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Chelsea Is Dying


STARKISS

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Hi All,

I just received word that Chelsea my sweet little girl is dying and is not expected to live to the end of the week... I am totally heart broken and feel really guilty that I have not seen her alot... She is the only one I have left in my close knit family... Shelley

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Guest Robert27

Shelley

I am so sorry to here of this news, I know how much your dog means to you, I just wanted to let you know I care

and I'm sorry your haveing to go threw this,

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I know how hard this is on those of us who look at our pets as part of the family. My Holly died 18 mos after Tom. I held her most of the night when she was dying and was holding her when she finally slipped away. My problem was that I never stopped to think about the fact that whether it is a person or animal, mammals pretty much die in the same way. It brought back so many memories of Tom's last night but I just couldn't desert her either. So if Chelsea is home with you try to prepare yourself.

I will pray for both of you.

I do have to say that a month after Holly died, God played His hand for the next step in my life and out of no where brought me a little boy who has been my salvation. I really didn't want him but didn't want him to go to the pound either and am so glad that I have him.

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Shelley,

I am so sorry you are going through this...yet another loss. They are our greatest companion and best friend and I know you will miss her. I hope you get some special time with her this week and can bring much comfort to each other.

(((hugs)))

Kay

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Hi All,

Just wanted you all to know I have arrived home from seeing my beloved Chelsea and she has lost alot of weight... She is barely walking around and she is having eye problems but seems to be in good spirits... Thanks to everyone for their encouraging words and support it is greatly appreciated and I hope to return to hear in three weeks... Shelley

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Dear Shelley,

I am so sorry to learn of Chelsea's ill health. My thoughts and prayers are with you dear Shelley. Took good gentle care.

Courage and Blessings, Carol Ann

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Shelley,

Do you know why Chelsea is dying? I'm so sorry you're going through this, I know it's horribly stressful.

A friend of mine has a three year old dog that was losing weight rapidly, no matter how much he fed him, and they tested him for everything known to man and it turns out his pancreas isn't working so he's not getting the enzymes he needs to digest his food, hence he can't make use of it and he's losing weight.

They can give him enzymes and now it's just a matter of figuring out the proper diet to help him. It cost him roughly $6,000 to find this out though...they were barking up the wrong tree, they'd thought it was a liver shunt...it wasn't.

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Hi KayC, She is a yellow lab and being a lab they lose control of their bottom ends... They tend to lose weight too... So Chelsea will continue to lose muscle control of her behind legs and gradually will not be able to walk... Shelley

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I'm sorry. My last dog was a Whippet/Dalmation and she was incontinent the last two years of her life. I had her in the house at night because Whippets are so skinny and just have no meat on their bones, she was always cold, I used to have to "tuck her in" (wrap a blanket around her) at night. It meant a lot of cleaning up after her, but surprisingly the house didn't smell bad, maybe because I stayed on top of it, I don't know. She was losing her hearing and eyesight too and started whimpering in her sleep, and sometimes her back legs would give out from under her and she'd fall, so I decided it was time to have her put to sleep, she just didn't seem to have much quality of life left. It is so hard.

My current dog is Husky/Retriever and both breeds get hip dysplasia when they're older, so I don't know how I'll deal with that because he's 90 lbs and I'll be rather old to try and pick him up, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. It's so hard watching our best friend go...

Give Chelsea our love when you get to see her again. I pray she isn't in too great a discomfort.

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Shelley, dear ~ I, too, am dealing with the way-too-soon aging and decline of my beloved Tibetan terrier, Beringer. He's been an intimate part of my life since he was 8 weeks old. Now he is approaching his 15th year, close to the end of the lifespan for his breed, and he is showing the same signs of aging you see in your dear Chelsea. But he is still a very happy dog, despite his ever increasing disabilities (nearly deaf, failing eyesight, muscle weakness, arthritis, weight loss despite eating like a little piglet, etc.) Hard as it is to see him declining before my very eyes, I am inspired by his puppy-like "live in the moment and don't worry about tomorrow" attitude. Animals are such amazing teachers, aren't they? They are so accepting of whatever befalls them in life, and they face the end of their days with so much more acceptance and dignity than we humans do. I know my heart will be broken into a zillion pieces when Beringer dies ~ but the love I have for him, and the lessons I have learned from him, will never, ever die. I just know that your precious Chelsea knows how much you love her, Shelley, and she is far more understanding of the circumstances that keep you physically apart from each other than any of us could be. Treasure that understanding, and keep sending those loving, positive and healing thoughts to her. Our animals don't need to be physically present with us in order to receive such messages. They already operate on a mysterious, spiritual level that we humans haven't even begun to understand, and the bond we develop with them is far stronger than the separation of distance or death.

