Wednesday, 2 February 2011
My back hurts, my heart hurts, my plum vodka is all gone and my diet is on hold today. It has not been a great day. My back hurts because Adam and I dug a dog grave today, my heart hurts because I lost Nettle today, my plum vodka is gone because it might have annealed my heart, but it didn’t, and my diet did not include plum vodka, however good it was.Nettle was due a checkup and scan today, she had an ultrasound scan about three weeks ago, because she had come down three times over the last five months with a very high temperature and feeling very poorly. A long course of antibiotics did the trick, but there was a small mass in her spleen, and it was going to be checked today. I took her in today, with every expectation of bringing her home again, and left her to be scanned, before 10.00 am the vet phoned to say that the mass had increased and that they were going to operate, however although the spleen can come out and dogs have a good life afterwards, it was most likely to be a tumour, and if it was there could be more in the liver. He said that if that was the case it would not be fair to bring her round, but to euthanise her then and there. I asked to be at the operation, but they did not think that was a good idea. So after
coffee I phoned again and said that I would be there when Nettle had the anesthetic and then leave. I had to cancel a dentist appointment and I gather that they were not pleased, and even asked what the emergency was! I have to say that if I am charged for the appointment, which was a cancellation anyway, I will be changing dentists. I drove over to Ledbury and was with her as she went to sleep, and hoped against hope that it was not the last time I would see her alive. Sadly after a very short time, that hope was not founded and I got a phone call saying that she had a larger tumour on her liver and that it would not be kind to allow her to wake up.Its one of those things that you wish you had known, I wish I had known that yesterday would be her last day, that going up to my bedroom last night would be the last time, that sharing my bed with her would not happen again. Nettle was a gentle and unassuming dog, with a lovely temperament, she would stamp her back feet if you rubbed her coat on her back near her tail, she would sometimes forget her age and place joyfully. She mugged the customers with great skill and was a joy to live with. Rush is her son. She was 12 years old, an age I hate as only one of my dogs has got to an age older than 12. I will miss her greatly.
We buried her next to Salix, and Adam and I dug the hole. It did not go quite as planned as I obviously got the headstone in the wrong place with Salix, so we bumped into part of him! We beat a hasty retreat, having apologised to him profusely, he would have laughed, and dug a second hole next to him and then in the rain, all of us took her down there and buried her. She is the ninth Labrador I have buried there, with the addition of Raven, a German Shepherd I had for too short a time, and two of Nettles puppies, I just wish they all lived longer and I hope she has met up with the others and is having a good time somewhere else.
Ironically we had a lovely day yesterday, all the birds flew well, we had lovely customers, the sun was out, Delectable was rather more spectacular than planned and flew right round the field, behind the pond and tried to land in the beech hedge, but she was very good and came back on foot. Richard came last night to do the lights in the shop, but the wiring was not behaving itself, so Anabelle has been working with them all day, some are OK, others are not. She and Georgia took the horses out for a ride in the afternoon today. I have achieved bugger all, but hope to improve. The shop is clean and tidy, and Jan used the carpet cleaner today up there and I did the stock room this evening. Angela had done the cafe carpet on Sunday and Monday. Here is hoping for good weather in February.
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2 comments:
oh Jemima I'm so sorry, sending empathy and hugs x
If I had a bottle of plum vodka I'd have gladly sent it to you. So very sorry to her about Nettle.
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