new from europe (arthritis and vetoryl?) - Ian, Flynn and Enya have passed

Oh no Iris. :( I am so very very sorry. I cannot even begin to take it in that Ian is gone. Do they know what happened that was so quick?

My sincerest condolences. Enya and you both must be missing him so much. It seems to awfully unfair. :(

big hugs

no, they didn't know whay was the cause of him feeling so miserable.
friday morning he was fine and he got worse in the afternoon.
the heat had made him weaker and the vetoryl didn't work for 100% anymore. he drank and peed a lot again.
maybe pancreatitis, but the vet said not. his liver numbers were through the roof, so the vet told me he had liver failure and couldn't digest his food anymore.
but after he died there was blood leaking out of him, so probably cancer too.
he was never really ill in his life only for the last few days.
but what worries me most now is his sister, she misses him terribly.
she is very upset, they were like siamese twins.

Oh poor Enya. It is so hard for the dogs left behind as they don't understand where their friend has gone to and keep looking for them.

Hopefully, even though I am sure your heart is breaking too, you can keep her at least a little distracted. Poor baby. My heart hurts for you both.

thank you sharlene, we are going for a walk a lot. she is finally asleep right now, but when i move a toe she is awake again, afraid i will leave her too.

Well that makes sense that she is concerned about being alone right now. It will be a slow adjustment. Both your worlds have just been turned upside down :(.

Oh Iris,

I am so very sorry for your loss of Ian, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

With Heartfelt Sympathy,
Lori

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet Ian.
Sonja

I am so sorry! I was able to bring Daisy home after she passed. Placed her in her bed so that the cats could see for themselves and I do think that it helped.

Enya, poor babe. As with humans, it's hardest on those left behind. Hugs

Dear Iris,

I cannot tell you how sorry I am about Ian. You absolutely did the right thing by releasing him, but I know that doesn't ease your own sorrow and loss.

My heart also goes out to Enya. In the blink of an eye, her world is changed forever, too.

I send you my warmest thoughts across these many miles. Please know your K9C family is always here, right by your side.

Always in loving memory of both your dear boys ~
Marianne

Poor Enya - it's so hard for them to understand when others leave and they can't tell us their fears. She must be so worried that you're going to leave too.
It takes so much love and courage to say goodbye.
Take care of each other and know we're thinking about you

thank you all for your sympathy.
i don't know what to do with enya right now. she always lived in a pack of dogs.
maybe i need to find her an elderly rescue to keep her company.
she is not handling this very well. she is making me nervous too.
she didn't want to go into the van today without ian, she was panicking.
i knew this would happen when one of them would die.
the cat threw something of the table and she is hiding somewhere now.
so insecure on her own.

If Enya's always been used to having other dogs around then getting a senior rescue might be helpful as it sounds like she's feeling a bit lost.
Hugs

I think that might be an excellent idea. You would need to do a slow introduction of course and find spine that is a good match for her as none will be Ian but maybe it would help both of you.

Some info that may help you and Eyna with the grieving process -

Grieving dogs – how to help:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=1400

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/grief-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://dogblog.dogster.com/2010/08/2...chael-w-fox-2/

http://dogs.about.com/od/petloss/a/d...nother-dog.htm

enya is still the same today. i never had 2 dogs with such a strong bond before.
the rescue sites where i was looking do have mostly big dogs and some staffords and spoiled terriers with a big ego.
not suitable for enya.
we walk a lot and we will see what will happen the next days.
thank you for thinking about us!

Hi Iris, just checking in to see how you and Enya are doing.

I hope she is starting to make some adjustment progress and not feel so sad.

hugs

last sunday i finally managed to get her into the car on her own.
i always lifted ian into the van first and enya jumped by herself.
i drove to the beach because it was a cooler day and we walked and took a bath/swim for 2 hours.
it was very emotional to walk there without ian.
today she is back to being skittish.
instead of sleeping with her brother, she is sleeping under my bed now.
bought her a soft doggy bed with ian's blanket in it.
i hope her nerves will settle down a bit, cause it makes me nervous too.
i hope molly is doing ok.

Oh I'm glad you and Enya where able to get out and enjoy the outdoors and walks at the lake again. I'm sure that was a good thing for both of you.

Molly is doing good, thanks for asking. She has her moments, but I'd say over all she is her same diva self. :)

it is very hot and humid, so no car rides for us today [no airco].
hopefully a drive to the seaside this sunday.
molly indeed sounds like a real diva. i bet she wants you to call her "'your highness"'............

Hi Iris,

I have been traveling and returned a few days ago from Europe and am catching up.

Firstly I am so incredibly sorry your Ian has passed - my deepest sympathies!!!!

I too had two dogs that were "joined at the hip" (brother and sister) and when Clancy passed, Mytilda went through many of the behaviors Enya is going through. It was rough for her (and heartbreaking for us) and she was so skittish and unsettled for more than a month. It seems she could not understand what happened to him and her strong pack member was no longer there and her "pack position" had changed. We tried every distraction for the first couple of weeks and nothing worked. We finally ended up just letting her go through her grieving process and sort out what her position was in our pack but was always there to comfort her and we always kept the routine the same ---- even made sure she was never alone. Over time her normal habits returned and was happy again, but I will say she was never the same.

