Yesterday we made the difficult decision to put down our 14 and a half year old beagle, Buford. A few of you may remember that a couple of years ago, I created a thread when Buford suffered a stroke. That was a really scary time, but he bounced back from it like a champ. Although he moved a little slower, he has been the same awesome dog the last few years, and had fully recovered from that experience. I'm so thankful for those additional years that we got to spend with him. Unfortunately, a few months ago we noticed that Buford had started to lose weight. We got him from the Houston Beagle Rescue when he was just 2, and he had always been a little overweight since then. At his heaviest he was 52 lbs, and last week when we took him to the vet he was all the way down to 27 lbs . We tried everything from medication to me cooking him chicken, beef, and turkey every day, just to get him to eat. The last few days though he had begun throwing up, and would not eat or drink anything. Yesterday morning he looked miserable, had shallow breathing, and barely responded to us. As much as we didn't want to accept it, after 15 years, we knew it was his time. We had a veterinarian come to the house, and we said our goodbyes to him here as he went to sleep for the last time. I'm really glad we could to do it at home, rather than adding the stress of taking him to an unfamilar emergency clinic. Buford was really the coolest dog I've ever known. As I mentioned, we got him as a rescue, and from day one he was so appreciative and affectionate. We had gotten him initially as a companion for our other beagle, Sampson, but he became so much more than that. As I told him several times yesterday, we were the lucky ones for getting to have him as part of our family for the past 12 years. Wherever he is now, I know that he's got a full belly, is no longer in pain, and that we'll see him again one day. We still have Sampson, and he's clearly confused and wondering where his buddy has gone. I hurt for him, and hope it doesn't weigh on him for too long. Although in good health, he's 13 now, so I know it won't be long before we're in the same position with him. Hug your pets extra tight today, and give them an extra treat. They really are part of the family, and some of the best friends we'll ever have. I love you buddy. Here's a pic from a few days ago: Spoiler And some from his younger days: Spoiler
Sorry to hear, I lost one this year too but didn't get a chance to say bye to her. Still eats at me, so much so I wrote a song for her called Clara. Thoughts to you and your family.
Love those pics of Buford. The one from two days ago is something to cherish. Yep, when they stop eating and drinking, not much you can do. I like to think at that point they have made the choice themselves. I went through the same process with my last dog (Mollie). Stroke then two yrs later at age 15 stopped eating and drinking much like Buford. We tried cooking for awhile too. Worked for awhile. I'm no Vet, but that shallow breathing was probably the last stages of congestive heart failure. Sorry to hear Harrissment. You're clearly a great dog owner and probably all dogs recognize that.
Sorry to hear about your loss friend. I LOVE animals, and losing your pet/family member is very hard.
That is really really rough. I'm glad that Buford had a great life with you guys, and that you could be there with him all the way. What I a rough and painful experience for you guys. It's hard to think of that time with our own pets, so it's very understandable how difficult it is when someone has to go through that. Best of luck.
RIP Buford One of my dogs just turned 14 in September. She still seems in good health but her hearing seems almost gone and she sleeps most of the day. She's still energetic at meals, for walks, and intruders (the mailman) but I know I'll have to deal with this at some point. I hate thinking about it.
Sorry. Sounds like he had a great life and enriched yours at the same time. Can't beat that. I swear that dogs having such a shirt life span is one of the great injustices of the universe. I think there is a part of our brains that can never fully grasp the concept of taking a life from its infancy to old age and then death in such a short time (by human standards).
So sorry to hear that, my thoughts are with you. I work in a field where I see dogs put down on a regular basis due to injury. Every time I see a dog on the table all I can think about is my own dog being in that position and I have to hold back the tears. It is amazing how attached you can become to your pets.
My condolences to you. We just had to say goodbye to our dog on Thursday. She was two months shy of 15 years old. Terribly, terribly hard.
RIP Buford, sounds like you gave him a great home & family. you should be proud to have had such a wonderful dog.
Sorry to hear that. My dogs are 6 and 5. I dread for the day when that time comes. It will be horrible. Great, touching tribute to Buford, though. As much as you feel you were lucky to have Buford in your life, he was lucky to have a family like yours. Kudos to you!
