# How did this happen??



## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Sadly plenty of dogs (of all breeds) and their people go through this in much the same fashion.
My heart hurts for you and your family...
Please stick around and share pics and stories of Goliath....

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...109422-excellent-article-hemangiosarcoma.html


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## MikeS (Jan 9, 2012)

There are no answers to the question "How" but there are studies being done.
We do feel the pain you and your family have as alot of us have been through the same. The support you'll receive from this Forum is great. We do understand.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and you family.

Mike


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You didn't do anything wrong, nothing you did caused this, nothing you didn't do would have changed the outcome. The vets unfortunately see this crisis enough to know, as the er vet said, probably an internal tumor ruptured. And that is not something you could have known was there.

I am so, so sorry for this sudden and devastating loss.


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## AlanK (Jun 28, 2008)

So many here have felt this sadness. I am so sorry for your loss and pain. 

You made the best decision and it is impossible to know whats wrong with such a quick onset of symptoms. 

Please share a few photo's of Goliath with us.
Al


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I am so sorry. I think it sounds like your Goliath had hemangiosarcoma, which affects 20% of Goldens. It's terminal but with surgery (splenectomy), they can survive some time, though there are no guarantees. It's heartbreaking. We've dealt with hemangio twice--one the surgeon called us from the operating table suggesting it was too far advanced and we should not wake him up. We were devastated and shocked, like you. The second time our boy went through a splenectomy and chemo and we bought another 3 1/2 months with him, time for us to prepare to say goodbye as best we could. It's not easy. I'd suggest that you read the article mentioned in Liberty ME's post below to explain this horrific cancer. I sent a copy to my Golden's regular vet so she could have it on hand to hand to other dog owners (especially Golden owners) since it is so informative about this disease and helps us understand it a little better. I also hand delivered a copy of it today to his acupuncture vet during his acupuncture session. This vet helped us with our second Golden. She mentioned, as I already knew, that veterinarians refer to Goldens (and Boxers) as tumor factories, but other breeds also are prone to hemangiosarcoma. 

HUGS to you as you process this horrible event and grieve Goliath. I hope you will post some photos of him and make a memorial tribute to him in the Rainbow Bridge section, when you feel up to it. 




LibertyME said:


> Sadly plenty of dogs (of all breeds) and their people go through this in much the same fashion.
> My heart hurts for you and your family...
> Please stick around and share pics and stories of Goliath....
> 
> http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...109422-excellent-article-hemangiosarcoma.html


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

" _I just wish we knew, has he been suffering, did we mistake symptoms, was there something we did wrong???_ "

You didn't do anything wrong and when it became necessary you gave Goliath the greatest gift you could. You let him go in peace even though I know your heart screamed no. It's the best we can do. and you took him to the vet as soon as you realized something was wrong.

I've lost my last two goldens to cancer and it was very, very fast even though I had some notice both times. My golden before Copper even had the seizure type episodes right at the end too.


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## Sosoprano (Apr 27, 2011)

What a heartbreak! I’m so very sorry for your loss. 
And please don’t blame yourself. You did notice that he seemed to be “off”--behaving the way he usually did when he was getting a hot spot--so I’d be surprised if there were other symptoms that you missed. It’s just one of those awful, awful things that sometimes happen. My thoughts are with you.


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## HolDaisy (Jan 10, 2012)

So sorry to hear about your beautiful Golden Goliath. It's so very sad to lose a best friend like that and understand yours and your family's pain as it happened so suddenly. 

We lost our girl Daisy aged 3 a month ago to renal failure, so know how heartbroken you must all be feeling right now. The signs with our girl were extremely subtle, and after reading other people's stories of other illnesses it seems that when they do show signs, it's often too late.

The people on this forum have supported us so much, they're all so kind and will do the same for you.


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

I am so so sorry for your loss! My heart is aching  I had a similar experience, as so many of us here have, but I'm sure your fluffy love is running and jumping on the Bridge with so many of ours... Wagging their tails and waiting for us to join them... I, too, would love to see pics of your Goliath when you feel up to it... This forum has a vast wealth of knowledge and support... We're all here for you and would love to hear stories about Goliath.... 

Megan


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

I am so so sorry, you couldnt have known, it sounds as if it was very aggressive and reached its point of 'hit' suddenly. Please give your other dogs a special hug from me to, they will be feeling confused and please accept my heartfelt wishes for you all x


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I lost my 9 year old german shepherd the same way.

