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Update 11 (Final)
8/16/2005
As planned we went to visit Sunday afternoon. The Dr who had been looking after her was very concerned about her lack of eating. They had tried appetite enducers with no luck so he suggested it best to send her home. He told us they knew it was a risk, a 50/50 chance to send her home while she was getting these "mucus plugs" but the risk of not eating was worse. He explained how she would panic everytime she got one and then she would cough it up, and they would just blot at the mucus with a gause or use this long qtip ended stick to try and slide it off and away. In some worse cases they would use a sucker to suck it off. He said most of the time she coughed it up and everything was good. We remembered and mentioned how we saw that happen one night when we were visiting. And he was like "yup exactly".
As we sat in the little room listening to the instructions and after surgery care and attention Shayla would need she was so inquisitive and wanted all the love she could have. Bopping into the cabinets and any legs she found, the wall, her cage even. Head butting and loving everything in sight. She even let Dax (husband & Dad) pick her up without so much as a flinch. She eagerly pushed some blinds out of her way to glance out the little window in the office. I was sitting on the floor leaning over and she walked up and head butted me so hard you could hear our skulls crack. But she was so happy. It really brought a new level of love to her, I have no doubt. She could take all the love in the world and not have to walk away to try and breath. It was such relief to see her able to enjoy all the love she wanted. She is such a little lover.
The Doctor wished us well and Shayla climbed into her box and off to the car we went. We had the seats down in the back of the Sport Trac and an old comforter she loved to lay on there for her. With one of her fleece blankets drapped over to form a little hideaway tent. Little fleece blanket tents over boxes, baskets, pillows, she loved em any and everywhere.
You could tell how tired she was in the car, but still she was being the sweetest and taking all the love she could. She layed in the back in her little tent looking so content. It was a great thing to see after watching her struggle for the last 2 years. At one point she climbed up behind my head, so she was between me and the seat and layed there, head butting and leaning into my cheek for more love and rubs of affection. Which was a great sign to us. The past coulple of drives she wanted to get up there but would put a paw up then turn away. As if her breathing problem had worsened so much that she knew it would be a problem so she would look all sad and pitiful in the backseat.
When we got home she was more than eager to look around. She curled into a few of her favorite spots and tried to clean herself a bit. She had been in the hospital for 4 days, most of which was in ICU incubator. So she smelled like hospital and was cramped im sure. How tired she was, probably from lack of food became even more obvious. She went to jump onto a 2 drawer file cabinet in the office that she loves to sit on and almost didnt make it. Then a little bit later she went to get on her cat stand (about as tall as a grandfather clock with 3 platforms) and didnt quiet make it to the middle level. I picked her up and sat her there, she slept for a few minutes before jumping to the ottoman and wondering to her plate of Fancy Feast. She had went to eat a little about a couple of times before curling up under a blanket drapped over the couch and her carrier to form a tent. She must have slept there about 20 or 30 minutes and then woke up, had another bite to eat and curled up in the corner of the couch. Which she knows she isnt allowed on. But I let her sleep wherever she wanted for now. When she decided to wake up again I called her into the bathroom which I had already gotten warm and steamy and sat in there a few minutes with her. She was being so sweet and lovable. Just couldnt get enough. Seemed so content being able to have all the love she wanted and breath at the same time.
Dax came home with this huge 11 gallon humidifer and we got that up and thought we best go ahead and pin her down to cleanup the surgery site of any mucus. Put a bit of vasoline under the opening as instructed (so mucus didnt stick to her when we went to wipe it off). She looked so miserable and tried to fight us at first, but then gave up the fight realizing she couldnt get away with the little bit of energy she did have. Soon as we finished she poped her head up for some head butts and loving and then went to lay back down.
It got a little unclear after this. I went to the bathroom and thought since she was doing so well I thought I could go ahead and take a shower. Figuring just an hour before we had cleaned the area and checked for any mucus. But I heard her make a noise, I dont even remember if it was a noise or just her moving off a cardbox box. It was about 8:30pm she started having difficulty breathing. We thought all was going to be fine, we comforted her as instructed and tried clearing what we could and just waited for her to cough it up like she had before. When we realized she wasnt and still was in a panic we tried to perform mouth to trach while Dax rushed to the emergency vet. Unfortunately, Shalya gave up before we could get her there in time. Shayla was pronounced dead at the vet Sunday evening. The Dr at the emergency vet in Greenville said her eyes were already fixed and dialted, and she had no pulse. After an hour of crying on the floor and hyperventilating a few times they offered to put her in a little kitty coffin for us to take for burial. They were also kind enough to make a clay pawprint of her little feet for us. We drove to Charleston, SC to bury her in my parents backyard with their beloved dog who passed just a few years ago and was just as sweet and caring as our little Shayla. That way she wasnt alone and had someone to show her the way. When we arrived it was 2am or later. I cant honestly say, everything is a blur. But due to how late it was we decided it best to wait for daylight. Monday we talked to a place that does pet cremations and considered the idea. But then we thought it was best to lay her at rest in my parents backyard. She would always have a friend there and Daddy could talk to her every day while hes out there relaxing. He spends a lot of time in the yard since his heart surgery this past Thanksgiving, so she wont ever really be alone. We are going to have a little box of Shayla things made with her paw print and some skittles she left behind and other things of hers. I will include a picture when we get one.
As sad and hurt we are to have lost her here we know someday she will greet us again. We are happy to know she is finally at peace. She will have endless love and fun now and never have to deal with anymore pain. She wont have to be held down, drug in and out of her cage just to be poked, stuck and tested, drugged to wake up feeling like hell and tortured through any further exams. And for the rest of her life every 4-8 hours we would have had to do just that to keep her mucus buildup free.
Here is a older pic before her breathing problem got as bad is it did. This is me driving from Lake Wylie, SC to Charlotte, NC a couple years ago. She loved to sit there.
This isnt the best quality since it was on the camera phone, but here she is on the drive home from Charlotte. She was so tuckered out. Even then you can see just how sweet she was. I miss her so much still. I hope shes being a sweetie to whomever is looking after her till we meet again.
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