# Lost my 9 Year Old this Week



## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

Welcome to the forum I am so very sorry that you found us under such sad circumstances. You are among friends, so many of us have lost precious goldens and truly understand what you are going through. Raven looks such a pretty girl, I'm so sorry for your loss.


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## BrianO (Apr 7, 2016)

Sorry for your loss. She was a pretty girl. I am sure she will be missed. Celebrate the memories as well.


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## brianne (Feb 18, 2012)

I'm so terribly sorry to hear about losing your Raven. What a gorgeous girl! 9 is just too young. 

I hope you will stay and visit the Forum as you work through your loss. The folks here are very compassionate and unfortunately all of us have experienced the loss of a beloved Golden.

Please share more photos and tell us about Raven when you feel able to.

Sending good thoughts for comfort.


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## smp (Apr 27, 2016)

Not fair! I hope the sad moments are balanced by loving memories of that beautiful Raven. Rest sweet girl.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

I am so sorry for your loss of beautiful Raven . I know exactly how you feel we lost our almost 9yo a year ago to cancer. He was having difficulty breathing so we did X-rays. The vet referred us to a specialist who said he had metastatic cancer and had 1-2 weeks left . I was completely shocked and lost him 10 days later. 
May your memories of sweet Raven give you some comfort and peace during this very difficult time.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Oh I'm so sorry. Raven's photo is just beautiful. She looks like the quintessential Golden soul. I am afraid you have a lot of company here, people who lost beloved Goldens under similar, if not identical, circumstances; Myself included.

I'm afraid there is no way out of the grieving process except to go through it. And it sounds like Raven was a dog who deserves to be mourned. It isn't going to be easy. I hope you will use this forum as a place to share your feelings with people who understand and when you are ready, maybe you'd like to share more photos and stories about Raven. Sometimes it helps. My heart goes out to you, there is no pain quite like losing the dog who is the center of your life. For me, the pain of losing the individual dog was always compounded by then being a household with no dog. When you're a dog person there is no home quite so empty as a house with no thump of a tail on the floor, no one demanding meals, no chin resting on your leg for attention. I am so sorry for your loss.


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## John Middlebrook (Mar 25, 2017)

Thanks for your kind words. This was literally the exact scenario that we experienced. About a week ago I noticed her respirations (not panting) where increasing. I tolerated for a few days but knew it was a change and not normal. In my heart I was terrified it was cancer but I researched Pneumonia and she had surgery 5 weeks before to deep clean her teeth and remove a skin tag. When I took her on Monday the vet's face after the Xrays told me everything. She had told me after the surgery "Raven has one of the best personalities of any dog I have ever treated". I called her BS but the staff said she rarely said that. 

They put her on antibiotic and a pain med and I waited and watched. Her respirations where 76 per minute her last night. I was up all night worried that she'd stop breathing and got up at 04:30 and called the emergency number to tell them we were coming to put her down. I was able to get her up and she looked "spunky" so I called back, so that I could wait for her normal vet to weigh in. I took her to the vet at 09:30 and the head vet saw us and concurred on her fatal diagnosis. I made the horrible decision to end her suffering then and not watch her go through another day or night of suffering to acth her breath.

I hate the thought of starting over as she as my girl and was as special to me as I must have been to her. We are keeping our heads up and looking for another Golden now. I know it takes some time but I will have a Golden in my life until I take my last breath.


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## Ivyacres (Jun 3, 2011)

That's so sad.


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## Macca (Aug 11, 2011)

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your darling Raven. You have definitely come to the right forum.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your girl. It's never easy, never. Another life cut too short. My deepest condolences.


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## dlmrun2002 (Mar 4, 2011)

Special prayers sent your way. Raven was lucky to have you give her a great life. You did the right thing by not letting her suffer. It's a hard but brave decision on your part. May raven "fly" like all ravens and dance with all the Goldens we know, love and have lost way to early.

