The Loss of a Pet

In a topic within this blog, Man's Best Friend, I shared the benefits to having pets. Before discussing how I coped with the loss of my pet, I will still advocate always having them as long as your are able to care for them in a responsible manner. Caring for a pet is a way for us to extend ourselves as humane human beings. In many cases pets are a sole source of companionship.

About a year ago my dog Roscoe became very ill as we noticed he was quite bloated. His pancreas was inflamed leading the vet to believe he ate something he shouldn't have or worse, cancer. If it was a food illness, he would eventually get better, but the vet was not optimistic this was the case and hinted there were other signs of pancreatic cancer. We drained him for the bloating in order to make him more comfortable, but the effects only lasted a week and he became bloated once again. Our mission now was to make him as comfortable as possible. Mysteriously a month later his bloating disappeared and he was acting his normal self. This too was short lived as the bloating returned for what was to be his last days.

The hard part about losing an animal this way is simply because their mind is fully intact yet their body is shutting down. Their loyalty is with you every step of the way. Had I not been a dog person before this experience, I am now.

In Roscoe's final hours it became very clear to me this was going to hit me in a very special but hard way. All his personalities would be gone soon. His distinctive bark will be no more. If this was not hard enough, his last breath was what broke my heart because the reality of him being gone had arrived. Comparing losing Roscoe vs. losing my dad, losing Roscoe was so much harder. After almost a year later, the pain of my loss is still very much here.

Sharing this experience is not to be an example of what to expect if you have a pet. As heart wrenching it may seem, the time I shared with my pet was beautiful from beginning to the end. This experience showed me what kind of person I really am. This also taught me the value of having a pet in my life. As long as I can provide a responsible home for a pet, I will always share my life with one. This past August we welcomed our baby puppy Emily to our home.