But Friday night she sustained a trifling injury in a scuffle with one of my other dogs. I thought nothing of it until the next day when she swelled up everywhere and was prostrated. She spent all weekend at the emergency vet hospital, where I thought she was improving, but it seems that the minor injury triggered what must have been a serious auto-immune disease, because she seemingly lost all ability for her cells or vessels to retain fluid, and her own system was destroying all her red blood cells. Her immune system may have been on crazy high alert from the heart worms. That probably means it wasn't ever going to be in the cards for me to get her strong enough to treat the heart worms, and when we put her down this morning she escaped what otherwise would have been a long decline with heart disease.
She was such a sweetie. I don't regret taking her in and giving her two good weeks with all the food she could eat and a safe place to sleep. This is her just last Friday, right before she cratered. We have buried her here with all our other dogs.
17 comments:
Damn, that's tough, and I'm sorry. My condolences, as empty as words are.
You did good, better than good, though, to give Greta a chance and a good life in her end game.
Eric Hines
Yes, you did good.
Good on you Tex. I took in an old redbone hound a long time ago that had heartworm and prominent kennel callouses on his elbows (from lying on cement), a sweet disposition but just too far gone. Somebody had dumped him. We did pretty much the same thing, saw him on his way. Dogs are God's gift and sometimes, reward.
I'm so sorry you lost her, Tex, but so glad she had a couple good weeks with you - and you with her.
She did have a good last two weeks, and I'm trying to draw the lesson that it's better to connect and feel the pain. I know very well how much worse it is not to connect. I'm very, very, very sad, but it's better than the feeling of dead isolation, which I also know quite well.
Tolstoy said there is no evil but illness and remorse. If we only do the right thing, we avoid the remorse.
Sorry about your dog, Tex. I’m still not over mine.
Humans and dogs go together like joy and sorrow. You did right by her, and you made her last two weeks far better than she could have expected.
Terribly sorry Tex, it's amazing how quickly we can bond with someone or some animal, especially dogs. Surely you spared her a great deal of suffering, and that's worthy of commendation.
You can always tell a person's character by the way they treat animals in need.
I am truly sorry for your loss.
nmewn
I'm very, very, very sad, but it's better than the feeling of dead isolation, which I also know quite well.
Love is very fruitful both of honey and gall. ~ Plautus
They Cast Their Nets in Galilee: "The peace of God that filled their hearts/Brimful and broke them, too."
Grim, I thought a lot about your dog yesterday even before you posted that. Sometimes they spare us a bit of the heartache by dying naturally and fairly quickly, but too often they get to where we have to help them die, and I purely hate that.
My niece is about to arrive with her two dogs, so I'll have four dogs in the house for the rest of the week. That always cheers me up.
Love is very fruitful both of honey and gall. ~ Plautus
But, love amply drowns the gall.
Eric Hines
“I purely hate that.”
It’s definitely the worst part.
A good conclusion is important, and you gave her that and took joy in providing. It was well done.
All I can add is thank you, Tex. You gave a dog a very good home.
LittleRed1
"...so I'll have four dogs in the house for the rest of the week. That always cheers me up."
Oh, that's wonderful. When we sit my brother's dogs, we have five in the house- a proper pack. It's fun, and they keep each other busy, happily.
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