My Journey to the Bridge

Gosh where do I even begin.

Thursday - July 19th, 2007 Billy (he is diabetic) began to show signs that the amount of insulin I'd been giving him might need to be adjusted. The vet ran a blood test and Fri instead it was determined that he had pancreatitis. The only treatment for that is to stop all feeding to allow the organ to heal. When I was allowed to offer food on Sat. night he refused the meal. Sun morning I took him to a different vet clinic. By then his Lipase and Amylase counts (measurements for the pancreas) were through the roof. He was immediately hospitalized. We were warned that this was very serious because coupled with his diabetes it made this a very difficult case. He was hospitalized each day at the clinic and then taken to a different emergency clinic for night observation. Each day as I made those transfers with him his deterioration increased. He was on IV fluids but no food could be offered. By Tues he’d lost 1/3 if body weight and although on the IV fluids he continued to be terribly dehydrated. On Tues. the local vet felt that she’d done everything she could and referred us to a specialist in Portland. I took him directly from there to the clinic about an hour away. His condition was grave. They did an ultrasound of his abdominal area to get a better idea of how his pancreas was doing and it appeared to be better but Billy continued to decline. All the checks and balances in his system had been compromised and he was in a downward spiral. The vets thought there was a possibility Billy had suffered some neurological damage during the course of his illness. On the 26th, she called me at 1:30 in the morning that Billy had suffered a seizure and she’d given valium to make him more comfortable. This made neurological damage all most a given. It became painfully apparent that he was not going to survive this horrible ordeal. The complications from the diabetes would not release it's grip on my sweet baby boy. I made the hour drive up there to spend some time with him and to possibly make a difficult choice to let him go. While I was in route he suffered another seizure. I spent time telling him how much I loved him and would miss him and I was going to let him go to the bridge so he would not hurt any longer. I stayed with him to comfort him during his passage and when he took his last breath he seemed so relieved to not have to fight any longer.

I have cried and cried until I don’t think I could possibly have any more tears but then I cry some more. He was taken far too soon. He would have only been 6 in October.

What a great honor Dogster has given us by making him Dog of the Day today 7/27/07. He was deeply loved and he will be missed more than anyone could imagine.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED

I have been tagged by pals Pooh Bear, Furby, Boo, Misty and Cosmo

Here are the rules:

Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. Dogs who are tagged, need to post in their Diary the rules & their 7 pawsome facts. Then choose 7 dogs to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to bark them a pmail that they have been tagged and to read your Diary, or, send them a fun Rosette announcing they've been Tagged!


1. I am a squirrel hunter extraordinaire
2. I am a diabetic.
3. My favorite place to sleep is on the back of the oversized chair in the family room.
4. I am the police dog in this house and it's my job to bark at EVERYTHING!
5. If it's big enough for my head I'm gonna stick it in. BOL
6. I love to drag deris into the house right after Mommy vacuums.
7. Speaking of vacuums I bark and chase them because they are EVIL!



Woodie
Jr.
Bella
Kewpie
Miss Frankie
Livee
Bubbles

Ode To A Westie

W - for White as he sould be
E - for Eagerness all must see
S - for Sight keen the quarry to spy
T - for Terrier spirit and never say die

H - for the Happiness they always bring
I - for Inquisitive --doing their own thing
G - for Good measure in such a small frame
H - for Hi there, how about a game?
L - for their Laughter and love in their hearts
A - for Amenable right from the start
N - for Not minding if Mom should look stern
D - for Delight upon her return

W - for Welcome, so warm and so nice
H - for Hunting and catching those mice
I - for Intellence --more than most
T - for Top Dog --no idle bost
E - for Evermore Westies --our toast!

I tell you it's mine!!!!

If I like it, it's mine
If it's in my mouth, it's mine
If I can take it from you, it's mine
If you take it from me, it's still mine
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way
If I am chewing something, all the pieces are mine
If it looks just like mine, it is mine
If I saw it first, it's mine
If you are playing with something and put it down
it automatically becomes mine.
Everything I've ever laid eyes or teeth upon is mine....Including you!