Hello. Three short weeks ago my husband and our three kids went out for our weekly grocery shopping trip and we spotted a young lady with a 'puppies free to good home' sign. We had been talking for months about how much we wanted a dog and we quickly agreed to stop and see what we would find. Well - we found Moose.

We brought Moose home and fell in love. He loved the kids. He followed us everywhere. He slept on our feet. It's amazing how fast he became an important part of our family.

Last week I noticed he wasn't quite as active as usual - spending longer chunks of the day fast asleep. I thought, honestly, that this was probably just due to the incredibly hot weather we have in the summer (although Moose spends most of his time inside with us - he also enjoys spending some time outside on the covered porch playing with the cat). Friday was his second puppy wellness visit with his vet. I was happy to hear that he was doing well - had doubled his weight - and showed no signs of worms.

Saturday was another lazy day for him -- and all of us. I swear we all slept most of the day away waiting for a tropical storm that never came.

But then it all started yesterday. In the morning he showed no interest in his food.. and he was taking an unusually long time coming to us when we called for him. By the afternoon I noticed he seemed to be breathing heavily and within an hour of this he began making little whimpering sounds under his breath. My husband at this point called the vet to make an appointment for when they open on Monday... but as I sat with him and watched him I realized he didn't have until Monday. We packed everyone up and drove to the only emergency clinic an hour away. Moose was just not moving anymore by the time we got there. They ran tests. Everything was negative. They said his blood wasn't clotting fast enough and he was severely anemic. They said they didn't know what was wrong with him - but he needed blood. Moose spent the night with them and had his blood transfusion. Over night they ran more tests and kept him on his IVs... This morning he was transferred to his regular vet. We picked him up and drove back to town to admit him here. We left him there as they put him on another IV and administered oxygen.

His vet is a wonderful man - and today he was a wonderful man with a really sad look on his face. He told me that Moose was in congestive heart failure. He assured me he would do whatever he could and he would let me know.

He called a few minutes ago to tell me he honestly has nothing to report. Moose is negative for every disease they've checked for. He had his pericardium drained only to find there was no fluid there. His EKG came out normal - so there's no medication that can be given to correct any electrical problem. He said the next step would be a cardio specialist -- but then there is not one locally and he doesn't believe Moose would survive a car ride without oxygen.

So here we are. Three weeks of puppy love. And it's ending this way. The wonderful man with the sad look on his face today -- sounded as if he was waiting for me to let Moose go. I hope he and Moose both forgive me for not having the courage at that moment. My husband tearfully volunteered to make the phone call for us all...

By the time I post this - it will be done.

Thanks for listening.

Hello there

Iam no vet but if I were you I would get another vet to check your moose for a tumor on his spleen. It is called a hermangeosarcoma. Your Mooser is having the same symptoms that my Shandy had. The tumor ruptures and bleeds, it causes laziness, loss of appetite, low red blood cell count. My suggestion would be to go to another vet, if this thing ruptures your dog will die in a heart beat. Please ask another vet. This is a blood cell cancer. My girl was the same way. oneday she was lazy the next ok. Please get another opinion and ask about the possibility of a sarcoma on moosers spleen. Good Luck.

Kerry

Kerry

I have no helpful medical advice to offer, I'm afraid, and I certainly dont know anything about such things, although what Kerry wrote seemed to be very sound advice. I just wanted to say that I am thinking of you and wish you well with the decision you make. If poor little Moose does cross over to the Rianbow Bridge at least you know you gave him abundant love during his time here and if you read the LS site carefully you will know that there would be lots of older furries there ahead of him to take care of him with love and gentleness on the other side.
I hope for a happy outcome, but I am coming to believe that either outcome is happy for our furries: here they are showered with love by us, and on the other side that are happy, well fed, warm and safe and just waiting for us to get there.
Wishing you peace. Do let us know what the outcome is and how you are doing.
B
x

Kerry - thank you very much for the info. I called the vet and alerted him to the possibility of such a tumor. He said he isn't ruling anything out at this point - since he's at a loss and will let me know what he finds. So thank you - I have had nothing to go on at all until your post. I have actually had a gut feeling for about a week that something was wrong with my puppy - and more specifically I started to fear that he had some form of cancer or perhaps a congenital disease... It was subtle. Just that he seemed to be bothered by something. Maybe it was in his eyes. When my father had cancer he had the same way about him. I realize that seems bizarre -- but it's quite true. So your post has really hit home with me.

