What the bloody hell will i do?

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FrankieBoy

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We had to put our dog down yesterday... She was 17 an..You know. It was time...
But I dont think ive stoped crying since! She was a rescue dog and the sweetest animal you could ever wish for. Ive grown up with her here, and now shes not Im beyond gutted.
It got me thinking...
WHat the HELL will I do when this time comes for frankie?
Hes my first horse and luckily ive never had to go through it before... I seriously dont know what i would do!
Is it normal to be so upset over an animal?
...The amount of times ive heard 'its just a dog' today, and wanted to smack people...
=[
 
Of course it is normal, they become part of your family. When you loose Fankie, you will mourn, deal with it however you can and then get on with your life (just like everyone else).
 
My thoughts go out to you, i've also never had a horse die and bruno is now 24 we were told when we brought him at the age of 16 he had 3 years in him and he'd have to be PTS, he was very over worked and legs in a complete state.
I've had him since i was 7 and honestly dont know what the hell will happen when the time comes for him

Dont worry its IS normal to be so upset about an animal, after all theyre like our families!

xxxx
 
I have lost cats, and I have been devastated. All I can say is that time does heal, and eventually the pain fades and you are left with memories.
I absolutely dread when Marius has to go, because I know how hard it will be. But I do know that the pain does eventually go, and I will hold on to that thought.
It's a sad fact that we will outlive our pets, and something we take on when we agree to have them, I feel. A fact of life, sadly.
 
Don't apologise, I cried for days when I lost my cat and will be a mess when I finally lose my dog and horse. Try to remember the good times you had together and not the fact you won't see him again. Deal with it a day at a time then one day you will be able to look at a pic of him and smile instead of crying. Don't beat yourself up because you feel bad though, or let anyone give you a hard time for mourning what in their eyes is 'just an animal'. He wasn't he was part of you family and it hurts like hell. Big hugs. xxx
 
I lost 2 ponies and my nan within in a month nearly 2 years ago. My nan and one of the ponies I coped with quite well as they had been ill for a long time, but my first pony who I'd had for 17 years I still haven't got over properly, we only find out he was ill the week before and he got massive brain damage and basically 'went mad' and had to be PTS. I was absolutely devastated and it still really upsets me now.
frown.gif
I really miss him.
 
I know how you feel. Ive been through it too many times and will go through it again, when I lost my first pony I was mortified, then I lost a foal we purchased from the new forest sales due to illness. I have also lost my first dog and cats and then beginning of this year my rabbit and then last year my siberian husky which I rescued from a bad state. I have pets now and I know the day will come, I enjoy every minute I have with them as worrying what will happen when/ if etc, you miss what you are having now and can look back and smile, if you see what I mean! chin up- the pain will ease and the good memories will come after the initial grieving!

I work at a vets and empathise with people all the time-I know how they feel. :-)
 
Thats awful =[
I want to remember all the good times with her, of when she was younger and things. But right now its too hard to think about her at all. Because then I just want her back.
Isnt it awful making the decision to have an animal PTS. Ive spent the last two days questioning myself, Even though really... I know it was the right thing.
Animals eh! Cant live with them, cant live without them.
X
 
I lost Cat (in avatar) in Feb 2007 after a long illness, & it was very, very hard. We were really close. It took about 3 months for me to be functional, although I had Adrian after 2 months which did help.

I truly don't think that I'm ever going to 'get over' it. It's like when you hurt yourself badly - it might heal but there will be a scar. I still cry whenever I think of him (like now) & I'm going to miss him forever. Altho I can look at photos & remember the good times, they still make me cry. There is nothing I wouldn't do to get him back.

Sorry - I'm not being very cheerful but the message I wanted to convey is that if you feel totally devastated, don't feel that there's anything odd or abnormal about you. Your dog wasn't 'just' an animal - she was way more than that. And if you can never think of her without crying, that's not abnormal either.

Here am I, crying over a horse who's been gone for 16 months.

I really hope that you feel better soon.

((((hugs))))
 
(((((catembi))))) I remember you fighting so hard for Cat. T

FrankieBoy - I always feel sorry for the people who say "Oh it was just a . . . . ." They obviously haven't the capacity to give the love that some of us have, if they can't give it then they're not likely to feel it to receive it either so their world must always be a much more bland and unlovely place than ours. Be proud that you had her for so many years and that the decision was made to let her go before life got too much for her. I know that for you (and for Catembi) every memory brings tears just now but I truly believe that one day - however far in the future - you will realise that you DID think of something, a special funny trick or happy memory and it made you laugh, not cry.
 
I wondered too about how I would cope when I had to have my old horse PTS. He was very dear to me. I hope I don't sound hard hearted when I say that it really wasn't so hard when the time came. He'd had enough and I could see it - the way he was standing, the look in his eyes, all that sort of thing. Please don't think that I didn't care for him, or that I don't still miss him, four years afterwards, I did care and I do still miss him. We all cried when he went. But I found it to be almost a relief, that I knew I wouldn't come home one day and find him down in the field and struggling, that would have been worse, and it would have happened within days, if I hadn't called the vet.
Sorry I have rambled on a bit, and probably not explained it very well. I think your reaction to the loss of your dog is perfectly normal, and right. You should care enough to get upset when they die, otherwise you are not fit to keep a pet of any sort IMO.
 
