Thank you both for your interest in Allie. It really helps to know that others are going through these same emotions, and all have their own stories to tell. Here is Allie's story. She came to us as an 8-week-old fuzzy black puppy with the sweetest little face I've ever seen. They told us she was a lab mix. She was a rescue dog and had a sister, but the whereabouts of the parents or any other littermates was unknown. Her sister had been adopted a few days before. When I put Allie back in the crate after holding her for the first time, she cried the saddest little cry. I just knew I had to have her.

She was very attached to us from the beginning. She would always start to cry when I would put my makeup on in the morning, because she knew that meant I was about to leave. One time I went to visit a friend in Boston for the weekend. When I came home I knew that she had missed me. As I sat on the floor drying my hair before work Monday morning, she came and laid her little chin on my leg as if to say, "please don't leave me again!" And ever since that morning, she laid beside me every single morning as I dried my hair. I miss that time with her so much. I have her picture next to me when I dry my hair, but of course it doesn't have quite the same effect.

Her fuzziness turned into fluffiness. She had the softest hair and a pluming tail. She became a 35-lb. beauty. She absolutely loved the outdoors, and would go camping with us. We could let her off leash and she would run ahead, but never went too far away from us on the trails. On the campsite, she would even ask to be taken into the woods to do her business, away from the campsite. What a good girl. She loved to snuggle with us in the tent at night.

She never met a person or an animal that she didn't want to be friends with. Even when dogs barked or cats hissed, she just wagged her tail and tried to play. Everyone in the neighborhood loved her.

The only known health problem she had was early stages of hip dysplasia. But we'd been giving her glucosamine condroitan and it had helped her immensely. She was able to run faster and jump on the bed or into the car without trouble.

Two weeks ago, on Thursday the 10th, I came home from work and took her to the park as I normally do. She played with some of the other dogs in our neighborhood. She did her business like usual. We had four dogs at our place that week (our new one, Norah) and my in-law's two dogs while they were on vacation, and I'm so afraid that the stress of new dogs in the house could have been a contributing factor to this illness. I'm sure it wasn't the cause, but it could have been a factor.

Thursday night after dinner she didn't seem herself. She went and laid in the corner which she never does, and she looked droopy. She took one bite of food and threw it up. She was hyper salivating and breathing heavily. When I noticed these symptoms I knew something was really wrong. About 10 minutes before I took her into the emergency place she had begun crying this painful cry and was very restless. She would walk a few feet and then lay down again. She couldn't get comfortable. Luckily the Georgia Veterinary Specialists (supposed to be the best vet care in the state of Georgia) is less than one minute from our house. As soon as we got into the hospital she perked up, and the nurse said that happens a lot. Symptoms seem to disappear because all of the smells in a hospital make the adrenaline kick in.

They saw that her gums were very pale and that really concerned them. So they took her back and did blood work. Her blood work was all fairly normal at that point. The x-ray however showed a very abnormal intestinal pattern. They thought it could have been something she ate, which I said was a possibility as I was talking to the neighbors while at the park and not watching her extremely closely. But they really couldn't diagnose it for sure. They said that they would keep her overnight and try to get her ready for surgery to see what was going on in there, while doing the barium to try to determine if it was a blockage. They took her to the back again and I didn't even kiss her goodbye! Because I thought for sure I'd see her tomorrow. These people are the best in Georgia right? They'll save her for sure!

So we went home worried but confident that she'd be okay. At 5:30 a.m. I woke up and called to check on her. It wasn't good news. They'd had to do a blood transfusion as she had begun hemmoraging. They still didn't know what was causing it. After the transfusion they would go ahead with the surgery and try to figure out what was wrong. At 9 a.m. they called and said they were going ahead with surgery even though she wasn't stable. By 9:30 they had called back (called my husband at work) and said the intestines were already dead and black, and there was nothing they could do to save her. They would have to euthenize. My husband called and told me in tears, and all I could do is just cry "not allie, no! I just want her back!!" I didn't have the presence of mind to call them and ask if I could come by and see her one last time before they put her to sleep. All I could do was cry and cry.

That is our heartbreaking story. Our sweet little Allie girl is gone from our home, but not from our hearts. I will always remember her wonderful little personality -so full of energy -loved to play games and to meet new people. It's so tragic that she was in pain during her last hours, and that I didn't get to say goodbye and tell her I love her. But somehow I know that she knows. Below you can see a picture of Allie as a puppy! If anyone knows anything about this devastating illness, please let me know.

God bless,
Jenny

Jenny,
I was so saddened by what little Allie had to endure at the end. What a mystery illness though, I can't imagine
what could have come on so suddenly and cause so much damage to her intestines so quickly. Her baby picture
is absolutely adorable - I know how much you all must miss her! I'm sorry for your loss and the fact that you
didn't get to kiss her one last time. But you are right, I'm sure she is still with you in spirit and knows how
much she is loved and missed. You did everything you could possibly do for her but it was in the doctors and God's hands. Maybe he wanted to spare you having to see her so sick at the very end.....

Take care and find comfort in kowing that everyone here understands and cares...

*hugs*,
Karen

Dear Jenny,

That is such a heartbreaking story and I'm so very sorry for the loss of your baby Allie. OH was she just BEAUTIFUL!!!

You and your husband did everything you could humanly have done, as did the vet, to save her and she knows this. She was one very loved puppy, which she also knows.

Please know we care and we're here and understand how you're feeling.

