#pet death

[great-and-small]

This is going to be an unpleasant post but I need to talk to y’all about heat stroke in dogs. I am an ER vet and I am seeing firsthand the death toll that this heat wave is taking on our pets. In the past two weeks, for every single weekend shift I have worked, we have had at least one DOA with a body temperature over 107 degrees. One of them had simply been on a 20 minute walk at 5pm. All of them were brachycephalic (short faced breeds like pugs and french bulldogs). Their owners were in shock that this could happen so quickly, and their grief lingers with me.

If you have a dog, and especially if you have a brachycephalic dog, you need to familiarize yourself with the signs of heat stroke. Do not take your dogs out in the heat of the day, be aware of the pavement temperature, and always have fresh water available for them. When I am outdoors with my dog I am checking on him constantly. This heat wave is extremely serious; I need you to keep yourself and your pets safe.

#animal death #pet death #vetmed #vetblr #death #heat stroke #heat wave

[seananmcguire]

I know I periodically ask people to look at Alice, but I would like to explain why.

That, above, is Alice when she was just ten days old. It was December 2008, and I had gone to Seattle to prepare to die. I was tired, I was dealing with a massive disruption in my social circle, and I was done. So I went to see friends, and to say my goodbyes before I went home and politely made my exit. I had a fully articulated plan, and no desire to tell people about it, which is not a good place to be.

Then we went to visit Betsy, who had recently ushered a litter of kittens into the world. And she put this little blue tabby potato in my hand and said "That's the girl."

And just like that, I decided to live. "Do you take checks?" I replied, and Alice entered my life.

(That makes it sound much easier than it was. Betsy was intending to keep Alice, who was without flaw by Maine Coon breed standards. Seriously, she was the kind of cat breeders work to produce for their entire careers. I spent two months wearing Betsy down before she agreed to let me have her.)

Alice was my first Maine Coon. Alice was my heart and soul somehow walking around outside of my body. She was without flaw. She was everything I wanted in this world, and she loved me as much as I loved her, and I would happily trade a year of my life for another hour with her in my arms.

In 2017, I went to Australia as a convention guest, and when I came home, Alice wasn't right. She was always food-motivated, and she was refusing to eat. I made a vet appointment immediately, and we started the necessary tests to find out what was wrong. Roughly a month later, while I was at another convention, my vet called me.

"I am so so sorry," she said, and the world ended.

Alice had large-cell feline lymphoma. It wasn't a surgically treatable cancer; we were going to have to go through chemo, and hope. So we did. And we did everything it was possible to do. Thanks to my Patreon, there was never a point where I had to decline treatment due to money, and I know what an incredible gift that was. Bit by bit, she faded, but she was still my Alice, and we were still fighting.

Then, on February 13th, 2018, I woke up and she was stretched out along my side from hip to knee, making the worst sound I have ever heard every time she took a breath. I didn't want to let her go. I could no longer make her stay. We left for the vet immediately, and my oncologist agreed that she was done; she was ready to go, and the last gift she gave me was staying by my side, not running and hiding like most cats would.

I held her. I sang "Beautiful Beast" for her. And she went ahead of me to the clearing at the end of the path, to the place she stopped me from going.

I miss her more than I knew I could miss anything in this world. She was my best friend and my favorite thing, and my mother told people I'd lost a child to explain why I would just wander around, dead-eyed and sobbing. Alice saved me when I didn't think it was possible, and I'm grateful; I have no such plans at this point.

But fuck my poor, broken heart, I just want her to come home. And in the absence of that as an option, I want everyone to look at Alice.

Please look at my poor girl.

#pet death #cat death #suicidal ideation #gnu alice #baby please come home #i don't care if you come back wrong #just come back #feline lymphoma

[flermurwermur]

#jellie the cat #goodtimeswithscar #gtws #hermitcraft #farewell queen #jellie cat #pet death

[kedreeva]

The last photos of Stan Lee, the Cameo peacock.

I like to think he had a decent last day. We tube fed him early this morning so he would not feel hungry or thirsty despite that he could no longer find food or water. He spent the rest of the day loafing in the sunlight, surrounded by hens that liked him a great deal because he was always super gentle and sweet to his ladies. He always loved babies, and Aurora's 2023 kids were no exception, and I caught both of them cuddled up to Stan at one point as well. Even though he couldn't see them, I hope he knew he was not alone. I hope that they feel they got to say their goodbyes- I haven't heard anyone calling for him, so that's a good sign.

As the sun began to set, I came out to get him, and he was by himself for the first time, sleeping along the wall in the sun. He didn't fuss when I picked him up, and rode quietly in the car to the vet. He laid quietly in my lap in the waiting room, and I watched a rainbow crawl across his wing and back while we waited. As he fell asleep from the initial sedation, some of the vet staff that had seen him often the last 7 years for his many issues came to say goodbye quietly. They let me stay with him through the Final Sleep, as well, and he went just as quickly and quietly. Perhaps he thought it was time as well.

