My Boy Boomer...

[Dog Tired]

I'm not sure how many of you all know the deal with Boomer and the issues we have been having with his epilepsy and getting the seizures under control. I dont really mention it much here....

But we have been having trouble getting the right dosage amount for him, and have been having some big clusters of seizures since his diagnosis.

Late Thurs night/ early Fri. morning...Boomer started to have another serious attack of seizures that are considered "status clusters...Grand Mal".<----Very serious...life threatening if not treated. I have vallium at home here just for this type of problem.

I give him the vallium, and slowly..he starts to calm down. It makes him restless at first, and he always wants to move around on his wobbly legs. Hubby and I stay with him and coax and comfort him till he lays down and rests. We laid with him for a long time that night, until it seemed Boomer was in a nice deep sleep.

We wake up that morning with the alarm...hubby gets ready for work, and I get our oldest up and going for school. This morning though we had to make an emergency trip to the vets....Boomer was not moving. He was completly unresponsive..we could not get any reaction from him. The only good thing was that he was still breathing.

So...not to go into all the vet details...but things are looking bad. We are doing bloodwork to find out the cause..and he is still 'comatose'. Things start going from bad to worse. Boom's breathing starts to become laboured...and his body just seems to 'shut down'. He is suffering, and the vets are scrambling trying to find the unknown cause before he dies on the table. Hubby and I realized that we were going to have to make some hard decisions.

We put Boomer to sleep around 1:00 that afternoon.

It was the hardest thing we ever had to do...but it was also so clear to us what had to be done. Our boy was suffering, and going through some horrible things that day.....we could not bear to see him die painfully.

We are thinking that the problem had to be more than just the neurological with the seizures....something like a brain tumor, or something that more than likely would have been irrepairable anyway.

Whatever the cause...it was clear that it was time for us to let him go.

We have been heartbroken over this whole thing...feelings of guilt, sorrow, anger...and some relief. Its been 6 days now since he left us...and we are feeling more comfortable that what we did was indeed the right thing. And the feelings of relief are because of his drug induced state since being diagnosed...now he can be clear headed...and he no longer has to suffer those terrible cluster seizures ever again.

He will always be with us in our hearts and memories...we are saddened that his time here was too short....but feel priveledged to have known him. I pray that Boomers last memories and thoughts were of hubby and I laying with him that night and petting and loving on him in his tough times. It will be a memory of him that I cherish. He was always such a love bug, and if you were in a bad or sad mood...he could feel it, and would come lean on you to make you feel better. We have many fond memories of him..and will keep him close in our hearts.

Rest In Peace baby boy...run free, and be pain free. We love you.

[TribalRats]

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for your families loss.
Your beautiful, heart felt and heart wrenching words have put me into tears for you and your family.
You made some tough decisions, try to find solace in the fact that those hard decisions were made with love.
Again I am so sorry for your loss....

[poodlesmom]

I am so very sorry for your loss of your beloved Boomer! I am sure Boomer is now wagging his tail and fondly looking down at you and saying thank you for all the care & love you and your family shared with him. I know he is holding the memory of the loving time you spent together with him that night close to his heart and he will be patiently waiting for the day when all of you are reunited.

[britishbandit]

What an emotional post, that brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry for your loss, but you did the best thing for Boomer. You'll keep the fond memories and he'll forever be in your heart.
My deepest sympathies.

[Dog Tired]

Thank you all for your kind words and sympathies. We are really doing okay these last few days...missing him..but we are hanging in there. Lola, our other dog has made things a bit easier...especially for our kids..
She has been missing him too, and has been very lovey.

Thanks to you all for your nice words. Its somehow easier more comforting coming from other animal lovers. They can empathize with your loss more. Although Boomer was a staple in my family, and some of our extended family...he is missed by many.

[linnie]

One of the hardest yet kindest things we can do for our animals is to know when to stop their suffering.
I know how hard this is so hugs to you and your family while you grieve the loss of Boomer

[Shadowkins]

I am so sorry for your loss...words just aren't enough.My thoughts and prayers are with you now, may you find strenghth in the knowledge that Boomer had a wonderful life with you and now may rest in peace knowing he was loved.

[Dog Tired]

Thank you