14MAY18: Izzy was 10+ years old and already a little slow getting up (unless there was a siren going by or Moe was making noise in his back yard, and so for some time,
in addition to the daily fish oil pill (for her soft fur) she was also taking coucosimine for her joints, and after a while she was also perscribed Rovera, a pill that
addressed joint pain; she still limped, but seemed to be more comfortable walking. Several weeks ago we noticed a lump on her right front leg and after an x-ray
examination she was diagnosed with bone cancer and the only reasonable solution at this point in he life was to make her as compfortable as possible for her remaining
days and so the narcotic Tramadol was added to her pill regiment. All this medication seemed to allow her to walk with minimal discomfort. Bernie, Izzy's predecessor
also had bone cancer in her righ front leg and we were told that the pain from the condition was as if the bone were exploding in really slow motion.
On the 14th of May we took her to the vet hospital at 12:30pm for an hours long infusion of a new drug which was supposed to reduce the rate at which calcium left the bone;
at 4pm we picked her up and she seemed to be in good spirits, happy to go home, tail wagging and she knew where the exit door was; however after we got home she began
showing signs of stress and by 5pm was coughing up a white frothy material that looked like merang from a lemon merang pie, but it was HEAVY, and, her stomach began
to look distended. We called the vet hospital, they were closing, but said bring her in anyway, and, an x-ray revealed that she was suffering from bloat because her
stomach had flipped, a condition that can be a spontaneous occurrence in large big chested dogs, and, the only solution was to perform a surgery which would have a
long uncomfortable recovery time for a girl with limited time, and so, in her best interest, we dicided to let he go. [SIGH]
Doctor Rasmussen who was Izzy's doctor of record at the veternary hospital suggested the infusion which could be administered every 28 days if it seemed to be of benefit,
but she felt bad about Izzy taking a turn for the worse after the treatment and was second guessing herself continuously; she says she never would have recommended any
trreatment for her that she didn't feel was safe, and was sorry she started vomiting; furthermore, her research didn't show any connection between that medication and bloat
in dogs. We also second gussed ourselves a lot about the treatment, about Izzy getting in and out of the car several more times to get to and from the hospital; however,
we could drive ourselves crazy with all the second guessing. We were all trying to do the best we could do for Izzy and it was Doctor Winemuller's words that we ultimately
fell back on for some sort of mental relief for all the coincidental considerations, viz., "bloat is a condition that can be a spontaneous occurrence in large big chested dogs."
Herein find a photographic history of the time that we were privilaged to have Izzy with us . . .
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Sharon's email for family and friends...
Tue, 15 May 2018 07:08:34
I hate typing this but last night Izzy took a very bad turn for the worst and we had to put her down. She is no longer in pain.
I cried most of the night did not get much sleep at all. The puppy doesn't seem to be aware but not sure about Penny yet.
She was such a little mommy when it came to any animal that came in the house. She was already starting to mother Lucy and of course she kept Penny's ears clean weather she wanted it or not.
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Our guard dog, protector, loving, trusting, friend for over 10 years
Spring and fall were nice times for a dog with a heavy fur coat to sit, sometimes lay, in wait for the next thing to bark at, be it a falling leaf, a butterfly, kids walking on the
sidewalk on the otherside of the fence, or what ever... it's going to be Penny's job now . . .
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... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
Izzy had a lot of favorite places to lay, like the recliner couch, "her room," her pillow (the one next to her room), the floor (where you would inevitably be walking, "speed bump"), or in the
kitchen behind the breakfast table, but, if she was really scared, like thunder or fireworks, then it was in Sharon's closet where she would "hide, but I suspect her MOST
favorite place was the "huge "crate" was "Izzy's room" and although you could totally see her in side, she spent a lot of time being "safe" in her room, well, safe from all but
little kids that could just walk in to sit with her, but, her room is empty now . . .
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... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
At night, when it was bed time, Izzy would come into the bedroom on my side of the bed and lay on the piece of original purple carpet I saved when the floor was covered with ceramic
wood tile so I wouldn't have to step out of bed onto a cold floor... no more...
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... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
Izzy's 14MAY18 evening meds waiting for her to be not so barfy so she could keep them down . . .
. . . Izzy's bunny that she carried around from room to room (we suspect to give to Bernie) is now relegated to Lucy's whims . . .
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... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
And now at night, when it is bed time, Penny comes into the bedroom on my side of the bed and lays on the piece of purple carpet where Izzy used to lay...
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... photograph by Russell Holder
Rest in peace Izzy, we love you.
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14MAY18,...
would you like to see my growing pictures?... click here - not yet implemented
would you like to see my parents?... click here - email from parents lost, contact with them also lost
Place cursor over picture, click to enlarge,
then click-and-drag to move, use arrow keys for previous/next
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back to event picture gallery . . .
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