I wasn't expecting this although I knew I'd have to experience her death as she was 11 years old and had severe arthritis. Kevin took her to our vet while I was on my road trip as she was having incontinence. The doctor couldn't diagnose her problem and put her on Clavimox.
But then she was in a bad fight with Sweetie last Wednesday when I was at the San Pedro River with Sadie and Sammy. When I got back she was bleeding from her front right leg. It wasn't gushing but she had an open flesh wound. I showered her down and lay her down in the bedroom, gave her some Tramadol and separated her from the other dogs. She was in great pain and wouldn't let us examine the wound closer.
By Friday morning I took her to our vet. By then she was allowing me to touch her wounded area. She had no broken bones but Dr Snyder said she had severe arthritis that was causing her the inflamation. She was given more Tramadol, Cephalexin and arthritis tablets.
She looked to be doing well, and even walked on her bandaged knee. But she hated taking her antibiotics. She wouldn't even eat her wet food I gave her last night with the medication stirred inside the food. She knew.
This morning she didn't look too good. I carried her from the bedroom to the back porch so that she could pee outside and be near Kevin, who was on the back porch surfing the internet on his laptop. Instead, she wobbled herself back inside by the porch door and lay down. I was busy working on some photographs and when I took a break around noon, saw that her head was on the floor and her tongue slightly outside her mouth. She had never lay down like that before.
"Kevin, Sara is dying!" I told Kevin.
"Are you sure?" he asked, and got up to look. He quickly agreed with he. He came inside to be with her as well, hugging her around her neck, stroking her and telling her what a great dog she is. Sammy watched nearby. It is as if he also knew Sara was dying. Soon thereafter Sara went through agonal breathing, vomited bloody bile, heaved a few times, and passed away at 12:39pm. I could feel the last electrical charges in her abdomen, and felt her last heart beat.
"She's gone" I said, and we quickly wrapped her in an old bed sheet. Zeke and Minnie, who were outside when Sara died, didn't want to step inside the dining area. They knew.
What a great dog she was. I'm still shocked that her death came on so fast. Did she have an undiagnosed cancer? A secondary infection from the wound? Walking was painful for her and I tried being gentle with her by taking her only on short walks, but other than that, besides her incontinence, I never saw her in any other pain. Her passing was swift. And I am so glad I was back in Arizona to be with her in her final week.
No comments:
Post a Comment