We don't have long

[1sttimeforgsd]

May God give you strength and courage during this heartbreaking time. It is never easy to let them go, the pain will never go away but it will lesson with time.

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

Thank you for the puppy pics of Kaos. His pictures showed the promise of what a great boy he would be.May you and he have beautiful moments together and a peaceful journey. He will always be watching and trying to teach Mr Sherman Tank how to be a great GSD just like him.

[Dragonwyke]

i've never raised a dog from a puppy so i'm ALWAYS amazed at how much they change from their puppy looks to their adult looks. he was an amazing looking baby. he grew to be a beauty. you've been very blessed to have spent so much time w/him. i know how you feel about being a hausfrau.

i've been a stay at home myself and now am pretty much house bound these last 15yrs, so my whole world is pretty much my dogs. it's a heartbreaker to have let one go. but they will never live long enough, no matter what we do. hmm, we always want more time. we love 'em so much.

dw

[Good_Karma]

Aw, I am so sorry you and your family are going through this. It certainly is the bitter side of having these wonderful creatures sharing our lives, having to let them go. You are in my thoughts, and I hope you find the strength to get through these difficult times.

[mysweetkaos]

Originally Posted by 1sttimeforgsd

May God give you strength and courage during this heartbreaking time. It is never easy to let them go, the pain will never go away but it will lesson with time.

Thank you, I hope so. We were very blessed to have him for almost 10 years.

Originally Posted by Daisy&Lucky's Mom

Thank you for the puppy pics of Kaos. His pictures showed the promise of what a great boy he would be.May you and he have beautiful moments together and a peaceful journey. He will always be watching and trying to teach Mr Sherman Tank how to be a great GSD just like him.

Thank you so much, you are always so kind. Wasn't he a cutie? I'm afraid Sherman has a little too much Mastiff in him to be as good as Kaos

Originally Posted by Dragonwyke

i've never raised a dog from a puppy so i'm ALWAYS amazed at how much they change from their puppy looks to their adult looks. he was an amazing looking baby. he grew to be a beauty. you've been very blessed to have spent so much time w/him. i know how you feel about being a hausfrau.

i've been a stay at home myself and now am pretty much house bound these last 15yrs, so my whole world is pretty much my dogs. it's a heartbreaker to have let one go. but they will never live long enough, no matter what we do. hmm, we always want more time. we love 'em so much.

dw

Isn't it crazy, he was about 14 weeks in that picture, hard to imagine he would grow into the 30 inch 115 lb montrosity that he is. As for the hausfrau...my husband always calls Kaos "sancho", it is spanish slang for other man

Originally Posted by Good_Karma

Aw, I am so sorry you and your family are going through this. It certainly is the bitter side of having these wonderful creatures sharing our lives, having to let them go. You are in my thoughts, and I hope you find the strength to get through these difficult times.

Thank you very much....why doesn't anyone tell you about this when you get that cute little puppy?.....I'd of done it anyway, who am I kidding?

[cta]

your post was so touching and it's very clear how much your family loves Kaos. I'm on my first GSD and have not yet had to go through this, but i absolutely dread the day i have to. just reading your posts and the posts of others brought tears to my eyes...my heart is breaking for you. and it's true...forever wouldn't be long enough for our furry family members. your family and your baby boy are in my thoughts and prayers. remember the good times, feel your emotions and follow your heart. your boy knows you love him very much so have faith in yourself that you are doing the best for him.

[TrickyShepherd]

Originally Posted by mysweetkaos

I have a couple questions for all of you who have been through this.
How did you prepare yourself mentally? Are there special things you did?, wish you had done after the fact?
Also with another dog in the house....Sherman is 11 months old and has never known a life here w/out Kaos. Did you start seperating them more beforehand, ie right now they have times of the day they go outside together, do you limit those, so your other dog gets used to being alone? In the house we already do crate/rotate due to our vet recommendation a couple months ago....but is there more we should be doing?

I know many have already commented and I haven't had time to read everything, so I am sorry if some of this has already been said. If it has... just ignore my post.

First off, I want to say I am so sorry to hear this news as I've prayed so many times for him to pull through and was THRILLED to hear how well he was doing just the other week. If this treatment doesn't work though, In my opinion you are making the best decision for him!

