Passing

Our sweet Izzy is gone.  It was so fast, we are still in disbelief.  The cancer ripped through her body, by Wednesday evening an x-ray showed it was spreading to her heart and lungs.  We decided that the best thing for all of us would be to bring her home for one last night to say goodbye.  The vet gave her some serious doses of pain medication and anti-inflammatories to keep her comfortable and made an appointment to come by the next morning to put her to sleep.  When we got home Izzy went right to bed.  She rested though the night, getting up and going downstairs a few times to use the bathroom.  I slept on the floor so she could have plenty of space in bed, but she came and curled up next to me just like she always does.  She had labored breathing and spit up some blood.  I was wondering if I had made the right decision or should have just ended her suffering that evening at the vet’s office.

 

The next morning she followed us downstairs and wolfed down not only her breakfast but Zsaka’s as well.  I made her pancakes with bacon and sausage and an egg and she had a lovely time eating all of those special treats, wagging her tail the whole time.  It was so hard to imagine the devastation going on in her body, to see her acting like her normal self was such a contradiction, but that is greyhounds in a nutshell.  After breakfast, she curled up in her favorite spot on the couch and we all hung out together.  Her breathing was becoming increasingly labored and you could see the redness spreading from her leg up through her body.  The vet called to say he was on his way and we felt overwhelming sadness and relief.

 

I went outside with the kids and Mike got Izzy to lay down in our front room.  The picture of her and Zsaka was taken a few minutes before the vet came.  She was resting peacefully.  At the end, we put Zsaka outside and Jackson sat in Mike’s lap while Charlotte sat in mine.  We all sat around Izzy and said goodbye to her.  Her passing was so fast and so gentle.  She simply closed her eyes and layed down as though asleep.  The vet was so gentle and respectful, he is new to us, but we think we will stay with him for our other animals.  We took a few minutes to be with Izzy then he took her away to be cremated.  We plan to spread her ashes throughout the farm in all of her favorite places.

The last week has been so surreal.  We are having such a hard time with the speed of things and also dealing with not only our grief, but that of Jackson.  Talking to a five year old about the death of a beloved pet is not easy, but he is so thoughtful and curious.  It is simultaneously touching and heart breaking.

Izzy had a wonderful four years with us.  We rescued her when a local greyhound track closed down and around 1000 dogs needed homes.  She immediately fit in to our lives and was the perfect dog.  We are so sad to be without her but we know that her life, and especially the last few months were so full and wonderful.  She left us with grace and dignity and we are happy that she will never again feel pain.  We know that right now she is at the Rainbow Bridge, running in the field and meadows and then sleeping peacefully in the sunshine.