First of all I just want to say that if you are for some reason visiting Smithellaneous for the first time this week, please know that I don’t usually write about our little furry fella this much. It’s just that with so much going on his l life right now, I can’t bring myself to write anything else.
Thank you for your patience and thanks once again to everyone for your compassionate words and heart stirring experiences with your own pets. I have been touched by every single comment.
And now . . . . how is Snowy today?
Well, apart from some pain and trembling when he first got up (because all the meds had worn off) he is actually doing fairly well. Yesterday morning, it took three hours for the meds to finally kick in and get him comfortable which was why we were pretty sure we were at the end of the road with him; it appeared that things were going downhill quickly
Well, today he got comfortable in about 30 minutes and has been snoozing peaceably beside me for the past hour. No whimpers, no shifting of his body to get comfortable, no tremors—just one peaceful doggie sleeping joyfully. (If one can, indeed, sleep joyfully.)
I put together a quick (meaning non-fancy) two-minute video from yesterday to show you the transition (or could it even be called a transformation) that he underwent within the course of about an hour.
In the first two short snippets, you can see Snowy’s usual behavior when he’s hurting: lying down and standing right back up looking for a comfortable position. turning in circles, arching his back, and standing and just staring off into miserable nothingness.
What you can’t see in the video are the tremors that continually run through his body when he is in pain which are what always break my heart the most.
In the second half of the video, you can see what happened when we took our beloved, ailing invalid outside for some fresh and sunshine in what we thought would be the last hours of his life.
Well.
Ailing invalid nothing. Watch the video and see how our failing patient behaved himself. When he took off across the grass barking and flailing, Sarah and I looked at each other with the sort of astonished expression we might have donned had Prince William and Kate Middleton sashayed by on the street and proffered a royal wave in our direction. I think Sarah and I both thought we were imaging it but then we both realized that each of us had seen it. Then we started grinning like fools.
And that is the reason we reversed yesterday morning’s decision to put Snowy to sleep. To see a running, smiling dog is to know that there is still some life there. And although we do realize he’s probably just feeling friskier due to the meds, it’s encouraging to know that his pain hasn’t reached the point where the meds can’t help. That’s where we thought we were yesterday and that was a scary thought.
So we’re continuing to hope and wait and pray . . . and even shed a few happy tears.
Again, thank you for your sweet concern and your stories and your compassion. We are blessed to be surrounded by people how know just who precious our animal family members really are.
Here are a couple pictures I snapped this morning.
Snowy thought he he should say a few prayers for himself, since everyone else was doing so much praying.
And it seems to be working!
Here’s the video featuring yesterday’s before and after. (Just click on the word, “Snowy.”)
Wow! What a difference! There is definitely still some life left there. I sure hope he continues to improve and makes another Snowy recovery!
What an emotional roller coaster you have been on! Hope Snowy continues to feel better.
great video. I know how you are feeling right now. My first maltese, Claude, was with me for 16 years. I promise – you WILL know when he is ready. Please know that we are with you in your pain. Enjoy every minute that he is pain free and comfort him when the meds aren’t enough. When it is time, he will find a warm palce next to Jesus 9and Claude). Love all of you SWmith’s. I wtart each day with your wonderful words – and have for many years. Love you all
First part of video was so hard to watch. It almost broke my heart. But the second half…YOU GO SNOWY! YER DA MAN!! (ERRR…DOG!!) Keep it up Bubba! You can do it!!
Becky……. it was so cool to watch Snowy’s video. I LOVE the way he reacts when outside, letting the person on the bike know who’s boss! Like my daughter, Sofia, said, “Aww, it looks like he is smiling.” It reminds me SO much of my sister’s older dachsund, Molly. Like Snowy, Molly is an important part of our family. She even comes over to my house everyday during the school year so I can babysit her because she has severe separation anxiety. Also like Snowy, she is a resilient dog and even survived Parvo as a young pup.
Several months ago, Molly started acting much like Snowy, having difficulty, etc. and just looking plain miserable. We took her to the vet and were devastated to learn that she had a devastating spine issue. The vet told my sister she could either get surgery, or take her home to die. Well, surgery wasn’t an option because there are only two surgery centers in Louisiana that could perform it and the cost was upward of $8000. We brought her home, expecting the worse. We kept her medicated and thought for sure that she wouldn’t make it. She could barely move and couldn’t even control body functions. Though, with the medicine, she was peaceful and still able to enjoy the finer things in life like a good meal and tons of love from family members, so my sister decided to wait. Well, here we are months later and Molly has made a complete recovery. She is back to her usual self of being the queen of the the family and relishing in being the alpha dog with my much larger beagle, Henry. Sofia, and I just said a prayer that the same will be true for your Snowy.
Snowy
I just love your sweet little smile!
it was also nice to see GREEN grass. I don’t think we’ve had rain for at least 6 weeks with several weeks of temperature above 100 degrees.
woof and lots of love
My heart was breaking for Snowy and you watching the first part of the video. Poor little guy. then how happy to see how he responded to his pain medications. Wow! So happy he is doing ok on his med’s. Wendy
What a sad and then happy little Snowy video! Thanks for keeping us abreast with that sweet dogs progress. It made it easier for me to run my errands with the first update.
Cindy from Sonoma
Oh, my, the first part of the video had me in tears and the only way I could watch it was because I knew it would get better. He was quite determined to make sure that passerby knew he was on duty! I also loved how Sarah was there in an instant to pick him up and make sure he was okay, just as he always did when she was so sick. I remember how you said he would awaken you and Steve when Sarah was sick during the night and bark and wiggle and run down the hall ahead of you but look back several times to make sure you knew what he wanted and that Sarah needed you and you better hurry up! What a circle of life we are seeing with Snowy. And we have a circle of prayer around all of you. I hope the pain meds work for many, many days but if and when the don’t, you will see it in that sweet doggie’s face (one of the cutest I have ever seen) – especially those soulful eyes – you will know he has had enough and he will look to all of you to be by his side and give him the gift of Heavenbound happiness. We all wish we didn’t have to make these decisions but, once it is made and once it is completed, there is a relief (along with much grief) that we have made the ultimate sacrifice for our beloved animals and that is we have to suffer our loss so that they no longer have to suffer.
Becky, please, please don’t apologize for only writing about Snowy. I think all of us here would rather read about him right now than anything else. It would not seem right to chatter away about silly and fun stuff when one of our own – a doggie angel that we have all learned to love – was struggling and needed our prayers and thoughts and attention. Not to mention all of you!
So, I will be away from this computer this weekend – grandson and daughter coming in – but you will be in my thoughts and prayers and I will do whatever I can to check on you from home.
So happy to see that fluffy, sweet white doggie enjoying the outdoors. Cuddle him just a little for me, please. Hope you all have a peaceful weekend.
I have been afraid to check in today, but couldn’t help myself:)! So relieved to read good news. I hope Snowy continues to feel better and heals! Prayers continue for all of you. It’s a roller coaster no one wants to be on…