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Guest Robert27

:( Sorry Marty to learn of Your dog's sickness and pending death due to its old age,

I have a poodle that is 8 years old now, and I know I'll have to deal with her's sooner or later,

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hi Shelley

I'm so glad you got home to spend time with your beloved Chelsea, I can't imagine how hard it is to see her in pain, I'm sure she's very happy to have you around.

Marty, so sorry to hear about your darling dog too wub.gif

Niamh

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Marty,

Your dog is so adorable!

Your link is very helpful, particularly when children are involved. I'm glad there were no children present when I had Lucky euthanized though...she's the only animal I've ever seen fight it! She did not seem to go down peaceably and it was very traumatic for me and my son to see. I was holding her when the vet administered the shot but rather than just going to sleep, she became frantic and fought death. I think it will haunt me the rest of my life, although God only knows I was doing what I felt best for her. She was around 15 and deaf, growing blind, getting tumors, one even in her eye, she'd been incontinent for two years, and just hadn't seemed very happy the last couple of years of her life, whereas before she'd always curled her lip up and literally grinned at us when we came home. Her hind end was giving out from under her, causing her to fall. When she started whimpering in the middle of the night, I decided it was time. It was two days later when I realized my marriage was over, and I feel anger towards John for detracting from the time I should have mourned Lucky, I feel like he ripped something away from her and I that I should have had.

But the best thing I ever did was get Arlie a few months later. He is a complete opposite of Lucky. She was so obedient and easy to care for, very well trained. But she was also scared of everything. Arlie is so confident and happy, and came to me anything but trained! He is rambunctious and a lot to handle, but oh how I love his personality and zest for life!

My sister and her husband lost their dog Polly a few years ago and decided not to get another one. I wish they had, maybe a smaller easier dog, but they have so much love to give. They opted not to because they don't want to risk losing another animal and going through grief again. But grief is a part of life and we have to risk to love...to do otherwise is to rob ourselves of the joy we could otherwise have.

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Dear Shelley,

Thinking of you and sending love and support. Remember one moment at a time. I agree with Marty that our beloved animals operate on a mysterious spiritual level that we humans haven't even begun to understand and the bond we share is not broken by separation or death.

Marty; I am sorry that you too are dealing with the way to soon decline of your Beringer. My heart reaches out to you too.

Courage and Blessings, Carol Ann

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Dear kayc, sometimes dogs respond to the overdose of anasthetic by having a kind of fit...it's not the same as fighting, they just have these spasms that look very similar. They don't know what's going on. I've seen it once, & my Mum (who was a neurological nurse) explained what it was to me. It may be what was happening.

One of my terriers is 10 this year...she's beaten cancer once & I hope she makes old bones because what's left of my heart will surely break when she goes, I've had her since the day she was born. As a very elderly Englishwoman once said to me, 'how we love them'.

Becka

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Becka,

Thank you so much for explaining that...I wish the vet would have mentioned it. I'll be sure and tell my son as he had as hard a time with it as I did.

Kay

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Hi All,

Just wanted to Update you all on how Chelsea is doing, I have seen her just a few hours ago and she is a little worst than two weeks ago but seems to still be happy and able to take care of herself... I am thankful for the last two visits and I know in my heart that this is her last summer so I have planned to see her every two weeks until the end of the summer... Thanks to everyone who has sent well wishes and prayers.. Shelley

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Dear Shelley,

Thank you for updating us all in regards to Chelsea. Thinking of you Shelley and sending support and a (((( HUG ))))

Blessings and Courage ~ your friend ~ Carol Ann

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Marty,

I am so sorry to hear about your precious furbaby, I went to see my therapist today and we talked so much about Chelsea and the fact she is going to die... I did not realize the guilt I was holding on to about not seeing chelsea so much and the fact I did not fight to keep with me... I will keep you in my prayers and your beloved furbaby too... shelley

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How is she doing, Shelley?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi All,

I am going to see my beloved Chelsea for a whole four days starting this Sunday...How wonderful it will be to wake up and see her gentle face looking at me... How special will it be to pat her when I want to and to receive her friendly kisses... I will be able to feed her and just loved her to the fullest for four whole wonderful days... Thank you God for this chance to see her again... Shelley

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