Farewell, Bear
Your time with us was way too short.
Today my parents’ beloved Great Pyrenees, Bear, went on his journey to Rainbow Bridge. It was sudden. He was only 5.
It all started last week. Bear is a 159lb. huge Great Pyr. He was having difficulty in standing after sitting or lying for a while. Once he got up, he was able to walk. My parents took him in to the vet on Wednesday to see what was wrong and what could be done for him. They took him in to do x-rays of his hips and legs. They used morphine sulfate as a anesthetic (I question this? Is this normal?) Mom and Dad were to pick him up that day at 5:00. When they tried to get him to the car, out of the office, he could not use his back legs. The vet said to leave him till the morning so the anesthetic could wear off. On Thursday morning they picked him up to take him home, but he still couldn’t use his rear legs. The vet said she thought it was Anterior Cruciate Ligament ruptures on both legs, but one more extreme. She gave him Rimadyl and Cosequin to take. They said that he should be able to move around in a day or so. Friday came and they said that the results weren’t in yet and he should be ok shortly. Saturday and Sunday, the same. My parents called for emergency services, but the machine said they were closed till Monday morning. By then Bear was no better. Monday morning, I came over to accompany my Mother to the vet while my Dad stayed with Bear. We told the vet that he needed surgery now because he was in pain by his panting and inability to eat. The vet called and got us an immediate appointment with the orthopedic specialist. Two vet techs came to my parents’ home to help put Bear in the car. It was 90+ and he was stressed. Even though the a/c was blasting and we had ice cubes for him, he panted uncontrollably in the car. He always was a pant-er because of his huge size and intolerance of heat. He had been panting more since the x-ray. I thought we would not make the 30minute ride to the E.R. vet, he was so distressed. They took him in on a gurney. One vet came out to tell us that Bear was in critical condition with a fever of 109. High for dogs is 103. He warned us that he will probably have a heart attack. They gave him IVs and put a fan on him. Then it happened. Cardiac arrest. They tried to revive him for a long time and came to tell us. The vet said he would try till he knew for sure that there was no way Bear was going to come back. Nine doctors and techs worked on him till that moment came. He was not coming back. They brought him to us to view and I’ll never forget that moment for the rest of my life. I kissed him and said good-bye. I will miss you my beautiful one. You were so special. I can’t take this. Sorry.
Sue
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I'm sorry to hear about Bear.
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