Dog Owner Chat V. 5

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[deleted]

[Krista Lenz]

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I'm so so sorry for your loss. That must be devastating. Dogs are our closest friends as their lives revolve completely around us. I just want to reiterate what you said: it's not your fault at all. Cancer is so sneaky for so long until it suddenly isn't in some people/dogs, sadly. Sophie sounds like she was so loved. You really tried your best for her and I'm sure she knew it too.

[Krista Lenz]

Compilation of my borzoi, Teddy, growing from 2 weeks old to 7 months old

This is the first puppy I've ever own and raised on my own. I got him when he was 8 weeks old. Borzois have always been a dream dog of mine, since I grew up with an adopted greyhound and fell in love with sighthounds. He is turning into such a beautiful dog. My breeder recommended that I show him, but I don't think I have the resources or time to put him in an actual show, so I'll show him off here for now.

I have been really surprised by the differences between my previous greyhound and Teddy. I'm not sure if it's because he's still in his puppy stage or just a personality difference-- nothing bad, but I really thought he would be nearly the same as my other dog. I think it's made the experience even more fun. He still has about 30 lbs to gain! He is currently around 65 lbs and his sire is 88 lbs.

[Fantelle]

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i'm so sorry for your loss ):

i don't know if this is reassuring to you in any way, but i had a very similar cancer experience with my golden retriever, who passed away at 6 years old in 2018. we went to the vet for months before they finally found it was cancer, by which time it was too late.

i don't think this is an uncommon thing at all for pet owners. the fact that there's at least two of us with similar stories on a niche pet forum probably says enough. and you're right in that it does hurt so much more than when our pets live long lives and die a more natural death. i blamed myself as well, and still do. i would tell you not to blame yourself, and that you couldn't have known or changed the outcome, but i know that me saying that probably doesn't help at all.

i honestly can't recommend anything to make the pain easier, because nothing did for me. i hope you're able to eventually look back at your good memories with her and enjoy those. i hope that with time, your pain gets easier to manage. sending lots of love your way and if u ever want to talk, my pms are open!

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@Krista Lenz
@Fantelle

Thank you both for the kind words. It's going to be difficult, but I'll manage somehow.
The shelter had her as part Chow and apparently they're more susceptible to gastric cancer, which is extremely aggressive and often shows no symptoms until it's already spread and advanced too far for any kind of treatment. I wish I would've known this from the start, but again the symptoms were so mild at the beginning the very idea of cancer would've seemed crazy to me. It's cruel and unfair and just difficult to even comprehend.

And @Fantelle, I'm sorry about your dog too. Another life cut way too short. </3


Everyone who owns a dog, do me a favor and give them a hug for me, okay?

[r0tting]

Hello, I'm not really sure what to say. I've been around animals, in general, my entire life. I'm currently preparing for a puppy. It's been put on pause due to the pandemic, financial issues, and my mental health. At the moment, I'm not sure exactly when I'll get my puppy, however, it should be within 5 years. I don't have a training style, I just work with whatever dog is in front of me.

[nervousdog]

Hi ! Does anyone have any experience with age spots in dogs ? Or could recommend if I should be concerned and schedule a visit with my vet or not ??
Hazel is 5 years old . Recently ( within this month ) I noticed black spots seemingly appear on her belly/underside area . I was concerned for a bit but she shows no other symptoms aside from the new pigmentation . Money is tight rn due to finishing up heartworm treatment and other non dog related life things .
Googling revealed plenty of scary theories of course but also mentioned age spots . Since she isn't showing any symptoms to the other diseases black spots on the skin accompany I've chalked it up to age spots for the past couple days . The spots seems to have gotten darker ( and possibly spread ????? ) so I am more concerned again .

I just curios for opinions before I go over the top and make a vet appointment and kill the bank accounts again . I don't wanna overreact ya know ?

Picture : February 15 2021


Picture ( 2 ) : February 3 2021



Idk if it's just the lighting/my bad memory but the spots have definitely gotten darker right ?? Does anyone have any similar experiences with their pups ? Is this concerning enough to warrant a call to the vet ??

[Fantelle]

@nervousdog you might've already read this yourself, but heres a pretty good article on it. and here's someone who wrote about their dogs having the issue (they called the vet and included what the vet said).

main jist i get from googling is that hyperpigmentation is a result of another issue, most commonly skin allergies. im not a vet so i definitely don't want to give medical advice, but since you mentioned a tight bank account i just wanted to reassure you that this most likely isn't a life-threatening issue. especially since your dog is acting normal otherwise!

still, if you notice that you can't sleep easy at night because you're worrying about it, give your vet a call! the cost will be worth the peace of mind in that case.

[nervousdog]

Thank you for the links !! I looked at them and they were very helpful !

[Marshmalli]

I'm mostly just posting so it works almost like a bookmark, but also good luck with your doggo <3