September 3, 2008
Our family lost our cherished nine year old golden retriever yesterday. Babe died at home in her mother’s arms. She was the sweetest girl, who loved her mom, her life, and her place on the couch. She was a strong girl, who, back in 2004 at five years old was diagnosed with Valley Fever, a desert disease that can be fatal in animals. It is a fungus that grows in the desert dirt and gets in through the lungs. The body, in an attempt to keep the fungus away from organs fills the pericardium surrounding the heart with fluid. When we took her to have the fluid drained she was her old self. But a week later she was right back to where she started …. the pericardium had filled up again. After draining it three times (the vets thought we were nuts) we asked to have the pericardium removed. The veterarians all said no. It was dangerous and expensive. Their logic back then was that Babe was 5 and had lived her life and now it was time to let her go. I said that when she wasn’t full of fluid she ran around on the grass in the back yard, loved taking her walks and played hard with our two other goldens. She didn’t look like her life was over to me. It took a lot of convincing that she was strong and we were willing to take the chance on her. She made it through that surgery in February 2005 just fine. She started taking her medication to hold back the growth of all the fungus in her they couldn’t remove, her life quieted down, and she enjoyed almost another 5 years of life.
When I was out to Arizona two weeks ago Babe looked like she had a bad cold. Even though her beautiful coat had been trimmed to stay cool in the hot desert, she felt warm. She was still happy, and enjoying life, but just didn’t have the zip in her she normally did. Taking her to the vet she was diagnosed with having Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). It comes on fast and her body was destroying all of her red blood cells and without a transfusion would be dead within hours, most likely caused from taking the medications to control the Valley Fever for so many years. She was given blood transfusions and put on other medications and she was brought home. Her mother slept on the floor with her for 8 nights, and though she had good moments over the last week ….. it was her time to go.
It is hard to think of not having her around, and she will be missed. I am grateful for every blessed day she had since her surgery way back when, thankful for the joy she provided our family for this last decade and find solace that she enjoyed her little life so.
Imago Embraced 
