A Sad Post

It is with heavy heart that I must report that a member of our family has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Zoe, the Mama Dog of the house, left us Saturday, November 19th, at about 10:30 a.m. She'd been feeling her age over the last several months - she was somewhere between 13 and 16 years old; we're not sure.

After a large amount of research into senior dog nutrition, Bandit's Dad put her on a vegetarian diet. She'd shown so much improvement, we were hopeful that we'd get a bit more time with her.

No matter how long they're here, it never seems long enough.

On Thursday, Zoe had an attack of what appeared to be vestibulitis - kind of like doggie vertigo. It is treatable, but is sometimes an indication of other problems, like kidney disease or cancer. Zoe had developed a heart murmur and suspected Cushing's Disease, and we were reluctant to see her go through a lot of complicated tests, etc. Our vet recommended giving Zoe a couple of days and seeing where things went.

Friday morning, she seemed a little better. But by Friday afternoon, that all had changed. Zoe actually refused her food, walking away from it when it was put in front of her. That was either one of the signs of the Apocalypse, or something was seriously wrong. Then she refused water - another seriously bad sign from Zoe. By the time I got home, she was lying down, refusing to get up, and barely lifting her head. She urinated where she was, and really just wanted to sleep. Obviously, she was crashing. And she had "that look" in her eyes - one I'd seen before, and recognized.

We spoke to the vet that evening, and concurred that the best choice at this point for her was to let her go. She would not be in the next morning, but as it turned out, the new vet at the office, who had seen Zoe last and who Zoe obviously liked, would be.

The vet could not have been more professional, more compassionate, or in any way kinder that day. When Zoe left us, we were both there to pet her, hug her, and tell her how very much we loved her.

She was a great dog, and we're confident that she's now happy, healthy, and reunited with her very best friend, our Bullmastiff Sam, who can show her the ropes.

Farewell, Zoe. You were very much loved, and are greatly missed.