Abby, Then Sport And Now Recall, lost two long-time pets Options

[MizzouMom]

I have found comfort here before from caring pet owners during a pet crisis, and felt the need to visit here again.

After months of dealing with kidney failure and unknown lung disease in our 18-year-old Abby kitty, we lost her in January. I was doing daily subcutaneous fluids for the last month, and finally her lungs were so bad we couldn't go on.

Two months later our approximately 14-year-old shelter dog Sport died after a sudden illness. He had lost some weight in the last year but had remained active and happy. I had been top-dressing his food with some canned Iams over the winter to encourage his appet*ite and try to help him gain weight, but he developed vomiting and diarrhea about 3 weeks ago.

Took him to the vet on a Friday morning and by Saturday night he was gone. Now I see that the food I was giving him was on the recall list, though I no longer have any cans here and can't really prove it.

Talk about guilt. These two were our most elderly pets and had been here through my children's childhoods. I did all I could for Abby, but Sport's passing was a shock. And now I feel quite sure that he died because of this contaminated food.

Yes, he was probably 14, but he had time left. How to cope with this rationally? Placing blame and lawsuits are not an answer in our case, though I'm sure that is going to happen to the company at fault as this story proceeds. I'm angry and confused. Iams used to be the "good stuff" that we fed our show dogs in the mid 70's, and I'm sorry, but I'll never buy it again.

[MizzouMom]

Thanks for your kind words.

I realize reading back over my message how dispassionate I sound. Maybe because I'm doped up on Nyquil, sick with a cold and months of stress related to worrying about my furry friends and their old age problems.

When Abby lost weight a year ago I found out she had chronic renal failure, and scoured the internet learning about the problem and what to watch for, how to care for her. Knowing when to say "enough" was the hardest part. I spent weeks dealing with a cat specialty clinic, testing, medicating, trying to assess how Abby was doing. The bedroom was like a hospital suite by the end, even running humidifiers for her lung problems, a special low bed for her near her litterbox, special food and of course the daily needles-and-fluid treatment.

It was exhausting for both of us, and on the heels of losing her, Sport became suddenly ill. He was a shelter dog, had been a member of the family for 12 years, has achieved sainthood in my mind with his passing. I couldn't bear the empty run and had gone to the shelter again within a week and found another spaniel to adopt.

It was perhaps too early, I was crying about my Sport even as I looked at the new dog, and the first night both the dog and my husband were looking at me funny as I sobbed over the fact that this new friend wasn't my Sport. She's herself and is turning out to be a good choice, and I have to admit that the distraction of caring for her and introducing her to the remaining cats has kept my mind off the pain of losing Sport. And it makes me feel good to give a home to another homeless animal.

Now this recall thing has introduced a new element to Sport's death. I was trying to help him by giving him yummy food and encouraging him to eat, and instead he died. I know it's not my fault, but I can't help but draw those guilty conclusions and what ifs.

Like everybody on this site, animals have been an important part of my life. They've been my friends when people didn't always come through for me. The best I can do at this point is keep an even keener eye on what's going on with my pets. Tomorrow I'm taking in one of the other older cats (in addition to those I've lost, we have six other cats in age from 16 to 6) whose coat has lost some luster and whose weight isn't as robust as I would like. He needs a dental and we'll check some bloodwork too.

If I could I'd keep them alive forever.

Thanks for reading.