Gracie Didn't Make It

   

2009 ~ 2014

Gracie did not make it through the day.  She had lost too much blood and fluids.  I know the vet did everything she could to save her.

     She was a sweetheart.  I didn't know I was going to be getting a dog the day I met her.  I had gone to the city pound to get a discount coupon to have Zoe spayed.   When I went in the office there was this beautiful, but skinny, black miniature schnauzer that someone else had just considered taking home.  A volunteer had groomed her and she was just precious.  I had never seen such a starved dog in my life though.  Her skin actually hung down between her hip bones.  I suspect the other people did not take her because she looked so unhealthy.  The staff at the pound told me she had one more day before her time would be up.

      It was late November, in the middle of a horrible, frigid, snowy spell and the dog pound runs are cold concrete. When I saw how gosh darn thin that little girl was I just could not leave her there to freeze.  I have had schnauzers for about 30 years.  I love them because they have personality, they don't shed, they are intelligent, loyal, protective.  I would be happy to have another one.

     When you adopt a dog at our pound the fee includes spaying/neutering and you can not take the dog home until the contracted vet does the surgery.  Actually, I didn't think this emaciated  dog could survive the surgery but by golly by paying her adoption fee I could guarantee a crate in a warm vet's office, possibly with a blanket, for the night instead of a dog run open to the frigid winter air.  If she made it through the surgery then I would have myself another little girl to love.

      Well, she survived the surgery and I got to bring her home.  She attached herself to me and would not leave my side for the next 4 years.  If I sat down on the couch or in my big chair Gracie would be snuggled against my left hip.  She slept in my bed under the covers curled up in the bend of my knees.  I haven't been to the bathroom without her since the day I brought her home.  She did not approve of me leaving home without her.  Whenever I came back she had a specific wro-wro-wro bark, obviously telling me how much trouble I was in for leaving her home.  After she ate her dog food she always got in my lap, gave me kisses, looked me in the eye and I knew she was saying thank you for feeding me.

     Since I adopted her the day before she would be put down you might think I saved her.  The truth is she saved me.  I adopted her just a few months before my horrible, no good, very bad, mental breakdown and trip to that hospital.  When I came home from my 5 days in the hospital I was pretty much a couple of steps up from a vegetable.  I couldn't comprehend to read, I couldn't fix a meal, I couldn't function.  I couldn't make a decision to save my soul.  I couldn't drive.  All I did was sit and love Gracie.  For a long, long time. 

     Gracie refused to get out of my lap.  She insisted I pet her and if I didn't she would take one little paw and tap me until I did.  She cuddled with me, gave me kisses, snuggled with me and she loved me through the hell of a total mental breakdown.  She let me cry into her fur and when I would speak to her she kept her eyes locked on mine, listening to every word I said. 

      She loved my white schnauzer, Max.  Gracie was feisty and strong willed.  She was going to do anything Max did.  She even taught herself to lift her leg while peeing just like Max did.  :)  Max passed away a couple of years ago.  I know Gracie is with Max now, doing everything he is doing and they are having a ball.
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Sandie asked about HGE... this is what I found ... Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE) is a disease of dogs characterized by sudden vomiting and bloody diarrhea. The symptoms are usually severe, and HGE can be fatal if not treated. HGE is most common in young adult dogs of any breed, but especially small dogs such as the Toy Poodle and Miniature Schnauzer.^[1] It is not contagious.  The cause is uncertain. "Stress, anxiety, and hyperactivity are thought to be possible contributing factors in many cases of canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis."   
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I was so stressed over Andy and his surgery and I think Gracie just picked up on my stress because she was so attached to me.  Andy's surgery was suppose to take about 30 minutes but because of complications it took 2 and 1/2 hours.  The vet was very worried that his internal stitches would not hold when he had a BM and that he would need to go back in and redo them if that happened.  Andy came home this morning but had to go back this afternoon for them to check because he started bleeding.  He goes back Sat. morning and Monday morning.  He can only have chicken broth .  He is going to be a hungry dog.