With the recent threads about Shelly, Mary Beth, and Bruno, I have another story to add. I know that most of you don't know me, but I would like to share with everyone this brief story to help me cope with this terrible loss.
I lost my dog yesterday morning to the sudden onset of
Visceral hemangiosarcoma. She died in my arms at roughly 3:30am
I have had many pets in my life, but Morgan was different. It always seemed to me that there was a person in that body rather than a dog; even though she would do dog things like snap at flies, lick her butt, etc.
Aside from the unconditional love we get from our Canine friends, Morgan really kept me grounded. She was very intuitive and somehow always seemed to cheer me up. She was my companion and she will surely be missed by everyone who knew her.
Yesterday, I took Morgan in to the vet with symptoms similar to heatstroke. She was panting incessantly and very weak. She would not eat or drink. Her vet was closing, so we went to the after hours emergency pet hospital. Her temp was 106.2- high enough to cause organ failure. She was put on an I.V. and many Xrays and tests were performed. The vet noticed that Morgan's spleen was enlarged and she had some fluid in her lungs. The heart looked normal. When Morgan's fever was gone, she was in better spirits and there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. At 11:30pm, I took her for a walk outside the clinic and that's when I noticed she was not walking well. She had a hard time balancing herself and despite having 3 liters if I.V. fluid in her, she couldn't "go". I returned her to the cage they were keeping her in and went home to get some rest. Well, I couldn't sleep, so I went back to the clinic at 2:30am to learn that her condition had worsened. She now had an E.K.G. hooked up to her revealing severe arrhythmia. She was unresponsive to the Lidacane and she was panting again. I was informed that Morgan had fluid around her heart that decreased its ability to pump. This was why she was so weak and wobbly. By this time, Morgan had lost bladder control. The vet said if we let her be, she would die within a day or two. OR, Morgan could have the fluid drained, then surgery to remove malignant tumors, then chemo, then monitoring, then a poor quality of life that would last a year longer at most...
I made the decision to euthanize her and she died quietly, peacefully, and in my arms.
She will have a private cremation, and I will spread her ashes (along with the remains of my childhood pets) at her favorite park. Morgan was definately an Alfa female, she loved to hunt and this is a very large park with plenty of critters.
This all happened so suddenly and I am at a loss. I just turned 35 on the 12th.
My intuition was telling me that 35 was going to be a year to remember. So far, my new year has brought me much pain and now grief. During the first week of my new year, I nearly severed my left index finger (left -handed), and euthanized my dog.
WTF?
Morgan is the Lab on the right:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...d/000_0057.jpg
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...d/000_0521.jpg
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...d/000_0050.jpg
"Morgan, you have influenced my life in ways no human ever could. I am a better man because of you; I love you."