The hospital called me last night to confirm what my baby Dutchess died of. It was the above mentioned disease and although my baby was a black lab/shepard mix , it seems that the disease althought quite rare in other breeds is not so rare in Flat Coated Retrievers. I remember when we took her for her 1st vet visit she had come to us through my sister who had her for about a month. She was 4 months old when we got her and she was such a darling. I fell in love with her from the first time I laid eyes on her & when my husband saw her he said "that's my dog" as she ran to him for the very first time. She was a gift from my sister (at least thats what we told him) my sister had to hold on to her for a month because she was to be his gift for his Birthday which was still a month away at the time.
She orginally belonged to this young couple from Florida and they had to give her up because his young wife has been diagnosed with cancer & they were comming to New York for her treatment. My sister knew that we wanted a dog because of a previous conversation that we had a month prior, about missing our first Black lab that had died about 3 yrs before.
I remember the vet saying that it was a good thing that she was a mix because she probably would not get "hip dysplasia" like our other Duchess had. Never -- did I imagine that she would get something so much more devastating. She was fine 3 weeks ago , showed no signs of anything whatsoever being wrong with her health. It was then that I noticed her depression, loss of appetite, & she seemed a little lethargic, for about 3 days so I called the vet on Monday & made an appointment that very same day. It all went downhill after that. We got a call on Tuesday morning & she was rushed back to the vet for what would be a two night stay only to then be rushed to another bigger hospital on Thursday for an emergency operation on Friday. I got a call from her doctor saying that every thing went well that morning except for a small infection that was still present in her liver, then at 5:15 p.m my husband and I sat down to dinner happily discusing the situation. Then came the phone call which I answered and my knees buckled as my heart sank when the doctor told us that she was in cardiac arrest and that if we wanted to see her one last time we should come right away. Thank God we were able to be with her as she lay dying -- my baby fought so hard. She was so ravished with it the she did not look like my dog at all. It was so hard for us to see her this way so we made the dreaded decision to stop her suffering and she slipped away @ 6:30 p.m on Friday. It was so quick that I was numb. How can this be ("THIS FORM OF THE DISEASE IS THE MORE AGGRESIVE AND USUALLY LEADS TO DEATH IN A MATTER OF WEEKS") according to an artical I read on the net.
Now that I know the reason, I am relieved because she did not suffer with the disease for too long.
It has brought me fresh waves of pain -- another blow to my broken heart -- but it was beyond our control -- there was nothing we could do.
We did everything for her that we could -- It was truly in God's hands. She would have been 5 yrs old on Feb 23rd.
God how we miss our baby
You will never be forgotton my pet *** ooo
Dutchess 2-23-00 2-04-05

Sometimes when you realize that there was nothing you could do it can ease your pain. Sometimes it is merely a reminder of what we've lost.

I hope you are feeling better (in your heart) - know that we are here with you.

I cried as I read your story and my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry your little Dutchess did not live a long life. No matter how long or short our time is with them we give out hearts completely to them and foever our world is changed. They take a part of our heart with them when they leave this world.

All we can do while they are with us is love and protect them the best we can and give them the best medical care. Then like you said the rest is in God's hands. I am so sorry that her sweet life was so short. You gave her a life that was filled with fun and love and I am sure she knows that.
Ann

Oh yes she had everything . Not a month went by that I did not come home with a gift for her. My husband would spoil her rotten not to mention my sister & best friend. My Mom & Dad were her baby sitters & they loved her so much. In fact I had ordered another gift for her just 2 weeks ago & it's due to arrive any day now My husband did not want me to send it back. Of all material things we all gave her nothing is more meaningful then the LOVE she received from each & every person in her life. She was adored by all who came to know her. To think... I had a real life angel living in my home.
I will miss her & her love -- for the rest of my life

Dear Bernadette,

I am so sorry to hear about Dutchess. She was lucky to have had a life so full of love and a wonderful family to cherish her.

Thinking of you,
Lynn

Thank you for your kind words:)
It makes me feel good to be in the company of such good people who are so understanding. We have all been deeply touched by our fur babies. Our lives forever changed in our grief yet we are so much better for having had them in our life.

i cannot imagine how hard it must have been for you and your husband. one moment everything is ok and the next you are saying goodbye to your baby. that's so tough. i'm sorry that you had to go through that. and duchess was so young, it's such a shame. i'm so sorry, i'll be thinking about you and your duchess. ah

It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. The day after it happened
(Feb 5th) I was so upset I could hardly breathe. Felt like a zombie, could'nt eat, sleep & I had this overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I thank God ! that I am able to handle to handle little better today.