[Gpdd] Rainbow Bridge: JOEY

[Juwles]

Hi all

 

Joey is a tough one to write about, I have tried to be succinct and shorten
my message to you all.  I have to write it quickly and send it, before I
continue to break down in more tears.  I have been putting off writing this,
because everything that happened is as clear in my mind as if it just
happened now.

 

1.	I bought him nearly 3 years ago.   
2.	About 3 months after purchase, my brother came to visit with a new
husky dog, who proceeded to pick Joey up and run around the lounge with him
in his mouth before we were able to free Joey, who was terrified.    I
believe that all Joey's problems since then are a result of that event.
There must have been tooth marks which I didn't see, and which have taken 12
months to turn into huge infected cysts.
3.	About 6 months after purchase he had the back cyst removed, and
everything was fine.
4.	He developed cheilitis in the lips, and ever day either Mum or I
would fress the area using, sorbolene to soften the crusts, then some
chlorhexidine, then ilium (contains lignocaine, and an antibiotic.
5.	The back wound totally cleared.
6.	The left side of him start to grow.  
7.	I tried to ignore it, hoping it would clear like the other cyst.
8.	It didn't - it got huge
9.	More surgery, but the vet said there were two cysts there.  He had
removed one, the other was so big he couldn't do the work, he did not have
the knowledge and we'd need a specialist vet.  He said the cyst was so big
it included his back leg and may it might need to be amputation.
10.	Took him back to normal vet for removal of drain, which was a waste
of time.  Drain did nothing.
11.	Cyst kept growing, I called vet, she came out and stuck a cathether
needle in and suck out 2 vials of pus.
12.	Results showed pseudomonas.
13.	Mum & I had an idea about using a drawing ointment, and we kept one
of the wounds open always.
14.	Every few days we were able to squeeze more huge amounts of pus out.
15.	We got the cyst down to a nearly normal size after months of
squeezing.
16.	Then we noticed the right side of his abdo expanding, and it was
bothering him to walk, he bunny hopped.
17.	Joey loved his grass so much, and one day I noticed he didn't as
much grass as normal.
18.	Then he made a motion like he was having trouble with his poos, sort
of constipated.    He let out a little squeal when he did that, so I was
thinking cystitis.
19.	I realised the effort of the push had really opened the sore and pus
was everywhere. 
20.	This was a Sunday afternoon.
21.	Then he started to not act like Joey anymore, quiet, and finally
stopped eating the grass.
22.	We had him out and I tried all these 'natural' things like rubbing
his tummy with paraffin oil, then using castor oil, even gave him very small
dose or paraffin oil via syringe.
23.	I finally noticed he was not pooing any more.
24.	My dear one kept screaming with every time the wind came - it was
like he had colic.
25.	I gave him buscopan to try to help with cramps,
26.	In all his pain, he still managed to groom himself.   
27.	I was desperate for Monday so I could take him to vet.
28.	I stayed awake with him the whole of Sunday night, holding him,
rubbing him, and praying like I've never prayed before.
29.	Vet did xrays, and send xrays to some specialist exotics vet.

30.	By this time Joey was indeed very very very sick.  I still kept a
smidgen of hope that if they could remove the gas, he might be okay.
31.	Unfortunately, he had this huge growth now on both sides of his
abdomen.
32.	The vet kept him there until they heard from the exotics vet.
33.	That was early morning, by 4pm I said to Mum I'm going to go to the
vets, this was a ridiculous amount of time away from me, with no food and no
fluids.
34.	When I got there, they said come back in 1 hour with some critical
care to feed him, but he had already been without food 24 hours.
35.	When I got back they said they had given him injections of
metrodinazole, and about 6 other things as well as subcut fluids.   Why the
hell didn't they do that earlier.  Why the hell didn't they tell me to bring
him some food???????
36.	They then said take Joey home, keep him comfortable and warm and
feed him critical care.
37.	He did not want any food, and I knew then he was dying.
38.	I hugged him until he died.
39.	It was a horrific death - he actually was running on my right
shoulder, so hard it hurt me.  Then he used my left shoulder to run on -
front feet only moving.  He must have been in excruciating pain, by that
time maybe his gut had twisted.
40.	I kept asking God why won't he take my boy, please, please, put him
out of his suffering.
41.	Then he relaxed, and I thought he was dead.
42.	He wasn't dead, just very slow light breaths.  Then the final breath
came, and he was out of his suffering.       But my suffering kept going and
is still going.  I will never get over losing Joey - he was my prince.   He
was more puppy than piggy.
43.	I felt and still feel desolate, lonely, upset, looking for Joey when
it's grass time, never a day goes by I don't think of him.

 

Does anyone know anything about that running with the front longs and the
back legs not moving??

 

I have xrays of him, if anyone is interested I can email to you.   It shows
two huge, huge, masses in his abdomen.  I don't know how to put the photos
on the web, i.e. photobucket.

 

Thank you for listening,

Julie & what's left of her baby boys (5)

 

PS - I apologise if there's any typos, but it's hard to see through my
tears.