Miss Mellie has gone to play with the CP fur kids at the bridge
today. She stopped eating last Friday and the vet found a massive
infection requiring 2 drains. She came home Friday night and I nursed her
through the weekend using an oral syringe to get a few CC's of
pumpkin in her stomach so she could take the antibiotic capsules. I
even tried baby food and that came right back up--but I had to get
something in her so she wouldn't get sick from the pills. She was a
bit perkier on Monday morning but we went straight to the vet where
she was started on IV fluids (she had been drinking water but was
still a little dehydrated), her blood checked for kidney failure (only
the creatinine was a bit high) but she was listless and not
responding. They kept her on fluids overnight and I saw her yesterday
afternoon and it was as if she had given up. Her breathing was
labored but we made the decision to wait one more night and let my
vet take another look.
This morning, the vet described how she had declined and now the x-
rays were showing lung damage, and she was very pale. The decision to
let her go immediately was so sad, but I couldn't ask her to wait any
longer just so I could be there. My vet requested permission
to perform an autopsy so he could find out why she declined so fast.
This was not the expected result from a treatable infection and he
suspects there were other factors that weren't apparent.
Miss Mellie, as I called her, had her life totally uprooted about 9
months ago when her lifelong family of 12 years moved away and left
her at a local shelter. Another woman adopted her just before she was
to be euthanized; nobody wanted a senior. Then this woman fell on
hard times within a few months and surrendered her to Col Potter
around Christmas. Monika fostered her and then she flew to Orlando to
be fostered by me--what a joy! I took her to the "spa" at the vet and
she went from shabby to chic. Mellie was reserved--we call that being
a proper lady-- and only once did I see her give little kisses and
that was to a friend who owns a Lab. She barked indignantly at
lightning and thunder as if it was intruding on her peaceful life.
She will be sadly missed.
Again, I am so grateful for your support to bring Miss Mellie into
CPCRN and eventually to the Retirement Home for Senior Cairns. I
nicknamed her Miss Mellie after Melanie in Gone with the Wind, since
she got to move to Tara (my new home).