by kathy davis
My heart is breaking because of the death of my precious Cricket Pie. She was my English bulldog that I had sense she was a puppy 11 years ago. I have tried everything to help me feel better and nothing has helped. I thought maybe telling someone there I could get this off my chest.
Cricket had been having an ear problem for 4 months now. We took her to 3 different vets trying to get an answer as to what was causing her ear to close up. They all said inflamed tissue. We tried 3 different antibiotics, and steroid medications and topical medications. Nothing made any difference. Her ear remained sealed up. The last 2 vets recommended surgery to remove the whole ear cannel. We thought of just treating it topically, but it was bothering her. She would scratch at it and roll on the floor rubbing it. Then to make matters worse her other ear was starting to close up too. So we figured we better do something. We were told of a very good vet and surgeon in Kalamazoo, so we made an appointment.
The vet in Kalamazoo recommended surgery. They did a blood work up, and took x-rays of her chest to make sure she was in good health, especially for a dog her age. The blood work showed her kidneys and liver and blood count were perfect. And her chest xray showed her heart was in great shape too. We were confident, but still scared because the problem with her ears wasn't life threatening, we just wanted to make what years she has left as pleasant as possible.
We were told by the surgeon that the only risks were temporary numbness on the side of here face, and she might not be able to blink. We went ahead with the surgery feeling we were doing the right thing for my dear Cricket Pie. She was so trusting and loved us so much.
The surgeon called and said the surgery went well and she will call the next morning to tell us if she is ready to come home.
We got a call from the surgeon at 8:00am Thursday Oct 12,2000 saying she could come home that morning. We got there around 9:30am to pick her up. They walked her out to the lobby, the surgeon wasn't there for me to talk to. Cricket looked a little doped up and panting, but ok. We were given an instruction sheet and sent on our way. After we paid of course.
I set in the back seat with Cricket and I noticed her mouth was dry and she continued to pant. In the car she acted once like she felt like throwing up, but nothing came out.
We arrived home and Cricket walked in the yard and peed and pooped. Then walked into the garage and we helped her up the steps into the house. She walked up the hallway and into her favorite room, our bedroom. Her mouth was still so dry and she was still panting so I brought her a bowl of water. She took one smell of the water and started dry heaving. Then walked away from it. She continued to stay in our bedroom and acting like she couldn't get confortable. Still panting, then she dry heaved again. I called the vet in Kalamazoo, on the instruction sheet it said to call if there was vomiting. She wasn't vomiting, but I figured dry heaving was as bad. When I called the receptionist answered and I told her that cricket was dry heaving. The receptionist said all the doctors were out to lunch and that someone would call when got came back.
We had no idea that dryheaving could cause a dogs tummy to flip over and kill them. If on there instruction sheet they would have said it is an emergency with vomiting or dry heaving to get to a vet we would have immediately. Or if someone other than a receptionist would have been at the surgeons office they could have told us to take her to a vet now.
In stead, we didn't know her life was being threatened and we could lose her. The third time she dry heaved she laid down and stretched out strange. We just thought she was so sick to her stomach, so we moved her legs to make her comfortable. Then she laid there and it looked like she was finally resting. I kept watching her, then it was looking like she wasn't breathing. So I went to her and she wasn't breathing and I couldn't hear a heart beat. I yelled at my husband to come pick her up, because I was taking her to our other vet up the street. Just 7 min. away.
I held her in the car while my husband drove. I kept shaking her, trying to get her to breath or start her heart.
We got to the vet and ran in with her and told them she wasn't breathing. They took her in the back and put a tube in her mouth, and he gave her an adrenaline shot, than started heart-chest massage. She was gone.....at home....on the floor in the bedroom. Too late...We had 3 hours with her alive after surgery. The vet thought she twisted her stomach is why she died.
She had so much life left, if we hadn't of tried to make her life better with the ear surgery she would still be alive. My precious mama's girl, is gone.
We brought her home, laid her on the bed (her favorite place) in our bed room. Not believing she is gone. Starring at her, just waiting for her to breath....Couldn't be happening.....not Cricket Pie....
We went to acco and bought a big rubber bin with a lid to put her in. She loved to be in our bed and get on my husbands pillows, looking all tucked in. So we put a pillow in the bin, laid her in there on that. Put a towel under her head to hold her head up, cause she didn't look confortable. She loved doggy bones, so we put in some of them, and her harness, she loved her harness. She loved to go bye bye. When she would be in the living room she liked to lay on my lap on my house coat, so we laid that on top of her. We dug the grave out side our bedroom window, and laid her to rest there. But I feel like she isn't at rest, she wasn't ment to go. She had so much life in her, especially for a dog her age. If they would have warned us to take her to a vet when we first saw these systems when we brought her home, or if someone would have been in the office instead of out to lunch. We would have our Cricket Pie-Mama's girl.
The pain is so great. I keep telling her, I am sorry I had her have the surgery. But it won't bring her back....I can't begin to tell you how very special she was. English Bulldogs have such great personalities. My life won't be the same without her. Kathy Davis