The loss of Sweeny; now we are five.

It was a shock!

Two days ago we noticed that Sweeny had a growth on his right-hand foreleg. Sweeny was 11.

Yesterday, we decided to take him to be seen at Lincoln Road Veterinary Clinic (LRVC).

LRVC is so busy these days that a scheduled appointment would be impossible. So Jean and I waited at the front desk; the staff were fantastic. We were told to bring Sweeny early this morning (Wednesday) and leave him there. Dr Russel Codd is well-known to us and he would try and find time during the day to diagnose Sweeny.

We were back home, minus Sweeny, by 8am. At 9:15am there was a call. It was Dr. Russ! Both Jeannie and I took the call.

Sweeny had advanced diabetes. His liver and kidneys were going and he was in pain. He had lost the will to live.

Very reluctantly Jeannie said that Sweeny should be allowed to die at the clinic. I agreed. Dr. Russ then said that that was the best decision and one that he would have taken if he had Sweeny as his own.

Sweeny kissing Jeannie. The year 2018!

But it was a shock to hear of Sweeny’s issues. We had no idea and, as was said, just two days ago Sweeny appeared happy and content.

Now we are five!

41 thoughts on “The loss of Sweeny; now we are five.”

    1. Thank you, Barbara. It is strange in that we have two small dogs; Pedi and Sweeny. Pedi was diagnosed with diabetes a while ago and gets two shots a day of insulin. Meanwhile Sweeny also had diabetes and obviously had had it for some time and we were completely unaware! But no doubt that it is a sad day indeed.

      Like

      Reply

  2. So sad. Sorry for your loss of Sweeney. Such a sweet dog. It’s always worse when it’s a shock. I lost 2 dogs at Thanksgiving time. An 11 year old Shih Tzu died of spleen hemangiosarcoma, and a 14 year old Lhasa Apso died of brain cancer. Both euthanized within 3 days of each other. Still feeling the loss, even though in December we were the chosen forever home by two 5 month old sibling Border Aussies. Our life was changed dramatically by these two awesome, loving, energetic, highly intelligent dogs. My thoughts are with you & Jeannie. 🐶🧡

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Christine. Your Border Aussies sound wonderful. And there’s a lesson in this; if dogs could talk they would say please love the existing dogs with all your hearts and let me go. The memory will last!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thank you. Well said, Paul. Strange or not so strange, the Border Aussies are the same colors as our other dogs, and their behaviors match them too. When does that ever happen? Without a miracle intervention. We couldn’t be more pleased. 🐶🧡🐶

        Like

      2. Don’t put yourself down, Christine, in you modifying, unconsciously, the behaviour of your dogs. But then I would say that as an old atheist! I don’t believe in miracles! 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Ah yes. Well, it is a pleasant surprise then, that the dogs are so much like our other two. We’re lucky the Aussies
        are wonderful too. 🐶🎶🧡

        Like

      1. I can imagine. Do you go back to the vet to be with him?

        (Brother went incredibly quickly, too. At sunset he started making some strange sounds. By 10pm we had him in bed with us and had every intention of taking him to the vet first thing in the morning. At 2am we knew something really bad was happening. At 5am we were at the 24hr emergency clinic. He died at sunrise)

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Poor little fellow.

        It sounds strange, but we always thank Brother for going so quickly, and saving us the heartache of a drawn out death, like Boris’ was.

        Thinking of you both.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Please let us be spared of any long decline where death is concerned for our dogs. Actually I would say that for both Jeannie and me, and our dogs! Thank you, John, for your thoughts; they are most precious!

        Liked by 2 people

  4. Oh, so sorry to hear this, Paul. My sympathies to both you and Jeannie. Thank you for loving Sweeney and providing him with a wonderful home.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Margaret, that is very kind of you to say that. It is Jeannie who deserves the thanks as she, for years and years, has been rescuing dogs and loving them unconditionally.

      Like

      Reply

  5. Oh dear Paul and Jeannie. How shocking and sad for you. So happy Sweeney was engaged and happy to be with you until it was time. May the memories fill your heart and the pain of losing such a sweet dog. 💛🙏💛

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. There is no easy way to let go of a much loved pet. But you were kind and didn’t think of yourselves first. You thought of Sweeney who was ready to go home. I am so sorry for your loss.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The challenge, Marlene, in having the number of loving dogs that we do is that death is a relatively common event. But there is no easy way to deal with it. However, the love and companionship that they provide when they are alive more than compensates for the loss.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. I was just writing to my daughter in England, saying how hard it has hit us this time. Also saying whether it was because it was so sudden or that we are now down to a small number of dogs who knows. But you and all the others have been so kind in sending messages of comfort! Thank you!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  13. I used to keep hamsters as pets when I was a teenager. They all lived about three years before popping their clogs, and it was that short span that eventually made me stop keeping them; call me a softy but I found it too distressing. And it’s harder still when one has to make the decision to end their suffering. I feel for you and Jean, and of course the other members of your ‘family’, I’m sure that the other dogs must miss their pal too. Do they wonder where he’s gone? Do they somehow know?

    A bit of a non sequitur, but: we’re such an odd species. We’ll take decisions to end the lives of other creatures to end their suffering, but we balk at doing the same for other humans. A good friend I’d known since we were schoolfriends, Amy, suffered for years with ALS (AKA MND), and in the end was left with no option but to take her own life as society’s rules forbade anyone to assist her. So very, very cruel. After her death I began contributing to ‘Dignity in Dying’ to try to get the rules changed to something more sensible.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks Colin for this. Dignity in Dying is an organization that I must take a closer look at. Going back to our dogs, yes, they miss the departed but only for a day or two. I do not believe they have any more profound thoughts.

      That’s a very sad account about Amy. The difficulty is that the death of humans is something that few discuss openly and rationally; it is riddled with religious humbug. Talk about going to be with your loved ones after death! If there was a god or two then there wouldn’t be so much war, suffering and other crimes as their is.

      Yes death can be scary and it is inevitable and at my age, I’m 77, maybe not so far away. That’s the reason I work so hard to stay fit and healthy because I’m scared of the end. Or more accurately I am scared of being bedridden and unable to do the things I want to. We do live in a State that has a Death with Dignity Act that kicks in when one has a terminal disease or less than six months to live. I am also working hard on my autobiography!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I visited my mother in hospital today. She’s 90. she was suffering from a problem, they operated, and unfortunately she’s not bounced back from it. I fear she may not last the night; we’ll see. A humane society would take one look at her and realise, ‘yep, she’s had it, there’s no point at all in prolonging her agony’, but ours is not such a society: it’s governed by people who seem to believe that quantity of life is more important than quality of life 😦

        Like

      2. I share your desire to see your Mum end her life in a proper way. And you and I and countless others know what way that is. Please give your Mum a loving hug from Jean and me the next time you are in the hospital. Take care, Colin, we are thinking of you.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. It seems from that link that Oregon is ahead of the UK in enabling humane termination in sensible circumstances. Over here in the UK, it’s illegal for any healthcare professional to assist someone, even someone terminally ill and suffering extreme pain as a result, to end their life. A totally abominable situation. Hopefully saner minds will eventually prevail (although not before many folks have died in agony).

        Like

      6. I believe here in Oregon that you have to get three doctors to diagnose one and that if they all agree you have six months or less to live then it’s approved. I cannot for the life of me see why the UK couldn’t do something similar.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a reply to Val Boyko Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.