Hello everyone,
Firstly I had planned to return to posting on my website previously, though I didn’t really plan on this being the one I came back with…
Those that know me will know I had a beloved pet dog named “Bruno”, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier / Border Collie crossbreed who was not only my pet but was also my best friend, my rock and so much more. Having him around over the years really helped me get through so much in life, from mental health issues, abuse and dealing with the losses of friends and family but now I’m dealing with the loss of him.
When I picked him up when he was just 8 weeks old I never actually picked him, more he picked me, I had been there to look at another dog however Bruno was the only dog to approach me and I instantly felt a connection with him so plans changed and he came home with us instead. Throughout his puppy stage he was a mischievous troublemaker, chewing every cable he could get in his mouth, as well as my rather expensive Nike Air Max trainers that cost me more than he did!
Over the years I was lucky enough that he never really suffered any real health issues, he was attacked by other dogs a few times and the odd stomach bug here and there but nothing serious. However early 2022 I noticed he was becoming less active, struggling with climbing stairs and jumping onto my bed, so I took him to the vets where he was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his back legs. Due to his age at the time being 14 years old as well as risk factors, the vets didn’t want to medicate and so I was recommended YuMove Senior Supplements.
Things were looking up and I was hoping that while I knew I couldn’t cure him, I was hoping he’d be pain free and able to do the things he enjoyed, such as playing fetch, going for walks and just being his usual self, which was a 14 year old dog acting like a puppy.
A few months on and I noticed more changes with him, diarrhea, vomiting and seemingly struggling to walk more than normal, being a large overweight man it doesn’t take much to walk faster than me however he couldn’t even keep up and often seemed to refuse to even go outside as it meant getting up. Being rather worried about him I decided to get him back to the vets to see what was happening, but I wasn’t expecting to hear what I was told.
The osteoarthritis had worsened which seemed obvious to me considering he didn’t want to walk, but they also found he had a testicular tumour and while I was told they’re typically slow to progress, would ideally need medicating and given that he wasn’t really eating and refused meds would of been a challenge. Aside from this they also confirmed he had lost weight generally wasn’t looking too good.
So I had to make a difficult decision which I discussed all possible options with the vets, but most meant having him dossed up on meds 24/7 which I wasn’t a fan of and wouldn’t really prolong his life, just make it a little more bearable so I made the painful and heart breaking choice that putting him to sleep was the best option for him.
The last few hours of today I’ve been flooded with amazing support from friends and I have no doubt that it’s this support that’ll help me process everything that’s happened and soon I’ll be able to smile and laugh again, but this support doesn’t stop at just emotional as some have even suggested setting up a GoFundMe to help me with costs. Personally I have never been the kind to accept financial support from friends however it is something I’m looking into.
For the mean time if anyone does feel like helping out, you can use my PayPal link here: paypal.me/KevFahey
If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read it all and hopefully I can get back into blogging more and they’ll be a little more happier.
Kev.
