Our final moments

My loyal companion, Sierra and I are spending our final hours together. Tomorrow my kind, compassionate vet will come to euthanize Sierra. Sierra developed a baseball-size hematoma on her upper back about 2 weeks ago. It developed in a matter of minutes. Things did not appear ominous at first. The hematoma seemed to be confined to just below the skin and above the muscle. Dr. Moseley (the most wonderful vet in the world) aspirated as much blood out of it as she could, gave her antibiotics and said to keep an eye on it. We returned a week later when the hematoma filled up again. Again it was aspirated and blood taken for analysis, which revealed anemia and other abnormalities; nothing very serious… just what you might see in an older dog, except for the anemia. By this time, Sierra’s appetite had diminished. She was eating only a tiny bit of food, which is very unusual for her.

To make a long and heartbreaking story short, Sierra stopped eating, she is too weak to walk, the hematoma is larger and spreading and may be invasive internally. She does not appear to be in pain, but I do not want her to have to suffer before she leaves this world. For the second time, I am making the hardest decision I have ever made in my life…to euthanize a loving, loyal canine companion.. the only being with whom I share my life. There are no words to describe this loss.

We are fortunate to have a wonderful veterinarian willing to make a house call for this heart wrenching good-bye, so Sierra will spend her final moments in her own familiar
surroundings…

I adopted Sierra nearly five years ago… Now that I am losing her, that time seems all too brief. She rescued me from profound grief when I lost my beloved Keshia, a cocker spaniel who shared the joy of her life with me for over 19 years. Five years ago, on May 7 2004, Dr. Moseley made the same compassionate house call for Keshia. I thought my heart would never recover from that loss, but it did, thanks to Sierra. I adopted Sierra four months after I lost Keshia. She was nine years old at the time..an older dog nobody wanted, which made me want her even more. It took a few months for me to win her trust. She won my heart and we have been inseparable since.

My heart is breaking. Please pray for us. These final hours are very precious and private…the last I will share with this beautiful, gentle soul who has given me so much love and devotion. Dr. Moseley will be making the house call tomorrow after 5 PM, unless Sierra indicates she is in pain or suffering today. In that case, Dr. Moseley will come today after 5 PM, but I hope we will have another day to spend together.. while I watch her sleep and remain by her side.. doing whatever I can to assure her she is loved.