My Minnie Bear

[yorkiefan_]

I write this with such a heavy heart, but I need to get my thoughts out on this incredible friend who just lit up my life as well as those of my family. Minnie was a 12 pound yorkie with gold/silver fur and she had two speeds: sleep and sprint. She made me laugh and our excitement at seeing each other any time I came in the door was always such a highlight of my day. Even in old age she just loved to jump on things and ran at a breakneck speed any time I'd tell her "let's go get a snack Minnie!".

Minnie was a rescue dog. Her original owners left her to die in their backyard when they moved away, but she wasn't about to go for that, surviving on birds she caught and the like before being saved by a kindhearted soul who took her into her home. The only problem was that Minnie was kicking the crap out of her other dogs, even those 4-5 times bigger than her. For this reason she found her way to us 8 years ago, and we instantly fell in love.

We call her Minnie bear as an old hiking joke; the aggressive marmots who like to steal our food at the summits of mountains are mini bears, and Minnie could be every bit as sneaky. Leave your glass of milk on the table too long and she's up there lapping out of it. One time she jumped up on the computer desk and pulled down an entire link of dried sausage hanging about 6 feet above the ground. You could actually see the link hanging down in her little stomach after she devoured it.

Minnie was an incredible athlete. One time after buying a bed about 2.5 feet tall I was standing there in the room wondering how I could give her a way to get onto it and in a split second she just decides she's jumping up there from ground level. I mean this is a pretty small dog and she makes the jump with room to spare. When I'd let her out to the bathroom she'd come back in a Carl Lewis spring, except for the last year of her life when it was more a fast jog. But Minnie loved jumping from couch to couch and up and down from the floor most I think.

Minnie made me laugh so much. When I'd be in the other room working at the desk she'd get up on two legs and start lightly scratching my leg while whimpering for a snack. And then two minutes later it was the same. And then again in 2 more minutes. She was the picture of persistence, and eventually I had to get to where she could only have snacks when I suggested them. But she still always asked,

Minnie loved to hunt. I can't count how many times I'd have to pull doves out her mouth or how many squirrel legs I'd see her chewing on. I was always scared she's catch a rat that could have been poisoned in a neighbor's house (I think rats can live up to a week after eating rat poison), but luckily she never got one. When cats would roam the neighborhood she's get mad as hell. One time she saw one of the cats going to the fence and before I could run to get between them she had yanked the cat off the fence and onto the ground. Would have been really bad news for the cat had I not jumped in and given it an escape route.

In Minnie's eyes it was Christmas any time any of us came home and in the door. Just constant jumping and happy barking the second you came in. God I miss picking her up for a barrage of kisses whenever I came through the door, even if those kisses smelled like dog butt a lot of the time. Just the most loving creature in the world and someone who could put a huge smile on my face no matter the day I had.

We never knew Minnie's age since her original owners were such heartless morons; our best guess is she was 4-5 years old when we got her. For this reason we were always concerned with her kidneys any time something went wrong and she needed to see the vet. Had blood tests done about yearly and they all came back great until they didn't Sunday before last.

[yorkiefan_]

Minnie started vomitting and couldn't keep food nor water down that day, after being a little lethargic the day before. Early that Monday morning (~4:30 AM) when I took her out to pee she just dropped like a rock after taking one step and I thought she was dead. We finally stabilized her but she was still vomiting. We got her to our vet a couple of hours later and he said he'd give her an IV for dehydration and wanted to do blood tests for kidney and liver damage.

Unfortunately his initial diagnosis was dead-on (as it always had been before), and her kidney levels were horrible. We had just had them tested a year before and things were great, but a lot can change quickly when you have an older dog I guess. It was killing me to see her in pain; as someone who has had a kidney stone before, I know how bad kidney pain can be. My magnificent dog's run cannot end like this! I thought. I can't have her in pain like this.

Thankfully Minnie made a very strong recovery over the next two nights, and I got to come and hang out with my best friend for a few hours on Tuesday before letting our vet keep her for the night again. Until then we hadn't heard her bark, but she got angry and started yelling something that must have translated to "What is this crap? You're not brining me home!?!?!". We took her home on Wednesday with strict orders to make her drink more than she would possibly do on her own, along with some antibiotics, antacid, another medicine I can't remember, and some wet food for dogs with gastrointestinal problems.

