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Chase is gone.
We fought a good fight... he beat the pneumonia, responded well to the drugs for myasthenia gravis, and we were managing the megaesophagus, but the thing we couldn't win against was whatever's been going on underneath. Something caused the anemia, and the currently unexplained high white cell count. Whatever it was, I came home from work tonight to find him collapsed on his bed and panting. I scooped him up, called my vet, made the decision to go there rather than the emergency vet 'cause if this was the end, I didn't want it to be with strangers.
At 6:31 p.m., about four minutes from the vet, he stopped breathing and was gone.
We had a great last week... he was feeling good, bouncy, dragging me around the yard when we went outside. Sunday he was a little lethargic, but yesterday morning he was eating his breakfast practically as it poured into the bowl. Whatever this was appears to have been fast, and from what Dr. R could tell, painless.
There are certainly worse ways to go.
I miss my boy... *sob*
We fought a good fight... he beat the pneumonia, responded well to the drugs for myasthenia gravis, and we were managing the megaesophagus, but the thing we couldn't win against was whatever's been going on underneath. Something caused the anemia, and the currently unexplained high white cell count. Whatever it was, I came home from work tonight to find him collapsed on his bed and panting. I scooped him up, called my vet, made the decision to go there rather than the emergency vet 'cause if this was the end, I didn't want it to be with strangers.
At 6:31 p.m., about four minutes from the vet, he stopped breathing and was gone.
We had a great last week... he was feeling good, bouncy, dragging me around the yard when we went outside. Sunday he was a little lethargic, but yesterday morning he was eating his breakfast practically as it poured into the bowl. Whatever this was appears to have been fast, and from what Dr. R could tell, painless.
There are certainly worse ways to go.
I miss my boy... *sob*
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 01:50 am (UTC)*hug*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 01:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:12 pm (UTC)The great ones are never with us for long enough. :-(
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:05 am (UTC)I'll give Lilly a kiss to pass along to Leela (who can, of course, pass it to Chase, on the other side of everything, where our darlings are eternally kicking the crap out of one another...).
Love you.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:13 pm (UTC)He's very cat friendly, so have Lilly tell Leela that he's happy to be a warm kitty pillow at naptime.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:07 am (UTC)*gentle hug*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:15 pm (UTC)He was a great boy... went on business trips with me as a puppy and to cons as an old man. He had a good life, and he's left a big hole in mine.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:24 pm (UTC)I don't think Drummer and Thunder quite understand what's going on. Chase was in the hospital several times recently, so I wonder if they think this is temporary and he'll be back?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:28 pm (UTC)I'm really glad that we had these last couple of weeks since Cap. When he crashed at Cap, it forced me to realize that this could happen at any time, so I spent a _lot_ of extra quality time with just him during the last weeks.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:55 am (UTC)We're all so sorry... *hugs* and more *hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 07:49 pm (UTC)The house feels really weird without him... *sigh*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 07:50 pm (UTC)When he collapsed at Cap and had to spend the rest of the weekend at the emergency vet, I knew he might not have much longer, but I just really wasn't ready for this yet. :-(
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 02:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 07:53 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, no matter how much you try to get ready, it really doesn't make it hurt any less.
He was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known, so I'm just trying to focus on remembering that part.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 03:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 07:55 pm (UTC)I like to think that he's got a never-ending supply of fresh french fries now, and plenty of people to con into thinking that nobody's given him any recently. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 03:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 01:49 am (UTC)Of course, now I really have no excuse not to focus on socializing/training Mr. Drummer, so he can follow in Uncle Chase's footsteps.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 03:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 01:49 am (UTC)And I really appreciate you being there for me and Chase at Capricon.
*hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 03:35 am (UTC)*hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 01:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 03:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 01:55 am (UTC)He was a sweetheart... and he loved meeting new people, even after he couldn't see or hear any more. Every elevator at a convention was an opportunity to bump into new people and get petted. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 04:00 am (UTC)You gave Chase many years of a good life.
*hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 01:57 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 04:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 01:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 04:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 03:40 am (UTC)Chase was the solid one... the calm one... the stable one... and even once he was unable to "defend" his position at the top of the pack, the younger dogs never challenged him for it. The RowdyBoys are adorable, but they're inevitably tiring (they're four... shouldn't they grow up eventually? :-)
The household dynamics are going to be very weird for awhile.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 04:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 03:41 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 05:18 am (UTC)The good ones are never with us long enough.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 03:45 am (UTC)Chase was definitely one of the special ones.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 06:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 03:48 am (UTC)Intellectually, I'm very glad that it happened this way. It was quick, and fairly peaceful, and I was with him.
Emotionally, I'm still at the "Why now??" stage.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-05 10:30 am (UTC)You were so good to him. He was lucky to have you. Try to remember the good times.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 04:00 am (UTC)Today I got to hide at home. Tomorrow I have to go back to work. Ugh. On the one hand, I could use the distraction. On the other hand, there will be lots of well-meaning people who'll make me cry all over again.