In the meantime, obviously....

My husband did make that call.. but when he told the vet we were thinking about putting Moose down this afternoon - the vet said he hadn't given up on him yet and to maybe give him the night at least. So we're still praying. He's spending the night with the doctor. One more night.

If we can't figure out what is wrong - or things don't improve by morning though - it's decision time again.

We have two major problems at this point - first he's such a young little puppy and just being this sick -- no matter what the cause -- would be really hard to recover from for him. Second - money. Our resources are dwindling very quickly. We've already reached the end to our savings with the emergency visit and (now) two nights at hospitals... and of course all of the accompanying tests. Perhaps we'd be able to dig deeper if not for the three non-fur babies and the fourth on the way this August. It's just not fair is it? That we end up having to base decisions like this on what we can afford to do? It's just not fair.

Brigid -- thank you for the warm and comforting words and for your understanding. It really does mean a lot and it helps so much to picture my poor little fluffball wrapped in gentleness. Thank you.

Hugs to you both - I will keep you all posted. It's gonna be a sleepless night.

-- pags

I'm so sorry about little Moose, and I do hope the vet has good news this morning.

I can relate to finances influencing your decisions. If I had been financially able, I would have liked to have had more tests done on my kitty Hobbie, but after last summer's chemo with Shiloh, I did for Hobbie what I could afford and in the end it wasn't enough.

I'll keep you and Moose and your family in my thoughts and prayers today.
Kathleen

Hello everyone. My husband got a call from the vet when the office opened this morning: No change. The office then gave us three options: transfer him to a specialist, leave him there at the vet and they'll just keep an eye on him, or have him put to sleep. I'm a little too independent-minded to have not been annoyed that 'take him home and keep him comfortable' was not one of the options. So my husband took off from work and went to the office to tell them he was taking option 4.

Moose is resting in the kitchen on his favorite pillow now. The kitchen counter is loaded with his medication -- yeesh. I've managed to get all the pills down him for the morning (along with a couple teaspoons of peanut butter...) and he actually got up a little while ago to urinate and to drink some water on his own. From what I heard from both vets - that's actually an improvement.

Thank you all for your prayers. I am going to move my Moose story to the Sick Pets forum for now... Just in the interest of keeping up hope if nothing else. Thank you again. -- pags

Please keep us updated on the progress of your little Moose. I am praying for your sweet puppy. I know how special he is to you -they become a part of the family so quickly. Get well, little Moose.

I'm in tears as I type this. . .

I just heard from Pags. Little Moose didn't make it. She's going to try to get on here later today, but I know everyone's been thinking about them so I thought I'd let y'all know.

Tim

I am very saddened to hear about sweet little moose... I was hopeful he would regain his strength and get better... what a short little life, but at least it was one filled with love and he will never be forgotten. He is now at Rainbow Bridge with so many of our furry little loved ones... as soon as I read this I said a little prayer to my Freeway to show Moose around and keep him company. Moose is no longer sick... Moose is happy and free and has no more pain... Run free, sweet little one... Your life was short, but sweet and will never be forgotten.
Pags, my prayers are with you and your family as you endure your most difficult days... We are here for you.

First, I have to thank sweet Tim for breaking the news to everyone when I just didn't have the strength to do it myself. Thank you, Tim. Thank you for extending your hand to me when I'm so in need of it. And Jenn - nothing would please me more than your Freeway giving little Moose the grand tour. Maybe Quorqui can show him some of the ropes too.

