Saturday, July 19, 2008

A terrible week......A happy ending!






This is Jessie-Jo, our beautiful dog who has been such a special part of our family for the last 12 years. She has had a hard life ( quite evident by the grey!! ), while we were living in Broome she was hit by a car and needed extensive repair to her hip, then developed pancreatitis which she almost didn't recover from. Last Monday morning we woke up to find her unable to get off her bed and crying in pain. Off to the vet with heavy hearts but sure she'd perhaps hurt her hip, with a bit of rest and medication she'd be okay. Amy - our most wonderful vet, couldn't find anything specific, agreed with us she was not herself, gave her a shot and sent her home with more painkillers hoping she'd perhaps slept the wrong way or pulled a muscle??!! Tuesday morning she was no better, she looked sick, but we went off to work and school leaving her comfortably resting. Just as I was about to leave work I get a frantic call from the 'Horsey' one, she'd got home from school and Jess had collapsed and couldn't walk and 'HS' had to carry her inside.....so off to see Amy again and this time she wondered whether she'd hurt her neck but she was definately staying in hospital. Phoned Wednesday morning to check on her to receive the most terrible news that she was no better at all and we needed to talk about making 'the' decision. Amy wanted to wait until friday to ensure the medication wouldn't work but that was the deadline. With lots of tears we knew we loved her too much to let her suffer in pain and knew what we would decide. I guess you're wondering 'the happy ending ' part ??? well on Thursday when we went visiting she had responded and was so much better and happy in herself which was even more important. She came home on Friday, our own little miracle - again (think she must be part cat with lots of lives!), still not completely well and on medication but happy and even if we have only bought some time we will treasure it and she will know how loved she is! I have felt guilty at times over the week that we can be so upset and devestated by the thought of losing an animal when such terrible tragedys and illness are happening to others which is so much worse but the truth is ,she is part of our family and gives us the most wonderful unconditional love and protection and puts all her trust in us.



We lost our older cat 'Martin' earlier this year (only a few weeks before I began blogging) and we have still not come to terms with it . He was a 5th birthday present for the 'Horsey' one so had been with us almost 9 years. We were in Broome when he joined our family and he moved with us from there to NSW and back to VIC. He ruled our house, he was the leader, the king, we were mere servants to rule him. He diced with danger daily, enjoying our driveway to watch the world going by and often exploring the neighborhood which was against the rules!! It was a hot saturday evening and it was one of these adventures that was his downfall, when crossing the road, a 'hoon' sped up and hit him He was killed instantly. We have a lot to be thankful for, we heard it happen and were there straight away so we could bury him and we knew what had happened, it would be awful for an animal to just go missing and not know. He is buried in the garden outside our kitchen window with a pot over him holding a flowering native to attract birds!!! It is his picture on this blog and has taken me this long to write about him. We still miss him daily.



That brings us to 'Fred', our little cat. He is now 3 1/2 (we got him when we returned to Victoria) but we still call him 'Kitty'! He is the exact same coloring as Martin was, they could pass as brothers which is quite bizarre when they came from opposite ends of Australia. He is timid and scared by anything and everything. He is cuddly and affectionate and displays few of the typical 'cat' behaviours. He ended up at the vet with Jess on Friday with an infected toe so sported a red bandage for a few days and is still on antibiotics.



6 comments:

Carol said...

Oh I felt sure as I was reading this post and was filled with dread as to what was going to come, but thank goodness for the miracle for your Jessie-Jo. What a beautiful girl she is too.

And don't you dare feel guilty. Yes there's a lot of tragedy in this world, but when a living creature puts themselves into the palm of your hand and with such adoration and love, you of course will be upset and that just shows what a kind heart you have too.

Lets hope that Jessie-Jo's days on this earth are now happy and pain free.

Tanya said...

You give that Jessie-Jo all the love you can and tell her I'm sending her love from Japan too.

All of us with animals has gone through or will go through the searching and stuggles that you have. I wish I could have been so certain about what was necessary to do for our 18 year old dog a few years ago. That lingered on just because I could not make the decision. Nor could I with our cat earlier this year. Hopefully they know that no matter, in our hands they are loved.

All the love we give and receive from our pets! We should never feel ashamed of our compassion for God's creatures!

Dawn's Daily Journal said...

Oh my...what a week! Our animals become such a beloved part of our families....I'm glad that all is right in the end with yours!!!! I hope this week all will be well. :)
dawn

Victoria said...

I'm like Carol and was dreading the outcome, but I'm so glad things worked out for Jessie-Jo!

We had to make "the decision" for our sweet cat, "Little Cat" several years ago. After eating a Day Lilly the kidneys shut down. It is sad because they are your family and you want the best for them.

Stacy A. said...

I am so glad I read this today. Our cat (more like child) Bertha stopped eating a few days ago and is now having a very hard time breathing. Doug is taking her in to the vet in about 10 min. If something happens to her we will both be devastated, so I know how you must feel. She brings us so much joy. She does not warm up to people easily, which makes her love for us even more special. I am praying for the best. And for Jessie-Jo as well.

Thanks for your lovely comments. They always brighten my day. I have a "to-do" list that looks a lot like yours. One step at a time. Love Stacy

Ruth's Place said...

So glad for the happy ending! Have you tried Sasha's Blend. It gave our very old dog an extra few years - it's for joints and stuff.

We lost our dog in 2004 and I still cry sometimes, I'm sorry about your cat.