An innocent being is an innocent being, and i rips my heart out when someone trusts, loves, believes, only to have that trust torn from them along with their lives. I don't want to open the "religion" can of worms, but I often think of where the Bible says man has "dominion" over the animals. I remember ruminating on this while my horse was dying last summer, wondering why people thought they were so much better than all the other species on the Earth. I don't think God meant us to use animals as we want because we are superior. I think that passage means we have been given the responsibility to revere, respect, and care for them. Only in this way can we learn the amazing lessons they have to teach. Personally, I believe they weren't GIVEN to us. They come to teach us about many things, like innocence, trust, and unconditional love. I do not feel superior to the animals. I feel humbled by them. As I said in another post, sometimes I am embarrassed to be a human being. We have so, so much to learn, and my heart breaks for those innocents who must suffer at the hands of our supposedly "superior" species. I remember holding my sweet Sissy in my lap 2 weeks ago as her life slipped away, the pain of her cancer finally and forever relieved. I can't imagine being robbed of the ability to make her last moments loving, peaceful and safe. I feel selfish for feeling heartbroken. My heart truly breaks for poor Christina, who will never get this final blessing. Sorry for rambling on... I wish there was something I could do to help...all I can do is share my tears and my prayers. OK...I'll shut up now.

I can only think of this as a senseless, heartless act of murder. Such cowardice and lack of compassion toward an innocent creature makes me embarrassed to be a human being. We have much to learn from the animals. Unfortunately, those who need the lesson the most are the ones who think there is nothing to hear. We're not all like that, sweet angel. There are many who love you, even those of us who were not lucky enough to have met you. Shine brightly, Honor.

Oh, my...what an elegant silver-faced diva she was! What a beautiful, beautiful angel she must be.

What a pretty little dollface you were, Miss Annie! Rest in peace, sweetie.

Oh, no, how awful. We just lost our sweet Sissy to cancer, and share your grief and your tears. Bless your heart for caring for this sweet boy and giving him the ultimate gift of a peaceful, loving transition with his dignity intact. Godspeed, Big.

We are so very, very sorry for your tragic and sudden loss. You are all in our prayers. Godspeed, sweet Scarlett.

Oh, my Lord... that poor, poor family! My prayers and my tears are with them in their terrible loss. Bless your heart Scarlett... run free, honey.

What a beautiful old gentleman! Enjoy being young and free again, handsome boy. We are so sorry for your loss.

Oh, my.... we're so so sorry. Godspeed, brave angel, and take good care of your daddy until everyone can be together again.

Oh, dear....we're so sorry for your loss. Two years just isn't long enough...

I'm so sorry. What a blessing that she had such a loving home for her senior years, and that you were able to give her the final gift of a loving, dignified passing. I'm sure she's watching over you. Run free, sweet girl

I hear you. Some just seem to crawl into our hearts and fill them up, then when they leave the void is huge. Maybe it's the rescue factor -- Miss Sissy was confiscated from the back yard of a drug dealer in Waco. She was found, just skin and bones, under a collapsed shed with five pups, three of whom didn't survive. Watching her go from near death to a goofy, elegant, joyful couch princess was the best thing...seeing her get sick and pass on just seemed so unfair for someone who'd already been through so much. Our "heart children" really are different than the others. It's hard to explain, but I guess I really don't want to. Many hugs and sympathies to you.

I'm so sorry. Godspeed, Trooper boy. I feel like I know you now...you were very much loved.

Miss Sissy's ashes are ready to be picked up. I thought I could handle the idea by now, but it still comes as a shock. Sometimes I miss her so much I can't even breathe. How I wish I could put her ashes in the sunbeam she lounged in every morning... I hope she knows how much she was and still is loved.

I am so sorry for your loss. I know how totally devastated you feel. My heart breaks for you. May your tears bring you healing and may Checkers send you many happy memories.

Oh, dear. What a shock... My Sissy's ashes are ready to be picked up, and I can't do it. Thank goodness hubby volunteered to get them. Every time someone passes over here, we plant a new rose bush for them. Sissy's will be a girlie pink, I think. Just right for a prissy little diva. I am so sorry about sweet Hubert. I know how much you miss him. I wish you many beautiful memories.