Today would have been Bono's 10th birthday. It's marked with a lot of poignancy for me ... For today was my target day for Bono once ...

Bono was 6 when he was diagnosed with Endocardiosis (an unforgiving and terminal form of heart disease, which degrades the valves of the heart) Although he'd had a heart murmur since he was around 3. When I asked his vet how long he would live, she told me "He'll be lucky if he reaches 9-years-old".

After a few days of crying and cuddling Bono, I decided that I was going to help Bono fight this horrible disease, that I was going to bankrupt myself if I had to to pay for the highly expensive but available treatment, which would at best slow down the deterioration of Bono's heart. There is no cure for Endocardiosis.

The average life expectancy of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is 10-years-old. And so, naively, I made a target. I said he was going to live till he was at least 10, to which the vet said, "No; don't set targets. Just enjoy him". But I felt that if I didn't, that would be the same as giving up. I wasn't prepared to do that.

I paid for every treatment available even though financially I was struggling and had to make huge sacrifices. I even postponed my wedding to my fiancé for this treatment, I threatened to resign if my employer didn't increase my wages, we cancelled our holiday abroad.

Bono saw the specialist cardiologist vet at least once every 2 weeks, sometimes weekly, receiving ultrasounds, xrays ...

Many nights when Bono was coughing and feeling unwell, I stayed up all night with him, then dragged myself off to work in the mornings. I had to get up at 4am to give him medication every morning anyway, and then encourage him to have breakfast. He was such a fussy eater, and insisted on being spoon fed. You know when someone loves their dog when they are sitting on the kitchen floor at 4 in the morning every morning, spooning organic dog food into their mouths, and giving them ham if they eat it up like a good boy.

All to no avail, Bono went into Congestive Heart Failure and 6 months later, sitting in an oxygen tank at the vets, his heart gave up at the tender age of 8 years, 6 months, and 23 days ...

There was no chance he would have made it till today. It's possible I may even have euthanised him when the quality of his life went. But he had been keeping fine up until a fortnight before he died ... It all happened very suddenly.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'd like to send a message out there to all those people who mean to purchase a Cavalier King Charles puppy or breed them. Please do not breed them till they are at least 3 years old and are showing no signs of a heart murmur, and please do not buy a puppy from a breeder whose parents are under 3 years old, or who have a heart murmur. If you do, you're only breeding heart disease, the killer which took my boy's life so prematurely.

Happy Birthday, Bono. Miss you. x

What a beautiful story and so humbly told...I want you to know that if I were you, I would have been so proud of myself, your loving care and devotion are truly admirable. I hope that if I had my life to re-live, such hope and devotion would now take over rather than the desperate thoughts that overwhelmed me. What a great character you are. That is something that both you and Bono can feel very proud of.
Happy birthday sweet Bono, who was so well loved.

Your everlasting love for Bono is expressed beautifully. The loving gestures as well as your optimism when he took ill is to be admired. It had to have taken great strength and love that carried you through his illness. Your dedication to Bono and the postings you have made in this forum radiate with the love the two of you shared.

Happy Birthday Bono! No doubt you stole your Mama's heart when you came into her life. You were the most welcome gift she ever received and felt such love and comfort from as well as your companionship.

May you savor in the wonderful memories on this very special day of the happiness and many joys the two of you shared. You are so blessed to have known that kind of love in your lifetime to remember forever.

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful testimony of your love and commitment.

I'm so sorry about your loss. I just said outloud "happy birthday bono!"
It is nice to remember them, even though you lost your baby so tragically, and I'm so sorry.
What you said about bad breeding really hit home. I work for a vet, and the puppy mills are the worst. It breaks my heart to see pets with terminal illnesses that COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED by proper breeding. We also have the people that want to breed their female dog "just once" so the kids can see pups. Big mistake, rarely do they test for genetic problems, and it isn't so great for the kids when the mom dog needs a c-section and puppies die. And the pups aren't healthy because they bred without having a clue what health issues affect their dog. Like the heart issues of the beloved beautiful CKC spaniel!
It is soooo sad. My next dog will be another foster, probably from one of these horrible puppy mills. I think every dog born should be given a chance at life, and although I may cuss and curse the evil breeder who bred for the almighty dollar sign, you can bet I'll love that pet with all my heart KNOWING it will probably die young, but I still want to give them that chance.
I know I'll get a chance to rescue. Some puppies come into our office that the owners don't want to take them home, knowing that financially that just can't handle it, or don't want to deal with a pet with a "Problem".
Some people want perfection, and if their pet isn't perfect they don't want them!
Can you believe people can be so cruel?
Puppy mills and breeders who do it for money never have their breeding stock tested for cardiac issues, or have them screened for hip/elbows etc with the OFA. Or have their eyes cleared for PRA. Or have them screened for thyroid issues, etc. The list goes on and on!
All of these problems are seen in puppy mill dogs, and I see it all the time at my job and it is SO unfair. Yes, there are some lucky owners who buy pet store pups that turn out fine, but let me tell you, when they aren't fine it is heartbreaking and it makes me really really mad, KNOWING with proper breeding many health issues can be avoided, even eliminated in some cases.
I'll get off my soapbox, but this forum is good for venting. Sometimes I feel if I can't vent the top of my head will blow like a pressure cooker!