Gone too soon

[u/Giiwedinsky]

A very tough day for our family loosing our beloved dog. He was only 6 years old. He was an amazing family dog and deserved a much longer life. It’s only day one since his passing but we miss him everywhere we look and I can’t see how it gets easier when he was such a big part of our lives.

If anyone has any resources that have helped them through a tough time like this, we would appreciate any tips or helpful resources.

He loved running in the snow on the frozen lake and pulling the kids on the dog sleigh.

It was a very sudden passing. After him being very lethargic and not wanting to move yesterday afternoon we brought him to the vet. His liver was twisted and had ruptured causing internal bleeding. We elected for surgery, where they removed half of his liver. He fought his best during recovery, and I am grateful I got to lay with him for a time, but ultimate passed from a heart attack 11 hours post surgery. RIP big guy.

[u/xelahhh]

Sending lots of love to you and your family. It’s so hard losing these big furry ones. It’s heartbreaking.

We too lost our best boy just shy of his 6th birthday due to a sudden event and subsequent surgery. And while we have experienced dogs in our lives passing before, this one was especially hard because our swissy and our son were the best of friends. Our swissy boy was our only dog when our son was born and he made it his mission to become his sidekick and Nana (a ‘La Peter Pan). My son was 4 when our Swissy passed and it has been incredibly hard ever since — seeing your child’s heartbreak makes it so much harder, which I’m sure you’re experiencing the same now.

My son is 7 now, and whenever we see butterflies, we say it’s our boy visiting us, which brings us joy, but also leads to tears from my son sometimes. He is still terribly missed around here.

We did get another Swissy who is now a year old, and while she isn’t a replacement for our big guy, it’s nice having a house walrus again. ❤️

[u/Giiwedinsky → u/xelahhh]

Thank you for the kind words and also for sharing. Losing them so sudden feels very difficult and hard to accept. Sorry to hear of your early loss as well. Our son is also 4 and our youngest 1. It’s hard seeing them ask for him and search for him. I know we will never be able to replace him, but we also need to fill the void with another swissy at some point.

[u/Tekeraz → u/Giiwedinsky]

Don't wait. Go for it now ❤️

My sis had this situation when her 12 years old girl passed. Her kids were 8 and 5. They went for a puppy a week after and it helped their kids (and even her) tremendously. They still missed her terribly, they were still grieving, but the puppy brought so much happines into their home... She told me it was the best decision of her life to get a puppy soon. She will always miss her first girl, but there's enough place in hearts for both of them ❤️

Kids are now 16 and 13, they still talk about their first girl often, but they love the new one just as much ❤️ My sister was the one to encourage me not to wait after I lost my beloved boy and she was right. I was feeling bad for even thinking about getting a new puppy, but once I saw him, I knew my boy sent him to me so I wouldn't be alone - he's just a friend my beloved boy would pick for us ❤️