We had to help our beautiful older girl Trinity (Trinny) to the bridge
today. She had been fighting adrenal disease, insulinoma, and IBD for
a long time, and finally her body could fight no more. Yet it all
happened so fast, that it still seems surreal. On Wednesday she was
still her spunky old self, even chasing our big, strong 2yo boy Dozer
around and 'wrassling' with him in her bossy way. Dozer loved her
enough to be gentle and to let her think she always won their wrestling
matches, even though he could have tossed her across the room if he
wanted to.

Here one moment, gone the next. On Thursday night she began showing
some signs that something was wrong. She didn't finish her soup (which
she got every 5-6 hours to help with her insulinoma and IBD), and
didn't demand her TF treats (which she normally would insist upon
before she would go to sleep). She felt feverish and had the shakes for
a while. I watched her closely thru the night, and when she began to go
downhill rapidly on Friday morning, with labored breathing and refusal
to eat, I called the vet for an emergency appointment. By the time we
got there, I knew that she wasn't going to be coming home with us. It's
so hard to know when they cross over that line between being able to be
cured and needing to be released from this world, but the dimming light
in her eyes and her rapid, shallow breathing told me what had to be
done. Our vet knows her well, as she's been there for many things over
the last 3 years, including Lupron and Deslorelin several times in the
last year. He helped us to understand that there might be some things
that could be done for Trinny, but none would cure her and none would
be in her best interest. I held her in my arms and whispered my love
to her as he gave her the injection to help her find peace.

For more than a year, we've known that Trinny was on borrowed time, and
I took every opportunity to spend a little extra time with her, to give
her some extra 'rubbins' and kisses, and to hand feed her treats every
day. Thru the miracles of modern medicine, she had an extra year with
us, and it was a wonderful year where she was spoiled every day in
every way. But it still all happened so fast at the end. We all have
busy lives, but not so busy that we can't take a little extra time
every day to spend with our little ones. We give them love, and they
give us so much more in return, teaching us about ourselves and about
what's really important in life. Then, suddenly, they are gone. Take a
little extra time to love your babies tonight. And every night. Because
tomorrow never knows.

Jeff
In Memory of Trinny, Neo, and Mr. Parker
Caring for Morphy, Baby Girl, Luna, Dozer, and Possum the Million
Dollar Ferret

[Posted in FML 6530]