View Full Version : I thought I'd killed our dog
Our dog, a black labrador, turned 14 last month. A little while ago he had what appeared to be a stroke because one morning he got up but couldn't keep his balance. Within a week though he made a full recovery.
For the past week I've been having bad pains in my jaw and neck glands but I wasn't sure if it was a tooth or just a virus. The pain got worse though and every evening after food I was having to take painkillers so I decided I had to see the dentists.
The appointment was made for this morning but before I went I had to take our dog out with only quarter of an hour to spare. However, because of his age he's being having trouble "holding on" so I've been having to run with him to get to the woods.
Today was no different except that I was worried about missing the dentists appointment. We ran the short way to the woods, I let him off and he disappeared into the undergrowth. I waited for him but then I suddenly heard a noise so I turned, only to find he had collapsed on his side. I thought at first he'd hurt himself but then I realised there was no sign of an obvious injury. He just laid there motionless except for a little fitting in his legs, giving out moans, panting heavily and staring into space. He reminded me of when a bird hits a window when it pants before it dies.
I really panicked. He wouldn't move, there was no one around and I was fighting back the tears. I felt So bad. I felt I was to blame. If I hadn't rushed him this wouldn't have happened. I just crouched by him to smooth his coat, just praying and hoping he'd get up. It felt like ages but suddenly he stirred and lifted himself up. His legs were very wobbly though and as I got him towards some grass he began to eat it. A sign of a dog feeling sick which then convinced me he'd had a mini-stroke. I felt terrible but at the same time I knew I'd be late for the dentists if we didn't get back in time. Of course the dog had to come first though.
Gradually he took small steps and I managed to walk him slowly home. I then had to leave him with my wife and rush to the dentists. I was a little late but it was ok.
Shortly after arriving, the dentist called me in. I just couldn't stop thinking about our dog though. I sat in the chair trying to relax but I felt so tense. Years ago I used to be terrified of the dentists but more recently I'd overcome the fear so that now I often nearly fall asleep in the chair but today I felt very different. It was a struggle to concentrate and control my feelings. I still wanted to cry which made me feel so pathetic but I daren't in front of the dentist!
He had to take an x-ray but when he put the shield in my mouth I couldn't close it. He said I was tensing my muscles in my lower jaw too much and I needed to relax them but today I couldn't. In the end I just had to close my mouth and bear the pain as it dug into the base of my mouth. It didn't take a moment to take the x-ray though.
After he looked at the x-ray he told me the molar had to come out. He gave me 3 injections but the tooth was really stubborn. I tried what I usually do by closing my eyes and thinking of somewhere nice but every time I closed my eyes I just saw our dog lying in the bushes. I just kept feeling so bad and tearful.
I was in there for an hour before the job was done and afterwards I apologised to the dentist and explained why I was so tense. He was really nice about it though.
I got home to find our dog waiting for me wagging his tail. He was even ok but still wobbly when I took him out again later for a slow walk. It was such a relief but I still feel terrible for what happened. In future I'm letting him in the garden first thing because that's when he can't hold on.
Seeing him laying there I honestly thought I'd killed him and for a few minutes I was absolutely terrified. The thought of losing him is more painful than having the tooth out and the aches I'm still feeling since the operation because he's like my best friend who always looks for me even if it is just for food but then he's a labrador!
I'm sorry but I had to talk about this. I had to let it out and share with people who would understand how I felt. I just can't stop thinking about it today but tomorrow I know I'll be ok. :hugs:
aww bill i really feel for you. but glad your dog is ok now. it must have been awful for you seeing your dog just laying there. i know how you feel. i had a scare with my dog a few weeks ago. she had the runs and wasnt feeling well at all . there was even blood in it. this was the day before we were to go on holiday. phoned the vet and they said they were busy and if we had to take her to the vet were we go on holiday. went to buy some food for her at the pet shop. only to find out that the shelf with her food on it was empty. so i came home and googled her dog food only to find out that they had taken it off the shelves because it was making dogs ill and also a few dogs have died eating that food, well any way changed her food and now she is doing ok. but they sure are a worry. but we love our dogs so much. anyway bill i wont go on about it anymore. so glad your dog is doing ok
debera
That must have been awful for you Bill,the dentist fear is bad enough without worrying about your best friend. I love labrador's,always have and was going to get one last month but when the lady brought him to see if we were suited he was too big for the house. He was one of the old breeds and was huge with a massive head. Emily got scared and I reluctantly said that I thought he was too boistrous for a small house like what we have.
He ran around the garden and did his number 2's all over the place and I laughed until my sides ached. He was called Flash,but I think he has gone to live on a farm now so with his size I think he will be ok there.
