We have had one hell of a week. Aggie came down with a bladder infection three weeks ago. Two weeks into her treatment, the vet called and thought she'd developed an antibiotic resistant bug due to a recent culture. He put her on new medication and four days later, Agg's took ill. We didn't know why she was ill, we just knew that her eyes were runny, her nose stuffy, and her collapsable trachia was collapsing all over the place. I got out her meds, had her inhaler ready and administered as needed. I was with her 24/7 and there were times when her breathing and shaking were so bad, I thought of helping my baby to the Rainbow Bridge.
You see, while Aggie is ours, she is not fully ours though there is no one on this planet who loves her more than we do. Aggie was adopted from a friend who passed away. We never intended to keep her and Bella, her black lab sister, but told my friend we would because she was dying. Then both dogs decided to adopt us.
In any case, with Aggie and Bella came free medical care. Except we have no say in their care. If the doctor's feel they can be treated they will be treated no matter how bad off they are. After watching Aggie crash so fast over five days, neither of us knew what to do. One vet suggested giving her IV fluids during the day and we could take her home at night. Then we were told there were wonderful drugs for heart failure and we could keep her alive, miserably perhaps, but keep her alive for years.
I did not want that for Aggie. Neither of us wanted that for Aggie. If you follow my blog, then you know that last year Aggie broke her neck. She had surgery for it at UC Davis and spent almost a month in the hospital. Aggie did spectacularly well. Unbelievably so, so much so the entire neurology staff had to meet her. For months we worked with her. Every day was physical therapy along with hand massages up to four times a day. We fed her by hand, put water in her mouth with a spoon. The Agg's gave her all for us and I could not ask her to do it again. I knew she loved us enough to stay no matter the pain. We loved her too much to allow the sacrifice.
Aggie's breathing became so labored that I rocked her, sang to her, gave her steam baths, wiped her eyes with warm moist towels. I did not leave her for five days. We did not leave her for five days. Though because my husband is still working nighttime duty was mine. At first, I thought the bacteria had overwhelmed her system. She'd lost control of her bladder so I assumed that was the problem. I took her into the vets and they took a culture and sent her home. We cried, we were heartbroken.
But something just struck me wrong. When the issue first started, about three days into treatment, she seemed like she was having an allergy attack so at that point, no matter what anyone said, I was going to keep her comfortable. So I gave her Benedryl. The antihistamine did seem to help her itchy nose. She would take her nose and rub it up against her blanket then sneeze over and over and over again. Her sneezes weren't productive because she was so weak, but I figured a good sneeze made me feel better so perhaps it was helping her.
I talked to the vet on Saturday when he gave me all the options for kidney and liver failure and by Sunday, the Agg's was so weak she could no longer stand or interact with us. She refused food and water so I dribbled water into her mouth through a spoon. She slept constantly. Her breathing took on the 'death' rattle and I thought the end was near. I was still giving her Benydral because my heart broke for her. She was so uncomfortable. I kept puzzling her condition over and over in my head. The husband and I discussed her failure, how fast it had come. I read that the drug she was on could cause kidney failure. Clearly she was dying and even in her dying she was uncomfortable. She kept rubbing her nose against her pillow. I gave her another Benydral earlier than planned.
And she got better. Not great, mind you, but better. The husband came home from work and brought her some turkey. She she ate it. We picked her up off the couch to see if she could stand and she could. Not without shaking, but she could stand. Her poor little eyes were glued shut so we didn't touch them. We offered her water and she drank it.
The puzzle continued. We went online. We Googled her symptoms. Yes, Aggie had allergies but how could Benydral make her stop dying? Then we got a hit. Sulpha allergy. "Stop the antibiotic!" we screamed at each other.
So we did. Not without trepidation, but we stopped it. The husband kept hearing drug resistant bladder infection. I kept seeing these little bugs overwhelming her, but then we both thought, she's dying now so why not take the chance? This morning Aggie was better but not great. We sank into a depression that defied tears. We sniped at each other, neither of us sleeping well over the last few days. As soon as we went into the vet's office, we offered our opinion. The vet looked at her eyes, listened to her chest, then ran blood work.
"What if we're wrong?" the husband asked.
"I dunno," I answered.
When the vet came back into the office he said, "Aggie is anemic, has dry eye, a condition where the eyes stop making tears, her nose is stuffy and she is congested. Aggie is having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic." He sat back and smiled. "Thank God you were giving her Benydral."
We were elated. We grabbed the prescriptions and headed home. I rushed her into the house and put the eyedrops in her eyes, followed by turkey with prednison. Agg's didn't seem to mind. Half an hour later Agg's was following me into the kitchen. Another few minutes and she went outside and pottied. I picked up the potty pads that were spread around the house and threw them out. Agg's is still weak but she is walking and eating and peeing and eating and drinking. Her breathing wasn't much better by the time I had to leave for infusion therapy, but I expect to find her one hundred percent better when I get home.
The moral to this? I wish to God we had asked the vet if there was anything we should watch out for like allergic reactions. I damn near killed my little buddy to keep her out of the hands of vets that would keep her alive forever if it was feasibly possible. Aggie had already given her all. I could not ask her to do that again.
I always wondered if I would know when the time was right to put a dog down. All the other times I've had to have it done, there were clear cut reasons like cancer. Aggie and Bella had come with a host of health issues. Bella is blind. Both eyes were removed due to an incurable eye condition. She had liver cancer and the vet did surgery on her that he did not expect her to recover from. It was a last ditch effort and the scar is over a foot long. Bella and Aggie are miracle dogs true, but when is enough enough?
