Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - My Baby Girl Missy

My dog Missy was reciently diagnoised with AIHA this past tuesday 12/04/07. She pasted away Thursday 12/06/07. She would have been 11 yrs old on Dec.18th. She was my baby girl. Im so lost with out her. I dont know what to do. She was always with me everywhere I went. I got her when she was 6 weeks old. She slept with me EVERYNITE. DOES THE PAIN GET BETTER? DOES THE LOSS GO AWAY / GET BETTER? I keep looking for her or waiting for her to come to me to go potty and she never does. If theres someone out there that can help please do. I"v never been thru anything like this. Im having her cremated. She will be returned back to me in a " purple " ( my fav. color ) heart shaped box, sealed. Im not sure how im gonna react to that when I get it. I just need help and support right now.

Tweety South MIssissippi

I am so sorry for your loss of your beloved Missy. It's never easy to say good bye, but much more so when such an ugly disease strikes and takes them . Yes, the pain does get better and, slowly but surely, when you think of her you will be thinking of the happy, silly, fun times you shared.............but it never goes away completely. But that's because you loved her so. She would want you to go on and be a happy person....happy to have had such a great friend and companion. You will always have her in your heart and, I believe, we will see them ( all our loved pets) again. Check out Joannes's site... there is a great section on grief... it will help. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/

Betty Dallas

I lost my Angus this past Sept after a 3 month battle. It was one of the worst days of my life. Yes it does get better, although I do cry at least once a day because I miss him so. He was and is very special to me. Hang tough, the void you are experiencing is huge. Just hold on to the thought that you gave her a wonderful life and Missy knows it!!... Patty

keefer Downingtown

I'm so sorry to hear about Missy. Our dogs become such wonderful and constant companions and when they pass away, they leave a huge gap in our hearts and our lives. I lost one of my dogs three years ago and was devastated for a long time. It was such a struggle to adjust to a new "normal" without him. In the early days the grief was overwhelming and would come and go in waves. I didn't try to fight it - just let it happen. As time went on, that intense sadness started to fade. Time is a great healer. We just need to give ourselves time to go through that grieving period. I'm sure Missy knew she was loved and that she had a great life with you. Maybe that doesn't help right now but I hope in time you will be able to think of her and remember all the good times and smile. Take care of yourself. Big hugs to you. deb and Duck

Debbie BC Canada

Tweety (Ellen), I think you you emailed me on Wednesday in regard to your most beloved Missy. I am so very sorry to hear of her death. Please accept my very deepest sympathies on your loss When you feel up to it I hope you will visit the loss & greif page at the Meisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Web site. The URL of the Loss & Greif page is http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/loss.htm This page was written with input from those who have lost their dogs to AIHA/IMHA and contains many resources that will be very helpful to you. And yes time does heal the hurt but it can take a long long time. When my dear Meisha died I was in such shock I could not even cry for a full month. When the tears did finally come, I thought they would never end, but they did. I still think of my dear gal, each and every day as well as her canine sister, Margo, who died 18 months later, but now when I think of them both it is with JOY and thankfulness that they were allowed to be a part of my life. They both taught me so many lessons I could learn no other way. Once again, my deepest sympathies to you on your loss. Be assured you are in my thoughts and prayers during these most diffcult days.

Joanne MN

I am so sorry to hear about your loss, time is a great healer Tweety. Misty was loved and you gave her the best life possible I feel. My thoughts are with you at this time. Tricia x ^j^

Tricia UK

So sorry for your loss, time is a great healer, but she will know how much you loved her and how much she loved you in return. My deepest sympathies, Jackie

Jackie pembrokeshire; west wales; uk

Tweety, I'm so sorry to her about your Sweet Missy passing away. This disease is just devastating, and even worse when dogs are not even given a fair chance to fight it. She was with you a very long time. What a beautiful life I'm sure she had. It will take some time to begin healing. I dont think you ever fully get over the loss. You simply have to get used to living without them as time passes. Please be kind to yourself as you go through this horrible time. We are all here for you, even if you just want to vent. In time, you will be able to replace your tears of sorrow with tears (or smiles) of joy when you think of all the wonderful memories you had with your girl. You will always have that. Take care, Teresa and Jacob ****Rest in Peace Sweet Girl Missy****

Teresa va

Tweety, Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this very difficult time. Missy knows how much you loved her, and I am sure she was so happy to give that love back to you in her 11 years. You will never forget her as she will never forget you and all the love you gave to her. Just take it one day at a time. We lost 2 dachshunds a few years back within two years of each other. They were stepsisters, but sisters in every way. We had them from the time they were babies. I think we cried every day for about two months before it finally got better. We also had both of our girls creameted and have them on a shelf in our living room with their pictures. Just try and focus right now on all the good and happy times you had before she got sick. She just did not have it in her to fight this disease. Take care, Linda