Big hug,

Pat

Dear Jenny,

Oh my, what a heartbreaking end for your precious Allie to go through. I am SO, SO sorry! I have read countless stories in here of people (including myself!) that can't understand why their furbaby didn't show signs of an illness until it was too late. They are just reacting to their instincts, and not showing any weakness for as long as they can. Quite naturally, you assumed you would see your Allie the next day. It seemed so sudden. I'm afraid I don't know anything about that dreadful disease that took Allie from you all. My Rachael grew weak suddenly and stopped eating and drinking. By the time I got the vet, we discovered she had cancer. We never understood why we didn't see any signs until the end.

As you know, your sweet Allie knew how much you all loved her
Maybe seeing her so weak after the surgery would have been too devastating for you. Don't be so hard on yourself. You did the VERY best thing for her in her time of need. You gave her a wonderful life, and that is what really matters.

Her baby picture is just adorable! What a beautiful little girl you had!!!

My thoughts are with you and your family,
Cheri

Dear Jenny, I am just so sorry that your lost your beautiful Allie to this horrible disease. What a doll she was as a little puppy and I'm sure her sweetness and beauty matched that when she was grown. I am so sorry you didn't get to kiss her or tell her goodbye. I'm sure little Allie knew how very much you loved her and tried to help her.

I could just picture your little Allie knowing you were leaving when you put your makeup on. My girls always knew when I put my shoes on I was going to leave the house. I hate shoes and it's the only time I put them on other than when I cook holiday dinners for my family and guests.

Just cry all you need to cry, come and talk about your feelings. Our hands are outstretched to you and we will help you all we can. We all know the pain and it sure helps when you are surrounded by those who know and care. Once again I am just so sorry for you terrible loss and pain.
Hugs, Ann

Oh, thank you all so much for your kind and loving words! What a comfort. Here is a picture of Allie when she was grown. She truly was a beautiful soul, inside and out. And I just know that her spirit is running and jumping and playing, happy and free from illness or pain, just as all of your babies are. And I do think the quick nature of Allie's death was a blessing in disguise...we wouldn't have wanted her to suffer one second longer than she did. That's the thing with this world -there is so much undue suffering here. And unfortunately we as parents are powerless to provide a cure for such devastating illness. And sometimes even the best vets are still powerless.

Thank you all for your support. It helps tremendously.

What a beautiful girl!
Honestly, you can see all that love and tenderness in her pretty eyes
My heart just breaks for you. I can see why a beautiful little girl like that would be so deeply missed. As Ann said, come here and talk about her often. Let the tears flow, for they will be healing tears. I know she is just as grateful for the two years together as you are. As hard as it is to deal with, I do believe that "quality" life is a thousand times more important than "quantity" life spans.

Hugs,
Cheri

Allie was a beautiful and lucky girl to have had humans that so obviously loved her very much. You and the Vets did everything you could for her and that's all anyone could ask for. We have so much in common as do a lot of people here. Nikki showed no signs of illness (cancer) until a few days before her death. And I, too, thought that I would be going to see her at the Vet hospital the next day. I did get there before she died, but she was really already gone. She was in a coma by the time I got there and they were just keeping her alive so that I could say goodbye. I can't say that it was better that way as I now have that horrible image of her stuck in my head. Of her laying on the table with her eyes open but not aware, with tubes down her throat and coming out of her from virtually everywhere. I'm so sorry for your loss, but know that you are not alone. Take care.

Dawn

Dear Jenny,

I'm so sorry for your loss of Allie. She was absolutely adorable. Even though her time with you was very short, it sounds like you both made the best of each second you had together.

You're in my thoughts.
Kathleen

Thank you, Dawn. Yes, your story of Nikki immediately rang true with me. It sounds like our babies had equally happy lives! And for that we can be thankful. Poor babies that they were sick before they died. I'm so sorry you had to see Nikki that way on the table But she may have been more aware than you know...I'm sure she felt your presence and your love right by her side, even if she couldn't respond.

Thank you, Kathleen, so much for your thoughts. And Cheri, thank you so much for noticing the love in Allie's eyes! The picture doesn't even do them justice. When she looked at you like that you just knew that she loved you. And I will never forget that.

Thank you all. Just hearing your stories and reading your responses have helped tremendously. I'm so glad I found this wonderful forum. Below is a picture of Allie by the Christmas tree in her red sweater

Prayerfully,
Jenny

Oh Jenny, Allie was every bit the doll that she was when she was a baby too. I am so glad you shared the pictures with us they are all wonderful. The love really does shine through in Allie's eyes. My little Snookie's eyes are what drew me to her from the moment I saw her. You can get lost in the love that comes from their eyes and it's like they can see into your soul.
Ann

I had a dream about Allie last night. She was laying very peacefully on her bed at our house, and I was petting her sweet head and giving her kisses, and telling her how much I love her. It felt so good to pet her and to kiss her again! She was so soft! She wasn't talking in the dream, but she was smiling her beautiful smile, and she was communicating with me somehow. She told me that she knows how much we love her, that she was very happy and there was so much food (even human food!) for her to eat, and lots of space to run and be free, (just like the Rainbow Bridge poem), and she also told me, "thank you for taking care of me."

This dream made me feel so good and at peace. I hope that I have many more dreams of Allie in the future. It made me feel so close to her, and at the same time miss her so much. If only I could just bring her back!

Dear Jenny,

My deepest sympathy to you on the loss of your beautiful Allie. What a pretty dog! You gave her the best life and did everything possible to save her. I'm so glad that you had that dream of Allie. It must have felt so wonderful to actually "be with her" again, if only for a short while. Everyone here understands your pain and will help you along the way.

Take care,
Lynn