I put my golden retriever to sleep on Feb. 5th 2011. She was fighting an infection and just when things got a little better, we found out she had cancer. We didn't have the heart to put her through treatment and/or surgery as she was old and weak. We knew what was best and let her tell us when. Well, "when" came a little earlier then we had hoped. Two days later the light in her eyes left and she gave up. That morning I had her PTS.

I'm going to be 100% honest.... It is HARD to do and so so painful emotionally for those that love them. There is no way to prepare for that. Absolutely the hardest signature I ever had to write. A year later, I am still a wreck when talking about her (I'm in tears just typing this out!). However, just knowing you gave your best friend the more wonderful gift of all... setting them free from all their aches and pains and letting them be at peace again.... that right there is enough to get you through it. It's hard, but it's the right thing to do when that time comes. Probably the only horrible truth of owning a pet.

We didn't separate our animals during that time. We didn't have a lot of time, but we didn't want to make anything different for either of them.... less stress on the dogs, especially Peaches. IMO, I wouldn't really change too much so he doesn't stress, keep things fairly normal around the house. After she passed, The two other goldens were depressed for a little while and were looking for her, but we just gave them a LOT of attention and love.... they are now (a year later) doing very well. Sherman I am sure will adjust, especially being just a puppy. Give him lots of love, and attention.... he'll get through it and adjust to being the only dog. Some dogs take badly to it, but as he is still very young, I am sure he will be fine.

As of anything I wish I could have changed.... Well, since it was so last minute and she was sooooo sick and weak, I couldn't do anything for her but immediately get her to the vet. If I could have had more time with her, I would have let her do all the things she loved before she passed on. Some treats she loved, see all the family again, go down by the lake again like old times, maybe a short walk at the park she grew up going to with me.... I wish I could have enjoyed those with her one last time. Even though we didn't get to do all that, I still think she left this earth at peace. She was in my lap the whole time while I told her how much I loved her. She had most the family there and our close friends that she adored. She went with so much love around her. That was the best gift we could ever give her. All I have to say is to enjoy the time you have left with him... if you both use every bit of that time, you will have no regrets.

With all that said... I DO pray and wish for this treatment to work. I would love nothing more but for him to be comfortable and enjoy more time on this earth with you and your family. If that doesn't happen, I know he will leave this earth one happy and extremely loved dog. He is very lucky to have a family like yours!

I wish the best for Kaos and your family. My thoughts and prayers are being sent your way. I really hope to hear about how much he's improved in 2 weeks!!

*Lots of hugs*

[llombardo]

I had a 120 pound lab that I rescued when he was about 9 because his owner died..He literally had a half of a brain because of cancer After I had him for about a year, he started to get a tumor in the same area. My other dog got used to having him around, so I went and got a golden retriever puppy. The Lab became the golden's "dad" and protector...Whenever the golden was scared he hid behind the lab I moved out of a second floor apt into a ground level apt so I could get the big boy out without killing myself. He started getting worse, I even got an easy lift harness so I could move him and not hurt myself-this worked for a while. One day I took him out for a walk and we were almost home, when he made an awful noise and just collapsed I couldn't move him, I laid on him crying rubbing his heart to get some kind of circulation..I believe he had a stroke, the next day I made an appointment and brought him in. I only had him two years, but I was an uncontrollable mess that couldn't be consoled. I think of him fondly and have many happy memories of him. They touch our lives in so many ways and anytime a person has to make this decision, I feel so bad, because its the hardest decision a person has to make. Good luck at this tough time and give him lots of hugs and kisses every day!!

[marielrowland]

How precious baby Kaos!

[mysweetkaos]

Originally Posted by cta

your post was so touching and it's very clear how much your family loves Kaos. I'm on my first GSD and have not yet had to go through this, but i absolutely dread the day i have to. just reading your posts and the posts of others brought tears to my eyes...my heart is breaking for you. and it's true...forever wouldn't be long enough for our furry family members. your family and your baby boy are in my thoughts and prayers. remember the good times, feel your emotions and follow your heart. your boy knows you love him very much so have faith in yourself that you are doing the best for him.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by TrickyShepherd

I know many have already commented and I haven't had time to read everything, so I am sorry if some of this has already been said. If it has... just ignore my post.