To ensure she drank a lot I mixed her water with a low sodium chicken broth, which she lapped up. I'd put 5 oz of water with her meals. Thankfully she absolutely loved her wet dog food, so I was able to con her into drinking the heavy amounts of water our vet told us would be critical for her survival. There was no way I was going to let her die a painful death like that if there was anything I could do about it.

I stayed with her 24 hours a day, because anything less was unacceptable with her at such a critical and dire stage. She fought like a champ, but was having mini seizures that looked like they'd last half a second or so. They seemed to be worst when she was taking in fluids, so I knew her kidneys were in really bad shape. I guessed she only had days at that point, and I was determined to enjoy every second I could with her.

Minnie was still pretty happy for the most part. When she'd take a big drink sometimes her legs would go unsteady and she'd fall, but I'd have my hands around her to catch her. She still loved to give kisses, still barked at me like 'where do you think you're going?' when I'd go to the bathroom or fix her meals (or mine, lol). I had to confine her to a room where I knew she couldn't jump up on anything to keep her at ground level with minimal activity, per doctor's orders.

On Wednesday night she had a seizure for about 15 seconds, and we rushed her to the emergency room wondering how critical it was. Our vet had warned us about the possibility since he had seen the mini 1/2 second seizures she was having while in his care. But Minnie was in a pretty fragile condition and he didn't want to put her on another harsh medicine while we trying to bring her back from the brink of death due to her kidney problems. The ER vet wasn't our own (he was out of town that day), and we just didn't want to consider the drugs the emergency vet said were for longer, more violent, or clustering seizures. The 15 second seizure she had wasn't violent by any means; she lifted her head up three times towards the sky the way yorkies always do when you scratch their butts, but it was certainly involuntary (she recovered pretty quickly... maybe a minute in that dazed post-seizure state).

I called my main vet and explained what happened, and told him I would like see him either Friday or Saturday based on how she did this Thursday night. No seizures Thursday, so I told him I'd like to come in Saturday so that I'd have another day to observe her sleep. No seizure again on Friday, but her shaking when she drank was getting worse that day. This really hurt me since she looked about 85% on Thursday. Saturday morning came and I brought her in for a blood test as well as a urine test.

It had been a few days since she had a test, and the doc, myself, and my family were hoping against hope that the bad results were something acute, like eating something poisonous. But the measured specific gravity in her urine test we did that morning confirmed that her kidneys were just barely working and the only thing that was keeping her alive was the constant flow of water we were giving her. I was heartbroken, but he said with careful feeding and water intake we could possibly keep her alive and with a reasonable quality of life for a while. Because she was clear of the full-blown seizures the previous two nights and since the one on Wednesday wasn't a crazy violent clustered one, he said he really didn't want put her on something that could interfere with her recovery, but that he would if things started getting worse on that front.

With the knowledge about her kidney problems being permanent now, I guess it started to make sense to me why the drinking was causing her some problems. Nevertheless, we had to keep feeding her liquids because we were not letting her die that painful death that almost took her that previous Sunday night/Monday morning. Minnie remained in good spirits and we had a fun day just hanging out and watching playoff basketball, of course with lots of trips outside for her to pass all that water.

Minnie survived some very bad seizures on Saturday night, but the details are just too painful to go into so I won't. The next morning she once again looked great, except when drinking water again. Knowing it was likely her last day on this great Earth and that her daytimes were always pretty happy and stable we took her on a nice car ride, I got her some chicken breast for a meal (her favorite food in the world), and we just spent all day playing with her, hugging her, kissing her, etc. Then about 8:15PM she got a really bad seizure again, and we knew it was over. We had to make the most bitter of bitter decisions when she just couldn't pull out of it. I was able to make the long drive back from the ER but broke out in the saddest cry of my life holding her body in my arms when I reached home. They say it's easier when you have time to prepare (and I had a week now), but they are full of s---. At sunrise we dug her a grave in the back yard, kissed her goodbye, and saved a lock of hair to help us remember the greatest friend a person could have. We buried her in a favorite place she loved to dig for worms when out gardening, and it's a location we can see from all the windows facing into the backyard. At least I can say her last day on Earth was a happy one, and one we will forever cherish after she pulled through that awful Saturday night. It was such an amazing gift to us to have just one more day with her with our sweetheart happy and in good spirits.

