misty'smom
Well-Known Member
Today has been a very difficult day for me. I had to put my sweet Grace to sleep. I have had Grace since the day she was born, we had her Mom and Dad. We lost her Mom Rylee 7 months ago and her Dad JJ is still with us. Gracie has been paralyzed in her hind end for the past 2 and 1/2 years, she woke up on a Saturday and could not walk. For the first two weeks we just kept her quiet and she was on several meds to keep her comfortable. Then we began acupuncture 2x weekly for about 6 months, she did improve to the point where she could sit up and pull herself around. So we got her the first wheelchair, and kept doing acupuncture 1x week. She did well for a few months but we really never could get that wheelchair adjusted to suit her needs so we got her a different type that was a better fit for her. She was happy at this point going for daily walks and enjoying our back yard again. Grace still had some medical issues, because she had no feeling in her hind end her bladder never worked again. Most days she could pee on her own either outside or on a pee pad that I would cover with clean towels several times a day. If she did not have a good output I would express her bladder. Most dogs with this condition have chronic UTIs, but we were lucky she only had 2 during this time. Her Bowles worked on their own so that was a blessing. This last UTI really took a lot out of her, she has been on antibiotics for 2 months straight. This past month her health in general deteriorated daily. As you can imagine we were at our vets' office monthly sometimes weekly aside from the acupuncture treatments. She got excellent care from our 2 vets and they were very attached to her so today was hard for them as well. But when I looked in her eyes this past weekend it seemed as if she wasn't there although she could hear me talk to her. She was in pain and I think she was just tired and it was time to say "Goodbye". Even though she had been going downhill the past few weeks and I knew this day was coming it still has been a difficult sad day. I did not mean for this post to be so long but when I started to write I had to tell her story. She was an amazing little dog, she had a strong will to live after she became paralyzed and beat the odds for over 2 years. I am thankful that I had Gracie in my life for almost 8 years. At least now she is running free with her Mom Rylee.
I knew you would all understand how I am feeling.......here are a few pictures of my sweet little girl.
I knew you would all understand how I am feeling.......here are a few pictures of my sweet little girl.
