Friday, November 18, 2016

Another Heartbreaking Goodbye



" Gunnar"


We had to say goodbye Wednesday night to my daughter’s dog Gunnar.  She found him December 30,2014 at the side of a busy road on her way home from work. It was nearly dark and he ran from the woods in front of her car. She stopped and scooped him up before he could get hurt, and went door to door, looking for his owner. Not finding anyone, she took him home and took care of him that night, and brought him to the vet the next morning. He was starving, his little tail was frostbitten, and he had a bump on his head and ribs.  She thought he might have been hit by a car.  After having him checked out at the vet clinic he spent a few days with the dog warden while they searched for his owners. It turns out that an entire litter of puppies had been dumped in the woods and found a week before, on Christmas Eve, but this little guy got away somehow and spent another freezing week alone in the woods. Somehow he survived on his own and escaped becoming dinner for the coyotes. The owners, notorious local dog abusers, were contacted and obviously didn't want him back. Gunnar was able to come home and be her dog after a brief stay with the dog warden.

As time progressed she found out he had a problem with his liver called a shunt. His blood supply was bypassing his liver instead of filtering through his liver properly and started to make him very sick. He wasn’t getting rid of the toxins in his body. She located a specialist in Manhattan and Gunnar had surgery that seemed to fix the problem. He began to grow again and put on weight, and seemed like a normal, happy, healthy young dog. When he outgrew the stent and coils that were blocking off his shunt, he had to go back in for another surgery and his liver problem was permanently fixed once he reached his adult weight.  He grew to about 100 pounds. Again, he seemed to be thriving, and even the vets were amazed with how well he was doing.

However, a few months ago he started having seizures and had to be put on medication to control them, with special consideration for his liver.  My daughter even took him to a canine neurologist looking for answers, but there really weren’t any.  It can be very hard to determine what causes seizures most of the time, and we could only treat them with a specific medication that wouldn't harm his liver. The medication seemed to work for a while, though he soon had occasional seizures again. His dose was increased as the seizures increased in frequency.  That didn’t seem to help and the seizures continued.  Last Saturday, he had one while he was over my house and it only lasted a few minutes. On this past rainy Tuesday, he went to work with my daughter and had a good day of visiting with his favorite people, playing with his toys, and helping with farm stuff when they got home. That night he suddenly began having nonstop seizures which didn't respond to his medication. We took him to his vet clinic as soon as possible, where they gave him IV phenobarbital, fluids, and Valium to keep him sedated. They took blood and all his liver and other tests came back perfect. They couldn't pinpoint the cause of the seizures.

Unfortunately, even with the heavy doses of IV meds, his seizures never stopped and his condition declined. His blood was no longer clotting and the seizures were constant. My daughter got a call at 9:00 p.m. Weds. night to come down and say her goodbyes to him. There was nothing more they could do for him and he wasn’t going to recover. We still don't really know what happened.

Gunnar is a Nordic name that means "brave fighter." And he certainly was that. He endured a lot in his short life. But despite it all, Gunnar was the sweetest dog we've ever known. He greeted everyone with a smile and a wagging tail. He loved everyone he met, and seemed to make new friends every day. Strangers would bring him toys and treats after meeting him. He stayed with the horses and watched over them, appointing himself guardian of the farm.  Some of our horses don’t care much for dogs but they all accepted him--letting him drink from their waterer, lay in their pasture and stalls, and even ruffling his fur with their noses, which he loved.  He would sleep in Nate's stall near the end when he was sick, as if he knew Nate needed a friend. My puppy Ginger and Gunnar were inseparable and played all day long whenever she was there, and then they'd both collapse together in a furry pile at the end of the day. Gunnar loved his stuffed lambies and was never far from one to cuddle or play with. He’s got them littered all over the farm with his other toys and all over the house. We will miss his dancing, tail-wagging greeting and smiling face whenever he saw us. Even if we were only gone for a few minutes, he was happy to see us when we came back. He was a dog who wagged his tail even in his sleep when he dreamed, and I hope it meant he had a mostly happy life for the short time he got to spend with us. He certainly brought a lot of happiness to our lives. It won't be the same around here without him. We miss him terribly already. We can't help but feel that Gunnar deserved better than what he got. He was the purest, kindest soul you could ever hope to know. We did our best for him, and he gave his best for us. Life just isn’t fair sometimes and when you lose a Gunnar you lose a little piece of your heart. 

