Our baby Odin

[ssimons]

Hi all. I'm new to the site and I just wanted to tell you all about our first baby...Odin. Odin was our 150 lb Rottwiler. He turned 9 years old on Aug 6, 2007 and passed on Aug 16, 2007, 1 week after he started showing signs of being sick. He was fading so fast right before our eyes and it was absolutely heartbreaking to watch this massive, beautiful creature turn into a fragile shell of himself so quickly. On Aug 16 we decided he had suffered enough and that it was time to end it. We spent an hour digging his grave with him sitting right there watching, which was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, we drove him to the vets office for an 8 pm appointment and when we laid him on the table he took 1 breath and that was it, he was gone. We couldn't believe it. I believe he didn't want us to have to live with making the choice to end his life, so he did it for us. My husband and I have cried every day since. I just know he is in heaven playing fetch with his Pop Pop in a beautiful field of yellow flowers. We love you baby Odin and miss you very much.

[Kevlarsdad]

My deepest sympathies. I can only imagine what you must be going through. Losing a pet is like losing a family member, which is something that I have experienced recently. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Arturo

[hhalford]

I am so sorry for your loss. I know you cherish the 9 wonderful years you had with your Odin. They give so much love! We lost our puppy Bruce on August 8th and the pain can be overwhelming.
I am sure that Odin and Bruce are digging, barking, and having a good ole' time together at the rainbow bridge.

[livertw]

I am so sorry for your loss.

[Sam's Mom]

I am so sorry you have had to say good bye (for now) to your dearly loved Odin. They are never with us long enough....and it is so hard to go on with out them...I understand oh too well. RIP Samson 8-7-07 Please know we are all here for you. Those wonderful 9 years...will bring smiles to your saddened heart in time.
RIP Odin...play in the warm sun with all who have gone before...you are in great company at the bridge!

[ssimons]

Thank you all so much for your sympathy and to all of you who have lost I sent <<hugs>> out to you. I just know you're right and they are all there playing together in the warm sun and have a supply of pig ears and other treats that will never run out. It's hard not having his velvety soft ears to pet and his most handsom face to look at, but I know he's in a better place and all the pain is gone. I miss the way he would get so excited when we'd come in the door even if we were only gone for 10 minutes, it was like he hadn't seen us for a week. Thank you all for listening, talking about him brings a smile to my face.

Sarah

[Barb and Raven]

It's so sad to hear about Odin. Did you know what why he was so sick?
My Buddy who was my second Rottie also went downhill very fast. He lost a total of 20 pounds in two weeks. He was being treated during that time and was at home except for about four days in the beginning. The last time I took him to the vet he said he may have a tumor on his spleen and made a referral to the university clinic for the next day. Well, my sweet boy didn't make through that night. A necropsy confirmed the tumor. Yes, I was just devastated because when I had left him there I told him he would be okay and I would see him the next day.
Your Odin was just two days older than my Raven. She would have turned nine on 8 Aug. She passed away on 22 Nov 06 with congestive heart failure/kidney failure. She too went very quickly....just six days after becoming sick. It came on so very fast. She was just fine the first few hours one morning and then all of a sudden she was just listless and her legs were all cold. I expected her to live longer than she had because she was so active she was like a puppy. We just never know.
Hang in there. Odin has probably met Raven already and they are having a good time free of their pain.

[ssimons]

Thank you so much Barb and Raven for your kind words, my sympathy goes out to you for your losses too and I'm sure you're right and Odin and Raven have meant up and are having a good time.

The first thing the vet had told us was that he had fluid around his heart so they tried steriods to help that, but after the blood work came back his platlets (not sure if that's spelled right) were very low and the vet said his body was fighting against itself and there was nothing that could be done, he even consulted the University of PA to see if there was anything that could be done. It was very unexpected because, like your Raven, he was acting like a puppy up till Wednesday the 8th of August when he all of a sudden started having a very difficult time breathing.

One of things that is making this extra hard on my husband and I, not that it would have been easy even if this hadn't happened though, is that a little over a year ago my FIL passed from cancer and it was basically the same thing, they found his cancer and 2 weeks later all we could do was watch him having a difficult time breathing and become more and more fragile before he passed.

[unsung]

I'm sorry for your loss.