Post by feistychins on Apr 11, 2011 23:17:15 GMT -5
I thought I was prepared to write this tonight, but when I sat at my computer and typed out the subject line, I broke down. It has been a very hard day.
Today I had to make the most difficult decision there is for an animal lover, I had to euthanize one of my rescues. Her name was Rose and she was 5 years old....much too young to leave this life.
I don't know if any of you remember that I had posted back in December that I rescued a chinchilla and bunny that had been living in the same cage together for years. The bunny was spayed and now lives very happily with one of my neutered male bunnies.
Rose had severe malocclusion and had been fighting the battle for some time when I got her. The vet said her teeth were horrible and they could not even be filed. I gave her pain meds every day and a soft food blend which she could eat on her own and she loved. She ate like crazy...yet still lost weight.
She loved to snuggle and was one of the sweetest chins ever. She was always wet from her chin down her belly and arms, despite my wiping her down and daily dust baths. She never let any of this crush her spirit, she was always happy to see me and would run to the front of the cage to always greet me.
She has been more quiet in the last week and hunched over, a sure sign she was getting worse. I had an appointment with my vet last Friday and canceled it because I could not bare to part with her yet. I took the weekend to find strength and courage to do what was merciful despite her willingness to try to fight to stay with me.
I walked into my vets office and started to cry. I told her I was there to euthanize Rose and then through tears I said to my vet "Please don't let me change my mind.....tell me I am doing the right thing". She examined Rose and said yes, she has gotten worse and we agreed that the pain meds just are not helping her much any more. She already had one large bump from a root in her lower jaw and in the 4 months I had her, she now had one on the other side just as large.
I held her....she snuggled against me and I told her I was so sorry I could not have helped her more and how much I loved her. That she would not be in pain anymore and would be able to play with other chins in a wonderful place soon.
Today is a day when I hate to be a rescuer.....you NEVER get used to loosing someone who you once saved. Rose is at peace now and I will miss her.
About a week ago I had been contacted by a man in Staten Island who had a chin he said had some teeth issues and over time had started to chew his fur and get mats. Long story short he claimed he tried to help Toby, but it was just something he could no longer handle.
My rescue is very full, so I contacted a woman who is a friend and had adopted from me years ago who is close to that area. She was happy to take Toby and give him a home.
She picked him up Friday night....little did either of us know what we would encounter. She took pictures of Toby when she got him home and emailed them to me. I was horrified and in total shock.....it was the WORSE case of chinchilla neglect I have ever seen in all my years of rescue. The picture were hard to look at......he did not even look like a chinchilla. He was literally caked with urine and globs of dirt and matted fur. He had no hair at all on his arms or nose and not much on his feet or legs. My friend said he smelled of urine and just really bad.
This poor woman had done a favor for me and had a good heart to take in this chin and she was hit with the worse chin I could have encountered. I apologized to her, but she knew the man had lied about the condition of the chin. Toby was active despite everything. No vet would see her over the weekend, so she was getting him to the vet first thing this morning.
By last night (Sunday) Toby was having trouble jumping just a few inches to a shelf, his legs were not working right. His body was shutting down and it happened fast. By the vet visit this morning, he was not fully responding to eye responses. He weighed 244 grams. The vet said he had multiple skin infections and from examining him it felt like he had liver and or kidney problems and that he was having organ failure.
Toby was euthanized and finally at peace. He suffered so and I only saw pictures, but am devastated by what he looked like and what he must have gone through.
This has been a heartbreaking day.
If your chins are healthy, be thankful and appreciate every day.
I ask that you give your fur babies an extra kiss tonight for those who are no longer with us......for those who suffered an illness that could not be beat.......for those who suffer neglect and abuse......
Give an Extra Kiss for those who never receive one.........
Love and appreciate your fur babies every day and pray for those who are not.
Today I had to make the most difficult decision there is for an animal lover, I had to euthanize one of my rescues. Her name was Rose and she was 5 years old....much too young to leave this life.
I don't know if any of you remember that I had posted back in December that I rescued a chinchilla and bunny that had been living in the same cage together for years. The bunny was spayed and now lives very happily with one of my neutered male bunnies.
Rose had severe malocclusion and had been fighting the battle for some time when I got her. The vet said her teeth were horrible and they could not even be filed. I gave her pain meds every day and a soft food blend which she could eat on her own and she loved. She ate like crazy...yet still lost weight.
She loved to snuggle and was one of the sweetest chins ever. She was always wet from her chin down her belly and arms, despite my wiping her down and daily dust baths. She never let any of this crush her spirit, she was always happy to see me and would run to the front of the cage to always greet me.
She has been more quiet in the last week and hunched over, a sure sign she was getting worse. I had an appointment with my vet last Friday and canceled it because I could not bare to part with her yet. I took the weekend to find strength and courage to do what was merciful despite her willingness to try to fight to stay with me.
I walked into my vets office and started to cry. I told her I was there to euthanize Rose and then through tears I said to my vet "Please don't let me change my mind.....tell me I am doing the right thing". She examined Rose and said yes, she has gotten worse and we agreed that the pain meds just are not helping her much any more. She already had one large bump from a root in her lower jaw and in the 4 months I had her, she now had one on the other side just as large.
I held her....she snuggled against me and I told her I was so sorry I could not have helped her more and how much I loved her. That she would not be in pain anymore and would be able to play with other chins in a wonderful place soon.
Today is a day when I hate to be a rescuer.....you NEVER get used to loosing someone who you once saved. Rose is at peace now and I will miss her.
About a week ago I had been contacted by a man in Staten Island who had a chin he said had some teeth issues and over time had started to chew his fur and get mats. Long story short he claimed he tried to help Toby, but it was just something he could no longer handle.
My rescue is very full, so I contacted a woman who is a friend and had adopted from me years ago who is close to that area. She was happy to take Toby and give him a home.
She picked him up Friday night....little did either of us know what we would encounter. She took pictures of Toby when she got him home and emailed them to me. I was horrified and in total shock.....it was the WORSE case of chinchilla neglect I have ever seen in all my years of rescue. The picture were hard to look at......he did not even look like a chinchilla. He was literally caked with urine and globs of dirt and matted fur. He had no hair at all on his arms or nose and not much on his feet or legs. My friend said he smelled of urine and just really bad.
This poor woman had done a favor for me and had a good heart to take in this chin and she was hit with the worse chin I could have encountered. I apologized to her, but she knew the man had lied about the condition of the chin. Toby was active despite everything. No vet would see her over the weekend, so she was getting him to the vet first thing this morning.
By last night (Sunday) Toby was having trouble jumping just a few inches to a shelf, his legs were not working right. His body was shutting down and it happened fast. By the vet visit this morning, he was not fully responding to eye responses. He weighed 244 grams. The vet said he had multiple skin infections and from examining him it felt like he had liver and or kidney problems and that he was having organ failure.
Toby was euthanized and finally at peace. He suffered so and I only saw pictures, but am devastated by what he looked like and what he must have gone through.
This has been a heartbreaking day.
If your chins are healthy, be thankful and appreciate every day.
I ask that you give your fur babies an extra kiss tonight for those who are no longer with us......for those who suffered an illness that could not be beat.......for those who suffer neglect and abuse......
Give an Extra Kiss for those who never receive one.........
Love and appreciate your fur babies every day and pray for those who are not.