[Foster Mom]

My little boy went in for a dental and the vet collapsed his trachea. We were very careful, keeping weight down, not letting him get to excited, etc. I had no idea that in the meantime his little heart was working very hard to accomadate his breathing and was very surprised when the vet (a new vet after we moved to the USA) told me his heart was enlarged, he could no longer go out on walks as he just chocked and gasped, but we adjusted. Several cardiology appointments and echocardiograms later his cardiologist told me the ventricle had seemed to have improved and told me his prognosis was good. I left the appointment with the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. He was on a broncodialator daily and lasix when needed.

6 weeks after his last cardiologist appt I woke one moring to find him breathing very labored and very wet sounding so we rushed him to the vet. The vet heard a new valve leak and a murmur. We had him in an oxygen tank at the time because he was having Hypoxia terrors and his tongue was black. We had the choice to leave him at the vets that day oin oxygen and they would give him lasix injections, but I had him in my arms and he would not look at me, would not kiss me, would not lift his head. That was not like him at all. Because we live in a very small town I did not want to bring him home and have to watch him suffer and pass away if something happened in the middle of the night and the vet told me he did not expect him to live another 4 days if he even made it thru the day. We decided to leave him for the treatment and the vet looked at me with a very sad look and said "You might want to say goodbye to him before you leave as I truly do not know if he will survive the day". My decision was made, I was not going to have him be alone and pass to the bridge without me there, he deserved to have me with him when he went and when the vet assured me he was really THAT sick we made the decision to let him go. I could not let him suffer anymore. When the vet gave him the needle, he had to do it twice because he missed the vein the first time, my guy did not even flinch. That told me a lot right then. When his little heart stopped beating, I did not know it had happened as his weight in my arms did not change when he slipped away. It was so peaceful. And I know the look in his eyes when I saw him in the oxygen tank was him telling me it was his time. No matter what has ever happened with him he ALWAYS responded to me, even when he would not to anyone else and that day he just wouldnt.

He had the trachea issue for about 2 1/2 years before it finally took him from me.

Good luck with your little one. CT does not have to mean a death sentance.