My wonderful Nugget dog has died. And it hurts so very badly.
The vet had been pretty confident he’d be able to fix the pancreatitis, and, other than not eating, Nugget was still acting pretty happy and normal last week. But on Friday morning, things took a pretty bad turn. We immediately got Nugget to the vet for IV treatments and he had to stay all day. When we picked him up that evening, he looked pretty bad, but he was so happy to see us. On the ride home, Gary held him on his lap. Nugget was so happy to be back with us again, going home. He relaxed and settled into Gary's arms, and a few minutes later, after he had completely relaxed, he just passed away.
I'm absolutely heart-broken. I just can't imagine life without my perfect little Nugget. He was always by my side. I keep thinking I'll run out of tears eventually, but they just keep coming. He meant so much to me. He was the most considerate and loving dog I could have asked for.
Nugget and I spent so much time together. For two years, I was a stay-at-home mom to Nugget alone. It was just him and me, making the most of life. And Portland was perfect for it. We went to all the dog parks, explored lots of beaches, and, of course, tried to catch squirrels every day. I had health problems and he had anxiety issues, but we helped each other through them and found so much joy in life. Every 4th of July, Nugget’s least favorite day of the year, we’d huddle up together and turn the TV up loud to drown out the fireworks. I did everything I could to make Nugget feel happy and safe, and he paid me back a hundredfold. To the very end, I knew he loved and cared about me above everything else.
I’ve experienced a lot of grief and tears this week, but Nugget was worth every bit of it. I hate feeling this depth of pain, but it just wouldn’t feel right not to experience it. A dog that great deserves to be missed this much. “Grief is the price we pay for love,” so they say. And I sure loved that dog.
The vet had been pretty confident he’d be able to fix the pancreatitis, and, other than not eating, Nugget was still acting pretty happy and normal last week. But on Friday morning, things took a pretty bad turn. We immediately got Nugget to the vet for IV treatments and he had to stay all day. When we picked him up that evening, he looked pretty bad, but he was so happy to see us. On the ride home, Gary held him on his lap. Nugget was so happy to be back with us again, going home. He relaxed and settled into Gary's arms, and a few minutes later, after he had completely relaxed, he just passed away.
I'm absolutely heart-broken. I just can't imagine life without my perfect little Nugget. He was always by my side. I keep thinking I'll run out of tears eventually, but they just keep coming. He meant so much to me. He was the most considerate and loving dog I could have asked for.
Nugget and I spent so much time together. For two years, I was a stay-at-home mom to Nugget alone. It was just him and me, making the most of life. And Portland was perfect for it. We went to all the dog parks, explored lots of beaches, and, of course, tried to catch squirrels every day. I had health problems and he had anxiety issues, but we helped each other through them and found so much joy in life. Every 4th of July, Nugget’s least favorite day of the year, we’d huddle up together and turn the TV up loud to drown out the fireworks. I did everything I could to make Nugget feel happy and safe, and he paid me back a hundredfold. To the very end, I knew he loved and cared about me above everything else.
I’ve experienced a lot of grief and tears this week, but Nugget was worth every bit of it. I hate feeling this depth of pain, but it just wouldn’t feel right not to experience it. A dog that great deserves to be missed this much. “Grief is the price we pay for love,” so they say. And I sure loved that dog.
I'm can't wait to see Nugget again. I'm pretty sure this is what it'll be like:
This was Nugget two days before he left us: