Dear Jamie, I am sharing in your sorrow and tears as I read your heartfilled email. I am so sorry to hear about Andy.
My heart goes out to you at this time. Carla Date sent: Mon, 23 May 2005 16:47:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Jamie Laws <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Andy is gone Send reply to: [email protected] > Thanks to all of you who took the time to respond about Andy. I do > appreciate it. Barb, Sharon, Yvonne, Terrie, Belinda and anyone else > I may have missed- it was good to hear from you again. To the others- > it was good to "meet" you for the first time. > > I did take him to the vet first thing this morning. Dr. Caldwell was > in surgery so I saw Dr. Baxter instead. Also a very nice man. Every > person in that place has just been wonderful! He looked at Andy's > chart and said he hoped I didn't think of them as "bad" since my very > first experience there has been this ordeal with my baby boy. > > Anyway, he was very straight forward and said while he wanted to > commend me on an outstanding job taking care of a Felv+ cat for this > long, that there was not much he could do and that this was the > beginning of the end. Whatever was going on had his insides in > shreds. The vet said even if I WANTED him to run tests, he was 99% > sure that Andy would not come out of the sedation in that state. > Barb- it was so strange. He held up Andy's face so we were eye to eye > and said "Mrs. Laws, tell me, do you really see Andy there anymore?" > And the answer was no. So I started bawling and babbling about how I > didn't warn my husband that this was a possibility this morning and he > just went to work without saying goodbye. I mean I was a crying freak > and I just met the man! So he gave me a small TOWEL and said I was > not having a "Kleenex cry" so to take a towel. Then he told me we > were not making the call right now, and not like that. He gave him a > bag of fluids and a shot of Prednisone and > told me to talk to my husband first. I went back to work, then came > and got Andy at lunch. I took him home and spent the afternoon with > him. He pooped blood all over himself TWICE. The second time I was > washing him off in the sink and he had one of his episodes (Dr. > Baxter said these were probably small strokes rather than seizures). > But this time it lasted a long, long time. He quit breathing and > went limp in my arms. No noise, no chest movement. He was gone. So > I laid him on the floor on the towel and my phone rang, it was my > husband. So I was hysterical telling him Andy just died in my arms > and I was freaking out. Right then, Andy let out this gaspy, panting > type breath and started convulsing. Then he just kind of sat up a > little bit like nothing happened! But he was dead I tell you. So > then I really freaked out and said "he's not dead!" I mean screaming > it. So Abe (husband) asked what freeway the new vet was off of since > he was on his way home. I told him where it was and he just said "I > am meeting you there right now." So I knew. I was not going to keep > him through the night to spend a little more time together. That > was it. He was suffering and I was thinking of what I needed to be > okay and not Andy. I wrapped him in a towel and drove to the vet. I > called first and again, just crying into the phone I managed to get > out "I had my cat in there this morning and..." that's all I could > get out. The poor girl who answered said "I'm so sorry Jamie, we > will see you in a minute." She knew my name and I hadn't even > mentioned the cat's name. Guess I was the only bawling woman in with > a cat today. Anyway, I managed to choke out "but you close in 15 > minutes." She just said "we'll be here." It was so wonderful to be > treated with compassion. My old vet would have said "well ER hours > start in 15 minutes so just be prepared to pay double." > > Anyway, I met Abe there and Dr. Baxter took us back to the treatment > area. Andy laid on the table very still and I petting him and kissed > his little face as the vet gave him the injection. I have never > witnessed an animal bing PTS in real life. I'm sorry if this is all > too graphic but it helps me to get it out. I was surprised that his > eyes didn't close and nothing changed. I didn't realize he was gone > until the vet said "ok, his heart stopped." Then I lost it. The > "never agains" hit me like a ton of bricks. He will never do his cold > nose bumping and tiny front teeth nipping on my husband's inner arm > trying to get him to pet him. He will never serve as my "fun police" > when I want my great dane to stop bringing his toy to me. I would > just lay it on the coffee table right next to Andy who was always > ready with his right hook. That kept Apollo in check. He would NOT > go for that toy if Andy was sitting by it. :) I will never again > have my soft little lap warmer as I sit at > my computer. I will never. There are millions of those and I think > that's the worst part. > > I guess the bright spot is I think I found a new vet. Their office > visits seem really high to me, but they were just so wonderful to me. > After it was done, the vet and the tech both said to just go on out > the front since they saw me getting my wallet out to pay. I am > getting his ashes on Thursday so they said to just take care of it > then. I swear, my old vet would have followed me out to the front and > told the girls at the front desk "she hasn't paid for the euthanasia > yet." He has the bedside manner of a barracuda. But anyway, that's > it. My head is pounding from crying so much so I am going to make > myself a stiff drink now and piddle around in my garden for a while. > What a sad day. > > Jamie > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com
