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ClaudianPhoebe · 01-05-2015, 01:17 PM

Hello Everyone. Sorry I never joined this sooner. Never thought i'd need to discuss anything since my beloved yorkie, Phoebe, just two months shy of her 14th birthday was perfection...behavior-wise, in terms of gentle-mannered, never had an accident beyond 4-months old and pretty healthy- until a few months ago. Today, i said goodbye to my best friend, the friend that was here before my 10 and 5 year-old. She was the friend that would make me smile despite what kind of day i was having, she managed to being calmness, happiness and love into my life. This is the story of my love...

In 2000,my other yorkie died at 7 years old...just two months before my wedding. My husband-to-be was not crazy about having a small dog and we should agree on a breed together...although he loved my first yorkie and took care of him in his final days of death. After 10 months of crying and depression, he gave in and we traveled to Hobart Indiana- Glendenings Yorkies---i don't think she breeds anymore to see a new litter of puppies. There she was along with her sister. we made the deposit and came back in June 0f 2001- at the age of 3 months. She was awesome but definitely not an aggressive dog. inside, she was timid, but if you put her in the yard, she wanted to eat and spit those squirrels right up. She lived to see three moves, the birth of two children and some happiness and sadness. i do not lie or over-exaggerate when i say i loved her EQUALLY and never dismissed her even on those busy days with my kids...she got as much attention, if not more. about two years ago, she developed a RAVENOUS appettite. I told her vet and they said she didn't have diabetes or thyroid issues based on her yearly blood panel which I began doing at age 11. I also brought up that she seemed to develop a small potbelly about 15 months ago or more. Again, no reason. just give me the money for the office visit and off you go. In July this past summer, she mysteriously fell off the bad...never in 13 years has this happened. She was shaken up and a tooth was bleeding but i thought this was odd...something made her fall off the bed. five weeks later in late August, she had severe vomiting and diarrhea and was dehydrated and hospitalized for two days. Blood work showed slightly elevated protein, very high potassium and low calcium...their diagnosis- not sure. See the pattern with this vet? we took her home and after a day or two, she bounced back, was running, barking and again eating like she was starving but losing weight here and there.I decided to have her blood drawn again while appearing to be healthy. Blood tests were better than August but potassium was still on the higher side and calcium low. Protein was also improved and closer to the normal range. Vet was stumped again and said if she is acting normal there really wasn't much more to do. its like waiting for the show to drop. and it did on December 9. she was not meeting me at the back door, lethargic and not eating much. Took her back to vet because i noticed small coffee grounds in her urine and a distended belly-more so than her normal pot belly as noticed over a year ago...i was hoping and praying and looking for an answer. Vet gave her a shot of antibiotics and pain meds and said it could be a UTI but did not repeat the blood test. She did slowly regain her strenght and began to eat again, especially fried chicken liver. i actually think that helped rebound her. after five days on the meds, took her back abnd they told me that due to her belly being distended and her lethargy she probably had spleen cancer and i should euthanize her...probably? i paid the bill and walked out. In the meantime, Phoebe got a little of her gusto back and was eating and a bit more active. However, she was no longer wanting to go for walks...maybe the telltale sign of it all. On December 23, my husband suggested i take her to vet that performed her ACL repair when she was 2006. Great idea. I cannot brag enough about Boone Animal Hospital in Western Springs, Illinois (just 20 minutes outside of Chicago). This loving, caring, gentle, young vet came in looked over her records and was so empathetic that i was shocked. she suggested they extract some fluid from her belly as that may tell more of that the issue was and relieve her somewhat. Her first vet recommended we not do that as it would cause more stress. I gave the green light. when she came back she said there was no fluid...i was happy at first only to learn it was a very large liver tumor. upon not finding any fluid, she did a US and did not charge me out of worry. i am so grateful for her! at least not i knew. She recommended that i not euhanize her yet since Phoebe was eating, drinking, relieving herself okay and still quite mobile and that as soon as eating stopped, i would know what to do. Well the eating stopped on the evening of January 1. even her beloved food of scrambled eggs and bacon could not tempt her. her walking became pathetic and she would tumble out her bed to make it to her pee pad...can you believe it? still at this age and condition making it to her pad...she was unbelieveable and a joy. She soon began not sleeping well and pacing and making an inverted V with her body and burying her tiny head into the pillow. She also weighed in on Sunday at 4.7 lbs. yesterday, my husband and i decided that we would allow her to pass with dignity and no more pain. she passed today in my arms at 12:25 - and very quickly. Funny, it went just like tey said it would, she would get there and start having a burst of energy. she was walking better than the past few days, but it was an adreneline walk and she still seemed dazed and agitated. i know i should be happy to have had her for almost 14 years, but a part of me is angry...could this liver have started growing a couple of years ago when her appetite started? Maybe i could have had it removed before it grew so large and took over the liver. maybe i am just angry and need to blame someone. i know that my bestest friend in the entire world has left this world and she took a piece of my heart with her. i would say she was my happy pill...didn't need liquor, food, music, entatainment, i had my Phoebe. she was my love!