Terry

PS -- IMO getting another dog may not be the best for her just now. One thing may be good to do is go through some little training periods for her - such as asking her to do one thing like sit several times a day (give a treat and make a great fuss on how good she is). This may reinforce your relationship, increase her confidence and give very positive feedback to her.

hi terry, sounds familiar! siblings can be sooooooo close.
which european countries did you visit?
she is used to living in a pack of dogs, but her brother always came first.
she now is the only dog and this makes her very insecure.
the other dog would also be for me. i want another working/sporting dog to work with.
but a young and active dog would not fit in with enya's needs.
but i miss hiking a lot. and agility, sheepdog trials etc.
enya and i walk a lot, but no more long hikes.
we will have to wait and see how well enya will cope with being "'an only child"'.

Hi Iris,

Do you still go to any trials (agility or herding) as a spectator or help a friend participate - does Enya go with you? I know it is hard and limiting at this point. You know your Enya the best....I said about not getting another dog only from my experience - Mytilda became very aggressive around other dogs at the beginning.
This time I was there in Scotland - the Highlands (my fiddle music retreat).

Terry

hi terry, i sometimes go to trials, but without enya. too crowded for her now.
enya was used to live in a pack, but at age 13 i don't know what she would like as a companion.
oh, scotland/the highlands, i love it too!
dogs are allowed to visit great brittain now without being held in quarantine for 6 months. but enya is too old to hike in rough terrain.
but in a few years with a new and younger dog i will.
my last visit to scotland was at least 15 years ago.

I just dropped by to see how you and Enya were doing? As Mytil said she needs to go through the grieving process in her own way and time, as do you. Maybe you could try to visit somewhere new that could be a place just for the two of you?

The Scottish Highlands are beautiful, although for some reason I always remember them as the place Hamish got his first tick :( However he also did his first ferry ride (to Mull) there and had loads of adventures.

Hi Iris,

Maybe another type of animal instead of a dog - possibly a cat would be a good companion. How is Enya with cats?

And it is fantastic that there is no more 6 month quarantine ---- Iris, I will have to check and see if this is just for other European countries or does it apply to US and Canadian dogs.

Oh the Highlands are my favorite place and one day Iris you will be hill walking again. I know about ticks for sure (mcdavis) and those darn midges :). I have never been to Mull, but Skye all the time --- love the ferry rides - everyone it seems have their dogs with them everywhere (ferries, trains, eateries etc) (great place).

Please keep us posted on the both of you!!!
Terry

i do own a black cat bagheera, he was flynn's best friend, but enya isn't interested in him.
enya and i visited my aunt last weekend. we have been staying there several times a year. enya has stopped looking for ian in our own place, but she was looking everywhere for ian at my aunt's place. indoors, in the garden, outside in the streets etc. waiting for him at the front door. he slowed down the last few months and enya was always waiting for him at the front door........
in the netherlands people are taking their dogs everwhere too.
even to very crowded festivals with lots of noise or shopping etc. i don't think the dogs like that.
we should do a scotland forum meeting one day!

Poor Enya - please give her a hug from us.

A meeting in Scotland would be fun - I keep telling Henry I'll take him to his homeland one day.

hmmm an excuse to travel :)

so you and molly will come over to scotland too?
this is post 777.....................

Oh sounds like a plan :) I will volunteer to be a guide, but I admit I have never been south of Glasgow - I hang out in the west highlands. There is an amazing garden near Ullapool (Inverewe Gardens) and music all the time.

so there are already 4 of us who wants to go..............................
i will google this garden.

well molly definitely not, she doesn't travel in planes.

2 months since ian died..................the weather is much cooler now and he would have loved it. enya and i miss him a lot. no other dog since i think enya can't handle it. we went to the beach last sunday and she loved it, but it is very hard to get her into the car without ian.
walking in the neighborhood she doesn't do it anymore, but walking in the dunes and on the beach she is looking back where ian is. waiting for him to catch up with us................................

I know that there's nothing I can say which will make it better, so just know that we're thinking about you and Enya.

We had 30C two days last week :eek: but this week it's nearer to 20C so hopefully it's the start of a cool down.

Take Care

30C late september is very hot..pffff! 20C is nice, we do have about the same temperatures right now, 17 the coming days. we had a lot of rain lately, but nature needed it.
before you know you can walk in the snow again with henry.
i hope we will have some snow this year. my dogs always loved it.

Hi Iris, just wanted to say hello and hope your new year is off to a good start. Belly rubs to Enya.

thank you sharlene!
another "'hot"' winter over here. enya and i both don't like this sticky weather. between 10 and 15 degrees C. in january............
enya still has the pot belly and drinks and pees more than she used to.
she still loves to walk. as long as she is going on like this, i am not going to drag her to "'the scary vets,"' [which they are not. in fact they are nice persons, but enya doesn't think so.......]
not found another dog yet. already 6 months since ian died [enya and i miss him a lot] and 2 years since flynn passed.
i read your posts and see that molly is still going strong too!

Well you know molly, she is a bit of a drama queen at times, so has to keep up the antics. :)

Another hot year, amazing. We are warmer than the last couple years but nothing to write home about for sure. :)

Glad to hear that Enya is still enjoying her walks.

let's hope both our drama queens will go on like this for a long time.
enya is 13 years and 9 months now.
her mom and brother both died at age 14, so counting down i guess.........................enjoying every minute with her.

Just saw that you posted. Sorry to hear you're not enjoying Winter - it does sound too warm :( We've had less snow than last year and it was actually 5C for a few days in the last week so we can see the ground!
I'm pleased to hear that Enya is enjoying her walks, and that you are enjoying the time you spend with her.
Take Care