AFAustin
Flashlight Enthusiast
I am hurting today, my friends. Yesterday morning my wife and I had to put to sleep our beautiful dog, Chula. She is the wonderful English Pointer you see in in my avatar.
Chula was only 6 years old, and up to a few weeks ago had been in excellent health and tip top condition, which has made all this even harder to deal with. Early this month, she tore loose a toenail and had to have surgery to fix it. Anesthesia and antibiotics were given. Then, just as she was recovering from that, somehow she got a bad scratch on her cornea that required more antibiotics, etc. Then, shortly after that, her face became swollen and the vet thought it was likely an insect bite or even a snake bite (for a lot of reasons, I doubt the latter). More meds were given, and the swelling went down, but Chula began losing her appetite. After a few days of eating almost nothing, we took her back in, the vet gave her a physical exam (but not another blood screen), and said she was in great shape, nothing wrong, she'd eat soon enough, etc. A couple of days after that, she was still not eating and then couldn't even keep water down. Now we were really scared, and took her in to the emergency vet on Saturday, a week ago today. A blood screen there immediately made clear that she had Acute Renal Failure---her kidneys suddenly had stopped working.
We are fortunate to live close enough to a good sized city, Austin, where there are excellent specialty vets, and Chula was admitted to a hospital and attended to by a very skilled, and very compassionate, vet whose specialty is internal medicine. She was kept hydrated and medicated while they searched for the cause of her kidney failure. Her blood tests initially showed some improvement, and we had hope for a good outcome. Ultimately, though, her blood screens leveled off, and the initial improvement she had shown was still far short of what she needed. She never ate and even had problems with the feeding tube they tried in order to at least get some nutrients in her. The tests for likely causes all came back negative, and the vet had to tell us they could not determine the origin---just that her immune system had for some reason begun attacking her kidneys.
The vet was wonderful---diligent, dedicated, and also very kind. She called us once or twice every day with updates. We also visited our beloved girl every day as well. Yesterday morning when the vet called, we could immediately tell from her tone that there was little hope left. She told us Chula had maybe a 20% chance of survival, and that even then she wouldn't be her old self---the strong, athletic, vital dog who loved the outdoors and would point at any critter she saw. I asked the vet what she would do if it were her dog. She hesitated just a moment, and then said she would put her to sleep. We knew in our hearts what we had to do.
Our Chula went peacefully, with my wife and me right there the whole time, stroking her and talking to her softly. She was so calm, but very weak and very tired. She let go of her life so gracefully, so gently, just in the way she had always lived it.
I know how many dog lovers like us there are here, and I just felt a need to post our story. I guess it helps me work through it. We are heartbroken.
I want to make a toast, though, to our beautiful Chula. We got her as a pup, and my wife immediately named her Chula, Spanish for "pretty" or "cute". My wife is half Mexican American and half Puerto Rican, and so we had an English Pointer named Chula---we always say we are a very multi-cultural family. She was a wonderful family dog, and our four kids, mainly grown now, all adored her. She was gentle with humans and other dogs and never growled or snapped at anyone. We are probably the only people in Texas who own a Pointer but don't hunt, but we do love the outdoors and are constantly outside. We also have a rural property with a cabin and a pretty creek where we go many weekends, and Chula was in "Pointer Heaven" out there. To see this magnificent animal running free all over the place, sometimes in the high grass where all we could see was her signature Pointer tail waving in the air, was a wonderful sight. We may not be hunters, but that didn't stop Chula from freezing like a statue, paw out, head and nose extended, and tail quivering in the air, at any little bird or field mouse she came across. And one of our favorite activities at the ranch was late night "critter spotting" hikes all through the property, where I had so much fun with my flashlights and Chula was completely in her element. We would see foxes, racoons, possums, skunks, rabbits, deer, owls, and more. And Chula's favorite---armadillos!
I guess another reason I feel so compelled to post the story of our Chula here is that, for me, there is a very strong connection between dogs and flashlights. I am not a technical guy, and confess that the detailed explanations of all our latest toys, while interesting to me, and certainly educational, are sometimes over my head. To me, flashlights have been something that enhances the love I've always had for being outdoors at night, the spiritual therapy that comes from long walks in human solitude---but always accompanied by a good dog. So, in my mind, flashlights and dogs will always be connected. Every day, whether at our modest ranch or here at home, Chula was walked twice: in the morning by my wife, and in the moonlight by me. Now, I have a hard time getting out the door at night. Flashlights or not, it's just not the same without her.
Many times since joining CPF I have felt my heart go out to a member who lost his beloved dog, and I have done my best to post a few words of condolence. And I have usually felt the need to add this unsolicited advice: once you have grieved, once you have paid tribute to your lost friend, once the hurting has subsided a little, you should get another dog. There are people who are dog lovers, and there are many dogs who need them. For you to get another dog is good for you, it is good for them, it is good for the world. Before we got our Chula, we had a beautiful Golden Retriever, Belle, who was an ideal dog for when our kids were small---gentle and loving as Goldens almost always are. When we lost her to cancer, we were all wrecks and I was the biggest wreck of all. I grieved and grieved, and couldn't bring myself to get another dog for a full year. Looking back, I was selfish, and I was wrong. The rest of my family, dog people all, needed a dog and shouldn't have had to wait so long. So, this time, I am going to take my own advice. In a few weeks, the youngest of my kids will be off for her first year in college, my son will be back for his second year, and our two oldest girls are grown and living happily on their own. My wife, who loves all living things, and dogs especially, and I will not wait so long. There is a dog out there who needs us as much as we need him or her. And I think our beautiful Chula will approve.
