Our Sweet Stella Blue Options

[hnfrisk]

I'm not sure I can type this but I'm hoping that getting it out will help ease the pain a little. Stella our 9 year old chocolate lab passed away yesterday in my arms. She had two mast cell tumors removed within the last year but she had gotten another one and our Oncology vet told us it had spread to her lymph node. We made the decision in September to start her on Palladia, a new drug which was approved in June. We had her on it for 6 weeks but she developed more tumors and her lymph node ducts were swollen making her not use her front leg.
On Friday we decided to try a different chemo-drug and give her until Monday to see if we saw it would help. Up until this time, she was a champ and was eating, getting food off the counter and still getting into the garbage and didn't seem to be in any pain.
This all changed on Friday night. When I offered her a treat she wouldn't take it. She did finally drink some water in the middle of the night but still wouldn't eat. I wasn't too worried because the doctor said the drug may make her nauseas. But with her not eating, I couldn't get any of her other meds down. My husband took her into our regular vet and he gave her a shot of b12 to spark her appetite.
It didn't help and by Sunday morning when she went out to go the bathroom it was all she could do to get inside the door. She couldn't walk anymore and we laid down right there. I yelled to my husband that we needed to call the vet and put her down. I was trying to give her water through a syringe but it didn't seem to help. She was having such labored breathing and I think she was getting dehydrated and everything was shutting down.
Of course it was Sunday and we couldn't get ahold of our vet. We drove to his house but couldn't locate him. One of us was with Stella the whole time. We never left the spot by the door. Our Oncology vet told us to call her if we couldn't get ahold of our regular one but I was afraid to make the hour trip to her office. I kept thinking Dr. Brown would call soon and he just lives down the road. I sent my husband over there again but still nobody there.
My girlfriend came and picked up my kids and even when she came in Stella lifted her head and aknowledged her. I just kept holding her and kissing her. My husband was outside working and there came that moment when I knew it was her time. She tried to get up, collapsed over, and her breathing became even more intense. I yelled at my husband to come in and with in seconds she let out and yelp and a jerk and I told her it was ok to let go she did. I can't get this image out of my head. I stayed with her while my husband went out to dig her a hole. I just didn't want to let her go.
We wrapped her in a blanket and put her in but waited until the kids were home to do our ceremony and bury her with a few things they thought she would like.
I never thought the pain and the guilt would be so overwhelming. It was all I could do today to get dressed and get my 3 year old to the park. Otherwise she would have just sat and watched tv all day because I can't handle anything else.

I feel guilty that we didn't put Stella down on Saturday so she wouldn't have had to go through all that. I was blinded by the hope that she would pull through and it was just the new medication making her sick for a little bit and she would get over it. How could I put her through all that. She never seemed to be in pain but how could she have not been. I hope she didn't look at me and wonder how I could be putting her through that. Why oh why couldn't have Dr Brown been home. WHy couln't he say to my husband on Saturday that she needed to be put down. Why didn't we drive the hour to the other vet?
I try to tell myself that she was home and in my arms and that was the way she wanted to go but how do I know. Those last seconds are so vivid and so painful for me and for her that I wonder if she died hating me for putting her through that. I feel like it would have been so much better for her to be put to sleep.
How do I get through these feelings and get to a better place.. I don't feel like doing anything but with three kids I must.
If you made it this far, THanks so much for listening. It does help to talk a little.
Heather Frisk

[harlequin]

Dear Heather,

My goodness, how much I cried when I read your story. I too lost my 5 year old boxer to lymphoma in July. All of the symptoms that you spoke of were the same for my Harley and it really is painful to lose a part of your family in that way. I think that your feelings of "what if" would have come no matter how you would have lost Stella. In my case, as soon as I saw Harley not eating or drinking we decided to put her down. Then afterwards came all of the what ifs. What if she was just dehydrated? What if it was too early? Even I wished I could have spared her that one day of discomfort. Because our pets mean so much to us I think we want to do everything possible for them but also spare them any suffering. It's a diffiult decision ,but given the circumstances, I think you did everything in your power. Someone wrote to me once and said that pets are so forgiving, they love you unconditionally. I'm positive that Stella felt your love for her as you held her in those last moments. Hang in there. We're all doing our best.

Sincerely,

Harlequin