Our Sweet Darla Has Passed

Our sweet Darla passed on today.

She had 3 seizures yesterday.  The goal was to get her electolytes balanced.  Dr.Seat accomplished that, but she had 5 seizures this morning and multiple organ failure.  I got the call from him aroung 11:30.  It is time. 

We were going to go down at 5pm, so everyone could be there after work.  But when Norm told Duff he couldn't get the seizures to stop and she was scared after each one, we decided to do it earlier so she wouldn't have to suffer.

Duff got Christine right after school and the kids left work early and we all met at Antonio Animal Hospital.  Last night even though she couldn't sit up, she was still happy to see us and kissed us and comforted us.  Ironic, how that works.  She was so loyal all the way to the end of her life.

But today, she had to be heavily drugged and couldn't even lift her head up.  It about broke all of our hearts.  It was a blessing.  None of us would have wanted our last memory of her to be seizing on the table.

We each said our good-byes.

LOTS of tears and kisses and loves.  Her eyes told us she understood and she wanted to respond but just couldn't.

I held her.  Wasn't going to let her leave us without that contact.  Everyone was petting her and telling her we loved her and thanking her for all she had given us.  She was more often than not, the brightest thing during some very dark days.

It didn't take long.  She was so very sick.  Christine sat next to me stroking her head.  I had my hand on her rib cage and felt her little heart slowly stop.  When Norm pronounced her, we looked up and even he was crying.  He told us that she was one of his favorites and was so sorry he couldn't save her.  That she was such a uniquely sweet dog.

I looked around.  Even my adult kids were sobbing.  Josh in a corner with his hands on his face, weeping.  Adrianne comforting Mike.

I have to say this:  even the death of a pet brings with it a beautiful spirituality.  Being there felt like a nearness to heaven.  That God lives and loves His children and His creations. That He was aware of her.  That she had filled the measure of her creation and went 'home' to Him.

We are all grateful for His wisdom.  How did He know we would need pets?  No matter what kind.  Dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters???

They teach us so much.

Good-Bye, Sweet Darla.

We LOVE you!

(Everyone came over to the house afterwards and we had dinner together and reminisced about Darla.  I put a comfort meal in the crockpot around 1pm, knowing we would all need to eat and probably wouldn't feel like cooking.  I made Captain's Chicken and we had it with buttered, parslied noodles.  Duff told me later that he was glad I had thought to do that, otherwise it probably would have been fast food or take-out and that wouldn't have ended in the same experience we had.)