I so miss feeling her little heart beat next to mine when she would lie on my chest. I have had a lot of amazing dogs in my life, but none of them have just grabbed my heart and never let go the way Minnie did. I wish those so dear to us could live forever, but it just doesn't work that way. Minnie died because she was one of the lucky ones. Almost everyone else never even gets to see the magnificent light of this great planet. She struck the lottery when the sperm cell that was her beat out all the other little proto-yorkies to fertilize the egg she was born from. And then I think she struck the lottery again when she found us; we certainly did; that's for sure. In the end you just can't complain that you got $100 million from your winning ticket instead of $200 million. I will deeply love this amazing companion until the day I join her in the ground. My baby is gone, but I am so much richer for these years I had with her. There isn't a dollar amount in this world I would have traded a year of our relationship for. I'm so grateful to our vet who was able to buy us an extra week when we thought she was gone.

R.I.P my sweet Minnie Bear



A few quick photos of my sweetheart (she never liked standing still for pics, so couldn't get her face clearly this exceedingly rare snowy morning in South Texas)

http://i.imgur.com/p7bZaZ9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AUqonrH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/NNSjq5l.jpg

[jeane]

I am so sorry for your loss. RIP Minnie Bear

[yorkiefan_]

Originally Posted by jeane

I am so sorry for your loss. RIP Minnie Bear

Thank you jeane. Love the little guy/gal in your avatar.

[Patti]

I am so sorry for your loss of Minnie. She sounded amazing. Thank you for sharing her story with us. You both were truly blessed to have each other in your lives. They never live long enough but it sounds like she had a life filled with love and good times after her rough first years.

[yorkiefan_]

Originally Posted by Patti

I am so sorry for your loss of Minnie. She sounded amazing. Thank you for sharing her story with us. You both were truly blessed to have each other in your lives. They never live long enough but it sounds like she had a life filled with love and good times after her rough first years.

Oh yeah, Minnie was happy and active until the end, and brought so much joy to all of us. While she may have gotten up there in years she never let herself get too old inside. I just knew there would never be a day when Minnie would become quiet and lazy... just not who she was.

[yorkiefan_]

Haha, I noticed I wrote "Carl Lewis spring" in the original post when I meant to write "Carl Lewis sprint". That line must have been crazy confusing to read.

[TxVicki]

I am so very sorry for your loss of Minnie. What an amazing girl she was. She will forever remain in your heart. She will keep a watch over you from the rainbow Bridge.

I so know what it's like to loose one due to kidney failure, I lost two of mine that way.

RIP Sweet Minnie.

[yorkiefan_]

Thank you Vicki. Love the shot of the three gals in your avatar and I'm sorry to hear about your two that had kidney problems. Just tough to see with how special they were to you I imagine.

[dalady25]

Welcome to YT where you will certainly find others with similar heartbreak. You're a special person with a huge heart to have adopted your little Minnie when you did. I lost my best friend, companion & confidant, Star, my little 13 yo, adopted (@ 12 wks) mini-Schnauzer last September under similar conditions so I can only imagine how you feel. My husband & I both SWORE that we'd never get another dog but here we are 6 months later adopting this precious little Yorkie, Milo. We're so happy that we did. The house was soooo empty w/o Star. Everywhere I looked there she was---taking our walk each morning---lying behind me while I was on the computer---under my feet in the kitchen whenever she heard me chopping veggies (which she dearly loved) or getting out the chips (which she also loved but to which she hd very limited access b/c she also hd kidney issues). Anyway, hoping your heart soon heals & you'll find comfort in this site. God Bless.

[Verbena]

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing the story about her. Rest in Peace sweet Minnie Bear

[kjc]

W6w, What an a0az5ng tr5b4te t6 y64r bea4t5f43 fr5end. 5 a0 5n tears after read5ng ab64t y64r sweet 05n5 bear. 5 2n6w y64r heart 5s 5n *5eces, and she w533 be great3y 05ssed. 5'0 s6 ha**y y64 b6th f64nd each 6ther and y64 were ab3e t6 g5ve her s4ch a w6nderf43 35fe. R5* 05nn5e bear. Y64 w533 35ve 6n 5n 0any hearts f6rever.


S6rry th5s 5s 5n c6de...5D2 what's 4* w5th 0y c60*4ter.

