Sad News

Over this past weekend Copper wasn't feeling good: he stopped eating and drinking, was more lethargic than usual and had been vomiting up some foamy bile off and on. We thought it may have just been an upset stomach over something that he had eaten and were waiting for it to pass (he thrown up part of something that he'd eaten at one point, so that made us think even more that it was probably just something he'd eaten). Saturday night we brought him in the house for awhile and he was all perky and happy (just like his normal self!), we even got him to eat a bowl of chicken and brown rice that I'd made for him. So, it seemed like he was on the mend. However, Sunday morning he was back to his previous symptoms and wouldn't even eat any more of the chicken and rice. We talked about having me take him to the vet Monday morning to get him checked out (in case it was an impaction or something). We went out for a couple of hours in the afternoon to run some errands, and when we got home our worst fears had been confirmed that Copper had somehow contracted Parvo. I will spare you the details of how we knew because I don't want anyone to have to have that mental picture as it is too devastating finding your dog/puppy like that.

Anyhow, we rushed to take him to an emergency vet (we weren't willing to give up all hope on him just yet), but while we were there it became very evident to us that not only could we not afford the extensive vet care that would have been needed ($1800+ with no guarantee of Copper's survival--which anyone who has dealt with Parvo before can understand why that is), but that the Parvo had already done extensive damage VERY quickly after it first started showing signs. So, once again, we had to make the very difficult decision to have our other Baby put down.

The whole time we just kept thinking, "Not again!" and "We should have known--we should have recognized the symptoms!" For those of you who don't know, back during our first year in Alabama, we'd gone through this with our Weimeraner puppy, Hank. He beat the Parvo, but ended up passing away the next week from complications that stemmed from the Parvo while his immune system was weakened. Neither of us will ever take those symptoms lightly again and assume that they may be caused by a stomach ache. Parvo has a 10-14 day incubation period before symptoms start to appear, so the sooner it is caught and treatment begun, the better chance of survival the puppy/dog has. The Parvo virus can live for about a year (in practically everything: soil, toys, crate, etc.), and the only way to get rid of it is to bleach everything that an infected puppy may have come in contact with.

This was very unexpected, and just added insult to injury after having to put Quigley down such a short while ago as well. All in all, in the last 3 years we have lost 5 wonderful animals: first in January of '09 I received a call from my mom telling me that my beloved cat, Prince, had passed away--I'd had him since he was 8 weeks old...he was 17-18 years old. Next a couple of short weeks later, Hank came down with Parvo in February '09 and passed away about a week later. In January of 2010 my mom had to have our faithful Border Collie mix, Petie, down--we'd had him since I was about 4 years old as well, so he was 18 years old (he was the most loyal and the best dog anyone could ever have--there will never be another dog like Petie, he was simply incredible!). Then, as you all know, back in October we had to have our Quigley put down. And now, Copper as well. It's been a rough 3 years for us where animals have been concerned. I can only hope that in the future, things will be different.

We are relieved to know that Copper is no longer suffering, but are heartbroken at having lost him. However, we know that God is in control and that 'not a sparrow falls without His knowledge'. Though we may not understand 'why', we will continue to trust our Heavenly Father and lean on Him. We would appreciate your prayers during this difficult time. Thank you!

Peanut Butter Cup is napping right now, so I should really be trying to find something to eat for lunch, but I haven't really had much of an appetite since last night. Whenever I am downstairs, I find myself looking out into the yard looking for Copper. I need to do laundry, but I haven't been able to bring myself to go into the laundry room (where his crate was) since yesterday. I just feel so sad and alone right now (in the human/friend sense)! I wish it wasn't a Monday so I could at least be with my husband! Please pray for me, it's hitting me really hard right now.

(Sorry if this has been a morbid post and if it has been kind of 'dis-jointed'! My thoughts are all over the place right now, and I just had to get this all off my chest! I still don't really have any friends here, so I don't have anyone to talk to--this blog is my only outlet for the most part. Thanks for 'listening' to my heart, it truly means a lot to me.)