Grief of losing dog unbearable

[JoanneF]

Sorry to hijack a little but

or two if i can persuade hubby

Have a look into littermate syndrome if you are considering two (even if not from the same actual litter). It is possible to raise well adjusted dogs of the same age but it is a LOT more work. Sorry if you already know about this and I am preaching to the choir but thought it worth mentioning in case you hadn't.

 

[Mayblossom]

Aww he’s just gorgeous , hold onto those happy memories . It was two weeks for us yesterday and we both had a few tears , I know hubby would love another spaniel but we’ll never find another as perfect as Molly , Lily is missing her , not enjoying walks on her own and won’t eat her normal food but it’s early days yet , bless her .

 

[Ttaylor45]

Sorry to hijack a little but


Have a look into littermate syndrome if you are considering two (even if not from the same actual litter). It is possible to raise well adjusted dogs of the same age but it is a LOT more work. Sorry if you already know about this and I am preaching to the choir but thought it worth mentioning in case you hadn't.

Don’t worry I intend getting one first and then leaving at least a year before getting another as I had 20 months between Rusty and Pepe. I would dearly love two but hubby thinks at the moment to just have one this time. The trouble is Pepe had a lot of health problems in his last two years and was forever at the vets and also specialist vets so I think my husband is worried it could happen again. I can’t help but worry that if we had stuck with the lepto 2 jab and not had the lepto 4 whether he would have been ok.

 

[Murphy11]

Aww he’s just gorgeous , hold onto those happy memories . It was two weeks for us yesterday and we both had a few tears , I know hubby would love another spaniel but we’ll never find another as perfect as Molly , Lily is missing her , not enjoying walks on her own and won’t eat her normal food but it’s early days yet , bless her .

Oh poor Lily, I feel so sad for you all and hope it gets easier as time goes on. X x

 

[Murphy11]

Don’t worry I intend getting one first and then leaving at least a year before getting another as I had 20 months between Rusty and Pepe. I would dearly love two but hubby thinks at the moment to just have one this time. The trouble is Pepe had a lot of health problems in his last two years and was forever at the vets and also specialist vets so I think my husband is worried it could happen again. I can’t help but worry that if we had stuck with the lepto 2 jab and not had the lepto 4 whether he would have been ok.

I was trying to pinpoint where Murohy got worse and I did think it was after his last yearly injection in 2017 where the locum vet gave him the new vaccine without asking me then apologises after. What is your experience of the lepto injections?

 

[Murphy11]

I was trying to pinpoint where Murohy got worse and I did think it was after his last yearly injection in 2017 where the locum vet gave him the new vaccine without asking me then apologises after. What is your experience of the lepto injections?

Just checked his records and he was given lepto 4 june 2017. I remember being mad at the time as vet had given him the new one without asking. Murphy was diagnosed with severe anemia in Oct 2017 after few months of eating soil

 

[Ttaylor45]

Just checked his records and he was given lepto 4 june 2017. I remember being mad at the time as vet had given him the new one without asking. Murphy was diagnosed with severe anemia in Oct 2017 after few months of eating soil

That’s very interesting Pepe had his lepto 4 jab in September 2016 and the following month he had problems with his white blood cells which was treated with antibiotics for a few weeks then in January 2017 he was diagnosed like Murphy with severe anaemia his blood count was down to 7 and he was prescribed steroids which he was on for 10 months and also saw a specialist internal medicine vet who did various tests including an ultrasound but apart from suspecting IMHA which she was convinced he had came up with no other reason. He was then diagnosed in January 2018 with kidney disease when I was referred to a specialist eye vet in Havant as he had developed cataracts and glaucoma. I think the long term use of steroids contributed to the kidney problems. Strangely though Rusty had the lepto 4 jab before Pepe in January 2016 followed by lepto 4 jabs in January 2017 and 2018 but didn’t suffer anaemia like Pepe. Pepe only had the jab in 2016 because the vets wouldn’t give him any annual boosters after that as they said he wasn’t well enough. I think when I get my new puppy I will discuss my concerns with the vet and suggest he has lepto 2 instead of lepto 4.

 

[Murphy11]

That’s very interesting Pepe had his lepto 4 jab in September 2016 and the following month he had problems with his white blood cells which was treated with antibiotics for a few weeks then in January 2017 he was diagnosed like Murphy with severe anaemia his blood count was down to 7 and he was prescribed steroids which he was on for 10 months and also saw a specialist internal medicine vet who did various tests including an ultrasound but apart from suspecting IMHA which she was convinced he had came up with no other reason. He was then diagnosed in January 2018 with kidney disease when I was referred to a specialist eye vet in Havant as he had developed cataracts and glaucoma. I think the long term use of steroids contributed to the kidney problems. Strangely though Rusty had the lepto 4 jab before Pepe in January 2016 followed by lepto 4 jabs in January 2017 and 2018 but didn’t suffer anaemia like Pepe. Pepe only had the jab in 2016 because the vets wouldn’t give him any annual boosters after that as they said he wasn’t well enough. I think when I get my new puppy I will discuss my concerns with the vet and suggest he has lepto 2 instead of lepto 4.

