Friday, March 25, 2016

It Felt Like Time...

I'm not sure why today felt like the day to break my silence but here I am.  If you follow me on Instagram (luvjumperlife) you may have seen that my beloved Mini Nugget passed yesterday.


I knew this day was coming.  A year ago you may recall she was diagnosed with Cushings.  I started her on Vetoryl and changed her diet.  No more cheezits (my horse show staple food), no more horse show food, no more sneaking off to visit the crepes guys.  


At 12 pounds she was a portly chihuahua.  I don't know how you mothers do it carrying around your kids.  By the end of a horse show day that 12 pounds felt like 50.

The new diet helped and Nugget looked great.  I started to think this whole Cushings thing was no big deal.


She was looking good and feeling good.  Then the accidents starts happening again and her vet said try increasing her meds.  I had pee pads everywhere in the house.  She tried but her aim is terrible.  So I put extra pads out.  Pee pads everywhere!  Eventually she couldn't make it through the night and would wake me up to go out.  Great, I can handle once a night.  Then in the last couple of months it became 3 times a night and she was getting thin.  Ok no more diet, eat whatever you want.  The weight loss didn't stop though no matter what I tried.  She was down to 6 pounds.


The vet said just let her enjoy however long she had left.  She got to where it was hard to get her to eat.  I stopped the kibble and tried soft puppy food and that did the trick.  A wonderful friend even made her a couple weeks worth of fresh food which she gobbled up.  Then the going out 3 times during the night turned into every 45 minutes followed by not eating.  She was still her happy sweet Nugget self.  Still ordering the big dogs around but she looked like a skeleton.  I firmly believe that it is our duty as an animal owner to not allow them to suffer. We are able to gift them with the opportunity to leave this world with dignity and without pain.  This week I felt it was time.  I second guessed myself over and over despite friends telling me it was time.  I am fortunate enough to have a friend who is a vet and knows Nugget well and she was kind enough to help Nugget cross the rainbow bridge yesterday.

The only down side to animals is they don't live long enough.  The house and barn feel empty without her.  My dog Soot wouldn't eat his dinner last night.  Somehow the other dogs know.  

I'm sorry for my first post after my hiatus is a sad one but I also know so many people who lived Nugget.  She traveled thousands of miles with me during her 11 years and never missed a horse show.  If we've been at the same show, you've probably met her.  I often went places and people who I had never seen before would yell Nugget when they saw her.  She changed so many people's minds about chihuahuas and small dogs.  Mini Nugget, you broke the mold girl.






9 comments:

  1. My sincerest condolences, pets become our family members, an integral part of ourselves. If I could see you in person you'd get one of the strongest deepest hugs from me and a margarita.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so sorry that you lost such a great dog and a little part of you. She was very clearly loved a great deal.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so sorry for your loss. Though I never got the chance to meet Nugget, I feel like I knew her through your posts. She reminds me so much of my dog's BFF (a blue merle Chihuahua named Polly) <3

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so sorry your precious Mini Nugget is gone. I just bet she did change a lot of minds about Chi-Chis, and I'm sure I would have loved her. Sleep well, sweet pup, across the Bridge.

    Glad to hear from you despite the sad tidings. I've wondered how you've been doing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. aw i'm so sorry - what a sweet girl you had in Nugget!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so so sorry for your loss. What a precious girl. Our family has a chihuahua and I know first hand what wonderful companions there are. I commend you for making the right decision though. Too many people wait too long to put their pets down. Like you, I can't stand to see them suffer and feel it is our duty to never let our animals suffer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm so sorry you had to make that decision, and you had to say goodbye. I have a super sweet older chihuahua myself, and I know first hand how wonderful the good ones can be. I hope she's eating her fill of cheez-its and horse show food, and that you can rest easy knowing you made a kind decision.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so sorry :( I know your life feels a lot more empty now, but also know she's free from any suffering.

    ReplyDelete