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Posted by Kelly S. (post) on 2/24/2008, 12:25 pm
71.158.209.134
I am copying a post here that I put on my caring bridge site. - My sweet little dog Sandy died last night of her thyroid cancer. She has been such a great dog and has always been with me through this cancer journey. I am so sad.
As I sit here writing this I have tears streaming down my face. We have some very sad news to share about our beloved beagle Sandy. As most of you know she was 13.5 years old and had been battling thyroid cancer since March of 2007. She had appeared to be doing well and was eating and enjoying life. However all of a sudden last night she woke us up to go outside and all was not right. She had some intestinal problems and then would not really move and her breathing was labored - we put her in the bed with us to see if she would be more comfy. She snuggled up next to me but in the next few minutes I could feel her whole body tense up and then release - this happened about once a minute. We then decided we should go to the emergency vet in Wichita. We got dressed, Ken warmed up the car and put her bed in it. Ken carried her out to the car and put her in her bed - I sat beside her. She did not move at all in the car which is very unusual - we arrived at the emergency vet and she just layed in her bed - once again very unusual as she is always up investigating. The nurse came in to examine her and checked her gums - they were white which meant no blood was getting to them and her temp. was very low and her stomach was growing very large and hard. We put her back in the bed and the nurse went to get the doctor. We were both around her and petting here when she tilted her head to look at me and her eyes rolled back in her head and she took a gasp and layed her head back down. The doctor came in at that time and we said that we thought she was gone - the doctor put her bed up on the table to look at her and she then did this terrible gasping sound - he said it was a reflex or something that happens at the very end - he went out to get the stuff to put her to sleep but when he came back she was doing less of the reflex breathing and he said she was already gone and that she was not aware of the terrible reflex breathing. He said we could take as long as we needed with her and to let them know when we were ready. It was so hard as she still looked alive and I wanted so much for it to be so. I realize that for every living creature that there is a time to live and a time to die but I will miss her so much. She has been my constant companion for the past 13.5 years including the many ups and downs of my cancer journey. With every surgery I had she would lay on the sofa with me sometimes propping her little head on my victory in the valley bear and she hung out in bed with me the many days of my chemo and was always there with her wagging tail - during that time if it was not for her - there were some days I would not have made it out of bed at all. Our little Sandy was a fighter up until the end but she just couldn't do it anymore. We are so thankful that she really did not suffer long and that we were both home and able to be with her when she went. I am sure that was God's planning as Ken has worked so much lateley that it was rare to have him home. It does not say for certain in the Bible if dogs go to heaven or not but I believe they do. I am sure that Sandy and Molly (My moms beagle who died 1 week ago) who are best buds are running around in a green pasture somewhere chasing those rabbits they always dream about and that they are pain free. We will miss her so much as she was as much a part of both of our lives as a child would be. We are comforted by the fact that she had a happy life. She loved to go outside and watch the birds and dig for bugs. Anytime food was around she was there waiting for any crumbs. She loved to see what she would get in her Christmas stocking. She loved being "messed" with by her daddy and she loved being in the bed snuggled with her mom and dad. All of her days were happy including the very last one for as we could tell she was fine when we went to bed and the problems occurred overnight. The vet said most likely a tumor in her stomach burst and caused a bleed. The picture on this site is of me and her in July of 2006 and will probably stay on the site along time in remembrance of her. We know she is not a person but she was a member of our family and we would appreciate any prayers for us as we go through this most difficult time.
Love,
Kelly
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