Our last hours together( Jazzabell)..

[flyinghayden]

It is still hard to write, or talk about this as Jazzabell's final hours were not good, but I feel it would benefit some of you who might be dealing with illness and your dog, and are wondering what might be the right time to let them go. This is a bit graphic, and I warn you, it could be a bit disturbing. Jazzabell started going downhill around the 1st of September, and looking back, I really wish I had taken that as a sign it was time. She had started wheezing a bit at night, but her last visit to the vet had revealed the tumor in her belly seemed to have stopped progressing, which I took to mean that the cancer might had stopped growing. On Tuesday, September 9th, I had just fed the girls around 7pm, and was getting ready to get dinner on the stove. Around 8pm, Jazzy became violently ill. She acted like she was choking on something, and when I opened her mouth, her tongue and gums were dark blue. She was breathing, no obstructions but it was like she was not getting oxygen. I called the vet, and she told me to bring her in. I knew this was a mercy mission, no life saving on this one, and it was the worst hour of my life. In the car on the way, Jazzy went into a full blown panic as she struggled to make her unwilling body work right. Once at the vet, the 3 of us vainly tried to hold Jazzy still to inject the sedative into her, but she was struggling and thrashing about so badly that the vet and her assistant broke off 2 needles trying to get the vein in Jazzy's foreleg. They finally put a tranq in her back, and after about 15 agonizing minutes, she slipped into unconciousness, and the vet was able to euthanize her. A postmortem X-ray revealed a huge tumor right in her heart. While she had been able to breathe, her heart was being strangled by the tumor, with no way to pump the oxygen enriched blood. That night will haunt me for the rest of my life. I had hoped she would pass in her sleep, and that was my biggest mistake. So, keep me in your thoughts, and I hope none of you ever had to experience something like this.

[Amaruq]

Richard, I am so sorry that you had to go through this. Please be assured that Jazzabelle knew your undying love for her. I hope that you can find peace in her love for you as well.

[Qyn]

Thank you for sharing Jazzabelle's passing with us. It really sounds as if this additional tumour was fast growing and the location was the problem rather than anything else you could have foreseen or acted differently about.

I'm so sorry that it was such a traumatic experience for you both but I have to say that we all know how much you loved and cared for this girl and there is no way she would want you to think otherwise. Hugs to you and to your other girls, Richard, and please have no regrets - you were always there for her when it mattered most.

[Brightelf]

(((((((Richard)))))))) I am so sorry this happened this way. My thoughts and prayers are with you now. I wish I could help you understand how GOOD you always were to Jazzy. Sje was so lucky to have YOU for her wonderful Dad. All those hours exploring the wilderness by your side, sharing the adventures of your pack, the yurt, the SouthWind.. she always must have felt like the star, given such royal treatment. She knew always that she was loved. I know Jazzabell will be watching over you, a special, sweet, funny angel who always felt so cared for and loved by you. Rest in peace, run free sweet dear Jazzabell. I will be keeping you in my prayers, Richard.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I am very sorry-there is no way you could have known or expected that something like that might happen. Please take care and thank you for sharing this information.

[WiscTiger]

Richard, please please try to remember Jazzy life with you. The loving time you shared together rather than the hectic way she left this earth. AS your torture yourself you are blocking out the wonderful times that you and Jazzy had, those are the times she wants you to remember.

If only are words that will block the loving times from healing your sole.

I am sorry for your loss of Jazzy. RIP Jazzy.

Val

[Vinnie]

I'm so sorry.

[Kayos and Havoc]

Oh Richard I am so sorry Jazzy's passing was so difficult. There would be no way for you to know ahead of time as none of us are God. He determines the time and means of our's and our dog's passing from life. You did everything right for her and she knows this.

She is in a good place now, remember her lovingly and let this difficulty pass by.

((((((((HUGS))))))))

[shilohsmom]

I'm so very sorry to hear of the loss of Jazzy Richard. You did the best you could for her, please don't question your actions now-she was LOVED and a cherished member of your family. I know the end was hard but you never could have anticipated that. I hope you can find comfort in the wonderful memories of times you shared with her while you gave her the best life she ever could have imagined.
Hugs,

[rockhead]

Richard:

As hard as it seems, you must understand you had no way of knowing what was around the corner. How awful those last moments must have been! How old was Jazzy and how long did you know about the tumor? My thoughts are with you and Jazzy. I simply cannot imagine it, but I must.

It sounds (to me) that Jazzy had Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen that metastisized to the heart. Google Canine Hemangiosarcoma to learn more about this disease. The tumor usually forms on the left ventricle (since it contains oxygen-enriched blood) and Jazzy's sudden decline is very typical and indicative of a hemmorhage of that tumor which then fills the pericardium with blood. The pericardium is the sac that contains the heart. Once that occurs, the heart cannot pump efficiently and, well, that's that. Surgery to relieve the pressure can be performed, but like removal of the spleen, it only buys time; very little time.

My boy is currently in stage 2 right now. Eich had his spleen and a grapefruit-sized tumor removed exactly three weeks ago today. Despite his complete recovery from the surgery and relief from the symptoms of the initial bleed, his prognosis is poor. Take a look at my thread in this 'Goodbye' forum - "The Eich Chronicles". There's a link to the original thread I started three weeks ago when this whole thing hit. It might help you better understand that there was really nothing you could have done for Jazzy other than make her comfortable, which I am sure you did.

Again, my thoughts are with you both.