Here are some pictures of sweet Gunnar: You will notice he loved his lambies and one was never far away. He had them all over the yard, the house, the office and even brought some over to my house. Gunnar loved to snuggle with his lambies and he was so sweet he would even share them with anyone who would want to play lambie tug of war with him.
Gunnar the night he was found
On his way home from the dog warden's

Taking a nap with his first "lambie"
Gunnar's snowman Christmas present from the office next door. He loved it!
 




Taking a nap break at the office


 





Gunnar and Ginger meet for the first time
 











" I got him"




Gunnar keeping Nate company when he was sick in his stall


The Barn Helpers

"Guard Dogs"

Gunnar and Ginger after his seizure at my house. She lay with him and he held her close with his paw.

Gunnar's last day at the office, snuggling with his lambie after lunch.

Goodbye Sweet Boy


















27 comments:

  1. RIP GUnnar. You were a good dog. Maybe you and Belle can keep each other company until we join you.

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  2. What a beautiful tribute to Gunnar. I am happy I had the good fortune to know him. He will be sorely missed.

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  3. A good dog like Gunnar teaches us more about meeting life's challenges head on than maybe any other teacher.
    RIP Gunnar, & deep condolences to your family for the loss.

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  4. I'm so sorry, GHM. He was the sweetest dog. I looked forward to hearing about him, he was a beautiful star in your lives and you kindly shared him with us. I'm so glad he and your daughter found each other; for the short time he was here, she was the star he needed in his life. I'll light a candle for him, brave little boy.

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  5. What a beautiful tribute to a very special, sweet boy!! Said with tears rolling down my face, for all things Gunnar, and because you had to say goodbye so soon. Loved his photos, what a special fluffy bundle of love! Thanks for sharing your grand-pup with us. I am so very sorry for your loss. Your daughter must be heartbroken. Hope she finds comfort in knowing she went above and beyond, and filled his life with the love he so deserved.

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  6. I am so deeply sorry for your loss. He was a beautiful, and clearly very sweet dog, and it doesn't seem fair that he was taken so soon. What a lucky boy that your daughter found him and that his short life was so full of love and joy. <3

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  7. So sorry A. It's been a hell of a year hasn't it. Hugs to you and your daughter - thinking of you both. (((❤️❤️❤️)))

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  8. I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like he was well cared for during his life. I'm glad he found a human who was willing to give him the best health care. I have a dog who has seizures too, as well as a relative. Witnessing a seizure really shakes me up. I feel so helpless. I can imagine how horrible it must have felt to not have the seizures stop.

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  9. Such a kind soul. I'm so sorry he's gone.

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  10. I remember when he joined your family. What a beautiful boy he was. So sorry for your loss.

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  11. Oh, he was so beautiful! ! What a life. I'm sure he appreciated the angel who found him on that road and loved him and helped him live as long as he could. I so wish he'd been able to stay with you all longer.

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  12. So sorry to hear this. I remember when Gunner first came into your lives. Bless your daughter for giving him such a loving home and all the care he deserved. She was his angel, and now, he will be hers forever. RIP sweet Gunner.

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  13. Aw this is heartbreaking. I'm so sorry to hear. :( Sending hugs.

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  14. I am so glad that your daughter found Gunner and he was given the best life possible. He was such a beautiful boy. Very sorry for your loss.

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  15. I am so sorry for your loss, he looked like he was a wonderful dog.