Moose was the most precious puppy we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. When we brought him home that first afternoon - he immediately adopted us. And he somehow managed to adopt us all equally -- and each in our own special way. He spent his mornings following me around the kitchen as I cleaned up and even on my crankiest morning I could be cheered up by just peering over my shoulder to find him staring up at me with the most intense puppy eyes. He loved it when I did the laundry and I quickly learned to always save a warm towel from the dryer just for him so he could curl up with it or drag it around the house. He waited for the first sound of the baby in the morning and never failed to beat me to her room. She was his favorite littermate and they spent many afternoons just chasing one another around the house until they passed out together. You all would have laughed to see them when we finally had to separate them for naps -- each with nose and paws pressed to the glass on separate sides of the porch door looking as pitiful as possible... and my baby looking up at me saying "Moosh play?" He never failed to greet any of the kids when they came into the room and was sure to spend equal time sleeping on each of the boys' laps when they played video games... and tried desperately to keep up with them on little puppy legs when they ran in the front yard. And oh how he greeted my husband when he came home from work!! And how he tried with his vicious little puppy barks to protect him from the lawnmower on Saturdays!

For every ounce of love he had - he had an equal share of intelligence too. I admired this sharp little pup to no end. In all the time I spent training beloved German Shepherds with all their noble bloodlines - I never had one who learned sit/stay, down/stay at such a young age as this sweet little 'mutt'. He was careful and observant and so sensitive to our routines and to our moods... I barely had to tell him what to do. OH the dreams I had -- the plans I had -- for Moose.

He had improved some his second night home from the vet... and I was absolutely hyper with optimism. I spent the night and most of the next morning cooking various concoctions to try to tempt him to eat and get his strength up. I didn't want to let him down. We called everyone we knew. We pestered the vets. We scoured the internet for information. We set alarm clocks for medication and feeding times. But then Wednesday evening the vet called me and told me of another couple... who had come into his office that afternoon.. with a little puppy who greatly resembled Moose. He was about the same age.. and from their descriptions it sounded like they may have gotten this puppy from the same litter. He had the same symptoms as Moose. The same xrays. And for all intents and purposes - the same prognosis. I was admittedly dejected after that phone call... Moose was fighting something well beyond him. We still didn't know it was.. but now it was likely he was doomed from the beginning. But Moose wasn't giving up -- so we weren't going to either.

Thursday showed no improvement... and by Thursday night I was desperate. He had still not eaten and it had been five days. Worse still, now when I tried to encourage him to eat he would gag at the smell while trying pitifully to please me by licking at my fingers. As the night went on his breathing worsened - the strain was obvious now. He would not lie down. He completely refused to lie down. I swear it seemed like he knew if he did he would not get up. He was so tired from sitting he had resorted to trying to prop against walls or corners. My husband and I took turns holding his head for him to let him rest a little... and we tried so hard to encourage him to go ahead and lie down. We would hold him and as soon as he'd start to drift off to sleep he would struggle to get down again to resume the fight. I can tell you we spent the night telling him it was okay to go. It was okay. We'd be okay. At 4 am we finally coaxed him into lying down and we fell asleep ourselves -- almost certain that he wouldn't be with us by morning.

But this was Moose we were talking about. When we opened our eyes at 7 am - there he was. Sitting up and rocking in exhaustion. He was drooling by then.. and his head was shaking he was so weak. I could hear him wheezing so I knew the fluid had built up in his lungs.. We knew it was time but we were still struggling... He wanted so much to hang on... But then my husband picked him up and he yelped - the first real sound he'd made in a week... The sound of him in pain sealed it for us. It was time. We had promised him we wouldn't let him suffer. We got to say goodbye. We got to tell him he was a good dog. My husband took him to the vet's office while I stayed with the children and tried to explain to the baby that "Moosh" had to go byebye. My husband got to hold him. He passed away at 9:35 am.

We loved this puppy so much. He gave us so much in three weeks -- it's unfathomable. My husband and I stop to cry together every few minutes... Most people wouldn't understand how he touched us. I miss him terribly. I want to look down and find him at my feet... I want to see him walk by with the baby's teddy bear and have to go exchange it for the chew toy the baby is carrying. I want to look out the glass door next to my desk and see his little soft paws pressed on the glass and that practiced pitiful face saying he's ready to come back in. I want every single minute that I didn't get to spend with him -- I want them back so I can just carry him under my arm and have him close to me.

Thank you all for your support and your prayers and good wishes.

--pags

I'm so sorry pags.. I truly hoped and prayed for a better outcome.. how sad that other puppies from the litter are experiencing the same thing...
I know you only had moose for a short time, but the measure of a persons grief is never based on time, it's instead based on how much love was shared.. and it's obvious moose was greatly loved and loved greatly in return. When you see him again he'll be full of energy just as he was a few weeks ago.. and he'll be ready to let you know that he thanks you for doing all you could - and for letting him go when the time was right.
Thoughts and prayers are with you.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Pags)))))))))))))))))))))))))
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ..... etc and then some.

take all the hugs you need, there are plenty more.

NickyzMommy

Oh Pags,
I am so so sorry and heartbroken for you. I replied to your posts before realizing that Moose, the most bravest puppy that ever was had to cross to Rainbow Bridge so soon. By the sounds of it, you and your family packed a lifetime of experiences and memories in 3 short weeks.
I have a very clear picture of Moose trotting alongside our gentle giant, Mik. Mik just loved puppies and kittens, you see he thought it was his job to defend and protect them, and although I never heard or witnessed any aggressive behaviour from Mik during his long life, rest assured that no one will ever mess with Moose while Mik is there to watch over him. Mind you it sounds like Moose was pretty feisty himself. Hopefully Moose will make Mik feel like a youngster again, and Mik can regale him with many tales of his time with us.
It is so apparent that you and your husband are true animal lovers, this kind of devastating experience should not happen people like you, however I am relieved that Moose spent his too short time on this earth with truly compassionate caregivers who were there for him when it counted.
My husband and I suffer along with you.
Roger and Nicole

It was a week ago today that we brought Moose back home in a last-ditch effort to save him. Last week seems lost in time somehow. All at once I feel like it was so long ago -- and like it's still happening right now. Everyone has been kind enough -- plenty of hugs and sympathy cards to go around... but I still feel this enormous pressure to be 'over it' by now...

I'm having trouble sleeping now. Lots of dreams about Moose. They aren't bad dreams.. it's just that I wake up with a start and realize that he's not here.

Dear Pags,

I'm so sorry that little Moose didn't make it. I was so hopeful when you brought him home that he might pull through...I certainly sent lots of positive thoughts his way.

As Nicole said, it sounds like you gave him a life time of love in his short little life. I was so touched by the story of his last night with you...what a little trooper he was.

You're in my thoughts,
Kathleen

I am so sorry, too. It doesn't seem fair, the short weeks. But you gave him love and his life was better for that.

Please accept my condolences for your loss.

It's amazing how a little one can touch your life so profoundly in a short time. Years ago, we picked up a stray puppy on the side of the road and brought her home. It was a long weekend and I couldn't get a vet to give her a check up (since it didn't seem to be an emergency). I spoke to a vet on the phone who told me to worm her, so I did; the pup passed a huge pile of worms on Saturday night, plus some blood. It was midnight so the next morning, I called the vet and said it was an emergency. The pup died while I was on the phone. I blame myself that I didn't wake someone in the middle of the night to attend to her. Years later, I still break down over this. She was such a sweet little soul. We only knew her a few days but few things have affected me so deeply.

I am sorry about Moose; but how lucky he was to spend his last days with a family that had such a great capacity to love. You did everything you could, and I hope that comforts you.
Jane



Jane