Quote from: Wysps on Sep 09, 2018, 01:54:56 PM
Oh no 
Huggs I'm so sorry to hear that. The loss of a pet is just...such a life changing event. It's so unjust that they don't live long enough. I wish you much strength as you edure through this. Was it something you were expecting or completely unexpected?
Lord help us, it's done now. It was somewhat expected, but only recently. She'd gone the entirety of her life, literally without one single health issue. And that's with normal checkups. She was one of the toughest little girls you'd ever meet. The whole family always thought she'd outlive everything and everyone.
But about 2 months ago, I had to travel out of state to help my father clean out the old family home, which was being sold. The rest of the family decided to go with us, and so we boarded her, and her sister. When we came home 3 days later and picked them up, both of them had pancreatitis, likely due to being overfed at the vet, which we asked they avoid due to her sisters health issues and dietary needs. For some reason, her sister bounced back quickly, she did not. She still acted like herself, but slowly kept losing weight and eating less, even with the correct medicines and GI rest. She was also spitting up quite a bit, not vomiting, she'd merely pause while walking and spit out some clear fluid.
I'd been having to drive her into the vet basically every Saturday for the last month, which upset her terribly. Nothing worked, and she kept getting thinner and weaker. But she was in no obvious pain, was still drinking, walking, using the bathroom and acting normally. Her eating improved slightly over the last 2-3 days, and we thought she might rally, as it wasn't an extreme improvement like you would expect with "bright bulb syndrome" like her brother had before he passed. But the last time she went to the vet, there was some kind of growth visible on the x-ray, and it began to look as though she may have a cancer of some kind.
We all wanted her to be able to stay home with her family as long as possible. Over the last 48 hours, she began to show signs of discomfort, and would constantly get up and walk large circles around her and her sisters beds. She began bumping into things, even though her eyesight was fine. She would also lose her balance and fall down. This morning, I'm told she wouldn't eat, and lacked the energy to move much. I was also told that she had begun to whimper slightly and that her breathing was deteriorating and a death rattle was audible.
Anyone who's ever seen it can tell when nature has flipped that last switch in an animal, and the end is coming soon. It was obvious to me when I saw her this morning that she was beginning to hurt, and was going downhill quickly. I honestly doubt she'd had survived the night, and even though she'd have been in her home and near her sister, she'd still have passed in pain and probably stumbling around looking for her family. We didn't want that. I went over and dug the grave while my folks took her in. I carried her to the car; it was hard handing her over. I pet her and told her I loved her, and that I'd always be with her and this would always be her home. Then I just kissed her as hard as I could, and breathed in the scent of her fur one last time. My father held her during the procedure, he wouldn't let my mother watch or be in the room, for her own sake. He calls it his "responsibility". I've never seen him so upset.
Everybody's together and just listening to the storm now. Staring at an empty bed in the kitchen corner where a little angel slept for the last 15 years. For the first time, her sister is all alone. We'll keep her close, and move forward. What else can we do? We have no regrets. Like her siblings, she had a perfect life. She was loved immensely, had the best care, was never ignored or scolded, not once. She was held and walked and played with and constantly tended to. She was loved for every single second of her life, and she knew it. Praise God. But she's crossed the meadow and gone beyond the pine trees now. She's lost to our sight, but she's with her brother, and we will see her again.