It must have been so bad to see him like that. Are you going to take him back to the vets? It's terrible when our pets get ill isn't it? I had 3 cats and 2 died last year,I have one left called Pepper Lou and we adore her,she is lovely and I can't imagine what we will be like when she goes to the cattery in the sky.
You sound a very caring man Bill and I am glad you have a dog who can give you a lot of love and affection. We get so much from our animals and can have a very good realtionship with them. Walking in the woods sounds very relaxing for you and I bet it helps you with your anxiety.
Hope he's ok now and fully recovered,give him a kiss from me!!.
Granny Primark
01-08-08, 07:26
I am so glad you shared this with us and got your feelings out.
Our pets are like children to us.
My fav dog died the year I started panic attacks andIm sure that contributed to why they started.
14 is a very old age for a dog but as we all know the longer you have them the more attached you become and seeing them ill and losing them then becomes more traumatic.
Hope he goes on to have many more years with you.
Bill im so sorry about your experiance with your dog today and im glad he is feeling better. I think you should take him to a vet though and have him looked at as it sounds to me like he had a seasier (bad spelling sorry)
Its not uncommen for dogs at that age to start having them so plz go to the vets and explain what happened.
well done for continueing with the dentist and i hope you feel better soon.
kellie.xxxxxxxxx
milly jones
01-08-08, 10:28
bill hun
u sent me to bed last night saying u were ok hun
why oh why did u not share this then?
u are aways there for me and i feel upset that u wouldnt tell last night.
im sorry about yogi. i know what old labs are like. we lost ours about 2 years ago and it haunts me still. ive got 2 now, double the trouble lol.
give yogi a hug from me
and next time talk bill pls
love milly xx
Hi Bill
I am sure your doggie will be fine. It does sound like he did have a little mini fit possibly because he got a bit overexcited? I say this because my oldest dog is now 14 and exactly the same thing happened to him in kennels recently. He has been to the vet, had lots of tests and they have declared him fit and well. Apparently it can happen sometimes as they get older.
My vet has given me some really good tips. If it happens again just keep talking to him. Apparently if a dog does have a mini fit then the sight often goes for a short while but the hearing comes back really quickly. By hearing your voice it keeps them calm. They may also be a bit wobbly for a bit and seem a bit disorientated but after about 10 minutes my dog is back to normal and bouncing around. If it happens at home you just need to keep the room a bit darker and again continue to talk to him to reassure him.
When it happens to mine I tend to just take him on short walks for a while as he does get very over excited.
Allye xx
oh bill,
i really do understand where your coming from, i have two dogs...and they are like my children......
...i hope he is ok.......
love and cuddles dawny xxxxx
My yellow labrador died last year, a week before his 15th birthday. I'd had him since he was 6 weeks old and he was my best friend. He'd been getting very slow and wobbly, with increasing difficulty getting up from laying down to a sitting/standing position. One morning he simply couldn't stand up. He just laid in his basket, looking up at me with his big brown eyes, and I could see he'd peed in his basket where he was laying (something he's never done before). As much as I tried to encourage him to get up, with his favourite beefy chews, he simply couldn't get up. His legs had gone.
I knew then it was time to take him to the vet for the last time. He'd had a good long life. I picked him up, blanket and all, carried him to the car and drove to the vets with tears in my eyes. I held his head in my arms as the vet gave him his last injection. He slipped away within 10 seconds, in my arms. I just cried (am crying now remembering him).
As sad as it may be, you may have to think about when the time comes, when it's kinder to NOT let them suffer.
Best wishes.
Rainbow Bridge
http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm
http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html
yorkylover
01-08-08, 14:42
Hi Bill,I think you really need to get your dog to a vet,he may need some meds if he keeps collapsing,my last yorky had to have heart pills when he got older.
If he keeps collapsing then there is a problem somewhere and it needs to be checked out.:hugs:
Hi Bill
I hope your dog is feeling better.
I had a collie who was 16 years old. He was nearly blind and completely deaf. I had taken him to the vets because he was getting very agitated and walking from room to room. He was still eating well and going for walk, once a day, with my other dog.
I took hm to the vet because he had a swelling which turned out that his liver was near enough shot.
A few days later he took a massive fit and weed himself. We rushed him off tothe vet. I knew him time had come. He went to sleep peacefully and I sobbed an sobbed and sobbed for days.
I had just gone on sick leave with stress and depression.
A fit does nearly always mean that their is something wrong with an animal so I would say that maybe you should take him to the vets to give you peace of mind because if you are anything like me I bet you are really worring about your dog.
Sheena
hope everything is ok now Bill, take him to the vet and get him sorted, I know you have mentioned him before and you think the world of him, anyway you were very brave getting to the dentist with all of that on your plate as well
lots of love
Heather
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi bill, agree with the others, a quick check up at the vets.
