Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Things Can Change So Quickly…

And things did do that for me yesterday.

My best friend died yesterday. I’m talking about Molly, my Australian Shepard. It happened suddenly. She had a carcinoma (tumor) on her heart that had burst. The sack around her heart filled with blood. The pressure was stopping her heart from beating properly.

We got up at the regular time and found Molly to be listless and lethargic. She was coughing and had little energy. The day before she was fine. As the day progressed, she was getting worse. I got a feeling about her late in the afternoon and called my friend, Tom, to check her out.

By the time we knew what was happening and got her to a Vet, she had almost no blood pressure. Her Vet told us that the help she needed was only available at an emergency clinic. She was rushed to one immediately.

They did tests and the diagnosis was the carcinoma, but there were unknowns. They were able to tap the fluid from around her heart. She responded and improved, but only to a point.

Around 11:15 PM, we got another call from the Vet. The fluid had refilled the sack and she had to be tapped again. The Vet said that the leak was bad. We decided to go to the emergency clinic.

We talked to the Vet. The prognosis was not good. As the leak was so bad, she would probably have to be tapped two more times in order for the Cardiologist specialist to see her in the morning.

Molly was dying.

We made the final decision. She had suffered enough and we did not want her to experience anymore discomfort.

We went in to see Molly. She perked up when she saw her ‘pack!’ She got up and was seemingly ready to go home. But, She was so tired and lay back down. There was a sparkle in her eyes but there was also a sad dimness to them. My heart went out to her as I realized that the correct decision had been made.

We gave my special friend hugs, caressed her and said our goodbyes. I laid her head in my lap, as the Doctor came in and prepared to do his job. I kissed her head and petted her neck and head as the Doctor did his job. Soon, it was over and Molly found her final peace. The Doctor told us (when all was said and done) that we had really made the right decision for her situation.

Keep in mind that I am sad now over the loss of a good friend. She was my constant companion for more than 10 years. We played Frisbee, played ball, ran together, went jeeping together, took vacations together and many more things. She thought that she was the consummate taste-tester and often assisted me in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, we spent the last week vacationing together, jeeping in Moab, Utah.


I will so miss my friend, Molly!

Rest, my friend! Rest in peace!