Enough was enough on Sunday or we wouldn't have stopped Aggie's antibiotics in the hopes this was some sort of allergic reaction. If you are a doubter like me, you will know when the time is right. You will know when your pup has had enough. There is comfort in that knowing. I don't have to doubt anymore.
You see, while Aggie is ours, she is not fully ours though there is no one on this planet who loves her more than we do. Aggie was adopted from a friend who passed away. We never intended to keep her and Bella, her black lab sister, but told my friend we would because she was dying. Then both dogs decided to adopt us.
In any case, with Aggie and Bella came free medical care. Except we have no say in their care. If the doctor's feel they can be treated they will be treated no matter how bad off they are. After watching Aggie crash so fast over five days, neither of us knew what to do. One vet suggested giving her IV fluids during the day and we could take her home at night. Then we were told there were wonderful drugs for heart failure and we could keep her alive, miserably perhaps, but keep her alive for years.
I did not want that for Aggie. Neither of us wanted that for Aggie. If you follow my blog, then you know that last year Aggie broke her neck. She had surgery for it at UC Davis and spent almost a month in the hospital. Aggie did spectacularly well. Unbelievably so, so much so the entire neurology staff had to meet her. For months we worked with her. Every day was physical therapy along with hand massages up to four times a day. We fed her by hand, put water in her mouth with a spoon. The Agg's gave her all for us and I could not ask her to do it again. I knew she loved us enough to stay no matter the pain. We loved her too much to allow the sacrifice.
Aggie's breathing became so labored that I rocked her, sang to her, gave her steam baths, wiped her eyes with warm moist towels. I did not leave her for five days. We did not leave her for five days. Though because my husband is still working nighttime duty was mine. At first, I thought the bacteria had overwhelmed her system. She'd lost control of her bladder so I assumed that was the problem. I took her into the vets and they took a culture and sent her home. We cried, we were heartbroken.
But something just struck me wrong. When the issue first started, about three days into treatment, she seemed like she was having an allergy attack so at that point, no matter what anyone said, I was going to keep her comfortable. So I gave her Benedryl. The antihistamine did seem to help her itchy nose. She would take her nose and rub it up against her blanket then sneeze over and over and over again. Her sneezes weren't productive because she was so weak, but I figured a good sneeze made me feel better so perhaps it was helping her.
I talked to the vet on Saturday when he gave me all the options for kidney and liver failure and by Sunday, the Agg's was so weak she could no longer stand or interact with us. She refused food and water so I dribbled water into her mouth through a spoon. She slept constantly. Her breathing took on the 'death' rattle and I thought the end was near. I was still giving her Benydral because my heart broke for her. She was so uncomfortable. I kept puzzling her condition over and over in my head. The husband and I discussed her failure, how fast it had come. I read that the drug she was on could cause kidney failure. Clearly she was dying and even in her dying she was uncomfortable. She kept rubbing her nose against her pillow. I gave her another Benydral earlier than planned.
And she got better. Not great, mind you, but better. The husband came home from work and brought her some turkey. She she ate it. We picked her up off the couch to see if she could stand and she could. Not without shaking, but she could stand. Her poor little eyes were glued shut so we didn't touch them. We offered her water and she drank it.
The puzzle continued. We went online. We Googled her symptoms. Yes, Aggie had allergies but how could Benydral make her stop dying? Then we got a hit. Sulpha allergy. "Stop the antibiotic!" we screamed at each other.
So we did. Not without trepidation, but we stopped it. The husband kept hearing drug resistant bladder infection. I kept seeing these little bugs overwhelming her, but then we both thought, she's dying now so why not take the chance? This morning Aggie was better but not great. We sank into a depression that defied tears. We sniped at each other, neither of us sleeping well over the last few days. As soon as we went into the vet's office, we offered our opinion. The vet looked at her eyes, listened to her chest, then ran blood work.
"What if we're wrong?" the husband asked.
"I dunno," I answered.
When the vet came back into the office he said, "Aggie is anemic, has dry eye, a condition where the eyes stop making tears, her nose is stuffy and she is congested. Aggie is having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic." He sat back and smiled. "Thank God you were giving her Benydral."
We were elated. We grabbed the prescriptions and headed home. I rushed her into the house and put the eyedrops in her eyes, followed by turkey with prednison. Agg's didn't seem to mind. Half an hour later Agg's was following me into the kitchen. Another few minutes and she went outside and pottied. I picked up the potty pads that were spread around the house and threw them out. Agg's is still weak but she is walking and eating and peeing and eating and drinking. Her breathing wasn't much better by the time I had to leave for infusion therapy, but I expect to find her one hundred percent better when I get home.
The moral to this? I wish to God we had asked the vet if there was anything we should watch out for like allergic reactions. I damn near killed my little buddy to keep her out of the hands of vets that would keep her alive forever if it was feasibly possible. Aggie had already given her all. I could not ask her to do that again.
I always wondered if I would know when the time was right to put a dog down. All the other times I've had to have it done, there were clear cut reasons like cancer. Aggie and Bella had come with a host of health issues. Bella is blind. Both eyes were removed due to an incurable eye condition. She had liver cancer and the vet did surgery on her that he did not expect her to recover from. It was a last ditch effort and the scar is over a foot long. Bella and Aggie are miracle dogs true, but when is enough enough?
Enough was enough on Sunday or we wouldn't have stopped Aggie's antibiotics in the hopes this was some sort of allergic reaction. If you are a doubter like me, you will know when the time is right. You will know when your pup has had enough. There is comfort in that knowing. I don't have to doubt anymore.
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