This morning I lost my best friend; my dog of nearly 13 years, Callie. Her condition has been deteriorating slowly for a year or so, but the issues were related to age and not illness, and they weren't severe enough to make it a quality of life issue. A week ago she had a violent seizure that, thankfully, my mom witnessed. She was able to hold Cal down until the seizure ended. My parents decided that if this happened again they would need to seriously consider euthanizing her.
My dad called at 7AM and told me she had another seizure. I went about 80 on the highway and made it home in pretty close to record time. Callie was calm by then, but my dad said she had been shaking like a leaf earlier. She very likely hurt at least one of her legs during the seizure and had difficulty moving without limping. I guess she also pooped a bit on the carpet. But then my mom told me what happened before I got there: despite the seizure, despite the arthritis, she limped to the door and insisted on going outside. Cal crouched down slightly and peed, and my parents helped her back in. That's the kind of dog she was...she wanted to make us happy and insisted on going to the bathroom the proper way, even with the pain and fear.
I went to the vet with my dad. We sat there for a while and just reminisced about her, and stayed with Cal when the doctor gave her a sedative and then the euthanasia solution. She was gone in literally ten seconds. Needless to say that was one of the saddest experiences of my life. My parents' house already feels emptier and quieter, and I haven;'t stopped crying for more than 5 minutes. She was a great dog and I'm going to miss her for a very long time.
I took this first pic two days ago. She was snoozing peacefully in the sun.
