Thursday, September 29, 2011

Saying goodbye to a furry loved one

Hi Everyone!  I'm back. Dave and Keaton keep asking if I've been blogging and I said I haven't been.  The reason?  I Just haven't wanted to post about our dog Cleo and I knew that would be the first thing I'd have to do.

Our dog Cleo was put down to sleep last month.  She was only 8 yrs old.  She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma(bone cancer) only a month before and it was very aggressive.  It was so hard to see her go and I don't ever want to make the decision to put a dog down again.   She picked us, our son, when she was a puppy and that made her even more special to us.  She was such a joy and brought so much happiness to our home and to those who came over to visit.  Cleo was so vocal, looking out of Keaton's bedroom window barking at passer by's or animals, greeting Dave when he would get home from work or whining because she wanted us to pet her.   All of those things we now miss.  Even until the end she still had a wag in her tail.   We will miss her each and every day.  We are lucky to have Ace dog during this time of change in our family, but his personality is just so different than Cleo's.

                                                       She'll always be our (Queen) Cleopatra.

                                             R.I.P.  Cleopatra Teabag Blues  5/1/03-8/31/11

When I first found out about her cancer the first thing I thought of was...What did I do wrong?  Then I started doing research on canine cancer. I was also finally able to track down the couple who own Cleo's dad, they also kept one of her siblings.  They told me that Cleo's mother died from cancer 3 years ago which would put her at about 8/9years old.  The pup they kept and another sibling has tumors starting to grow but they are not cancerous.  Another sibling has hind leg issues.  The rest so far are healthy like the father who is still alive at age 13.  So it seems that the  mother passed on some unhealthy genes but like humans I do believe in diet and disease.

I then started researching more about dog food.  I already try to feed them the best kibble but even at that I'm always on the lookout for something better. .  What I have found out is that the more fresh a dog's food is the healthier it is for them.  Like us humans, eating cereal and processed foods only....we are not going to be the healthiest.  When we eat fresh foods that's when our health is optimal.  Dogs are the same.  The first dry dog treat was invented in the 1800's than after WWII dry kibble became popular because it was less expensive.   Feeding our animals human grade food or fresh food rather than a kibble just makes more sense but it does come with a price tag.  My goal is to slowly add more fresh food into the diet of Ace than hopefully completely change over.  I'll let you know of a couple of good pet food companies I've found in my research next post.

Until then...which I promise will be sooner than later.

13 comments:

  1. Your post is making me cry :'( RIP Cleo

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  2. I'm so sorry. There's nothing else I can say. Cleo was loved and she knew it.

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  3. so so so sorry for your loss. i lost my pup last year and it was very hard. it's so hard to make the choice to end their life, but we are in a way lucky we can spare them some agony of suffering that even humans in this country have to endure when dying "naturally".

    you can't blame yourself for the food. try to supplement the best you can with other foods. my almost 12 year old dog is in great health and loves veggies raw but also eats regular kibble. i figure the veggies help out a lot.

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  4. So sad! <3

    It really does depend on the genes. Yes, diet can help, but if it is obvious the mother and some siblings had tumor/cancer issues, it's very clear that your dog's diet wasn't the catalyst or cause of her death. Don't beat yourself up over that!

    All of our dogs have been mutts and ate generic kibble from the supermarket. None died any younger than 12 years of age, but their parents were healthy as well. When it comes to this kind of thing, genetics plays a huge role.

    Again, don't beat yourself up over this! Cleo knew she was loved!

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  5. To all-Thank you for your kind words. I know that many of you have had to go thru a loss of a family pet. I've dealt with the guilt and have moved on. I just know that there are better diets than kibble or like bitt said...adding fresh veggies and food to the kibble helps out alot.

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  6. i'm so sorry, JoLynn. Cleo sounded like one amazing lady who won everyones heart. perhaps she's met up Jasmine and they're telling each other about their families and all the adventures they've had. :) it isn't easy having to make the decision you did, but you made the right one and i know Cleo had put her faith in you to look out for her best interest and her quality of life.

    about a year ago i look into more raw/whole foods for julie, but at the time we couldn't afford it. right now she eats an organic chicken and rice dry food (no corn, wheat, soy, etc.), but i'm thinking we need to move her towards a more nourishing diet. i'm most interested in what you find and i'll keep you posted on what i find in my research as well.

    take care, JoLynn - i'm sending you and your family many, many hugs.

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  7. I'm so terribly sorry... It hurts to read this, because I try not to think about death as a possibility at all, as my own beloved companion grows older. It's an important message to take away though- Not only to value the time together, but to prolong it by going the extra mile, considering quality food, etc... I'm grateful that you posted when you were ready. I would definitely be interested in hearing more about your findings.

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  8. So sorry to hear about Cleo. She'll live on in our hearts. Sending you and your family lots of hugs.

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  9. I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like Cleo had a lovely life with her loving family xox

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  10. I glad you're back to blogging. Miss you my friend.

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  11. So so sorry. I an't imagine how you must feel. Cleo was dearly loved and looked after, so be sure not to beat yourself up, no matter what you've learned, you done your best, and it's great that you can tkae what you've discovered and use it with your other animal family members. You've certainly made me think about processed dog food and I'm going to be looking at what I can do for my pups, so thank you.

    x

    x

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  12. I'm so sorry for your loss.....it so hard to lose a pet that is such an integral part of the family. I lost my dog of 16 years 3 years ago and it still hurts. It is so nice to see how loved Queen Cleo was and still is.

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