Linda Sapphire

Tweety, I am so very sorry for your loss of Missy. Remember all the good times you had with her and what a great life she had. The pain does get better, but it just takes a long time. We just lost our Jack yesterday morning. He was diagnosed with AIHA Thursday Dec. 6th and less then 24 hours later he was gone. He was only 1 1/2 years old. We have lost 4 pets in the last 6 years and it is always very hard. We have had all of our pets creameted so they are here with us. Give yourself permission to laugh, cry, yell and anything else you want to do. One thing that I learned last night about this disease, is that the dogs that die very fast from it might have had a fatal blood clot. That is what happened to Jack. I don't know if knowing that helps your or not, but it helped me a little bit. I know Jack would have fought so hard to beat this disease if he had had a chance as I'm sure Missy would have too. Please take comfort in your happy memories of Missy and know she is watching you with her angel wings on. Lisa

Lisa Austin

Tweety, I'm deeply sorry about your dog's death. When our pets go, we naturally want them to return right away. I had an 13 yr. old cocker put to sleep a cuple yrs. ago, due to congestive heart failure. She seemed to tell me that it was time to let her go one night. I knew it was coming and was somewhat prepared. But, and even though I'm generally a very strong man, I cried my heart out after coming home from the emergency vet's office. But, time healed the hurt for me and I swear, and I'm a fairly logical, realistic person, that I've caught glimpses of her spirit in my house. I now firmly believe that she's been here a handful of times and may zip through again. I also now believe that I'll see her again after I check out. I hope you start to recover soon. We almost always do.

Al Florida

Thanks everyone for all the kind words you have left here. TODAY has been a really hard day for me. I have cried ever since I got up. There so much I want to say but cant right now. I just dont know what to do. All I do know is I WANT MY BABY BACK. I know that sounds selfish of me. Part of me died when she died. I do know that.

Tweety South MIssissippi

Hi Tweety Im so sorry you are going through this. I feel your heartache. It really is important to remember the good times. And dont worry about the crying, cry as much as you need to. I know when Bertie was diagnosed that is all I did. My thoughts are with you. Lisa

Lisa West Aust

Tweety, I am so sorry about Missy's death and the grief with which you are struggling. I lost Toby, my then 12-year-old corgi/cocker mix to congenitive heart disease - back in 1998. We were such a great match and such great friends (although, when I went to the shelter to adopt a dog, I was so intent on coming home with a "big" (ala Golden Retriever or Lab) girl, that I'm still astounded (and blessed) that I came home, instead, with a short, stubby-legged corgi/cocker boy.) When Toby died, I didn't just cry, I sobbed. And, I sobbed for weeks afterwards. Sometime, in the midst of sobbing, I started to remember the good times - the long hours of my throwing a ball and him chasing it 'til my arm gave out; our walking around the Boulder (Colorado) Reservoir - with him always jumping out of the car, running towards the reservoir, then stopping to look back to make sure I was following him and, after assuring himself that I was, bolting to the water (he was a ball dog and a water dog); our snuggles in bed; him delighting my best friend's then three-year old son by diving for rocks in the reservoir; people calling to me, as I rode my bike to work, "Dog, DOg, DOG", and me turning around to see Toby (who had dug himself out from beneath our fence) trying to run (on his corgi legs) to work with me; his showing up at my office (after having crossed two of the three busiest streets in Boulder) to get to "mama" when a particularly bad thunderstorm hit (escape artist that he was, I had "escape-artist"-proofed the back yard, but I never learned how to Toby-proof it). Eventually, remembering the good times, lessened the sobs. Ten years later, I still cry (am crying now, and keyboarding through the tears) for Toby. But, through the tears, I am loving the good times and looking forward to seeing him again. (And, see him again, I'm sure I will - just as I'm sure you'll see Missy again.) If my experience holds true, you will sob for your loss of Missy and Missy's loss of you (who's taking care of her and loving her now?). With time, the sobs will turn to a manageable flow of tears because Missy will have come to you in a dream, or dream voice, to tell you she's okay; she loves and misses you. But, she's in a place where time isn't measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or years as we measure them. She's in a place where a year, as we humans count them, is measured as a nano-second. She knows she'll see you "soon", as time is counted where she is now; and, she hopes that, in the meantime, your sobs will be transformed into tears and then into memories of the happy, fun, silly times you and she shared. Blessings to you for having loved and cared for Missy for as long as you did. Peace to you in your "hour" of grief: know that your "hour" of grief is, to Missy, only an hour - because, no matter how old you become (and she hopes you will become really old, and love other dogs as much (or almost) as much as you love/loved her - only an hour has passed in her new world before she sees you again, no matter how many years have passed as you and I count time. Peace, goodwill and take care. Sandy & Shadow

Sandy Utah

my thoughts are with you. rest in peace missy.

josh california

This thread was discussed between 08/12/2007 and 11/12/2007

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.