My 13 week old Golden retriever had to be put down yesterday. 2 days ago he was playing around like a normal puppy...then he started breathing funny. I called the vet and had him seen. His heart murmur which the vet thought was normal 10 days ago had gotten much worse. The prognosis did not look good, but we had an ultrasound done the next morning. He had a major heart defect and would not live to be 6 months. There was nothing we could do so i stayed with him while they put him to sleep. My problem is that i feel like I shouldn't be so sad because most people lose pets after having them alot longer, but i loved him and I cant stop feeling sad. I am crushed and i dont know what to do.

Hi Melanie,

I'm so sorry to hear about your little guy. It breaks my heart when the little ones never get a chance to have a long happy life.

Sometimes a new furry touches your heart and slowly works their way in, and others will just reach out and grab your heart all at once. It sounds like your puppy was part of the "all at once" group.

It's not easy, and lots of folks don't understand how hard it is to lose one of these little critters. Be patient, it will get easier, but it's going to take time. Please come here often. Don't be afraid to pour your heart out. The people here really do understand what you're going through. This is a wonderful place and I can't begin tell you how much it's helped me through my grief.

Greif can be really overpowering. It can make it hard to function in our everyday lives. I've said this many times before, but I believe it needs to be emphasized... Don't forget to eat and rest. These are a couple things that grief seems to commonly make us overlook or ignore completely, but they're so important in our recovery and ability to continue to function.

Be good to yourself and come back here as often as you feel the need.

Tim

Tim,

Thank you so much for your post it was so good to hear that its ok for me to be feeling this way. Also I feel very welcome here and I do believe it will help with my loss. I became very attatched to Stewart immediatly and he soo became the light of my life. Although I am devestated I do feel better knowing that there are people who really understand

Thank You so much
Melanie

Melanie,
I am so sorry for your loss. It is perfectly normal to feel intense grief at the death of a puppy or kitten. I lost my kitten, Trudy, 16 years ago to a serious upper respiratory infection. I still think of her. Your grief is particularly intense because your puppy's life was cut short. It will get better.
Love,
Helena

I'm sorry about your puppy. I agree with what QorquisDad said about the "all at once" experience. And puppyhood is such a special time. Puppies aren't supposed to be a brief moment in our lives. hugs

Dear Melanie,

I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet little puppy. You may have only known him a short time, but sometimes a lifetime of love can be experienced in a few weeks...like Tim said, it was one of those "all at once" relationships.

You're in my thoughts,
Kathleen

You are in my thoughts, too. Love and grief are not reliant on time. You loved your puppy, and it hurts now that he is gone. You have to also deal with the loss of the dream of spending many, many happy, healthy years with him. He knew he was loved, and that made his too-short life much better. Yours was better, too, but it doesn't seem like that now that you are grieving. My condolences.

dee dee