FAREWELL SWEET FLUFFY

Fluffy came into rescue in mid December.  

She was in critical shape-- but we still tried to help.  She had open, infected sores all over, a mouth of rotting teeth.  She couldn't breathe well.  We welcomed her into rescue-- we wanted to help her.  

(All pictures I'm using show her once we had been helping her and post surgery.)

Fluffy could see and she could walk, with some difficulty.  She heard very little-- loud dog barks could startle her.

Fluffy didn't have any meanness in her.   She was a gentle soul.  I suspect she had been a breeding dog and given no medical care.   She deserved more.

At first, I gave her a small area in my large laundry room.  I wanted her to decompress.  

She rested a lot.   She was a senior girl-- we were told she was 13, but she seemed much older.  Lack of proper care was the reason.

She had comfy blankets and soft beds.  Water and food were always available.

She had two trough bowls that made eating much easier for her. 

She had an area-- and could find it-- when she needed to rest.  There are beds all over, but she preferred this one in the dining room.  Zoey was curled up with her here.

She would sometimes rest in front of the fireplace if I put her there.  

Zoey sometimes climbed in with her.   Fluffy wasn't used to this, but she came to like it, I think.

Gidget seemed to know she needed help and would often follow her in the yard.

Fluffy often walked in circles-- a sign of dementia.  

But, Gidget tried to keep her on track.

"Go this way."

She would wander the yard for a long time-- until she found a place to just stand/get stuck and I knew it was time to carry her back inside.

She calmed down if I held her on my lap.  She seemed to love being held and petted.  

 I cherish those moments we had.  

She only had two teeth left in her mouth, but I know it was so much better.  The fistulas in her mouth were also closed.

But, she still had "stuff" coming out of her nose.  We couldn't figure that out-- but the vet suspected a few things.

We just wanted her to get better-- and she did for awhile.  And then she hit a plateau.  She began to decline, she lost weight.  

Piper seemed to know it.   He laid right next to her.

Zoey checked on her.  Dogs are amazing in their compassion.

I felt Fluffy was declining and used this scale to see where she was.  Her numbers were 19-22.  

Not good.   Was it fair to keep holding on??  It's a hard question. 

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best:

1.  Is pain controlled with meds

 2. Is she eating enough

 3. Is she hydrated

 4. Does she allow brushing and baths

 5. Does she express joy and interest in family

 6. Does she have mobility issues

 7.  Does she have more good days than bad

 A score of 35 or less suggests it is time to make “the” decision. However, if #7 is low a decision should be made.

We went to see our main vet.  Gidget had to go.   

She kept sniffing Fluffy, as if continuing to monitor her.  

As the vet checked her, she pointed out things I hadn't noticed-- or wanted to notice.  Her pain meds weren't really working anymore.  It happens when the body is just tired of fighting to hold on.  Fluffy was tired.   

I held Fluffy-- I kissed her head and smelled her the beautiful scent that she had that was distinctly hers.   We needed to let her go to be at peace.  Her journey with us was done.  We gave everything we had to give her and now we needed to give her the ability to run free, without pain, at the Rainbow Bridge.  We gently let her go-- first we gave her a pain shot.  We could not get in an IV-- she could not stay hydrated enough to do it.   (Even with sub Q fluids, and drinking water, her body had lost the ability to hold the fluid.   Dr. M said she could have had a brain issue that was stopping the proper signals for the body to work efficiently.)   Fluffy was ready-- to be free.  And we gave her that gift.   Held, loved, cherished.   She was all that-- and we miss her.   We love you, sweet girl. 

   💜 FLUFFY  💜