TessaAndSamson
New member
Last night I did the impossible, I said goodbye to my son, my best friend, the most special dog I have ever met that stole my heart from day one. It all started the end of last week, Samson started throwing up on and off. This is not uncommon, Samson has a sensitive stomach and as I understand that is pretty common with bulldogs. He gets sick for a few days, I put him on a bland diet, give him some plain pedialyte to rehydrate him and within a week he's as good as new. Well on Monday night when I got home I was alarmed with how weak he was, this wasn't his typical sad face I have a tummy ache act, he was weak and I was worried. I was debating about when to take him in. I gave him a bath (needs at least once a week to keep the skin infections at bay) and he acted a little nutty afterwards like dogs typically do after baths and was excited to get his ball (he always gets his kong ball after baths to keep him busy and from licking his paws). This made me feel better so I decided to see how he was in the morning. The next morning, Tuesday, he was really weak so as soon as my vet opened I called and got an appointment for 2pm. Went to work from 8am-12pm, came home and it was just awful. He would just stand there swaying, not wanting to lay down, eyes half shut, it was horrible and I noticed his skin was real yellow. Not sure how long it had been like that because I hadn't noticed until then. We get to the vet and as soon as the vet saw his skin he was pretty sure it was liver failure. They take blood tests, liver failure, all the values for the liver were real high. Then we get an xray, fluid around the lungs and building in his belly, vet says it is consistent with liver disease/failure. I was faced with putting him down or leaving him for hospitalization to see if fluids, antibiotics and medicines could help. We got a 50/50 chance at best. Dave and I chose to try to save him, neither of us could see it any other way. Samson spent 24 hours in the hospital, they did a variety of tests trying to find if there was a way to reverse it and did a variety of treatments. He got worse and worse and each test came back with grim results. Yesterday at around noon my vet said at the very best be was down to a 20% chance of pulling through and that he said was optimistic. He was suffering, fluid kept building up in his belly and around his lungs making it hard for him to breathe. So I made the toughest choice of my life and decided to end the suffering. Dave and I were able to spend 45 minutes in an exam room with Samson last night loving him up and talking to him. Dave even played Samson the song Joker by Steve Miller Band, for those who haven't heard the stories or seen the videos Samson would howl (not sure how he learned to howl) to that song like crazy. He even let out the tiniest like noise when it was playing, we just knew he wanted to sing along just didn't have the strength. My brother-in-law, Dave's little brother Steven, even joined us half way through. He loved Samson, he has puppy sat for us many times and Samson was also particularly fond of Steven. So in his last moments Samson was with people who loved him greatly and that he loved in return. I layed on the floor of that animal hospital, Samson laying on towels next to me, we were face to face, his face cupped in my hands as he left us. Our vet was petting him the whole time on his side and Dave held his little leg. We are having him cremated, getting those ashes back and they did a paw print in plaster for us. It was the toughest thing I've ever done, I have never been so heart broken in my life and I am not sure what I'll do without him. 7 and a half years we've spent together. I've got family and friends hundreds of miles away, friends and family I rarely speak to anymore, a husband that leaves for long weekends and my little beagley who often would rather be cruising the backyard that hanging out inside with me but Samson was always there, right there by my side day in and day out. I'm not sure how to deal without his love and companionship.
Sitting at work reading this and cried!! so very sorry!