Thank you, my friends, for letting me share this with you.
Chula was only 6 years old, and up to a few weeks ago had been in excellent health and tip top condition, which has made all this even harder to deal with. Early this month, she tore loose a toenail and had to have surgery to fix it. Anesthesia and antibiotics were given. Then, just as she was recovering from that, somehow she got a bad scratch on her cornea that required more antibiotics, etc. Then, shortly after that, her face became swollen and the vet thought it was likely an insect bite or even a snake bite (for a lot of reasons, I doubt the latter). More meds were given, and the swelling went down, but Chula began losing her appetite. After a few days of eating almost nothing, we took her back in, the vet gave her a physical exam (but not another blood screen), and said she was in great shape, nothing wrong, she'd eat soon enough, etc. A couple of days after that, she was still not eating and then couldn't even keep water down. Now we were really scared, and took her in to the emergency vet on Saturday, a week ago today. A blood screen there immediately made clear that she had Acute Renal Failure---her kidneys suddenly had stopped working.
We are fortunate to live close enough to a good sized city, Austin, where there are excellent specialty vets, and Chula was admitted to a hospital and attended to by a very skilled, and very compassionate, vet whose specialty is internal medicine. She was kept hydrated and medicated while they searched for the cause of her kidney failure. Her blood tests initially showed some improvement, and we had hope for a good outcome. Ultimately, though, her blood screens leveled off, and the initial improvement she had shown was still far short of what she needed. She never ate and even had problems with the feeding tube they tried in order to at least get some nutrients in her. The tests for likely causes all came back negative, and the vet had to tell us they could not determine the origin---just that her immune system had for some reason begun attacking her kidneys.
The vet was wonderful---diligent, dedicated, and also very kind. She called us once or twice every day with updates. We also visited our beloved girl every day as well. Yesterday morning when the vet called, we could immediately tell from her tone that there was little hope left. She told us Chula had maybe a 20% chance of survival, and that even then she wouldn't be her old self---the strong, athletic, vital dog who loved the outdoors and would point at any critter she saw. I asked the vet what she would do if it were her dog. She hesitated just a moment, and then said she would put her to sleep. We knew in our hearts what we had to do.
Our Chula went peacefully, with my wife and me right there the whole time, stroking her and talking to her softly. She was so calm, but very weak and very tired. She let go of her life so gracefully, so gently, just in the way she had always lived it.
I know how many dog lovers like us there are here, and I just felt a need to post our story. I guess it helps me work through it. We are heartbroken.
I want to make a toast, though, to our beautiful Chula. We got her as a pup, and my wife immediately named her Chula, Spanish for "pretty" or "cute". My wife is half Mexican American and half Puerto Rican, and so we had an English Pointer named Chula---we always say we are a very multi-cultural family. She was a wonderful family dog, and our four kids, mainly grown now, all adored her. She was gentle with humans and other dogs and never growled or snapped at anyone. We are probably the only people in Texas who own a Pointer but don't hunt, but we do love the outdoors and are constantly outside. We also have a rural property with a cabin and a pretty creek where we go many weekends, and Chula was in "Pointer Heaven" out there. To see this magnificent animal running free all over the place, sometimes in the high grass where all we could see was her signature Pointer tail waving in the air, was a wonderful sight. We may not be hunters, but that didn't stop Chula from freezing like a statue, paw out, head and nose extended, and tail quivering in the air, at any little bird or field mouse she came across. And one of our favorite activities at the ranch was late night "critter spotting" hikes all through the property, where I had so much fun with my flashlights and Chula was completely in her element. We would see foxes, racoons, possums, skunks, rabbits, deer, owls, and more. And Chula's favorite---armadillos!
I guess another reason I feel so compelled to post the story of our Chula here is that, for me, there is a very strong connection between dogs and flashlights. I am not a technical guy, and confess that the detailed explanations of all our latest toys, while interesting to me, and certainly educational, are sometimes over my head. To me, flashlights have been something that enhances the love I've always had for being outdoors at night, the spiritual therapy that comes from long walks in human solitude---but always accompanied by a good dog. So, in my mind, flashlights and dogs will always be connected. Every day, whether at our modest ranch or here at home, Chula was walked twice: in the morning by my wife, and in the moonlight by me. Now, I have a hard time getting out the door at night. Flashlights or not, it's just not the same without her.
Many times since joining CPF I have felt my heart go out to a member who lost his beloved dog, and I have done my best to post a few words of condolence. And I have usually felt the need to add this unsolicited advice: once you have grieved, once you have paid tribute to your lost friend, once the hurting has subsided a little, you should get another dog. There are people who are dog lovers, and there are many dogs who need them. For you to get another dog is good for you, it is good for them, it is good for the world. Before we got our Chula, we had a beautiful Golden Retriever, Belle, who was an ideal dog for when our kids were small---gentle and loving as Goldens almost always are. When we lost her to cancer, we were all wrecks and I was the biggest wreck of all. I grieved and grieved, and couldn't bring myself to get another dog for a full year. Looking back, I was selfish, and I was wrong. The rest of my family, dog people all, needed a dog and shouldn't have had to wait so long. So, this time, I am going to take my own advice. In a few weeks, the youngest of my kids will be off for her first year in college, my son will be back for his second year, and our two oldest girls are grown and living happily on their own. My wife, who loves all living things, and dogs especially, and I will not wait so long. There is a dog out there who needs us as much as we need him or her. And I think our beautiful Chula will approve.
Thank you, my friends, for letting me share this with you.
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