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  16. You don't know me, but we have Gunnar's brother, Bear Puppy. (I also went to high school with Gunnar's mom's SIL, Jillian!) We scooped him off that same stretch of road on Christmas Eve two years ago, in the pouring rain. We never intended to get another dog, but after a few days, we just couldn't bear to part with him! He looks so much like Gunnar, but black. Also the sweetest, most loving dog you could ever ask for. Our kitten is his best friend! I just wanted to let you know how sorry we are to hear about Gunnar, and maybe also shed some light on his illness. Bear Puppy has a very rare autoimmune disorder called Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia, which was triggered last March, and caused his body to start attacking its own platelets - so his blood stopped clotting, just like Gunnar's. He didn't have seizures, but when he didn't respond to steroids, our vet sadly told us to take him home and say goodbye - there was nothing else they could do, he was bleeding out internally. So we took him home. We had our daughter say goodbye to him before going to bed that night, and I stayed with him all night on the kitchen floor, telling him how much I loved him. And when the sun came up that morning, he was still barely hanging on. So we were sure he would pass that day, but he held on for one more night, and the next morning he started responding to the medication. It was a miracle, truly - the vet said he'd never seen anything like it. It's been a long hard road since then, getting our Bear Puppy stabilized. We finally weaned him off the meds about a month ago, at which point he descended into a different autoimmune disorder! So he'll be on steroids for the rest of his life. And I've often wondered if any of his litter mates had similar conditions. Maybe what afflicted sweet Gunnar was also autoimmune? In any case, even though we have never met, I feel like we are family in a way. We are thinking of you and Gunnar today, and sending our love. If these two brothers are anything alike (and it sounds like they are!), then Gunnar was a truly wonderful dog, and he knew how much he was loved.

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    1. Thank you Lisa. It's a small world. This information helped us understand what may have been medically wrong with Gunnar. Maybe what afflicted Gunnar was autoimmune too, I guess we'll never know. I appreciate you telling us all this about Bear Puppy. It sounds like he just couldn't bear to leave his family, I'm so glad the medication worked for him. I hope he lives a long and full life, I know he is much loved.

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  17. I know it doesn't change anything, but I'm the kind of person who always needs to understand things, so I thought maybe a bit of information could help you find some peace. For what it's worth, I told Bear Puppy about his brother's passing, and he whined and climbed into my lap. We are all thinking of you. ❤️

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    1. Thank you for the info, it does open a little bit of insight into what may have been part of Gunnar's problem. It does help us make peace with what happened and we are grateful you told us about Bear Puppy. Give him a big kiss and hug from all of us, he sounds like he and Gunnar have similar personalities. So sweet.

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  18. I'm catching up on blogs today and my heart clinched up when I read the title. I am SO sorry for the loss of such a gorgeous and sweet dog. Gunnar hit the jackpot when J scooped him up and it's absolutely clear from the wonderful photos that he had a fabulous (if all too short) time with your family. And that he brought love to all of you including the horses! It's been a very hard year with saying goodbye to beloved animal family members. Big hugs to you and to J and all of you.

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  19. I'm so sorry for your loss :( what a special dog

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  20. Oh man...I'm so sorry Arlyne. I just saw this. Just crap!

    Life isn't fair sometimes, and it just sucks. Poor guy, he sure did have a lot of bad stuff when he was just such a little guy, but oh my God, when he found you guys, he found love. It seems like such a short time ago when he came into your lives. I remember him when he was a small pup and he grew into such a handsome dog, didn't he? He was the Guardian. And Gunnar really suited him. I'm so very sorry for your (and your daughter's) loss of such a huge part of your family. I can't imagine your sadness. You've been suffering a lot of loss and grief this year, and I wish it wasn't happening. ((hugs)) Wish they could be real ones...

    I hope you can gather on Thanksgiving and feel blessed to have had him in your lives, even if you'd hoped for much more. He was a good dog. Thank you for loving him so much!

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  21. So sorry for your loss. Your daughter sounds like a Human to be proud of.

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  22. I am so sorry for Gunner and you. He was beautiful and was rescued by angels. I've lost several over the years and I know how painful it is. He had a short but well loved life with you all.

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  23. He was a gorgeous boy and his sweet personality shines through in your photos. I'm very, very sorry for your loss. I lost my first dog, a Springer, to uncontrolled seizures and it's completely heartbreaking. :( I'm sure you know Gunnar will be waiting for you and your daughter across the Bridge someday, with all the other Good Dogs you have known.

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