HELP! My Mom's dog died last night!!

[samanthag]

My mom's 12 year old dog died last night. Friday she took her to the vet & they decided to treat her systematically because of her age. The vet gave her medication because she had fluid in her lungs caused by a heart murmur. My mom worked all day/night Saturday so FI and I went to her home so we could look over her dog & try to make her as comfortable as possible considering what she was going through. We decided to stay the night because it seemed as though she was feeling worse. We woke up every other hour to check on her & at 3:00 am she passed. I'm soooo glad we stayed over because I did not want my mom to see her dog dead. My FI was able to handle the situation & even had her picked up by 7:00 this morning. My mom didn't have to see anything although she is completely devastated!!

I'm still at her home. She had to work today & she should be back at any moment.

My question is, under the circumstances, do you think that we should adopt another puppy for her? I don't want my mom to feel lonely without her dog.

I've never had to experience the death of an animal so I'm wondering what is best for her.

Thank you for your help.

 

-I hope this message makes sense. I've had no sleep & I'm having a hard time functioning today. I just feel so horrible for my mom!

[Birdie07]

Our cat died about a month and a half ago. We waited a little over a month until we got a new one. My DH took it pretty hard so he had to have time to grieve. I would let her grieve a bit before you give her a puppy. I would also make sure you ask or hint around (if you're surprising her) if she even wants another. Some people take longer to grieve before they take on another pet.

[samanthag]

Thank you for your advice. She just called and she's on her way home. She just sounds soooo sad! I'm beginning to realize that the death of a pet is no different than the death of a human being!

[happygilmore]

I am so sorry about your mom's dog. I would say wait on getting her a dog. I think that will have to be left up to her for when she is ready. Losing a pet, especially after 12 years is like loosing a family member! I hope your mom can realize that she provided her dog a great life up until her last moments and not many people can say that! And that in the future when she is ready she'll be able to do it again!

[JaimeLynne]

Losing a pet is very hard. I say give her time to grieve. You don't want her to feel like her beloved family member was just "replaced" like that (tho I know that's not your intention). Give her some time. And if she hints around to wanting another dog maybe you could offer to go with her to adoption events or something like that. She definitely needs to bond with the dog she chooses.

 

Martin got me a puppy for Xmas last year. And I had my heart set on this one little girl. It was about a 4 hr drive to get her from the rescue. About 2 hrs into it (on Xmas eve) he says "I have bad news and good news" the bad was that the girl was already adopted! I broke down crying right there. The good news was there were two other boys to look at while we were out there. So I kind of felt forced (tho no one actually forced me - I dunno...) and chose between the two. Well, 9 months later we figured out that it really just wasn't the right situation and the dog was not at all the right match for us and had to give him to my Grandparents about 1 month ago (where he is VERY happy being the only pup!).

 

We REALLY want another pup (this time the same breed as our current dog- a dachshund). A girl too. I've always wanted a girl dog since my childhood dog Denali passed about 5 years ago... I definitely know what I want and this time will take the time to really try and bond with the dog first and try and make sure she's a good fit. For us, we've decided to try our hardest to put it off until after the wedding - enough time for Ollie to get over the "loss" of Conor (and us too) and also give us something to look forward to after the wedding/honeymoon business is all over with...

 

Anyways, hope that helped. It sounds like y'all did a great thing by staying there with the poor dog. Hugs to yoU!

[**~Jenn~**]

Awww..I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's dog!! That breaks my heart to hear that...Although....It's really nice to know that her dog had a good home for 12 years and was loved until the very end. That's all our beloved Puppies really want and she was able to provide that...Which is Awesome!

Definitely wait on the puppy thing. She is going to need to grieve and more importantly, she's going to learn how to live without him. It's going to be really hard. I start to tear up when I think about it, because although my dog is only 2, there will come a day where I will have to let him go and I can't even begin to imagine that. My Buddy is my heart!!

When your mom is ready for another dog (and she will be!!) you'll know and then maybe you can go together.

Good luck and again, I am relly sorry to hear about that! :-(

[~Kate~]

oh I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom's dog!!!! Thank goodness you were there. I'm sure she'll need you and your FI over the coming weeks and months. About the new puppy, I would just see what she wants. My parents lost their 8 year old dog about 2 years ago and started looking for a new dog the next week. They loved their old dog so much and a lot of their daily activity revolved around their dog (my Dad jogged with him every morning, he kept my Mom company while she worked from home) so even though I was kinda like "whoa, that' s a little fast", it was definitely right for them to start looking right away. It was about a month or so before they found the right dog. He hasn't taken the place of their old dog - he has a very unique personality - but they are much happier as a couple with a dog. Anyway, if you Mom is anything like that, she might start looking, with your help, pretty soon - I guess it will depend how she feels....good luck!!

[meagan]

I am so sorry to hear about your mom's dog! Losing a pet is definately like losing a friend. My mom's dog passed away about 11/2 years ago and she still is waiting to get another. First she needed time to grieve, then she started to go on with everyday life without a pet. She is just starting to want another dog. It takes time, and energy to get a new pet. I would feel her out first before you get one for her. Although it is very thoughtful of you, she might not be ready.