Rebecca G

Oh Dame Danny's Darling, yes it is very hard with our little one. She asked me last night if we could Rocky his body back. When I said that we can't coz he he is in heaven, she asked if we could take a plane there, then when I did a plane couldn't make it to heaven, she thought about it for a minute and said 'what about a helicopter?' She says good morning an good night to Rocky everyday, she is so sweet! xo

VizslaMomma, yes we are very fortunate that we replied to the ad in the newspaper that day! Rocky sure taught us so many wonderful things in his life and we will all miss him, but are more happy knowing that we got to have him for 11 wonderful years! What a gift he was to us!! :) And yes I am convinced to that he is playing with your Gabor and Tibor at the rainbow bridge and they are waiting for us to be reunited with them.. Xox

Hi Ryan, yes we looked into the Chemo treatment and even had the money ready to spend. However the vet suggested that with the fact that he had a golf ball size tumor in his lung and his breathing was very laboured that he wouldn't have even made it through the operation of taking a lymphnode out to get the tissue biopsy to determine what treatment would have been best. Also his lymphoma was very advanced. From diagnoses to departing this life it was only 19 days. The weekend of diagnoses they said his liver had stopped functioningproperly and as a result he was severely anaemic. The day the vet came to put him to sleep she said he had internal bleeding!! :'( Thanks for your info though

Yes, they certainly do, JustRace!! And thank you, he really was a beautiful boy and to us very special! He was a giveaway at 4 weeks of age in Tasmania and he and his siblings were advertised in the Hobart newspaper, I rang and he was the last one left - he really was for us!! :) Rest In Peace Rocky!!

LabTested, thank you for your thoughtful words! And oh my, that little verse is absolutely beautiful and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting it. It brought tears to my eyes, it is so beautiful and true!! Love and light xo

Thanks, done :) Ok so my Avatar now shows our beautiful boy Rocky, may he Rest In Peace. I would just like to thank you all for your kind supportive words at one of the most difficult times of my life, I sincerely thank each and every one of you! Please give your fur baby/babies a big extra hug tonight, for Rocky> As I wish, more than anything that I could give him one more hug, cuddle or pat!!

Thanks Justrace :) .. I will try to find something similar to Microsoft office :)

I would also like to put a photo of Rocky on my avatar on here to honour him. But I have tried many times and keeps saying that my files are too big. Can anyone help me get a photo on here of him? Thanks in advance, Bec xoxo

Thank you again everyone, it is a difficult time and was a very hard decision to make, but we are glad we made the right decision for Rocky. The hardest thing is trying to explain all this to our nearly 4 yr old, even though she said her goodbyes to him before it happened and we have since laid flowers on his grave so she can have some closure, but she still doesn't quite understand and wondered why she can't hear him barking from under the ground and calls heaven, Kevin. And keeps asking if Rocky is going to come home from Kevin. God love her, but it makes it hard to keep explaining that his body was not working very well anymore but he is still with us in spirit and is barking and running around in heaven...

xoxox

xoxox

Beautiful words, thank you, Dame Danny's Darling xo And thanks so much dezzyno.1 - the rainbow bridge with the little dog running over it is beautiful! xo

Thank you to everyone's kind words.. I am sorry that it has taken me this long to reply but I am finding the loss of my best mate, and more like a middle child in our family, quite difficult ... It is with such sadness and a heavy heart that I will let you all know that our beautiful Rocky departed this life on thurs 8th Jan at 2.30pm. The vet and nurse were so very caring and did come to our home, it meant a lot to us that he could be put to sleep at home. He went very very quickly, he was so ready to go. Our beautiful neighbour performed Reiki on him a few hours before as we knew he was just hanging on, the Reiki seemed to relax him and he was even able to have a little nap while we all sat around him and just quietly talked and pat him - he wasn't sleeping very well in his last few days and nights.. Around lunch time on that day he also let me know he was ready! Everyone was saying you will know when the time comes, and I did - he wouldn't look at me anymore, it broke my heart to see him like that We all miss him so much, he was such a big part of our lives!!! Mornings have been hard for me as I always knew where he would be.. I also find sunsets to be such a peaceful time for me, as the afternoon before he passed, at sunset, I finally came to the realisation that we could no longer let him suffer, and that sunset and night would be his last with us here on earth. I wrote a poem in honour of Rocky: A TRIBUTE TO ROCKY 11/9/2003 - 8/1/2015 We said our goodbyes to you yesterday, God gave you your wings, but we wanted you to stay. Only 20 days have passed since you were diagnosed, at first we thought of chemo, but quality over quantity is what we chose. You were ready, it was your time and deep down I knew, But it was hard for me to let you go after all that we've been through. You taught me so much in the time that you were here, about true loyalty, love & companionship, these things I will hold dear. You wouldn't want me to be sad, so your life is what I will celebrate, as I want to remember all the joyful memories of my best mate. From your very first year of chasing that Nanny Goat, right up to the day that I found that darn lump on your throat. Oh the funny & amazing stories I could tell, kids on bikes - those front tyres, and fighting with that feral cat as well. Hide & seek, your high-5's and coming fishing in the canoe, rounding up everything that moved, even crapping on Jade's shoe. Blowing bubbles in water with your nose & barking at thunder, In those moments your eyes would glaze over, a spell, you were under. Your beautiful cuddles - your paws around my shoulders, nuzzling your nose into my neck, Its everything about you and the special moments like these that I will NEVER forget. It was so hard to watch you in your final days, I didn't want you to suffer, But yesterday it was time to let you go - to a beautiful place, a place like no other. Rest In Peace Rocky

