Mary has been a very sick dog with what we thought was a herniated disc, and we were struggling to get her to eat. Early last week she stopped eating, and she started not drinking.
We got a syringe (NOT one for injections, one for feeding baby birds) and fed her water through it, rubbing her throat and chest so she would swallow.
On Thursday, the vet made a home visit to my parents’ to see Mary since she had herniated a disc in her back and couldn’t move.
She could no longer move her back legs, and had stopped moving her front legs. She was incontinent. She didn’t seem to be able to move her tail.
These are not herniated disc issues.
The vet told my parents that there was something neurologically wrong and that it was likely she would have to be euthanized.
On Friday morning, my mom called, and Mary had taken a final turn for the worst. My husband and I went over to say goodbye. She couldn’t lift her head, couldn’t focus her eyes. If you tried to give her water, she just let it fall out of her mouth.
So we pet her and told her what a very good puppy she was and that we loved her. Gave her a hug and a goodbye.
And then we went to work because work doesn’t wait.
Around noon, my brother came over and helped my dad move her to the car, and they took her to the Vet. My brother took some final pictures, but I didn’t ask him if I could post them.
And the Vet came and took her inside, and that was it. No one is allowed in the Vet office except employees because of Covid, so she didn’t even get to be with family when she passed.
So, goodbye to Mary. You tried your hardest, puppy, but you’ve had nothing but bad luck. She didn’t even get six months of freedom from the puppy mill with my family before her back failed.
Sometimes life isn’t fair.
Sometimes you can do everything right and still fail.
We miss you, Mary.
I’m sorry.
Mary was a very sweet rescued Alaskan Malamute from an Amish Puppy Mill breeder. She had never been in a house and loved as a family pet. She was a very good girl and will be missed.