Godpseed to Raven.

dlm ny country

footprints on your heart


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## sophieanne (Feb 4, 2014)

I am so sorry for your loss. Raven was a beautiful girl. So many of us feel your pain having gone through similar situations (although no pain is the same). Hoping all your memories will get you through this. I can tell you loved her very much and I guarantee she's at the bridge telling all her new friends about what a wonderful life she had


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## Donna Vaccaro Cirillo (Mar 12, 2017)

Sorry to hear all the sad losses. Our family lost our beautiful 8 year old golden retriever Chase to Cancer on Monday.
It happened so fast and he was so young. Like all of you, he was the center of our household. We all looked forward to the moment we entered the house to see how excited he was to see us and how excited we were to see him. Company loved Chase too...Always greeted everyone with a wagging tail and a toy to play. Everything we do reminds us in some way of 
Chase weather it be eating, sleeping, swimming, vacation, relaxing etc. They truly give unconditional love. Im finding it very hard to do anything without a memory of Chase finding its way into my thoughts. I will miss our long walks, cuddles, playtime and all the happiness he gave to so many people besides us but I will forever be grateful for the time we had and all the beautiful memories we now have thanks to our decision to bring home a beautiful Golden Retriever named Chase....Forever and ever in our hearts.....


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I am so sorry for your loss. I know the awful feeling of emptiness and despair you are experiencing right now. I'm glad you know you will have another in your life. I wasn't sure I could when I lost my heart and soul dog. But it didn't take me long to realize I did need another Golden - and just knowing that helped my heart start to heal. Again, I'm so sorry. She was lovely.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl.


I lost my heart boy at 7.5 years 9 months ago. It sounds very similar to what happened with Raven. His breathing got to the point
where the vet said he was basically suffocating. We had gone to have his lungs drained but ended up having to euthanize him. It was
honestly the worst day of my life. Thank god I had 2 other Goldens at home to keep me going. Regardless, I miss him terribly every day as he took a huge part of my heart with him.


My heart goes out to you at this time.


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## John Middlebrook (Mar 25, 2017)

So sorry to hear of your loss too. Our babies are playing together.

I just got two prints of her to hang, one in the house with her deceased sister, Maggie. And one at our beach house named after her, Raven's Beach House.


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

I'm so very sorry for your loss. We lost our nearly 11-year old golden, Bayleigh, to cancer last August. It's so hard. 

Sending love & prayers. Raven was beautiful!


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

I'm so sorry for the loss of such a lovely girl.
My old girl, Patsy, had one night where she struggled to breathe. The look of terror in her eyes will stay with me the rest of my life, so the next morning we ended her suffering. I applaud you for loving Raven enough to let her go.
Hugs.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Raven*

I can feel how much you loved Raven. I lost my Smooch quickly, too.
Like you I will always have a Golden and when we lost our Smooch, there was a Golden Retriever male on this forum that needed a home, so we adopted Tucker. Tucker is glued to me like Velcro.
I added Raven to the Rainbow Bridge List.
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...177-2017-rainbow-bridge-list.html#post7025401


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## Otis-Agnes (Nov 24, 2015)

Raven is beautiful. Many of us on here have gone through similar experiences. We lost 2 goldens to cancer. My sincerely condolences. Agnes


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl. It always hurts so very bad. We lost 13+ uear old Honey Aug. 13, 2014 to lymphoma, and then just one month and 10 days later, Sept. 23, 2014 we lost our 7 year old Great Pyrenees, Shaggy, to hemangiosarcoma. And that was followed by our loss of golden girl Sophie Oct. 12, 2016 to hemangiosarcoma. It is always so hard and our hearts break. I lost my very first dog in Nov. 1956 and hae lost so very many since. But it seems like our house isn't complete with a dog. We do not have a golden now, only a 9 year old Great Pyrenees who has liver disease (diagnosed 6 weeks ago). We are in our 70's and do not feel it fair to adopted or resuce another dog, but would love to foster, especially a special needs dog. Our first Pyr was blind.

One thing, thank you for not letting your beautiful sweet girl suffer. I know if she could thank you, she would, just as mine would thank me. it is so hard to make that decision, but is the right one. Please read The Awakening which is in this section. It was sent to me when I lost my 8 year old golden girl, KayCee to a gastrointestional stromal tumor 9 years ago. It helped me then and with the loses of each of my beloed dogs since.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

John, your Raven was such a lucky girl to have you as an owner. She's at peace now without any more suffering. I'm so sorry for your loss.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

John, so very sorry to hear of the loss of your beautiful Raven. It is so hard. Cancer SUCKS! The vast majority of us on here know what you are feeling having unfortunately gone through similar experiences. Hemangio took out my 8.5 year old best bud Axl last Labor Day.


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## sterling18 (Oct 31, 2016)

I'm sorry for you loss, my deepest condolences.


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