Letters :
Hello Alphahowl,
Where do I begin? I am crying sooo hard after reading your pages. I feel your pain. I lost my Sheppie suddenly when she was 7. One night she was just dead on the sidewalk. I assessed her from head to tail and felt no broken bones. She had lost her bladder contents. I still dream of running and being with her and I'm sooo bummed out when I wake up and it's not real. She was my best friend through some very, very tough times in my life and there is an emptiness that cannot be filled. I thank God that she didn't suffer but I've never understood why she had to go so soon. My Dad got my son another dog the next year (somehow the parakeet "Tweety" didn't quite replace Shep;) That dog's name is Bridgette. She is Sheltie & Pomeranian mix & people swear she's a little red fox. Sheppie's been gone 15 years now and Bridge is 14. I always loved her but had my hands full being a single mom & taking care of an aging and broken hearted father. I couldn't risk the hurt that might come by letting Bridgie into my heart. I regret & hate myself for that. I couldn't get out of bed much and Bridgette came and snuggled me and our hearts melded. We bonded and I can't stand to be away from her now. She is so precious! I wish I could have loved her all this time M heart was enduring all it could from all that had happened. Bridgette was EXTREMELY hyper until about 4 years ago she BEGAN to slow down. She's only 28 pounds but she can still pull me around the block! Last week we almost lost her. My son & I were in the computer room and my Dad was talking to us in the doorway. I saw Bridge at the top of the stairs doing her prance to get a pat from my Dad when she was gone in a flash! I screamed her name and ran down the stairs. She had fallen 5 stairs on her neck and her head was twisted the wrong way, eyes open, legs rigid, no breathing. I am in EMT (Emergency Medical Tech.) school and have been in search & rescue for years. It all just came naturally: I slid my arm behind her head, then neck, then back and slid her body around on the step. I'm screaming her name. I closed her mouth and gave her two puffs of air in her nose. I gave her a sternal rub and said "Come on breathe for me, Bridge!!!" and she did. Little wisps of air and then she moaned from deep inside her as she corrected her own neck. I had thought her neck was broken for sure! I picked her up and told my son to get the keys. Within 3 minutes of her tumble we were on the Vet's table. I got in back and kept telling her, "I love you Bridge. Mommy's girl!" I wasn't sure what really caused the fall. I was so shocked and so distraught. I thought it might be her heart or a stroke. Her vital signs and organs were great as usual and she was coming out of her stupor. They had me put her on the floor and she seemed disoriented until I called out, "Mommy's girl" and she walked slowly to me. As the hours went by she got better & better. She went to sleep between my son and me. I didn't hear her stir until she was off the bed and tried to jump into her favorite chair. Her front legs had no strength although her back legs had pushed for the jump. She fell with a thud and laid there crying softly to me. I ran over and yelled to Chad to turn on the light and get my kit. I petted her and softly reassured her. I recorded her vitals which all seemed good except her heart beat had an arrhythmic cadence to it. Our Vet had given the phone # to the 24hr clinic. We called and they said that we could bring her in but her breathing was the key. She was breathing very normally with her mouth closed even. Shock would have her panting. I felt ok with that but they wouldn't comment on the heart rhythm. She got back in bed with us with her leash tied to my arm so I would wake up when she needed to go out. She was already leaping over me and heading back-first to the floor when I awoke and caught her mid-air. She arched her back and neck in a ridged contortion and let out a scream that brought Chad to his feet (and NOTHING wakes him up!) Back on the phone with the DVM who was about 8 miles away in a bad area. She calmed down so she and I camped out on the floor for 3 nights to come. We went to her Vet's at 9am and he gave her cortisone pills. They helped but she should have been drinking allot of water and she didn't want to. She usually drinks allot. I was worried about her bowels: afraid of dehydration. I walked her every 3 hours, even during the night to keep her limber. Ice packs 1st 72 hours, moist heat after that. I had to trick her into drinking water. While she lay on the floor I would drip water from a straw on her paws and back leg and she would lick it off. She still had trouble with her movement and so about day 6 I called the Vet to ask if I should give her a Glycerin suppository like a baby. They wanted 2 spoons of mineral oil. I did that. She had never had bowel problems before. Even when she goes to get shaved (warm climate here) I tell them not to express her glands. She functions just fine. I give her light massage and tuck her into the sleeping bag with me for the nights have turned chilly and she's still a little stiff. I love her soooo much. My heart was just breaking as I saw her down the stairway. I write this because I want people to not hesitate to do what they can for animals in need. Nine years ago Bridgette got too ancy while I was picking-over some chicken for her and gobbled out of the wrong hand. She got the chicken bone stuck in her throat and ran around the room in panic unable to breath. I didn't think twice about it then either. I just grabbed her and performed the Heimlich maneuver on her. It took two pumps but I got it right the 2nd time and that bone went flying. I wish you could see her right now. She's asleep with her feet in the air and her infamous little pink tongue tip stuck out. I thank God that he didn't take her last week. I take it more of a sign telling me that I'm heading in the right direction with my schooling. I know I would have been a good Vet but my life didn't go that way either and I have a hard time with grief. I would have been a nurse but I'm better off as an elementary school teacher where I plan to teach all children to have love and respect for nature. Most do not learn it in the home. My classroom will have many animals. My major was Zoology. Well, I know this is allot to read but I feel a common bond with you. I wanted to share this with you. Something on a funny note: my son, the sound-sleeping boy is unaffected by alarm clocks, phones, buzzers etc...However, beepers drive Bridgette crazy. So she became the alarm clock. No matter where in the house or yard she is, I just call my son's beeper and she will get up on the bed and dig him out of the covers until he wakes up. Incidentally, my beeper rings differently and if it's mine that goes off she comes and tells me and lets him sleep. I told you she was smart, but then again, you already knew that. Keep smiling and doing good work for our beloved friends. I am sorry that you have had such sorrow! My heart sank when I read that Bay was only 2 years 7 months. You are a very brave and blessed woman. I know it doesn't always seem like it but I really feel sorry for those who never knew the soul mate of the canine. They are the ones that are truly at a loss! "You can't have too many friends!" Good, true and loyal ones are just hard to come by. Perhaps because we look for them in the wrong animal: humans. Many have tried to break me of it along with my spirit: needless to say, they aren't around anymore. I know that I can trust you. I have a special sense about some things, you have it too. Thank you for your wonderfulness that you bring to this world. Bless you.
AUTHOR: RhoneMeuss
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