My dog is only 7 and I love him more than words can ever say.he collapsed a few weeks ago and had lots of tests, today he has been in the vets and had two lumps removed, he is not in a good way tonight, just keeping fingers crossed.xx
Thank you everyone for your very kind replies.:hugs:
I want to reassure everyone that I have spoken to a vet and he told me that providing he was back to normal then there was no need for a visit and our dog's been with me all day today and he's been his usual self and Absolutely Fine thank goodness.
When this happened the first time not long ago, he went off his food and was really ill all day but this time he was back to normal by the time I'd got back from the dentists yesterday and has been fine since.
I'm sure it was my fault for rushing him too much and I still feel very bad about that but today he's only been in the garden and later for a short walk with no problems. He's as greedy as ever too!
If it does happen again though I will get him checked out but the vet thought it was because I'd rushed him and because of the heat.
Allye,
I did find it very interesting reading your reply and I'll remember what you've said. Thank you.:hugs:
Kendo,
We lost our first dog in a very similar way to yours and I could really empathise with the pain you must have felt. It's heartbreaking knowing they'll not return on that last visit to the vets and it's a big worry for me.
Milly,
I Am Sorry but it was Really late and you must have been So tired. I only said hello because I didn't want to ignore you but I really didn't think it'd be fair to keep you up when it all happened much earlier in the day. I really didn't mean to upset you. I was trying to think of you. I'm Sorry Milly.:hugs:
I had another little adventure today. On my way home I saw what I thought was a Great Dane lose on a busy road. After I passed him I decided to go back because I knew I'd worry if I left him.
When I got out the car he bounded over to me. He was So Big but So Soppy and playful. He had no lead though so I took him to the pet shop a few doors down who loaned me a lead. I then took him to the vets who found a number tattooed inside his ear. By chance a friend of the owner turned up enquiring if he'd been brought in. The owner rang me later to say how grateful he was. I was just happy that he'd got home. He wasn't a Great Dane though but a Ridgeback who was much bigger than usual for his breed. Very Strong but a Lovely dog!
I just knew that if anything had happened to him and/or a car driver, I'd have felt Terrible for not preventing it. I know we should think of ourselves but I do feel we should all care about each other and nature more, even if it is to ease our own anxiety too.:hugs:
Bill
Just for you!
I love my dog as much as I love you
But you may fade, my dog will always come through.
All he asks from me is the food to give him strength
All he ever needs is love and that he knows hell get
So, I love my dog as much as I love you
But you may fade, my dog will always come through.
All the pay I need comes shining through his eyes
I dont need no cold water to make me realize that
I love my dog as much as I love you
But you may fade, my dog will always come through.
Na, na, na, na, na, na, nana...
I love my dog as much as I love you
But you may fade, my dog will always come through.
Na, na, na, na, na, na, nana...
I love my dog, baby, I love my dog. na, na, na...
I love my dog, baby, I love my dog. na, na, na...
milly jones
02-08-08, 10:57
hey bill it was ok hun u didnt upset me, but when i think of the hours u chat to me after night time pas, i owed u plenty.
next time chat hun
mill xx
Hi Bill
Soooo glad all is ok. I have a jack russell and he is 2, before i had him i wasnt all that fond of dogs but geewizz I love him to bits, and when he was poorly a couple of weeks ago it had me worried too. The thing is they cant tell us what is wrong and thats the trouble. Hope all continues to be ok
love lilibet x x
milly jones
02-08-08, 14:47
so glad yogis ok too hunny.
he'll be bounding round after his biscuits again before u know it.
my 2 send their love and licks
millx
Just to let you know that since that episode he has been his normal greedy self which is a great relief but I still feel bad about rushing him that morning.
I'm the one suffering now though which I feel I deserve after what I did to him. The hole where my tooth was appears to be a white/yellow colour and the gum around it is sore and swollen. I think it's got infected although I have been rising with salt water. If it's still bad on Monday morning I'll have to go back but if there are any nurses reading this I'd be grateful for your advice because it's worrying me and getting me down as I've never had this happen before.:weep: Thank you.:hugs:
:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: Bill
Kaz x:hugs:
Keep rinsing Bill, its bound to be sore, any extraction is, I got a dry socket once and boy did I know, ring on monday anyway, to get re assurance and remember if it worsens in between, every hospital has an on call dentist.
Glad your doggy seems to be OK, mine is feeling very sorry for himself, with lots of stitches and shaved bits.He is allowed to feel it, wonder if hes pumping it now thiough as he couldnt get up the 2 steps into the house but as soon as he heard me putting cat food down he jumped up and then looked as if to say, ooooooooooo i cant do thisxxx
milly jones
03-08-08, 22:11
bill its nearly monday morning
hope ur feeling a bit better
take care hun
give yogi a hug from me too
mill xx
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