Mom of Tucker
New member
- Jun 22, 2015
- 456
- 10
- Country
- United States
- Bulldog(s) Names
- Sophie (2015), Jasper (2020), Tucker (2015-2020)
A week ago yesterday, I lost my baby, Shiner. He was only 4 months old, but had brought so much love into my life as well as others. He was born February 8 of this year, and I got the pleasure of bringing him into my life on April 29. I had to make the gut-wrenching decision to put him down on June 14.
I had never really known a Bulldog prior to getting Shiner, so I really did not know exactly what to expect. I noticed within a couple of days, maybe sooner, that he had a cough, especially at night. It just so happens that I bought him from a vet's wife, so I took Shiner to the vet to have him checked out. His words to me will haunt me forever, now in hindsight. The vet told me, "oh, I think this is the one that fell into the pond the day that you got him." The vet put him on amoxicillan, and I thought Shiner was improving. However, the cough started again, and I was told to give him children's Benadryl. Long story short, the vet checked him out again, even his heart (because a litter-mate had a heart murmur) and basically said that he really couldn't hear Shiner's lungs because of how loud his breathing was. I began to read up more about Bulldogs, and I just knew this was not right. I took Shiner back to the same vet's office, but he was not there, so a different vet checked him out and put him on clindymiacin. He continued with the cough though. At that point, I decided to take Shiner to a completely different veterinarian, thinking that the one I had been going to was not wanting to admit that his wife sold me a sick dog. (I NEVER thought of giving him back, because we bonded immediately. I just wanted him well!)
The new vet checked Shiner out and gave me some cough medicine for him, as he checked his temp, and it was normal. The new vet also gave Shiner his final booster shots. That night is when Shiner slowly began his downhill slide. I stayed home from work the next 3 days, taking Shiner back to the new vet, who finally took an x-ray and referred us to a specialty hospital. I was told that he might need surgery to trim his soft palette. However, when we got there, the new x-ray showed pneumonia. Shiner was admitted to their ICU where he was tried on two different antibiotics, one being the strongest they had. It never put a dent in the infection, so the clinic recommended surgery to remove the infected portion of the lung. That happened on a Thursday, and by Sunday, Shiner's lungs were full of fluid and he was unresponsive. The vet at the clinic was very kind and let us say our goodbyes, but my baby had given up his fight. It hurts so badly to think that if more aggressive measures were taken in the beginning, I would still have my Shiner.
There are more details to the story, but it is really too heartbreaking to think about them. I just wanted to write this to help with my grieving of my Shiner. I miss him and so wish he could have gotten well.
One thing I am grateful for is that I have a new baby boy, Tucker, who was born on February 10. I couldn't wait to fill the void that Shiner left behind. Shiner and Tucker would have been very fond of each other.
I had never really known a Bulldog prior to getting Shiner, so I really did not know exactly what to expect. I noticed within a couple of days, maybe sooner, that he had a cough, especially at night. It just so happens that I bought him from a vet's wife, so I took Shiner to the vet to have him checked out. His words to me will haunt me forever, now in hindsight. The vet told me, "oh, I think this is the one that fell into the pond the day that you got him." The vet put him on amoxicillan, and I thought Shiner was improving. However, the cough started again, and I was told to give him children's Benadryl. Long story short, the vet checked him out again, even his heart (because a litter-mate had a heart murmur) and basically said that he really couldn't hear Shiner's lungs because of how loud his breathing was. I began to read up more about Bulldogs, and I just knew this was not right. I took Shiner back to the same vet's office, but he was not there, so a different vet checked him out and put him on clindymiacin. He continued with the cough though. At that point, I decided to take Shiner to a completely different veterinarian, thinking that the one I had been going to was not wanting to admit that his wife sold me a sick dog. (I NEVER thought of giving him back, because we bonded immediately. I just wanted him well!)
The new vet checked Shiner out and gave me some cough medicine for him, as he checked his temp, and it was normal. The new vet also gave Shiner his final booster shots. That night is when Shiner slowly began his downhill slide. I stayed home from work the next 3 days, taking Shiner back to the new vet, who finally took an x-ray and referred us to a specialty hospital. I was told that he might need surgery to trim his soft palette. However, when we got there, the new x-ray showed pneumonia. Shiner was admitted to their ICU where he was tried on two different antibiotics, one being the strongest they had. It never put a dent in the infection, so the clinic recommended surgery to remove the infected portion of the lung. That happened on a Thursday, and by Sunday, Shiner's lungs were full of fluid and he was unresponsive. The vet at the clinic was very kind and let us say our goodbyes, but my baby had given up his fight. It hurts so badly to think that if more aggressive measures were taken in the beginning, I would still have my Shiner.
There are more details to the story, but it is really too heartbreaking to think about them. I just wanted to write this to help with my grieving of my Shiner. I miss him and so wish he could have gotten well.
One thing I am grateful for is that I have a new baby boy, Tucker, who was born on February 10. I couldn't wait to fill the void that Shiner left behind. Shiner and Tucker would have been very fond of each other.
I can NOT believe that a breeder would sell you a pup knowing that he had been underwater with out waiting to see if he had any water in his lungs. I bred ONE litter of pups, and one of the pups had issues being the runt. We absolutely REFUSED to sell him because we weren't sure if he would make it, and as it turns out we had to have him put to sleep at 4 mos. I figured if anyone was going to do it, WE would be the ones to make that heartbreaking decision. If I were you I would NOT see this vet anymore… 