I believe that the grief we feel is in direct correlation with the closeness we have we the animals. No-one would ever say "Why are you so upset, it was only a friend". The end is the price we pay for the pleasure we get from them. It will get better with time and you will be able to remember the fun times with a smile.
 
I lost my first pony 3 years ago and still have very good memories of him but it was his time to go and i have never regretted the decision. I had him over 20 years and we had great times together but it was something i could do for him and felt it was a gift to let him go with his dignity. I now know he's not in pain. I still miss him and i'm welling up now as i write this but i feel privelegded to have had him.

I think there is no greater gift than being able to put animals out of pain or miserery, when thier time comes.
 
One of the Scottish novelists said that the reason animals live less long than humans is that if they lived longer we would not be able to bear their loss all the more.

I couldnt have put it better.

But when the time comes, your horse will tell you it's time, and you'll never look back and think you did it too soon. It will hurt like crazy, but you can only give them a fantastic life and make sure they know they are loved every minute of it. They are lucky really, its us left behind that suffer, not them!
 
I am sorry about your dog, really sad.

Our Cocker Spaniel got hit by a car a few years ago and I still miss her. Anyone who says "It's just a dog/cat/horse/gerbil" obviously doesn't understand quite how painful it is.

The sad fact of life is that everything dies. I just hope when my animals do it will be of old age so I can let them go knowing they have had a good life. I think that is all any good owner wishes for.
 
i know how you feel i had to have mine pts end of april 08 and then 5 weeks to that day my other dog died at home in peace ,
she missed him so much bless her ..
and now after 12 years of owning them our house just feels so so empty.

blees you and (((((hugs))))))
 
Its natural to grieve so don't give yourself a hard time. Try and remember the good times you had together. I know its bound to question your other pets mortality but if you think that way then you'd never have them and think of what you'd miss out on then. If it's any help to you I do have bereavement advice on my site (see my sig) which I know has been of help to some people who have lost a pet.
 
Yes, it is totally normal, i bet you haven't known many of your friends for that long, let alone spent hours a day with them.
Time lessens the grief, that's all i can say really. And you can always look back on how great a life the dog (or horse) had, thanks to you.
I have had quite a few totally adored dogs and horses pts over the years, and very very firmly believe that they are all somewhere waiting for me. (i went to see a medium once and the first things she said, apropos of nothing, were about a horse i had had pts a few months back, messages from him. very very comforting, if bizarre.)
I hope that helps you a tiny bit in your grief.
 
Frankieboy it is very hard when you lose a pet and there is nothing wrong with being upset and emotional its what makes us human.

A girl I used to work with once said to me I dont understand what it is people see in animals they do nothing for me. I thought at the time what a sad empty life you must have.

I lost Suzycat when she was 18 last year. I knew in my heart that it was the end when I took her to the vets for a checkup. The vet was wonderful and I stroked her while he quietly did the deed. I know it sounds daft but that little cat knew and looked straight at me.

My only regret is that I hadnt taken her in 24 hours earlier but I was worried in case he would suggest having her in for tests as I hoped she would just go to sleep at home so I gave her a weekend to start feeling better.

Anyway what did help me after several days and a few boxes of Kleenex was I ransacked the house, literally, and got every photo I could find of Suzy. I sorted them chronologically and then sent any digital images to snapfish and got the lot printed off. Counted up the photos and then went and bought a nice Album and built a photo Album for her.

Its just over a year now (May 2007) and sometimes on a wet Sunday morning I will curl up with a cuppa and look at all my photos and smile.

And exactly a year later May this year I had to retire my horse.

Pic 1 in my sig is 'the evil one' Princess Tiger Lily who came to live with us last July at 10 weeks old and is a very naughty little cat.
 
Found this on a website :

“JUST A DOG“



From time to time I hear people say “Its Just a Dog”, or that’s a lot of money for “Just a dog”. They don’t understand the mutual bond, companionship, pride, joy, loyalty, unconditional love, miles travelled together, time spent, or money spent for “Just a Dog”.



Some of my proudest moments have come about with “Just a Dog”. I have spent countless hours where my only company was “Just a Dog”, and not once did I ever feel slighted, embarrassed or uncomfortable.



Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “Just a Dog”, and in my days of darkness, the gentle touch of “Just a Dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.



If you too think its “Just a Dog”, then you will probably have heard other meaningless phrases such as “Just a Friend”, or perhaps “Just a Promise” or even “Just Family“.



“Just a Dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and companionship, riddled with unbridled joy. “Just a Dog” brings out the compassion and patience that help to make me a better person.



Because of “Just a Dog” I will rise early and take long walks, and look longingly into the future.



“Just a Dog” brings out what’s good in me, and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday, everyone will understand that its not “Just a Dog”, but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “Just a Person”.



For me and folks like me, its not “Just a Dog”, but an embodiment of the hopes and dreams of the future, and fond memories of the past, as well as the pure joy of the moment. So the next time you hear someone say “its Just a Dog”, just smile, because they “Just don’t Understand”.
 
Thanks. Artyannie, That last post I found a great help. It really sums it up. I do miss her and I always will, but now at least I feel like Im allowed to miss her, If that makes sense?
Anyway.
Thanks everyone, You've all made me feel so much better
xx
 
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