My vets also stopped annuals and boosters after June 2017 as Murphy was too poorly. I've been doing some reading and says dogs who might have immune reaction because of vaccine would be predisposed and prob go on to develop problems re immune system by another trigger. Murphy was on steroids for 20 months! When we tried to reduce and stop he became very ill. Put him on atopica but still didnt respond well. Red blood count 7 did you mean? Murphy went to 11 at lowest and vets said lower than 10 and he would die.

 

[Ttaylor45]

My vets also stopped annuals and boosters after June 2017 as Murphy was too poorly. I've been doing some reading and says dogs who might have immune reaction because of vaccine would be predisposed and prob go on to develop problems re immune system by another trigger. Murphy was on steroids for 20 months! When we tried to reduce and stop he became very ill. Put him on atopica but still didnt respond well. Red blood count 7 did you mean? Murphy went to 11 at lowest and vets said lower than 10 and he would die.

Yes his red blood count was 7 and he was on the steroids for 10 months, when the vet got the results they called me to ask me to take him straight to the surgery for a steroid injection immediately followed by tablets so he was obviously very ill.

 

[Murphy11]

Yes his red blood count was 7 and he was on the steroids for 10 months, when the vet got the results they called me to ask me to take him straight to the surgery for a steroid injection immediately followed by tablets so he was obviously very ill.

Murphy had 3 blood transfusions as they said he would die without them. I guess we will never really know what caused things and I think I'm realising now that the past 20 months has been very traumatic for all of us.

I think its great you're going to have the joy of more dogs in the future I feel sad that I will not be a dog owner again despite my love for dogs. I think nursing a sick dog and bringing up two very young children and all the financial stress at the same time has taken its toll. I think the experience of insurance, drug companies and vets has been too negative in my own experience and I couldn't go through it again. X

 

[Ttaylor45]

Murphy had 3 blood transfusions as they said he would die without them. I guess we will never really know what caused things and I think I'm realising now that the past 20 months has been very traumatic for all of us.

I think its great you're going to have the joy of more dogs in the future I feel sad that I will not be a dog owner again despite my love for dogs. I think nursing a sick dog and bringing up two very young children and all the financial stress at the same time has taken its toll. I think the experience of insurance, drug companies and vets has been too negative in my own experience and I couldn't go through it again. X

I felt the same as you just after I lost Pepe but as time has gone on I find the house is so empty without a dog. My 3 sons are all grown up and I have grandchildren that I look after 2 days a week. I have been in touch as I have already said with Rusty and Pepe’s breeder because it somehow gives me comfort to think that the new puppy will be related in some way to my last two.

 

[Murphy11]

I felt the same as you just after I lost Pepe but as time has gone on I find the house is so empty without a dog. My 3 sons are all grown up and I have grandchildren that I look after 2 days a week. I have been in touch as I have already said with Rusty and Pepe’s breeder because it somehow gives me comfort to think that the new puppy will be related in some way to my last two.

Rusty and Pepe were very lucky doggies. I'm glad to hear how much they were loved. X x

 

[Ttaylor45]

Rusty and Pepe were very lucky doggies. I'm glad to hear how much they were loved. X x

Thank you they were indeed well loved and spoilt as i’m Sure Murphy was.

 

[Murphy11]

That’s very interesting Pepe had his lepto 4 jab in September 2016 and the following month he had problems with his white blood cells which was treated with antibiotics for a few weeks then in January 2017 he was diagnosed like Murphy with severe anaemia his blood count was down to 7 and he was prescribed steroids which he was on for 10 months and also saw a specialist internal medicine vet who did various tests including an ultrasound but apart from suspecting IMHA which she was convinced he had came up with no other reason. He was then diagnosed in January 2018 with kidney disease when I was referred to a specialist eye vet in Havant as he had developed cataracts and glaucoma. I think the long term use of steroids contributed to the kidney problems. Strangely though Rusty had the lepto 4 jab before Pepe in January 2016 followed by lepto 4 jabs in January 2017 and 2018 but didn’t suffer anaemia like Pepe. Pepe only had the jab in 2016 because the vets wouldn’t give him any annual boosters after that as they said he wasn’t well enough. I think when I get my new puppy I will discuss my concerns with the vet and suggest he has lepto 2 instead of lepto 4.

I felt I wanted to report any possible associations to lepto 4 and so did via the link below. It may or may not be related but felt I needed to voice my concerns as I always had a niggling feeling that things went suddenly downhill after that vet visit when the locum gave the lepto 4 instead of his usual lepto 2 without telling me except that afterwards I'd need to come back for a booster.