I am going to miss him like crazy. I never wanted a cameo bird, partly because I know they are prone to carrying health issues and blindness in particular, but he wobbled his way right into my heart once he was in my hands.

I set aside his final train of feathers, along with a good deal of his saddle and some of his neck feathers, as keepsakes. One primary from each wing, some of his actual tail feathers. I will make myself a feather vase from it when I am up to it.

Sark helped me to bury Stan's body beneath the weeping willow sapling we planted last summer. It's near the coops, rather than in the death orchard, as he never particularly liked sleeping near other birds at night, only by day.

It has not been an easy two days, but I know once I have some distance, his memory will certainly be a blessing for me, and for everyone whose lives he touched along the way. His train was always full of hearts from all the love.

#stan the peachick #animal death for ts #pet death for ts #my pets #peafowl #peacocks #pet death #animal death

[drferox]

I’ve been working at this one job, just this one clinic, a fairly long while now. 12 years, in fact. It means I’m basically part of the furniture at this point, I’ve seen a lot of changes, and I’ve seen a lot of staff come and go.

You know what else is about 12 years? The lifespan of larger or less fortunate pets.

Over the last couple of months I’ve guided a fair few patients to the end of their life, some becoming very frequent visitors as we tried to get their condition under control. I have euthanised these old, beloved dogs that I first met as bouncy little puppies.

It is a peculiar privilege to have been there from cradle to grave for these patients, to have been a recurring encounter on the entirety of these pets’ lives. It’s a sad event, obviously, but there is something beautiful in knowing how deeply loved these animals have been, and for such a long time.

#veterinarian #pet death #euthanasia

[wolfchanw]

Ah. Right. Kitten season. When my heart gets broken over and over and I don’t sleep and sometimes all the work is really rewarding and sometimes it’s really not.

I’m down from five kittens to two. The little buff girl passed away the first night, the orange and solid black boys passed away between 1am and 4am this morning.

The remaining two saw the vet today and they look all right. The black and white girl has consistently been thin and dehydrated and a bit weak, but she keeps eating and pooping and slowly gaining weight, so I’m going to support her fight for as long as she wants to keep going. Little grey boy is a bit plumper.

My toddler named the black and white kitten “Bunny” and the grey one “Frogs”.

Hang in there Bunny and Frogs, a whole big, fun world awaits.

#pets #veterinary #kitten season #kittens #pet death #foster kittens

[braxiatel]

[ID: a screenshot from the tumblr trending page showing that goodtimeswithscar and Jellie the cat are trending second. The preview pictures are all art of Jellie]

Does it know that we love it? That the universe is kind?

—

I’m having emotions about this. Losing a pet is something that can be truly devastating, and it is a sorrow that often gets downplayed. You always knew that you would outlive them, how can you be upset? People will tell you that there are humans dying, why do you not spare your grief for them instead?

But sorrow is sorrow and pain is pain, and both of those are born of love, of fondness, of kindness.

I do not know GoodTimesWithScar. I have never met him, never spoken to him, nor do I have any connections to him. I am an admirer of his art and through my love for his content I have met friends I hope I will know for the rest of my life.

And if anything is human to me it is this: the people of this website have seen Scar’s content and they care. Perhaps they love his as an artist, an entertainer, or they love the character he presents in his videos.

They saw a cat who wailed and pranced into her human’s space to get his attention and they recognised it as love, and in turn they loved her. They loved her so much that of all the things that are happening on this website, in this app, she and her human became the second highest trending topic when she passed away. An outpouring of care for someone few of us knew but thousands will miss. A recognition of the pain her humans must be going through, a recognition that her loss is one they will feel for as long as they live and they love.

This is love. This is humanity. And if anyone does happen to know goodtimeswithscar in person I hope that they let him know that we saw Jellie and we loved her

#GoodTimesWithScar #jellie the cat #pet death #animal death #mcyt #the void collection

[little-tunny]

On the topic of pet loss, I drew this comic after my sweet Goopy passed away. I have a working list of art ideas, and for 5 long years at the very top of my idea list was “Comic where I take Huey and Goop to McDonald’s that ends with no punchline.” Every time I wanted to draw something I’d see that idea first, but always kept pushing it back for another time. When Huey passed away I thought about just deleting it, cause I felt like it was too late to draw it, and reading it made my heart hurt. But I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it, so taking them to McDonald’s remained at the top of the list. Then, about a year later, I lost Goop to cancer. It came out of nowhere, and within two weeks he was gone. Almost all of my prompts were about him, I loved drawing Gooby. I was so distraught I couldn’t even turn on my work computer and face it. And when I finally felt good enough to draw again, there was that prompt staring back and me. And I thought, you know what? Fuck it, it’s never too late to take them to McDonald’s. If I can’t see them in life, I want to see them in art. I don’t want to stop loving them the way I do now. So, I took Huey and Goop to McDonalds, with no punchline.