He collapsed on me twice in the middle of the night. I called the vet as soon as they opened, and when they asked me to check his gums, and I saw that they were white I knew it was not good.

The told me it was probably a tumor, most likely in the spleen area, that had ruptured or broken off.

I too tried to remember the days before, if he was acting odd or anything. Maybe a few things that stick out, like him not greeting me at the door the day before, but other than that he seemed healthy.

So sorry for your loss - Goliath is a special name to me, it was the name of my Great Pyrenees who was my heart dog, who is now at the bridge too.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

I'm so sorry for your loss. My heart is breaking for you. I wish I could say something more profound but like the others said, there was nothing you could do for Goliath...you did what was best for him at the time.

RIP Goliath.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

We lost our golden girl Sophie to a ruptured hemangio with no prior signs. I am so sorry. It is a horrible thing to go through. It is good that you were there with Goliath to say goodbye. So many here understand.


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

When we bring home our puppies we have dreams for them to grow up with us, teach even our kids how to walk and care for others. Long walks to enjoy, plenty of happy moments, rolling in the snow, visits to the lakes. Unfortunately for so many these dreams are cut short unexpectedly. You can read about very young dogs being playful and happy and then leaving within couple hours. I do not know how does this happen, but it happens too often. As someone whose dog was sick for couple months I still have all your questions unanswered. But I know if my love, my care and money could save him, my Buddy would be still with me. It was not you, or me it was just their time to leave us. There are many of us here who understand how hard these moments are for you and your family.

I am sorry for your loss of Goliath.

Rest in peace sweet boy.


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## PrincessDi (Jun 8, 2009)

I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear boy so suddenly. I'm sure that you're in shock over this tragic loss. I hope that in reading some of the forum member's experiences, it will help you realize that it was not your fault. We had a bit more notice in our Di's case, but had to send her to the bridge as well. It is just so hard when they are healthy and full of life and then gone.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

I am so sorry for your loss. Please don't feel that you are to blame. Cancer sometimes just slips in and catches us off guard. My heart goes out to you and your family...


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## Kwilson400 (Feb 6, 2012)

I can't thank everyone enough! I was so surprised to see so many thoughtful replies. I shared them with my husband as well, he is struggling badley with the loss of Goliath. Goliath was an amazing boy. He was the last to be born from the litter and was the only puppy who had to be taken by c-section, the vet called him a Goliath and when we saw him the name was very fitting for him. He was so kind, gentle, and loving. He would sit still and let us hug him and never would he move away, you could hug him forever and he just stayed right there. I felt guilty keeping him as our family member because he really could have been a wonderful special needs dog. When my grandmother was recovering from a broken hip at a facility I brought Goliath with me to visit her on a couple occasions. His response to the other elderly patients there was remarkable. He had such a connection with humans. The only thing today that brings me some peace in all this heartache is that I know Goliath felt our love for him. He was not just a yard dog, he was a love bug that wanted and needed our attention and affection all day long and he would follow you around the house including the bathroom (lol) just to be close to you. This day has been so wired not seeing his face, feeling his warmth, hearing his burps (lol) and his old man noises he made when he laid down, and yes even his farts!!! Lol, they were loud rippers...at least we could hear the warning so we could cover our noses..lol. I will share photos and more stories soon, right now it's just to hard to look at a picture of him. Again thank you for your support, it means a lot..


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## 215004 (Apr 21, 2021)

KWilson, for starters my prayers go out to you and your family! Secondly, do NOT blame yourself or family! I went through the exact thing minus the seizures on my 8 year old “ Hunter” on April 1st. Ultra sound showed a mass coming off his spleen which had started bleeding into his abdomen. He needed a transfusion, as well as surgery and then chemo and the vet advised even if all that was done he would only have 3-6 months at the most. Like you we did the Humane thing. I can still remember lying my head on his, tears running down my face telling him how much I loved him as he continually gave me his “ Happy Tail “ looking at me with his beautiful brown eyes. After the first injection, his eyes slowly closed as well as his tail stopping, then she gave him the second injection and told me he was gone. Your Goliath will never be Gone! He will live in your heart and memories forever! Try to think of the good memories he gave you! I’m sure there are numerous! .....David


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