Thank you so much again. As I began to read your comments tears rolled down my cheeks.. We have the vet coming here between 1 - 2 pm today.. This is his final hour!! He will have those wings! I pray now that he will soon be at peace, chasing cats in heaven.

Thank you so much to everyone that has taken the time to post your ideas, advice and words of kindness for our beautiful Rocky! I would also like to say sorry for not replying sooner to you all. It has been a trying time and I hadn't been able to sit down and face the inevitable by typing out my thoughts.. The vet that we originally saw on the mainland, did not prescribe him any pain medication nor did she even bother to come and see me when I picked up his Macrolone! Then when he had blood in his diarrhea (on the 28th dec) I phoned them at nearly midnight, the receptionist was really helpful and knew that there were no ferries that late at night, but the vet wouldn't even speak to me on the phone and said there was nothing she could do over the phone and that I had to bring him in.. Talk about no care factor for the most loyal, and most amazing companion I could have ever wished for in his final weeks!!!! Since then I have been in contact with the part time island vet, who is very compassionate and understanding.. We decided to keep him on Macrolone as we also read that it shouldn't be stopped abruptly.. So the few days after my initial post Rocky began improving, the blood in his diarrhea had ceased, his appetite came back slightly - although only wanting chicken from my cesear salads, BBQ chicken! What ever he felt like, although it was only in tiny amounts. His energy even increased slightly so we were able to take him for a little walk on the beach, he even played a gentle fetch the stick out of the water.... Had a few slow walks to the shop that is very close by and also has had a hydro bath :) However 2-3 days ago we noticed the lump on his throat had grown massively and one of his cheeks was swollen. His bottom lips started to sag and now they sag so much that he is drooling everywhere. His appetite is pretty much nothing,except yesterday he surprised us and ate nearly a quarter of a BBQ chicken. But today he only ate 2 tiny pieces of warm BBQ chicken. I made those chicken broth ice cubes for him but he was not interested. Yesterday he struggled to get down our stairs to go to the toilet on the lawn. Then when he did make it and finished his business he tried to make it up back up, but his legs are so swollen and he could not bend them to get up the stairs. So we got him to lay on a blanket and we carried him up the stairs. He is such a good boy he knew we were helping him and did exactly as we instructed. Now he waits at the bottom of the stairs for us to bring him his blanket to help him back up into the house... His eyes are now sunken in an this morning he has green gunk coming from his eyes.. It is now very early morning and I have had minimal sleep as I know in my heart that this is his last night here with us. In the morning I will have to make the dreaded call to the vet.!!!!! :'( He is the most amazing dog, we have been so lucky to have him in our lives since he was 4weeks old.. We will miss all our walks, trips to the beach, playing hide & seek with him and the kids, the barking at the wind and thunder and for just the absolute joy he bought into our lives... The kids and I even worked out that he knew more than 50 words, names and commands! Sorry I hope I am not rambling but I think this is helping me to start to come to terms with what today, Rocky's last day will bring!!! I will try to let you all know the outcome and how he spent his final moments here with us. Love and light to you all x

I am posting this as I am desperate for ideas on what to do for our terminally ill boy... I would love to hear if anyone else has been through this with there beloved pet??? On Saturday 20th Dec Rocky was diagnosed with intermediate to advanced Lymphoma/Lymphosarcoma. It's through all his lymphnodes.. The prognosis is not good unfortunately, the vet has given him 1-2months at best. .. We considered Chemo, however with his age, stage of the cancer and also a gold ball size growth we have decided that palliative care is the only option for him. This is day 4 of his Macrolone treatment to make his last weeks comfortable for him. Last night however he has had watery/bloody diarrhea, with blood clots. He seems to be in good spirits, considering his cancer, and panting (due to growth in lung). He even pricks his ears up when mention some of his favourite things.. We really need to take him to the vet, but live on an Island and would had to make a significant trip in the pouring rain, taking a car, then ferry, then walk to another car and then drive 40mins we don't want to stress him anymore than we have to. We would like to keep him home for another 2 days, so that when the island vet is open, she can come to our home and put him to sleep in his own home peacefully. My only worry is that this bloody diarrhea could be from Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE).. We don't want him to suffer, but we really don't want I stress him out in his last hours by travelling and then to have him put to sleep in a cold unfriendly vet consult room.. We don't know what to do!! Rocky has been such an amazing best friend to all of us in the family. It's heartbreaking and agonising to watch your companion and bestfriend knowing that these are his last days This Christmas has been a particularly sad one for our family.