#comic #cw #pet loss #pet death #animal death #mentioned

[boxbug]

a very special cat. she will always be loved a lot by so many people

#jellie #animal death #pet death #gtws #i don’t really have any words #send love to scar if you can #animation #my art #mcyt

[bluishtones]

jon with kitties <3

trigger warning for mentions of pet death below the cut

one of my kitties, smokey, passed away today. so i wanted to draw a quick something to cope. miss you forever, little guy, hope you rest well. :(

#my art #jonathan sims #jon sims #tma #tma fanart #the magnus archives #pet death #cw pet death #cw pet loss #this week has been shit #thank you guys for all the support on my art #hope this didn't bum anyone out too bad.

[parakavka]

Have you heard? Ball Ball/Balltz/Chems passed away yesterday from complications of surgery for his cancer :( I'm devastated... that pupper and his family were always such a highlight of so many people's days with their memes and just a very bright and wholesome internet presence. He'll be missed!!

RIP Cheems, truly a legend

The owner has a merch shop (with an incredible no horny bonk enamel pin) to help mitigate the medical bills here.

#cheems #pet death #animal death

[great-and-small]

One of the hardest things about working in a veterinary ER is delivering bad news. I feel like at least once a shift someone is blindsided by their pet being diagnosed with a condition they’ve never heard of before. In many cases this is unavoidable but I really feel that some of the most common critical emergencies I see would be easier for owners to process if they had prior knowledge about the illness.

The following infographic is far from a comprehensive list and truthfully I have a LOT more to say about diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of each of these conditions. However, this image shows just a few of the major points that I wish owners had been able to prepare for prior to hearing about them in the ER. Some of these conditions are preventable and some are not but they all require an owner to make difficult decisions in a crisis situation. If your pet fits into one of these categories, please just do a quick google about the condition, and maybe discuss with your vet signs that you can watch for at home.

#vetblr #veterinary medicine #animals #pet death #illness #pets #petblr #it was hard to narrow down things to include #I could make so many of these #dogs #cats

[trafficblr-confessions]

rest in peace jellie.

#im genuinely so upset #pet death #not a confession #jellie #goodtimeswithscar

[i-m-snek]

Dante passed away today. He was struggling with some growths that we were treating, but he was old. I am heartbroken. He was our first baby, our first step into an amazing life of reptile keeping. I am forever grateful to him for bringing me 11 years of laughs with his strong food response but terrible aim. His warning rattles if i messed with his enclosure while he had food. Him chilling on my desk as I read or watched movies. His ungraceful flops off the couch. the time he yeeted out of my sisters hands in her van. I am thankful for all the joy he brought me by bringing me in to the reptile hobby, getting to watch him grow from a tiny pencil sized baby into a gorgeous adult. I love him so, so much. Im going to miss him dearly.

#animal death #death #death mention #pet death #dead animal #dante

[kedreeva]

When I first got Stan, I wasn't sure he'd make it more than a few days, but he did. When I first took him to the vet as a baby, they told me not to expect him to make it to maturity, but he did. The last time I took him to the vet, a different vet from his usual vet saw him and had to sort through the list of known health issues to get to what was wrong this time, and was impressed he was even alive, and that was over a year ago. He's beaten a lot of odds, he's gone farther than even the most hopeful of speculation.

Unfortunately, a line in the sand comes for any animal Time doesn't take. For us, that line was him losing his ability to walk, or his ability to see, and both have been slowly worsening over the last year. Today, it has finally come down to the latter, as his vision has gone completely in his remaining good eye. For peafowl, that's a hard-line quality of life factor- it affects their ability to get food and water (which would mean stressful and uncomfortable tube feeding sessions 3x a day), as well as their ability to move into or out of shelter, and their ability to socialize. As they are HIGHLY social creatures, feeling like he's constantly alone would be absolutely miserable for him. I can't put him through that and still call myself a responsible owner, so he'll be going in for his final vet appointment tomorrow afternoon.

I know a lot of you have loved Stan over the past 7 years, and I know you're going to miss him nearly as much as I will. He's been a Very Good Boy, and this place is just not going to be the same without him.

#stan the peachick #animal death for ts #pet death for ts #pet death #animal death #my pets #i moved him into the sun for now to warm up #but he's clearly not doing well #2024 can fuck off right now #it has not been kind to me #peafowl #peacocks #i HATE people that don't give a shit about the genetic health of animals they breed #i hate people that perpetuate health problems because a mutation is pretty #this is a direct result of poor breeding #and I'm furious about it

[stiffyck]

am i the only one incredibly uncomfortable by people bringing up jellie on scars streams. like if scar wants to talk about her he can, but people saying "im so sorry about jellie" when scar is just hanging out with people and having a good time is just. no.

maybe its an overreaction from me but it feels incredibly rude and weird to bring this up randomly when it has nothing to do with whats currently happening.

#stiff talk #gtws #liveblogging #cw pet death #pet death