01-05-2015, 01:17 PM	#1
ClaudianPhoebe Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Chicago Posts: 11	Newbie and Unfortunately, mourning today Hello Everyone. Sorry I never joined this sooner. Never thought i'd need to discuss anything since my beloved yorkie, Phoebe, just two months shy of her 14th birthday was perfection...behavior-wise, in terms of gentle-mannered, never had an accident beyond 4-months old and pretty healthy- until a few months ago. Today, i said goodbye to my best friend, the friend that was here before my 10 and 5 year-old. She was the friend that would make me smile despite what kind of day i was having, she managed to being calmness, happiness and love into my life. This is the story of my love... In 2000,my other yorkie died at 7 years old...just two months before my wedding. My husband-to-be was not crazy about having a small dog and we should agree on a breed together...although he loved my first yorkie and took care of him in his final days of death. After 10 months of crying and depression, he gave in and we traveled to Hobart Indiana- Glendenings Yorkies---i don't think she breeds anymore to see a new litter of puppies. There she was along with her sister. we made the deposit and came back in June 0f 2001- at the age of 3 months. She was awesome but definitely not an aggressive dog. inside, she was timid, but if you put her in the yard, she wanted to eat and spit those squirrels right up. She lived to see three moves, the birth of two children and some happiness and sadness. i do not lie or over-exaggerate when i say i loved her EQUALLY and never dismissed her even on those busy days with my kids...she got as much attention, if not more. about two years ago, she developed a RAVENOUS appettite. I told her vet and they said she didn't have diabetes or thyroid issues based on her yearly blood panel which I began doing at age 11. I also brought up that she seemed to develop a small potbelly about 15 months ago or more. Again, no reason. just give me the money for the office visit and off you go. In July this past summer, she mysteriously fell off the bad...never in 13 years has this happened. She was shaken up and a tooth was bleeding but i thought this was odd...something made her fall off the bed. five weeks later in late August, she had severe vomiting and diarrhea and was dehydrated and hospitalized for two days. Blood work showed slightly elevated protein, very high potassium and low calcium...their diagnosis- not sure. See the pattern with this vet? we took her home and after a day or two, she bounced back, was running, barking and again eating like she was starving but losing weight here and there.I decided to have her blood drawn again while appearing to be healthy. Blood tests were better than August but potassium was still on the higher side and calcium low. Protein was also improved and closer to the normal range. Vet was stumped again and said if she is acting normal there really wasn't much more to do. its like waiting for the show to drop. and it did on December 9. she was not meeting me at the back door, lethargic and not eating much. Took her back to vet because i noticed small coffee grounds in her urine and a distended belly-more so than her normal pot belly as noticed over a year ago...i was hoping and praying and looking for an answer. Vet gave her a shot of antibiotics and pain meds and said it could be a UTI but did not repeat the blood test. She did slowly regain her strenght and began to eat again, especially fried chicken liver. i actually think that helped rebound her. after five days on the meds, took her back abnd they told me that due to her belly being distended and her lethargy she probably had spleen cancer and i should euthanize her...probably? i paid the bill and walked out. In the meantime, Phoebe got a little of her gusto back and was eating and a bit more active. However, she was no longer wanting to go for walks...maybe the telltale sign of it all. On December 23, my husband suggested i take her to vet that performed her ACL repair when she was 2006. Great idea. I cannot brag enough about Boone Animal Hospital in Western Springs, Illinois (just 20 minutes outside of Chicago). This loving, caring, gentle, young vet came in looked over her records and was so empathetic that i was shocked. she suggested they extract some fluid from her belly as that may tell more of that the issue was and relieve her somewhat. Her first vet recommended we not do that as it would cause more stress. I gave the green light. when she came back she said there was no fluid...i was happy at first only to learn it was a very large liver tumor. upon not finding any fluid, she did a US and did not charge me out of worry. i am so grateful for her! at least not i knew. She recommended that i not euhanize her yet since Phoebe was eating, drinking, relieving herself okay and still quite mobile and that as soon as eating stopped, i would know what to do. Well the eating stopped on the evening of January 1. even her beloved food of scrambled eggs and bacon could not tempt her. her walking became pathetic and she would tumble out her bed to make it to her pee pad...can you believe it? still at this age and condition making it to her pad...she was unbelieveable and a joy. She soon began not sleeping well and pacing and making an inverted V with her body and burying her tiny head into the pillow. She also weighed in on Sunday at 4.7 lbs. yesterday, my husband and i decided that we would allow her to pass with dignity and no more pain. she passed today in my arms at 12:25 - and very quickly. Funny, it went just like tey said it would, she would get there and start having a burst of energy. she was walking better than the past few days, but it was an adreneline walk and she still seemed dazed and agitated. i know i should be happy to have had her for almost 14 years, but a part of me is angry...could this liver have started growing a couple of years ago when her appetite started? Maybe i could have had it removed before it grew so large and took over the liver. maybe i am just angry and need to blame someone. i know that my bestest friend in the entire world has left this world and she took a piece of my heart with her. i would say she was my happy pill...didn't need liquor, food, music, entatainment, i had my Phoebe. she was my love!