Report a suspected problem with an animal medicine or microchip

 

[Ttaylor45]

I felt I wanted to report any possible associations to lepto 4 and so did via the link below. It may or may not be related but felt I needed to voice my concerns as I always had a niggling feeling that things went suddenly downhill after that vet visit when the locum gave the lepto 4 instead of his usual lepto 2 without telling me except that afterwards I'd need to come back for a booster.

Report a suspected problem with an animal medicine or microchip

Well done for doing that where did you find all the information they ask for was it off the sticker on his vaccination card? I will definitely ask about the lepto 2 jab instead when I get my new pup the problem will be if my vets only stock lepto 4 as I am not sure whether I could go to another vet just for the vaccinations as I really want to use the same vets I had before as they were so good. I had a look at the form and the only thing that worried me was they ask for the name of the vet and I don’t want to get them involved because they did say that they would be using the lepto 4 jab at the time so I did know but went along with it because that was what the government had recommended to the vets to use.

 

[Murphy11]

Well done for doing that where did you find all the information they ask for was it off the sticker on his vaccination card? I will definitely ask about the lepto 2 jab instead when I get my new pup the problem will be if my vets only stock lepto 4 as I am not sure whether I could go to another vet just for the vaccinations as I really want to use the same vets I had before as they were so good. I had a look at the form and the only thing that worried me was they ask for the name of the vet and I don’t want to get them involved because they did say that they would be using the lepto 4 jab at the time so I did know but went along with it because that was what the government had recommended to the vets to use.

I have a vaccination card for him with some details on. I didnt write down my vets details as it wasnt one of the boxes you had to fill in to submit. I feel similar that I do not want to start a big thing over what happened as there is no proof and emotionally, although I'm angry, I think health wise I have to let it go as I'll never really know. But I wanted to do something as research says there is body of evidence growing that lepto 4 not needed and if this is true and they are interested in more data from me about Murphy then they now have my details to contact me.......if that makes sense.

 

[Ttaylor45]

I have a vaccination card for him with some details on. I didnt write down my vets details as it wasnt one of the boxes you had to fill in to submit. I feel similar that I do not want to start a big thing over what happened as there is no proof and emotionally, although I'm angry, I think health wise I have to let it go as I'll never really know. But I wanted to do something as research says there is body of evidence growing that lepto 4 not needed and if this is true and they are interested in more data from me about Murphy then they now have my details to contact me.......if that makes sense.

Thanks for advising me I think I might fill in the form too as I think this needs looking into.

 

[Ttaylor45]

I have a vaccination card for him with some details on. I didnt write down my vets details as it wasnt one of the boxes you had to fill in to submit. I feel similar that I do not want to start a big thing over what happened as there is no proof and emotionally, although I'm angry, I think health wise I have to let it go as I'll never really know. But I wanted to do something as research says there is body of evidence growing that lepto 4 not needed and if this is true and they are interested in more data from me about Murphy then they now have my details to contact me.......if that makes sense.

I have also filled in the form but have excluded the vets details
as well. I am in a quandary about what to do about the new pups injections so I have emailed the breeder to see if she can offer any advice. Thank you for putting the link up for the form, I will let you know if I hear anything further from them.

 

[Murphy11]

I have also filled in the form but have excluded the vets details
as well. I am in a quandary about what to do about the new pups injections so I have emailed the breeder to see if she can offer any advice. Thank you for putting the link up for the form, I will let you know if I hear anything further from them.

That's great....I got this in an email.....you will prob get one too. Good to give info and do something feels better. I think you could just do research re new pups and then go with informed decision. Even if it did trigger Murphy's illness, it prob was rare.......as you said Rusty was ok. I'm feeling like I'd be against vaccines, insurance and feed raw food diet if I had my time again with Murphy. If you're getting insurance though check it would be valid if you chose not to get the updated version........insurance will try anything to get out of paying!

Here is the email bit............

Reports of suspected adverse reactions are monitored so that any trends which suggest that action is required can be identified. Your report will be a useful addition to our database and, following assessment of the details, you may receive a request for further information

 

[Ttaylor45]

That's great....I got this in an email.....you will prob get one too. Good to give info and do something feels better. I think you could just do research re new pups and then go with informed decision. Even if it did trigger Murphy's illness, it prob was rare.......as you said Rusty was ok. I'm feeling like I'd be against vaccines, insurance and feed raw food diet if I had my time again with Murphy. If you're getting insurance though check it would be valid if you chose not to get the updated version........insurance will try anything to get out of paying!

Here is the email bit............

Reports of suspected adverse reactions are monitored so that any trends which suggest that action is required can be identified. Your report will be a useful addition to our database and, following assessment of the details, you may receive a request for further information

I must admit we didn’t have pet insurance for Rusty and Pepe as we paid ourselves when the need arouse so not sure whether we will get insurance next time, because I think although we spent an awful lot on vet bills the last coupe of years I think we would have spent more on insurance over the years.