our sasha geman shephard

[mil0426]

I have a 9 year old german shepherd Sasha  we have had her from being a pup.everyone loves her because she is so tall but is so soft and loveable. it all came to a head on my birthday the 26th September this year we new she was having problems breathing but just thought it was due to the hot weather we have been having, so we took her to the vets,who sent us for sashas heart to be checked came back no problems with her heart. so they then said they where testing for cancer,meanwhile they drained 3 and a half lites of fluid of her chest and we found out it was chyle so they tested the chyle and found no bactire in it,so we then went back to the vets and they said that she had chylthorex and an operation would sort her out, we took her to Liverpool small animal hospital, that was on the 11th of October the surgon said the next 24 hour where critical .we got a call from the hospital to say she was stable but in intensive care and we got up dates everyday we rang .its now the 20th of October and she is still in ITU she as had more tests more x rays and more ultra sounds but the fluid is still coming out of her chest and she as now been fitted with a feeding tube because she refuses to eat, they have also given her a protein transfusion as her protein as dropped so low, but that as failed.she as had most of her coat cut away for so many tests, all of noavil. we rang this morning because she as now been in ITU 2 weeks and the is no change fluid still coming out they said tomorrow they will give her steroids and see how it goes, my wife and myself have been to hell and back waiting for the bad news,so at the moment she is still very ill. so we have dicided too let them try the steroids and if they don't work we will bring her home pay the bill about £5000.00,could be more and then we will have to decide wheather or not to have her put too sleep at moment we are still prying we get a miricle

[mil0426]

thanks for your comments, they are heart felt.
Today we have contacted the pet cemetery and a nice guy as sorted everything out for us, so Sasha as now been cremated and they will deliver her home tomorrow Wednesday where she belongs, I think it is a sort of closure we need to move on, last month we bought a 2 year old mixed breed ,Sheba just in case anything happened to Sasha, and now a month later we have Sheba and Sasha as now gone on to mum and dad in heaven. But  I don't feel the same way about Sheba that I did for Sasha. I suppose in time that will come

[Jerry_NJ]

My heart-felt sympathy.  

Best I can offer is celebrate the good years you and your dog shared, it was time well spent for all of you.  

Life is more and greater for having love, and love will bring the pain at separation.

[mil0426]

last night the hospital rang and said come now sasha is having problems,
so we travelled an hour away got there they carried her in and we loved and kissed her and then put her to sleep RIP my little baby xx

[Jerry_NJ]

So sorry for your pain... you have gone to most, no cost spared to prolong your loved dog's life, bless you.

Larger dogs usually don't live much past 10 years, or large "English" Golden Retriever lived to be 12 before we decided to put him down.  If we had not taken that step he may have lived a few more weeks, who knows?  But his life had become very difficult due to cancerous growths (fat pockets) on his chest.

Our much smaller Westie continues to have vet expenses due to allergies, he too is 9 years old, but we hope he will see 15 at least.  Still I will estimate our total vet cost have been less than $3,000 US.

We good dog owners take care of them like the family member they are.