My dog died

Question
My dog was seven months old....eskimo spitz. Bella...i came home christmas eve and she was puking...christmas day she had spit hanging from her mouth and died that night at 8. She was attacked four months previous to this and may have had a floating rib...i wonder could it have punctured a lung as she grew and her lungs grew...as she was dying...she gurgled and could not breath well...please try to give me some peace of mind this was a great loss because bella was more than a dog to me
Thanks


Jane Thompson of Hendersonville

Answer
Hi Jane,

Thank you for writing to me about your Eskie, Bella.  I also have an Eskie that I got when she was 7 months old, just about the age that your dog passed away.

The only way to tell if your dog's rib caused a punctured lung would be to have an autopsy done.  This is your decision to do if you feel that the answer will bring you some peace. It could have been one of several causes and without an autopsy, the reason she died will always remain a mystery.

The pain of losing a dog that you've loved as a member of your family, is overwhelming and heartbreaking.  What is most important is not how she died but what she gave you while she lived.  She left this earth and went to Rainbow Bridge at an unusually early age but during the time she was here, she brought you unconditional love and joy.  That is her legacy in her short lifetime.  I know that she was exceptionally beautiful and very sweet, because that is the nature of the breed.

When your beloved pet dies, it's not unusual to feel overwhelmed by the intensity of your sorrow.  It is well known that animals provide companionship, acceptance, emotional support, and unconditional love during the time they share with you. It is okay to grieve when your pet dies. Everyone experiences grief differently and for different periods of time, so never let anyone tell you how to grieve or for how long. The process can take from one day to years to go through.

Ways to Remember Your Pet   
1. Hold a memorial service
2. Find a special place for your pet's ashes
3. Create a living memorial
4. Make a scrapbook
5. Write down your feelings
6. Keep a diary
7. Plant a rose bush or create a memorial garden.
8. Donate to an animal charity in your dog's name.

Many forms of support are available, including pet bereavement counseling services, pet-loss support hotlines, local or online Internet bereavement groups, books, videos, and magazine articles.

Don't hesitate to reach out to others who can lend a sympathetic ear. The Delta Society offers a list of pet loss hotlines for those grieving over the death of a pet.

Call your local humane society to see whether it offers a pet loss support group or can refer you to one.  These groups have people who will understand what you are going through because many have gone through losing a pet themselves.

Our dogs understand us better than our closest human companions, they read our body language and their sense of smell lets them know whether we are ill or indeed about to become ill. Unlike humans, dogs do not have negative characteristics. They never betray us, they do not talk about us behind our backs, never answer back.  Those who have shared a deep bond with their pet must expect to feel the loss very deeply and they will enter a grieving period.

Some people feel they will not be able to love a new dog as much as their previous pet. If you feel this way you should not have another pet for a while.   Eventually as time passes, the pain of loosing your pet will heal. Then you may start to think of all the dogs in rescue centers waiting for new homes and may consider opening your home and heart to one of these. I've always believed that your dog who died will eventually find another dog for you to love and cherish.

Please know that your puppy is at Rainbow Bridge, running and playing and free of pain.  She will be waiting there until the time the two of you are reunited.  Until then, her loving energy will surround you and protect you as she did in life.

Here is a website that will help you celebrate the life of your dog and help with the sorrow of losing her:

http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/

To answer your question, there is no greater loss in my opinion, than the loss of a beloved dog.  Her spirit and joy will surround you always.

My deepest condolences for your loss.

Peace,
Shelley Davis