Wednesday, June 17, 2009 , terribly early in the morning

Saying goodbye to my best canine pal

This is a long story but for now, you just get the short version.  This evening we had Eli, our German Shepherd, put to sleep.  She was 13 years old, and we found out she was suffering from an aortic tumor and congestive heart failure.  Parts of her heart weren’t beating normally… if you know about a normal heart rhythm, and how it starts with a P wave, Eli’s heart was having multiple beats where it never got past PQ.  It wasn’t something we could fix with drugs, and she was destined to die in no more than a couple of weeks, and I didn’t want to prolong her suffering.  I always thought of her as my best friend, as the dog who understood my moods and who stuck by me when I was sad or upset.  I’d always hoped she would make it to her 14th birthday, but I’m glad I had as long as I did with her.  I’m also glad her suffering was minimal, and her death was peaceful.  I still clearly remember how she chose me… I went to look at a litter of GSD puppies, and while her siblings ran around and played, she came and sat quietly between my feet.  She did a good job picking, because I was lucky to have had such an amazing dog.

If I sound calm, I’m not… I’m utterly distraught yet highly medicated.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/17 at 06:22 AM
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