silentchild

k9angel, my heart cries for you. I am so very very sorry for your loss. Blacky was evidently a very loved dog and had a wonderful life with you. My heart grieves with you. Run free Blacky, forever young and healthy.

Emma passed away peacefully in my arms this afternoon. She was not getting any better and in the end I decided it was time for her before her pain got too severe and she might suffer. We had a precious 8 months with her, when her initial prognosis was 2-3 months, so I couldn't ask for any more nor could I let her get worse. We were very blessed. She was a happy girl to her last breath. She had a great time sniffing around the vets garden and grazing on the grass. Just before the vet put her to sleep she was happily very distracted and interested in the parrots they had squawking away at her in the aviary nearby. So she was caught a bit off guard when injected and at the last moment turned to look at me in surprise, then went. My darling girl, mischevious and interested till the end. The grief is too much for me write more right now but I wanted to thank each and every one of you for all the kind words and support in following Emma's story till the very end. Thank you for all the kind messages, phone calls and emails, even though I am too upset to reply to all of them personally at the moment. Run free my precious girl.

Here you go:

Is anyone watching? Did anyone just see that amazing freestyle from Belgium? Just WOW!!!! Simply amazing!!!

I should really go to bed... but can't stop watching! :laugh: I missed the winning routine because the stream lagged so much. Hope they show some breed judging too. edit. More agility next... maybe I should just go to bed, already watched all the agility runs they had previously..

Agility is showing right now. :)

A French woman's loyal German Shepherd dog saved her from committing suicide by knocking aside a rifle she tried to fire into her heart, local police said. English language news website thelocal said the woman, 62, had fired several test shots then turned the gun on her chest. "At the moment she pulled the trigger, her dog jumped on her and diverted the shot," a local police officer told AFP, adding that the dog "probably sensed things and knocked into her to save her." The woman was found by her husband, conscious but suffering from a chest wound. She was taken to hospital but her injury is not considered life-threatening. According to the police the dog was "deeply affected" by the actions of her owner. Source : http://au.news.yahoo...itting-suicide/

Re. the chicken necks, I like to hold on to them while feeding to encourage chewing and to avoid any pieces from being swallowed whole. I still do this from time to time with my adult dog. Duck necks are also good I find, they are just slightly bigger than chicken necks and quite soft too. Congrats on your new puppy, enjoy him.

Oh no, why did I read this, why didn't I heed the warning. :cry: Tears.

Well done Em!! Superstar in the making. You are right to be proud!

Yes!!! Thank you for sharing!! Definitely enrolling in this. I'm doing the Equine Nutrition one also with Coursera and it's fantastic. I hope they will start offering more animal based courses.

Ha! What a cutie and so clever. Love it!

Saw this story on The Project tonight that crossbreeds will be shown at Crufts. Interesting. It appears the dogs will be judged based on health and temperament rather than looks. Source : http://www.theaustra...6-1226582200299 From Crufts website:

A vet I used to use a very very very long time ago had this happen. At first nothing changed but slowly the staff etc all changed until none of the old staff and vets were left. I stopped using them not long after.

Oh Kirislin, sorry to hear about Kibah. When my girl developed glaucoma last year and had to have her eye removed, it all happened so fast and I was in just as much shock as you are no doubt feeling right now. Don't worry tho, I'm sure Kibah will adapt remarkably well to having one eye. After the initial soreness of the surgery and the whole getting used to it process was over, Emma was up and about like nothing had changed. And Kibah will still look beautiful.

This is such a great update, have been following this thread with great interest and am so glad to read Roo is not beyond help. Nekhbet, what a great person you are to generously help out with Roo and Jelly. I hope it all goes well and please keep us all updated.

Mine don't sleep outside either so I picked 'Other'. She used to sleep on my bed, but most days she now sleeps in her crate, which is left completely open for her to come or go as she pleases. She has a very thick, comfy bed inside it. If she chooses to sleep outside the bedroom ie. in the lounge room, she sleeps on her own bed she has there. She has a bed in the other rooms as well but she only chooses to sleep there during the day. Back in the day when she was younger she used to jump on the couch and sleep there too. So really, she sleeps everywhere except outside, lol.

Jed, that photo reduced me to tears. Thank you very much for sharing it, it brings great comfort.

What a beautiful boy!!! I've never heard of the breed before either, had to google. Now I'm intrigued! He is simply stunning.

ohhh yayyyy grumpette, I will come by to say Hi and smother Zeph in more smooches! I hope you won't mind. :D

What a beautiful boy and such lovely photos. Thank you so much for sharing Cazstaff. He was very loved. :)

I think this expo is the same one as the one they have in Caulfield every year, just a change of location. Last time I went there were lots of breed stalls by different breed clubs promoting pure bred dogs, a couple of breed rescue stalls, as well as some dog shows being judged, and also gun dog demos, agility demos, etc etc, lots of stalls selling products. Since it was held at the racecourse last time, I vaguely recall seeing people walk around with their pets, but I'm not sure how different it will be now it's been moved to the Showgrounds.

Wow I haven't updated in forever, guess I should post to let people know how my girl is going. :) Emma has gotten a bit more clumsy lately, she's fallen over several times in the past few weeks/days trying to be silly and of course losing her balance since the cancer leg isn't that strong. Just this morning she got a bit over-excited watching me prepare her breakfast, she tried to do one of her OMGYAYFOOD crazy spins and ended up Splat flat on the ground with all four feet splayed out underneath her. I damn near had a heart attack and promptly carved out my liver from my stomach with a knife. She let out a very bewildered whine and looked sheepishly up at me from the floor.... Thankfully she was none the worse for the fall, just like all her recent falls no injury was sustained, only I suffer from constant high blood pressure everytime she tries to be crazy...... at this rate I will end up in hospital sooner than she does!!! EMMA STAHP Other than that my little trooper is trucking along well and lives life as vivaciously as she can, I think she gets some kind of sick joy out of scaring me witless. It must be a new game for her since she doesn't have much else to do lately.. Thanks everyone for thinking about us, Emma is holding her condition well and looks like she still has some life in her, so all your well wishes truly don't go to waste. :) Eta. and a photo to prove she is still alive with the mischievous glint in her eye. :D This was soon after her fall this morning, with a 'What are you freaking about mom?' look on her face.

So sorry to hear about your girl.. I am currently going through a similiar thing as you, but for my girl the osteo is in her shoulder, not the mouth. You can find our thread in the palliative care forum if it will help you to read of similiar experiences. I have had much useful advice given to me in regards to when is the right time, and I think what everybody says is true, you will know when the right time is. If you are having doubts, then maybe it's not the right time... but I'm just speaking from experience. Even now I still have my panic moments, but I feel confident that I will know without a doubt when it really is time, she will tell me. There is no wrong or right answer, you just have to do what you feel is right, what does your gut tell you? A wise DOLer told me, at the end of the day you are the one that will have to live with the decision you make. That advice is so true. No regrets. You may be experiencing shock right now, take some time for yourself to calm down and think carefully about everything. Consider in all the factors, and look after yourself. Hugs to you, it is not an easy position to be in, my thoughts are with you.

OMG that photo made me feel so so sad!! Poor dog...