Little Moose, It was all too brief... Options

[pags]

Hello. Three short weeks ago my husband and our three kids went out for our weekly grocery shopping trip and we spotted a young lady with a 'puppies free to good home' sign. We had been talking for months about how much we wanted a dog and we quickly agreed to stop and see what we would find. Well - we found Moose.

We brought Moose home and fell in love. He loved the kids. He followed us everywhere. He slept on our feet. It's amazing how fast he became an important part of our family.

Last week I noticed he wasn't quite as active as usual - spending longer chunks of the day fast asleep. I thought, honestly, that this was probably just due to the incredibly hot weather we have in the summer (although Moose spends most of his time inside with us - he also enjoys spending some time outside on the covered porch playing with the cat). Friday was his second puppy wellness visit with his vet. I was happy to hear that he was doing well - had doubled his weight - and showed no signs of worms.

Saturday was another lazy day for him -- and all of us. I swear we all slept most of the day away waiting for a tropical storm that never came.

But then it all started yesterday. In the morning he showed no interest in his food.. and he was taking an unusually long time coming to us when we called for him. By the afternoon I noticed he seemed to be breathing heavily and within an hour of this he began making little whimpering sounds under his breath. My husband at this point called the vet to make an appointment for when they open on Monday... but as I sat with him and watched him I realized he didn't have until Monday. We packed everyone up and drove to the only emergency clinic an hour away. Moose was just not moving anymore by the time we got there. They ran tests. Everything was negative. They said his blood wasn't clotting fast enough and he was severely anemic. They said they didn't know what was wrong with him - but he needed blood. Moose spent the night with them and had his blood transfusion. Over night they ran more tests and kept him on his IVs... This morning he was transferred to his regular vet. We picked him up and drove back to town to admit him here. We left him there as they put him on another IV and administered oxygen.

His vet is a wonderful man - and today he was a wonderful man with a really sad look on his face. He told me that Moose was in congestive heart failure. He assured me he would do whatever he could and he would let me know.

He called a few minutes ago to tell me he honestly has nothing to report. Moose is negative for every disease they've checked for. He had his pericardium drained only to find there was no fluid there. His EKG came out normal - so there's no medication that can be given to correct any electrical problem. He said the next step would be a cardio specialist -- but then there is not one locally and he doesn't believe Moose would survive a car ride without oxygen.

So here we are. Three weeks of puppy love. And it's ending this way. The wonderful man with the sad look on his face today -- sounded as if he was waiting for me to let Moose go. I hope he and Moose both forgive me for not having the courage at that moment. My husband tearfully volunteered to make the phone call for us all...

By the time I post this - it will be done.

Thanks for listening.

[Nicole]

Oh Pags,
I am so so sorry and heartbroken for you. I replied to your posts before realizing that Moose, the most bravest puppy that ever was had to cross to Rainbow Bridge so soon. By the sounds of it, you and your family packed a lifetime of experiences and memories in 3 short weeks.
I have a very clear picture of Moose trotting alongside our gentle giant, Mik. Mik just loved puppies and kittens, you see he thought it was his job to defend and protect them, and although I never heard or witnessed any aggressive behaviour from Mik during his long life, rest assured that no one will ever mess with Moose while Mik is there to watch over him. Mind you it sounds like Moose was pretty feisty himself. Hopefully Moose will make Mik feel like a youngster again, and Mik can regale him with many tales of his time with us.
It is so apparent that you and your husband are true animal lovers, this kind of devastating experience should not happen people like you, however I am relieved that Moose spent his too short time on this earth with truly compassionate caregivers who were there for him when it counted.
My husband and I suffer along with you.
Roger and Nicole