# Missing my baby...



## AkariKuragi (Dec 19, 2011)

I adopted a puppy from the local shelter a couple of year ago, January 2011. I'd gone in hoping to get a little shepherd puppy I saw but she'd already been adopted, so I got Abby instead. She was, what I believe, a 2 month old husky/border collie mix. Looking back now I can't imagine what I would have done with THAT combination since I wasn't a particularly active person, but I was young and impulsive and I /NEEDED/ a puppy right then and there or I wouldn't be able to stand it.  About a week later I was able to bring her home (took about five days to get her spayed because it was a holiday weekend). She'd gotten kennel cough but they'd given me medication for that. I was so happy to have her home. She slept curled up next to me that night on the couch, and slept by my bed the whole night without a single problem. The next day she was still VERY lethargic. Not puppy like at all. She'd follow me around, played a little but was just generally lethargic. Plus she refused to eat anything, even people food. Worried, I took her to our vet for the free visit they give to newly adopted pets. She was very nice and told me it was probably just nausea from the medication they'd given her for the KC, since she didn't have any other symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. She gave me a new prescription and sent me home. 

Later on that day she started to throw up. It was just once, and she seemed to have a little more energy, so I was hopeful that it was just a bit of left of nausea from the medication. Then she started to have diarrhea, but by that time our vet office was closed for the night so I had to wait until morning. Then at about 2:30 that night she started throwing up every half hour. Frothy, sickly sweet smelling yellow stuff. I started sobbing and begged her not to die, prayed to God to not let her die. I did my best to keep her hydrated, gave her some pedialyte. By morning she was pretty weak, stumbling when she walked and everything. Prior to this I had never heard anything about parvo or distemper or any of the other puppy diseases, and I'd done my research about getting a puppy and raising them and stuff. I knew it was important to get vaccinations but I didn't know WHY it was important (I know not everyone here believes that, but I don't wanna get into that in this thread). I called the vet as soon as they opened the next morning and they were able to fit me in. By this point I couldn't clean up the vomit without gagging from that smell. If you've ever dealt with a parvo puppy you'll understand. So I took her to the vet, they did a parvo test and yep, it was positive. I was kind of shell shocked, my worst fear had come true. I was then faced with one of the most difficult decisions a 19 year old would possibly have to make. Did I want to put her down or did I want to have her hospitalized for about $500 that day and see how she was at the end of it, or take her to a 24/7 emergency care center which would cost even more. My family is not very well off, so the thought of spending that money put a knot in my stomach. But she was my baby, how could I not want to do everything possible to help her? Especially when I'd read that the majority of parvo cases that were treated pulled through? She'd just need a couple days of supportive care and then she'd be all better and I'd have her for the rest of her life...

Well, my grandma stepped up and agreed to pay for the vet bills. She was hospitalized at our vet for the day so she could get some care straight away and then that night we transferred her to the emergency care center. She was there for five days. Cost my grandma about $4,500 (which we eventually paid back to her) and were the hardest five days of my life. The place was about thirty minutes away so I couldn't stop by more than once a day. I called them every morning when I woke up to talk to her personal servant (she was in isolation so she had her very own vet tech who looked after her and spent time with her) and the vet would call me in the afternoon with an official report. Five days of slow progression but no real change. The staff at the ECC were amazing. Everyone was so very supportive and you could tell they were the most passionate animal folks you could possibly find. Abby was a favorite so whenever I would stop by people would peek into the iso room and give me their well wishes. The last time I saw her she was actually doing better. She stood up on her own and everything. I got to hold her for the first time in a week. I was finally starting to be hopeful that she would pull through. And then a half hour after I got home the vet called and said she had passed away. They weren't sure what had gotten her in the end but they thought it was a secondary infection that had finally gotten the better of her. 

I was heartbroken. I had people tell me that at least I'd only had her for a week and so it wasn't the same as if I'd been bonded with her. But you can't go through something like that and not be bonded. She was all I could think about for two weeks. Every waking moment I had was consumed by her. I didn't even get to take her ashes home because it was too expensive it "wasn't worth it" because she'd only had her for a week. That kills me more than anything, that I wasn't able to give her a proper resting place. But it wasn't my money, so I couldn't make that decision. I was lucky my grandma was willing to pay for the services like she did. It was just a horrible, horrible experience. 

Not only had I lost her but I was now facing the reality that I wouldn't be able to bring another puppy in for at least a year. I felt dirty, contaminate. Like all of my clothes had this deadly thing on them and I was tracking it around every where. My hopes of having a dog any time in the near future were crushed. The only consoladation I had was that she'd known love in her short life and didn't end up being put down at the shelter by a stranger and that we'd done everything humanly possibly for her. 

Thankfully I was blessed a couple months later with the most dog like cat I have ever seen. She fetches, she follows me around everywhere, I even taught her how to do tricks and took her for walks around the backyard on a leash (she's a bit too skittish to walk in the front). 

Still, I miss my baby. I was reading around some of the other threads and it made me think of her.

I love you Abby and I think think about you. <3










She had nose crusties from the KC. : (









If you read through this... Well, thank you. Had a lot of feelings come back that a thought were long gone and just wanted to vent a bit. x_x


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Sorry you got such a short time with her.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

This really touched me. I'm sorry you had to go through that but you got to love her unconditionally for the time you had her, and no one else might have been able to  About a year ago I had to put down my 6 month old pup.. it was devastating, a story for another time, but I know the feeling all too well. Little things make me thing of her too, like your story, I'm getting all choked up at work now too  but that's ok, I love remembering Athena. Abby was a beautiful girl, thank you for sharing your story, I'm sure she's watching over you too


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Sorry about your loss, and that your time with your precious beautiful girl was so short. What a loving story, hopefully someday you will find another puppy that will give you many wonderful memories to cherish.


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## Meeah'sMom (Sep 21, 2012)

I'm very sorry that you lost Abby so soon at such a young age. I would have (and have) paid any cost to try and save my dog. If I could have another year with my best friend, that would be priceless to me. It has been over 2 years since and I still think of her constantly and tell her I love her. Enjoy your new cat. She will make you smile again


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## AkariKuragi (Dec 19, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss wyoung. : ( It is a horrible thing to go through. I didn't think that it would effect me as much as it did since it's been two years but I started full on crying. It's amazing how the feelings stay with us even after so long. 

Thank you for the kind words everyone. It was particularly hard for me since she was the first dog that would have been mine and I'd been begging my mom to let me get one and finally she had given in. I am glad that we got her though, even though she ended up dying. I think of her dying in that shelter and it makes me sadder than thinking about how she did die. 

I can't imagine not having treated her. Later on someone asked me if it was really the smartest thing to spend all that money on a dog that we had just gotten. :| I mean in hindsight if I had known she wouldn't have made it then I wouldn't have put her through that but when parvo is treated the majority of cases pull through, so how could I not want to do everything for her? I live around a lot of not-dog people, my grandma is the only one who is a die hard animal lover like me. XD 

I learned a lot from the experience though. For one I need to be financially secure before I bring a dog into my life. I also need to not be so impulsive when I make my decision. All puppies are cute, but not all puppies are right for me. Nowadays there is no way I would get anything with husky in it unless I started running long distance, which I don't think it happening any time soon. XD Even though I love huskies and they're one of my favorite breeds. And I learned a lot about puppy diseases... Maybe too much... >< I'm super paranoid about parvo and distemper and all of those things now, makes me wanna lock up any new puppy I get in my house. ><;;


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