In Memoriam

Today is a very sad day for me. My beloved Phoebe passed away early this morning.

She had very stinky runny poo Friday and the day before and Saturday she threw up all the food she ate, threw up all the water she drank, and this is the bad part, expelled a ton of very stinky blood instead of poo. I called the vet's emergency number and took her in last night. He gave her two shots, put an iv in her (but I think all of it ran back out when he pulled the needle out) and he gave me pills and liquid for her to take. The vet didn't give me a diagnosis, but Polly says it sounded like Parvo, even though Phoebe had been vaccinated. Phoebe's symptoms were consistent with Parvo, according to the websites I've visited. He did say she had a small fever. And there looked to be some kind of pus or infection gathering around her butt before she expelled another big puddle of blood at the vet's office. He asked about people food and I don't give her any. He asked about plants, and I try to keep all the plants picked up and out of the way. I can't help it if a leaf gets tracked in from outside. Fritz is always bringing in twigs stuck in his hair. She eats worse than that when we go for walks, which we haven't done in months because of the cold weather. And then he asked about my other dogs and neither of them are sick. I did give her part of a Chicken Jerky treat Friday night, but she had eaten those before and had not had any problems. It did have the potential for sharp edges that might have nicked her intestine like chicken bones would, but as she was sick with the runny poo before I gave her the treat, I don't think it was a major contributor. If you'll recall, I've posted here other times that Phoebe had been sick with runny poo and vomiting. I believe that this was some recurring virus or bacteria that just finally wouldn't go away.

I got up at 3am this morning and checked on her and she wasn't moving, her breathing was very shallow and she was very cold. I covered her with a small blanket and talked to her and petted her for a while. With all the blood loss, her passing wasn't unexpected, but that doesn't make it any less painful for me and my parents. I called mom and dad this morning and told them and I think mom had to put her oxygen on. I knew it would hard for her because she was really attached to Phoebe. She said Phoebe was full of life, the way she would run through the house and go to the bedroom to wake up her grandpa and that Phoebe was really smart in that she would come and tell us when she had used her puppy pads. I think Phoebe's passing is probably hardest on Mom because she didn't see how sick Phoebe was like Dad and I did. The last time Mom saw Phoebe was last week when she went for her weekly visit.

I am planning to bury Phoebe with her favorite squeaky toy and her stuffed cat and her jingle bell collar. She slept with a bunny and I plan to keep it and some other things of hers in a keepsake box. I'm printing out the Christmas pictures now to put in the photo album.

I do plan to get another dog. I don't know when. It will be tough for me and my parents for a while, and when I do get another puppy, I would hope that Mom and Dad would dogsit for me again like they did when I first got Phoebe.