My husband gave my Rottweiler to me as a surprise anniversary gift in July, 1995.  He was an 8-week old puppy who I named 'Brutus Buckeye.  He would meet several health challenges in his life.  Five days of ownership brought a diagnosis of parvo virus.  He was a very sick pup; in fact, he was within hours of being put to sleep when he began to show a little sign of possible improvement.  I nursed him through several weeks of antibiotics, special dog foods,etc.  He was an absolute delight!

When he was approximately 2 years old, he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from jumping off our deck into the snow and playing with the neighbor kids.  His leg was repaired at the Ohio State University vet school.  His rehab for that was slow and meticulous.  Approximately two years later, he ruptured the other ACL and so another surgery and rehab.  Never once did he offer anything but a big smile and demands for petting through all of his ordeals.  He was my rock; he literally absorbed my tears of grief when my husband died from an unexpected heart attack at age 50.

Then last October, he was diagnosed with probably bone cancer, having a mass near his lungs and also by his liver.  The vet gave him a prognosis of 3-6 months.  I did all I could to ensure that the days he had left were as pain free as possible and that his life in general was good.  The vet had me try a rather new pain reliever (NSAID) called Metacam but he didn’t  seem to receive much relief from it.  But he did better with Deramaxx, another NSAID.  We also used Prednisone and Lasix, a diuretic.

Up until his last few days, I gave him Science Diet canned food called ND.  At the end he began losing his appetite and I offered him anything I thought he might enjoy such as turkey, beef, cheese, etc.  Approximately two weeks ago, his breathing became more labored and his abdomen was so distended that he could not find a comfortable sitting or laying position.

I was fortunate to find a mobile vet to come to the house to put him at peace.  When he came to the door, my impulse was to back out but my husband and I both were adamant about pets or any animal for that matter to not suffer.  The vet was very sensitive and compassionate.  I held Brutus’ upper body in my lap and talked softly to him as he was injected with the life ending drugs.  Again, never offering anything but a desire to be petted.  I don’t know that he ever met anyone that he showed dislike for and he came in contact with a lot of adults and children in his 8-½ yrs. of life.  Some folks were initially intimidated by his size but quickly were won over by his wonderful nature and toys being dropped at their feet, waiting to play.

Our house is “sadly quiet” now…I miss him so much.