How to deal with letting go...
 

As many of you know my sweet 3-year old Chelsie had a severely collapsed trachea and has now had three major surgeries.
Breifly~
In July she had stent surgery, followed by a laraynx tieback due to it being paralyzed from the stent surgery.
7 weeks post op. the tieback failed and she required a bilateral tieback...
Bad deal, left her airway completely open, and exposed.

She unfortunately is not doing well at all, due to a constant battle with pneumonia.
The last few days have been exceptionally hard on her, and she is getting so weak.

I'm having such a hard time dealing with the reality of losing her.
She still seems like such a baby, it's just not fair.
I know I have done everything I can to save her, but it is obvious that the sparkle in her eyes is fading.
The thought that I might have to put her down just absolutely breaks my heart...
I pray it doesn't come to that...

I know everything happens for a reason, not sure about this one~

The breeder gave me Lydia (3/4 Yorkie 1/4 Maltese) in October.
She is the sweetest little blessing. So happy and playful.
It helps to have her around, it's like she was sent to brighten up the day,
and take away a little of the saddness...a little angel.

Kara

(Pic attached;(1) Chelsie and Lydia sleeping (2) Lydia)

Your babies are beautiful. I will have your baby in my prayers. My sister's yorkie has a collapse trachea also and she is thinking about the surgery. It is so hard for her also. Her baby is 5 years old.

She's beautiful! It's never easy to let them go. It's a difficult decision for all involved.

How sad!!! I seem to read so often about Yorkies developing this. What causes it???

I am so sorry Kara. You're right it's not fair....not at all. I really think there comes a time when you must make the difficult decision. When I had to do it with one of my cats, it didn't hurt any less, but I could not bear to see her suffer any longer. And truth of the matter, she was suffering because I couldn't stand the idea of not having her here. Kinda selfish of me....she's in pain so I won't be.... finally I did what needed to be done. Shed many tears over it. I completely understand. It's one of the hardest things a pet lover has to do.....

My heart breaks for you, because I know how painful it is to see a beloved pet suffer. You have done all that is humanly possible for her, always remember that. I hope and pray she pulls through this, she is so young. My thoughts are with you. (and both your babies are very beautiful). :)

It's the hardest decision
 

But it does sound to me like you have done everything you can. You have to think of your girl now. Does she have the quality of life that she would choose?

I am sending you healing hugs and positive energy to help you make it through this very difficult time. I am so sorry you have to make this decision. All the best to you. :(

thats so sad :( i know what your going through my sasha had a heart attack and i gave her mouth to mouth and got her breathing again but the vet told me if it happened again i should have her pts as they couldnt do anything for her,and 2 weeks after her first heart attack she had another one and as i had made up my mind to let her go this time i had to just hold her and watch her stop breathing which broke my heart but it wasnt fair on her to keep her going till the next attack and then the next,what made it even worse was she started breathing again on her own so i had to make that horrible trip to the vets and have her pts. its the hardest thing i have ever had to do but i know it was the right thing to do for her.i knew in my heart when the time had come and when she had had enough and so will you hun. sending hugs to you and your furbaby.

I am so sorry about Chelsie. I had to make the difficult decision to put my Gracie down 9 years ago due to a severely collapsed trachea. I did everything could to keep her quality of life but after a year and a half ofher fighting I took her in and the vet said she is strugling for every breath she isn't enjoying life anymore. She was 6 1/2 years old and the sweetet dog I ever owned. I hope and pray that Chelsie can improve and you will know when it's time. Please keep us posted.

This must be soo hard and my heart is breaking for youand your Baby, my prayers are with you !

I am so sorry that your Chelsie is suffering with this and so sorry that you may be placed in a position to make a decision for her. But you will know when the time comes when her quality of life is such that she would not want. I have had to do this in the past and it is not easy. But you find comfort in knowing that the suffering for your beloved pet is over and they are released from the pain and can go on to a place of rest where there is no more pain. I had to put an 11 month old American Bulldog down due to a heart defect that had caused heart failure and severe fluid to build up where he could barely breathe. I held him as the vet put him to sleep and I promise you, he never suffered, he never felt any pain, it was sudden and very humane. Talking about it now brings back tremendous pain and sadness, but that is just for me...not him - he is at peace. I pray for strength for you in this time and if it comes to having to make the decision to let her go, I pray for peace for you to make the right decision for her. God Bless you.

I am so sorry Kara about your Chelsie. Losing a loved one is so hard, but you, as her caretaker will know when the time is best for her. My beautiful Taji kitty was diagnosed with liver cancer last year. He was absolutely my pride and joy. Every morning I got up and made him fresh halibut first to see if he would eat, then fresh salmon, and then chicken. Even if he ate a few morsels of each I was happy, as he so wanted to live and be with mommy. When he finally stopped sleeping with me, I knew it was time. I took pictures before he took his forever nap and made him my screensaver, that helped a lot as I was able to talk to him every day. A friend also gave me a Willow Tree angel, which had a kitty in her arms that I was able to kiss, and let him know how very much I loved him. The time span on his illness was two of the worst months of my life. He could have gone on but I wouldn’t let him lose his dignity, which I felt he was. I did everything humanly possible for him.
He was my best friend for thirteen years, the very reason I decided to get puppies, as I knew I couldn’t replace him. He now lives through Surfie and Tiki, and our precious new Kona kitty, who has so many of his traits it’s frightening. Here are pictures of the night before he passed. I was so devastated and asked to see a sign that he was in Heaven. Two days later a parakeet flew into our backyard to let us know he was ok, and loved us. He stayed just long enough for me to get the camera and take a picture. Our pets do live on, if it brings you any comfort.

