Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Beautiful Tessie--We Will Miss You So Much

On October 11, 2008, we lost our beautiful Tessie. She was so sick and was having trouble breathing. That day was a beautiful day. We took Tessie for a lovely walk on the beach and then she came home and ate a few treats. We brought her to the veterinarian's office thinking it would just be a routine draining of the fluid that accumulated on her chest and abdomen. Tessie had responded so well to prednisone which we had started just a few days before, we were mistakingly hoping we would have a few more months. Tessie collapsed following the procedure and she went into congestive heart failure. We let our Tessie cross the rainbow bridge so she wouldn't suffer. We miss her terribly. The last few days have been filled with sorrow and grief. It is hard to believe that the dog we rescued from such a difficult life, only 3 1/2 years ago, is no longer with us. Darling Tessie--you were such a joy and we will miss you so much. You will always be in our heart. Mom and Dad
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Update on Tessie's cancer progression

The past 10 days have been so incredibly painful that I haven't been even able to write. Tessie showed initial tremendous improvement but her body is so taken over by the cancer, there is no hope left. We are now in the "waiting" stage to find just the right time to put her to rest. We have been filled with so much grief and sorrow and anger too. One thing we have learned is that crying and sobbing in front of the pet is not good for anyone. We sobbed all weekend because we know the end is near and by Monday morning, our poor Tessie was shaking. This helped us realize that we will have to keep our emotions in check and be strong for her until it is all over. I can't believe what a difference it made!

I told Tessie I would be ok without her and that she was safe and if she needed to leave us, it would be ok. I took her to the park, even though I knew she could only walk a few steps and told her that I loved her and everything would be ok. She has perked up quite a bit and my taking the emotional pressure off my poor girl, it helped her feel better. We know we only have a few days left but are going to try to act cheerful in front of her so that it doesn't make her feel worse. This is probably the most important message I can provide to you--if your pet is very sick--please try to control your emotions and negative discussions. If you have to go outside or go somewhere else, please do that---it upsets them terribly. They love you and need you to be strong for them.

Think about yourself and if you were dying--would you want your loved ones to be falling apart? Just watching my husband cry broke me up terribly. It takes all of their energy away and whatever energy they have left to stay with you a little longer. Save your tears until after they are gone as much as you can. It is so difficult but do it for your beloved pet.