I'm so sorry man. At a loss for words. I know how hard that decision is. You made the right one though. She's in the big woods in the sky now, and forever in your heart and memories.
GreatLakes THC
GreatLakes THC
I've felt all along the change in Kayla's well being would happen overnight, which night was of course the unknown. Yesterday started off a bit slowly for Kayla and a noticeable deterioration in her gait; it's not just that she slowed down a bit (she did) but there was a deliberate jerky motion in an effort to raise each leg whereas the day before her stride was fairly normal and just days prior she still had plenty of pep in her step hustling to the door to greet our various friends arrivals.
Last night she began to refuse food (ground beef & rice) unless I hand fed her from my own plate a bit here, a bit there although she was able to take in plenty of water.
For the first time ever Kayla was walking in and out of the house with her tail tucked low; normally she held that tail high and it wagged left n' right with every step she took, a happy confident stride all of her life and suddenly it was gone.
@ 4:00am this morning I cooked up 2 big marrow filled soup bones, one for Alice & one for Kayla who has always assigned herself 'keeper of the bones' by spiriting them away asap from Alice & Scooter in years past. Both girls dug into them for awhile but Alice soon tired of hers and fell asleep, it wasn't long before Kayla had Alice's bone on her blanket too as old habits die hard.
I had a vets appt scheduled for a checkup for Kayla later today but decided last night that there was no way I could allow her end to come as an accumulation of bad days back to back to back. There was a fluid raspiness to her breathing again and certainly one organ or another in her body was starting to shut down.
The look in her eyes and her step told me the fun was gone from her life and when the vet was very gently lifting her to the exam table she let out a horrible howl from the pain within. She was always such a gentle dog I knew that this one day of true discomfort or suffering was all she & I could bare.
I can't write anymore about her right now, I'm crying like a baby and need to get out of my house. I'd like to maybe tell you all more about Kayla later.......