[yorkiefan_]

Originally Posted by dalady25

Welcome to YT where you will certainly find others with similar heartbreak. You're a special person with a huge heart to have adopted your little Minnie when you did. I lost my best friend, companion & confidant, Star, my little 13 yo, adopted (@ 12 wks) mini-Schnauzer last September under similar conditions so I can only imagine how you feel. My husband & I both SWORE that we'd never get another dog but here we are 6 months later adopting this precious little Yorkie, Milo. We're so happy that we did. The house was soooo empty w/o Star. Everywhere I looked there she was---taking our walk each morning---lying behind me while I was on the computer---under my feet in the kitchen whenever she heard me chopping veggies (which she dearly loved) or getting out the chips (which she also loved but to which she hd very limited access b/c she also hd kidney issues). Anyway, hoping your heart soon heals & you'll find comfort in this site. God Bless.

Thank you dalady25. Things get better for me and my family day by day. For the first day or two all I could think of was seeing my baby in her long final seizure, legs stiff and paddling as her brain was telling them to try to sprint, and it was just too hard to come here and post about her (I think I registered almost immediately after burying her, since I knew I was going to need a support group after her death). But as the days have passed, my thoughts about Minnie now bring a lot more smiles than tears. I'd give anything to hold her on my chest again for a barrage of kisses, to run around with her in yard, wrestle in the living room, etc, but I can still remember all the times we did that.

I know what you mean about seeing her everywhere you walk. If I'm in the other room and hear someone's feet squeak on the kitchen floor I could swear I'm hearing her high pitched bark (quiet version, but still). My subconscious still tells me I need to make sure to pay close attention to where I walk so as to not step on her. I still find myself walking over to her favorite sleeping spot in the morning; I would always wake her up by blowing a couple of raspberries on her stomach or her back legs. Yesterday while emptying a can of chili into a bowl (love cooking, but just don't have the energy for it this week) I smacked my spoon against the bowl a couple of times to get the chili off it, and my first thought is "no don't do that; Minnie's gonna run in thinking you're making her a snack!" (sometimes I'd do things like that, for instance, rattling her box of milk bones, to signal it was snack time; she'd sprint up to me and start jumping in excitement).

It's very good you were able to find another companion to love. The unconditional love of a dog is pretty well-known to have great health benefits for those who share their lives with one. For instance, you're less likely to have a heart attack and much more likely to survive one if you have a dog. Petting and hugging a dog causes a chemical release in humans identical to the one a mother has nursing her young child. And on the flip side, the dog has the same chemical release, so you extend his/her life too every time you show affection. It's all summed up (as well as a lot of other fascinating things about our best friends) in this video I posted yesterday from BBC's amazing series Horizon

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/off...-life-dog.html

We know we'll eventually have another dog. We just need some time to grieve for Minnie, and I think it's going to be a pretty good while. We're not sure if our next dog will be a yorkie or not. Every dog we have had has been vastly different (our previous before Minnie was a 200 lb mastiff who was just a sweetheart too, though you'd get a face full of drool with every kiss from her, haha). But of course we have fallen in love with yorkies thanks to Minnie and to a much lesser extent from some other yorkies and their owners we have met over the years. But we will love again; life is too short not to.

[yorkiefan_]

Thank you for your sweet thoughts Verbena and for that pic of your adorable baby; brings a nice smile to my face seeing her.

[yorkiefan_]

Originally Posted by kjc

W6w, What an a0az5ng tr5b4te t6 y64r bea4t5f43 fr5end. 5 a0 5n tears after read5ng ab64t y64r sweet 05n5 bear. 5 2n6w y64r heart 5s 5n *5eces, and she w533 be great3y 05ssed. 5'0 s6 ha**y y64 b6th f64nd each 6ther and y64 were ab3e t6 g5ve her s4ch a w6nderf43 35fe. R5* 05nn5e bear. Y64 w533 35ve 6n 5n 0any hearts f6rever.


S6rry th5s 5s 5n c6de...5D2 what's 4* w5th 0y c60*4ter.

Uh oh, am I going to have to dust off my crypto skills to get at this message? haha

Thank you for your sweet thoughts, but may I point out that substitution ciphers are extremeley insecure? I decoded your ciphertext in just a couple of minutes and didn't even need to do a statistical attack on it. Perhaps you might be better served by using 128-bit AES in the future, haha.