On the morning of March 22nd, we saw a stray dog with a collar a couple of blocks from our house. When we returned home, we saw her wandering in the street. As I rounded the corner, I slowed to look at her. Our eyes met. For a moment, I saw what appeared to be a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She started to follow us. As I slowed down, she sped up. She followed us all the way down the street. At the stop sign, I told my daughter to open the door and see if she wanted to get in. She was too afraid to get in. My kids got out to go see her.
She was very happy for human attention and nuzzled my daughter's hand. She refused to get in the car, so the kids walked her home, with me following very slowly behind.
When we got home, I made some phone calls to neighbors, to see who she might belong to. Everyone said she did not belong around here. Some said they had seen her wandering the neighborhood for a few days, and were glad that she ended up at our place.
On Thursday, I took her to see a friend in another rescue group. She scanned her for a microchip, to see if we could locate her owners. She then gave the white Lab a once over, and discovered a few things about her. Her front teeth, both top and bottom, were worn down almost all the way to the gumline, and coated with silver metal. This is a sign that she was chained, and she had chewed her chain either in hunger, or to try and get away. Her teats were swollen and although she had no milk, it was obvious she had been used as a breeding machine. My friend dewormed her, and we chose the name Marsha for her. Marsha seemed in good health, other then her teeth and teats, and her being underweight from not eating properly. She was scheduled to go to the vet on this Friday to be heartworm tested and get her rabies. If her test was negative, she was going to be spayed as well.
Marsha did not know what dog food was. But, once she figured it out, she happily ate her fill. We fed her small meals, three times a day, since she was so underweight. Marsha did not know what a dog house was. I had to show her it was okay to go into the dog house and lay on her blanket. Once she figured it out, she loved it. Marsha did not know what a pig ear was. She also did not know what a milkbone was. Once she figured out they were for her, she really enjoyed them. Marsha was very happy with us. She was so grateful for the things we provided for her. Things that all dogs should be allowed to enjoy. Things that some dogs may take for granted. Marsha was very smart too. She sat on command, she walked politly beside us when on the leash. She never jumped on us. She always greeted us with a smile and a big tail wag. We loved Marsha, and in return, she loved us too.
Today was a very sad day for us. Marsha did not eat her breakfast. She slept a little more then usual. Then, this afternoon, she went downhill fast. She was laying in the shade, breathing very heavy, eyes glazed over, shaking, and unable to get up or respond to us. My husband and teenager placed her on a pet throw, and lifted her up and put her in the back of my SUV. I took her to my rescue friend who was on the way to Lafayette, and she agreed, she needed to go to the Animal Emergency Vet in Lafayette.
It seems that Marsha had been denied one more thing that every dog should be given by their owners. She was denied heartworm preventative. A simple chewable pill, once a month, and Marsha would still be healthy. Instead, Marsha was diagnoised today with advanced stages of heartworms. As well as heart damage, including arithmia (irregular heartbeat), and also anemia. Due to her advanced age, and the advanced stage of the heartworms, Marsha was not a good canidate for heartworm treatment. She would not have survived the treatments. The best we could do was keep her alive on prednisone for maybe two months, in which time any of her organs could shut down. Our only choice was to allow the vet to end her misery, and keep her from having to die a very painful death later on. My teenager and I held her as the vet ended her suffering. Marsha may not have known true love most of her life. But, I hope, she died knowing how much we love her. *sobs* |
