By skyforbes 
Just a vent session. Two months ago not long after Peyton’s 7 bday he began to act funny around bedtime. Just a subtle moan/growl which was weird bc my dog would never do anything like that towards me and it wasn’t in this aggressive manner just like something was making him uncomfortable. By the next day I noticed his breathing was a little more rapid and he was uncomfortable. My wife and I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed w enteritis. So I had this huge sigh of relief like ok he’ll be good in a few days. Got him home around noon. At bedtime began to moan almost constantly and was having rapid breathing and couldn’t get himself to lay down just began pacing, so I said well we’re going back to the vet got him in the car and headed there around midnight. It was then he was diagnosed w a spontaneous pneumothorax, he didn’t experience any trauma just came out of nowhere. We did everything we could do, tapped him multiple times, multiple blood patches everything failed. Vet said if the patches didn’t work we could entertain surgery but would need a CT scan first but the surgery which had a 85% success rate would cost 10k-12k. When I heard the success rate I had so much hope that even if I made myself broke in the process I’d had a good chance of bringing him home. Well the results came in and the Vet spotted multiple blebs in his lungs and felt that if we did the surgery he would that small percent that it would happen again within a month. I couldn’t in my heart of hearts put him thr such a major surgery knowing he could go right into resp distress again. I had to make the painful decision of having to put him down.
I’ve had dogs before and have had to make this trip before but never w a dog so young or in such a spontaneous way. I spent 10k trying everything I could to save you and I didn’t get what I wanted.
When I saw him the night before he was still labored in his breathing and I knew before the Docs said anything the patch was failing. When I showed up the next day after getting his test results I was so crushed. The vet knew when I was coming for my last trip to see him and tapped his lungs before we came and disconnected all the lines. I was still expecting to see the same dog I saw the night before but I didn’t. He pepped up bc his lungs got tapped, his lines were gone and he looked at me like Dad lets go home. He kept turning to the door like cmon what’s taking so long and was almost acting like nothing ever happened. I’ve never felt that kind of pain before. I did everything I could to remain strong in front of him so he didn’t sense from me that he wasn’t jumping in my car to go home and that I was visiting like any other time. I stayed with him the whole time, whispered into his ear he was such a good boy and I was so proud of him long after his respirations stopped. It’s been a couple months and I’m still just so damn heartbroken.
The kids asked me last week if Santa could bring a new dog for Xmas. I decided that after losing my guy so young that I had to get another shep I loved the bond we had. I wanted a little more time to grieve but I want to make my kids happy too. Early January we’ll be taking the new guy home. Although I know this void I’m feeling will get better with time it’s just sucks knowing it will take years to hopefully have that same bond w my new dog. I could just look at Peyton a certain way without saying anything and he knew what I wanted from him. He knew my routine and my life better than I did. I’ll miss u buddy and my only hope is that our new family member will be as good as a dog as you were and that every dog I ever get after you will be held to a standard that you set and although your gone you’ll never be forgotten.
I’ve had dogs before and have had to make this trip before but never w a dog so young or in such a spontaneous way. I spent 10k trying everything I could to save you and I didn’t get what I wanted.
When I saw him the night before he was still labored in his breathing and I knew before the Docs said anything the patch was failing. When I showed up the next day after getting his test results I was so crushed. The vet knew when I was coming for my last trip to see him and tapped his lungs before we came and disconnected all the lines. I was still expecting to see the same dog I saw the night before but I didn’t. He pepped up bc his lungs got tapped, his lines were gone and he looked at me like Dad lets go home. He kept turning to the door like cmon what’s taking so long and was almost acting like nothing ever happened. I’ve never felt that kind of pain before. I did everything I could to remain strong in front of him so he didn’t sense from me that he wasn’t jumping in my car to go home and that I was visiting like any other time. I stayed with him the whole time, whispered into his ear he was such a good boy and I was so proud of him long after his respirations stopped. It’s been a couple months and I’m still just so damn heartbroken.
The kids asked me last week if Santa could bring a new dog for Xmas. I decided that after losing my guy so young that I had to get another shep I loved the bond we had. I wanted a little more time to grieve but I want to make my kids happy too. Early January we’ll be taking the new guy home. Although I know this void I’m feeling will get better with time it’s just sucks knowing it will take years to hopefully have that same bond w my new dog. I could just look at Peyton a certain way without saying anything and he knew what I wanted from him. He knew my routine and my life better than I did. I’ll miss u buddy and my only hope is that our new family member will be as good as a dog as you were and that every dog I ever get after you will be held to a standard that you set and although your gone you’ll never be forgotten.