Mouse | October 3, 2011 - July 1, 2013

Mouse has had two major medical issues...

[Her immune system shutting down AND her immune system attacking her teeth.]

Along with those stressful and expensive medical problems, she often had "down days";

she would show no interest in her food and was lethargic with occasional vomiting and diarrhea.

Sometimes these "down days" would only last a day, but sometimes more.

It was always SO stressful. Do I take her to the vet? How much is it going to be this time?

It wasn't just the money... Seeing your puppy sick is heartbreaking!

On Saturday [June 29th] I noticed Mouse was breathing very loud and fast.

She also had no interest in her food and was quite lethargic. I assumed she was having a "down day".

But when her loud breathing/panting kept us awake Saturday night, I knew it was something serious.

On Sunday she was showing no improvement. I called the vet, but they were booked.

I called the animal emergency hospital and they were open, but a visit would cost nearly $100.

I made an appointment with the vet for first thing Monday morning. 
We would hold off until then, but wouldn't hesitate to take Mouse to the emergency vet if things got worse.

On Monday morning [July 1st] I took Mouse to her appointment at the Banifiled Pet Hospital.

After informing the vet of Mouse's history, she suggested running some tests- blood work and an x-ray.

She gave me the estimated price, then I called and consulted with Jay.
The tests were going to be expensive but we didn't feel there was another choice.

After nearly an hour of waiting, the vet gave me Mouse's results. There were a few concerns...

-She was anemic.
-She had an infection in her lungs, which was causing the panting.

-The size and shape of her heart was abnormal.

-The size of her liver was abnormal.

Our options came down to basically this; give her antibotics and steroids to clear the infection and get her on her feet

with no promise that an infection wouldn't soon return, [due to her anemia and quite possibly an immune deficiency]

then find a specialist to help her with her heart and liver, OR... not go bankrupt and put her out of her misery.

Whatever our decision, it needed to be made quick.

Once again, I asked the vet to step out of the room so I could consult with Jay.

We were on the exact same page. We agreed this wasn't a good life for her or for us. And then things got emotional.

The vet was very supportive of our decision, and prepared me for what to expect.
As nauseating as it was to think about having to go through this process, we knew it was the right thing to do.

I made an appointment to come back later that day with Jay.

It was almost 12:00 by the time I left the Pet Hospital. From 12:00-5:00 I held that little Mouse and sobbed my brains out.
Meanwhile, poor Jay still had to finish out his work day.
Everyone showed so much love and concern. It was greatly appreciated. 

By then she had gone nearly two days without food. 
On her last day I felt she deserved something special. So I tried giving her a variety of human food.

She only showed interest in the peanut butter. But even then, she didn't eat much.

I set her in the grass, took pictures, and watched her take in the fresh air. 

She was weak and I could tell the heat exhausted her, so I brought her back inside.

Our last moments with Mouse were so precious and so personal. We held her in our arms through the whole thing.
It was the most heart wrenching experience of my life.

I didn't realize just how much I loved that dog, and just how much joy she brought us. 
She wasn't just a dog, she was part of our family.

During the 19 months we had her it felt like she was always a part of our family. 
But in her final moments as I reflected on our time with her, I realized that it was so very, very short.

We miss her so much.
Not having a furry friend to greet you when you come home stinks.
 So many little things remind me of her. Like vacuuming- she hated the vacuum.
Now I can't even vacuum without sobbing and thinking of her running under our bed.

She was the best puppy ever. 
She had sass, and a tender heart- I swear she always knew when I was sad and needed her love.

She loved playtime with Jay. When he came home she would wag her tail so hard, her booty and back legs wagged too. 

She was timid, sweet, and friendly. 
She was kind of special [if you know what I mean]... She couldn't/wouldn't jump off or up on anything. 
Finally we taught her to jump down, but she never learned to jump up.
After she got her teeth pulled she had a hard time keeping her tongue in her mouth. Like I said, "special". 
When we asked if she wanted to go on a walk, she would perk up her ears and tilt her head as far as she could. So cute.
Whenever we locked her out of our bedroom, she would basically throw a tantrum- running in circles and growling.

We often called her Mou, Pups, Puppy Mouse, and Beautiful.

[November '11- only a few weeks old.]

We just loved her to pieces right from the start. We will always love her and never forget what a blessing she was.
[December '11- The day she became ours.]