First off, I want to say I am so sorry to hear this news as I've prayed so many times for him to pull through and was THRILLED to hear how well he was doing just the other week. If this treatment doesn't work though, In my opinion you are making the best decision for him!

I put my golden retriever to sleep on Feb. 5th 2011. She was fighting an infection and just when things got a little better, we found out she had cancer. We didn't have the heart to put her through treatment and/or surgery as she was old and weak. We knew what was best and let her tell us when. Well, "when" came a little earlier then we had hoped. Two days later the light in her eyes left and she gave up. That morning I had her PTS.

I'm going to be 100% honest.... It is HARD to do and so so painful emotionally for those that love them. There is no way to prepare for that. Absolutely the hardest signature I ever had to write. A year later, I am still a wreck when talking about her (I'm in tears just typing this out!). However, just knowing you gave your best friend the more wonderful gift of all... setting them free from all their aches and pains and letting them be at peace again.... that right there is enough to get you through it. It's hard, but it's the right thing to do when that time comes. Probably the only horrible truth of owning a pet.

We didn't separate our animals during that time. We didn't have a lot of time, but we didn't want to make anything different for either of them.... less stress on the dogs, especially Peaches. IMO, I wouldn't really change too much so he doesn't stress, keep things fairly normal around the house. After she passed, The two other goldens were depressed for a little while and were looking for her, but we just gave them a LOT of attention and love.... they are now (a year later) doing very well. Sherman I am sure will adjust, especially being just a puppy. Give him lots of love, and attention.... he'll get through it and adjust to being the only dog. Some dogs take badly to it, but as he is still very young, I am sure he will be fine.

As of anything I wish I could have changed.... Well, since it was so last minute and she was sooooo sick and weak, I couldn't do anything for her but immediately get her to the vet. If I could have had more time with her, I would have let her do all the things she loved before she passed on. Some treats she loved, see all the family again, go down by the lake again like old times, maybe a short walk at the park she grew up going to with me.... I wish I could have enjoyed those with her one last time. Even though we didn't get to do all that, I still think she left this earth at peace. She was in my lap the whole time while I told her how much I loved her. She had most the family there and our close friends that she adored. She went with so much love around her. That was the best gift we could ever give her. All I have to say is to enjoy the time you have left with him... if you both use every bit of that time, you will have no regrets.

With all that said... I DO pray and wish for this treatment to work. I would love nothing more but for him to be comfortable and enjoy more time on this earth with you and your family. If that doesn't happen, I know he will leave this earth one happy and extremely loved dog. He is very lucky to have a family like yours!

I wish the best for Kaos and your family. My thoughts and prayers are being sent your way. I really hope to hear about how much he's improved in 2 weeks!!

*Lots of hugs*

Thank you doesn't seem like enough.....We will enjoy every day indeed. We have decided to set the appt as I am less than optimistic we can get him to a pain level I'm comfortable with having him endure. He fell off the bottom two stairs today and the look in his eyes was chilling... he's ready so I need to be too. So glad no one is home right now, I am sobbing and look like a train wreck, Thank you again

Originally Posted by llombardo

I had a 120 pound lab that I rescued when he was about 9 because his owner died..He literally had a half of a brain because of cancer After I had him for about a year, he started to get a tumor in the same area. My other dog got used to having him around, so I went and got a golden retriever puppy. The Lab became the golden's "dad" and protector...Whenever the golden was scared he hid behind the lab I moved out of a second floor apt into a ground level apt so I could get the big boy out without killing myself. He started getting worse, I even got an easy lift harness so I could move him and not hurt myself-this worked for a while. One day I took him out for a walk and we were almost home, when he made an awful noise and just collapsed I couldn't move him, I laid on him crying rubbing his heart to get some kind of circulation..I believe he had a stroke, the next day I made an appointment and brought him in. I only had him two years, but I was an uncontrollable mess that couldn't be consoled. I think of him fondly and have many happy memories of him. They touch our lives in so many ways and anytime a person has to make this decision, I feel so bad, because its the hardest decision a person has to make. Good luck at this tough time and give him lots of hugs and kisses every day!!

I've thought of this day often but I didn't even come close to imagining all of the feelings it brings with it. Thank you.

Originally Posted by marielrowland

How precious baby Kaos!

Wasn't that a cute little puppy face?