My hearts breaking for you...and I am praying for her recovery.

That being said, trust your heart. You know your baby and you'll know if the time comes. It's never easy, just love your little one and go with what you feel is best for her.

Keep us posted, and I'll keep you both in my prayers.

I am very sorry to hear about this and will keep you and your baby in my thoughts!

I'm so sorry you have to go through this. It's not easy to do. You have to think of it as taking their pain onto yourself. It's hard but it's the very kindest thing that you can do for them.

May God give you strength to do what you have to do and peace afterwards.

My heart goes out to you and your little Chelsie.

Thank you all...,your support and compassion for Chelsie
and myself is so appreciated.
Not sure how the night will go, today has been so different.
Chelsie can't stand to clear her lungs, her energy is so low...
I'll keep you posted.
Warm regards, Kara

I put a little dog to sleep last October - and it did break my heart.

My dog could have been kept alive (perhaps for a long time - I'll never know.) But she needed extensive testing, MRIs, CT scans, and perhaps surgery. All of this would have been $5000 or $6000 - and, after putting her through all of this, we knew it still might not have helped her. She was so uncomfortable, I couldn't imagine putting her through all the tests she needed and surgery knowing she may have ended up no better - and would have been uncomfortable all that time. My dog - different from your dog - had hurt her back and could not longer lie down for more than a minute few minutes at a time. It has reached the point that I was holding and carrying her most of the time trying to keep her comfortable.

Anyway - after a final episode of walking around and carrying her for more than 30 hours, I took her in and had her put to sleep.

There is nothing I can say - except that I did it because her little life had become so uncomfortable - and I couldn't bear to have her suffer anymore.

I think this is the toughest decision any of us ever have to make. And, your little dog, like mine is getting by. I think this makes it so much worse and harder to do. We know they can make it another day, another week, or another month - or maybe longer. I could have kept putting my dog on more medicine and steroids, but she really didn't tolerate these well - and they weren't curing her problem.

I had to have my sister take me to the vet because I knew that I would have turned around and come back home. I made her promise she wouldn't let me do that.

It took me weeks to get over total shattering grief (I was a bad case).... and a day won't go by the rest of my life that I won't think of her, miss her, and shed some tears. So, I certainly know how you feel and what you're facing.

I had another dog and a few months later I also got a new little puppy. They are both wonderful and a lot to love, but nothing will ever replace Dutchess. I had her for ten years and still feel that she would probably end up being the dog that I loved most during my life.

You just do what you need to do - and do whatever you feel is best for your little dog. My vet cried with me when we put Dutchess to sleep. She said that I was very brave. I didn't feel very brave. I felt heartbroken - but now that I look back, it did take a lot of courage for me to do what I needed to do.

You just do whatever you know you need to do - whatever is best for your little dog.

Carol Jean

Im so sorry and its so hard. Do what you feel is right for her. Ill keep you both in my prayers.

I am so sorry to read about Chelsie and my heart aches for you! *HUGGGGG* I will pray for you and your precious baby. Maddie sends kisses!

perhaps this may comfort you

http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

i'm so very sorry for your situation -- and pray for you and your loved one Chelsie

babel :(

I am so sorry for what you and Chelsie are going through. My thoughts are truly with you both.

I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this...and that your little one is having such a rough time.

As many above have said, your heart will tell you when and if the time comes for you to make the decision. It's one of the most difficult decisions you will ever have to make, no question about it. I've had to go through it with many pets throughout the years, the most painful being in January when my sweet terrier mix came down with pancreatitis. She was in severe pain so I made the decision swiftly. I don't regret it for a moment because I knew if I held on to her, that it would be only because of me and my not wanting to let go.

Here's a poem that's helped me so much throughout the years, when dealing with loss. I pray with all my heart that your little one rallies and gets well, but if you find yourself having to ease her way, this may help you a bit.

The Rose Beyond the Wall
Near a shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God's free light,
Watered and fed by the morning dew,
Shedding it's sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear or pride,
It followed the light through the crevice's length
And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before,
And it lost itself in beauties new,
Breathing it's fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint and fall?
Nay! Let us faith and hope receive--
The rose still grows beyond the wall,
Scattering fragrance far and wide
Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will forevermore.
~ A. L. Frink ~ (I hope it's okay to print this.)

Has anyone heard? How is Chelsie doing?

My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family...

I sure hope that Yorkie3 gets back with us. It is so hard to hear these circumstances - and then never know what happened.....

Carol Jean