Sequoia's Last Days

So when we found out that Sequoia had cancer in July, we really didn't think she had much time considering the symptoms she was having. But, most of the symptoms seemed to clear up, and to our surprise she made it past her 13th birthday a couple months later. Her health did slowly decline over the months, and we knew that we would have to make that dreadful decision of putting her to sleep. Mike kept telling me that it was time, but I didn't want to hear it. She had a great way of hiding her pain and discomfort. One day I did come home and she had been stuck on the floor with a bowel movement under her. That on top of falling more often, and being scared to go down the stairs in the backyard is when I came to the realization that the time was near. We discussed a time that would be good. I wanted to schedule it on a Friday since I don't have work, and I could go home and cry my eyes out. We also wanted to wait till after Liam's party because we needed to focus on that, and not be sad about Sequoia. So, I had made the appointment for November 13th. The first part of the week, she had a few pretty good days, and we both were kinda second guessing our decision. But later in the week she did have some more accidents in the house, and was falling more, so we did feel it was the right time. Wednesday evening Mike took some pictures of me and Sequoia. The following morning she had another accident in the house, and fell several times on the floor. I cleaned it up, and as me and Liam were leaving for the day, I asked him to say 'Bye Doggie', which I do most mornings...he usually will say 'bye' but this morning he said 'Bye Doggie'. It was bitter sweet because it was so cute, but I also knew it was the very last time he would say 'Bye Doggie' to her as we left the house. That evening when I returned from work, she was not right at all. She could not get up, and her head was tilted to one side and her eyes were moving rapidly back and forth. I noticed that she had vomited on her blanket too. We had thought that maybe she had a stroke and/or that these were symptoms of her body shutting down, and that she might pass on her own that night. We took turns all evening petting her and comforting her. I gave her the rest of the steak that Mike had cooked up for her, and surprisingly she ate it all! Mike got a tarp and we set it up in the bedroom under her blanket. He stayed up pretty late checking on her. We were unsure if she would make it through the night, but to our surprise she did. We got her packed up in the car and stopped at Grandma's house to drop off Liam. We let him say 'goodbye' to her, but it seemed he was a little afraid to because she wasn't the Sequoia he knew. We got to the vet's office and Mike had to carry her in. For many weeks before this moment I wasn't sure I wanted to be there when she was put to sleep. I leaned toward not being there because I felt it would be too difficult for me to see her like that. But, after thinking about it, and wanting to be there for her if she passed the night before, I decided that I did want to be there for her in her last moments. It all went fairly quickly...we asked about the symptoms she was having, and he said it wasn't a stroke, but could be from the tumor spreading to her spine or brain. He had a large syringe of pink stuff, and she didn't fight or struggle while he administered it. Mike was holding her head and she 'fell asleep' before the syringe was even done. She went very peacefully, and we were relieved that she was not suffering any longer. We stayed with her for awhile and gave her kisses, and told her we loved her. When we picked up Liam at Grandma's house as we were going to the car he pointed to the car and said 'Carsi gone' (Carsi is what he calls her because Sequoia is kinda a hard word for a 23 month old.) We were shocked that he even was aware of what was going on! Anyway, we decided to have a private cremation for her, so we will be getting her ashes back in a beautiful engraved cedar box as well as a ceramic paw print. We also requested that we get all the bolts from her hip surgery back. I will be glad to have her remains with us as a reminder of her wonderful life we shared with her.

Rest in Peace Dear Sequoia

9-14-96 to 11-13-09

This is my most proud picture I've taken. This was taken before digital camera's. I took Sequoia out to the back yard after a snow storm, and used up an entire roll of film on a cheap camera. This picture was pure luck! And I love it...she looks so beautiful here. I wanted to post a little something here to mark the end of her life. Although, I will post an account of her last few days with us after I've gathered my thoughts.

Sequoia Is One Lucky Dog!

As sad as I am to have to say goodbye to our sweet dog Sequoia, I have to say she is one lucky dog...Had we not been the ones that picked her out of the litter way back in November of 1996, she most likely would have not seen her first birthday. She had severe hip dysplasia at only nine months old. I was still living at home at the time, and was saving my money for a new vehicle. I decided to use the money for her to have a surgery on both her hips...$3,000 later she was as good as new! She walked, and ran and jumped as well as any healthy dog. She was always so happy to see us when we got home that she jumped on us. She has lived a good long life, and we will surely miss having her around!

Sequoia Update

(I found this picture of Me and Sequoia taken 4-3-03)

So it's been a few months since we found out that Sequoia has cancer. At the time she had had the runs for several weeks, and was vomiting, and not eating much. Her tumor was swollen and also put off a fowl smell. We didn't think she had much time left. The vet gave her a shot of steroid, and shortly after her symptoms started to improve. Although, her tumor is more swollen and continues to smell, and bleed. She often falls on the hardwood floors and has a hard time getting up, and often needs help. She also has a difficult time with the 4 stairs when she goes out to the backyard. She has fallen trying to go up and down the stairs, and often needs help getting up. Over the last couple of months she has also been pooping in the house which is something she didn't do before. Yesterday I came home to see her laying down where she had pooped on the floor! Mike has been trying to tell me for several weeks now that it's time, but I have been avoiding the decision. I just HATE making that decision, but as much as I am sad about it, I'm starting to think that he is right. We are thinking that we will have to make that dreadful appointment within the next month or so. I hope to make her feel happy and comfortable and loved in her last days.

Happy 13th Birthday Sequoia!

Sequoia was diagnosed with cancer in July. We didn't think she would live more than a month, but here we are in September, and she is doing 'OK' still. She is still pretty skinny, and has a hard time walking at times, but some of the symptoms she was having then have cleared up. Dogs her size have an average lifespan of 8-10 years, so for the past several years we wondered if she would make it to her next birthday....so we are amazed and happy that she has made it to her 13th birthday! Although, we do feel this one will most likely be her last. We can tell that she still 'feels' like she is a young dog, and it must be really frustrating for her when she has a hard time climbing the stairs or when she falls on the hard wood floor. Anyway, we are pretty happy she made it to her 13th birthday, and will cherish the short time we have left with her. Happy Birthday Sequoia, we love you!

Weekend with Sequoia

Considering the news we got on Friday concerning Sequoia's health, she has been acting pretty normal, and doing well so far. Her appetite has been pretty well this weekend. And she hasn't been acting sick. She might live longer than we expect, but we are taking it day by day, and making sure we get lots of pictures, give her lots of loves, and spoil her! We want her to know that she is very loved. Mike even made her a steak this evening, and she just LOVED it. Below are some of my favorite pictures that I took this weekend. She has always been such a photogenic dog, even in her senior years, she is still so beautiful.









Eating steak that Mike cooked just for her!

I love her eyes in the picture below.

Sequoia

We took our nearly 13 year old Malamute/Chow mix to the vet today, and found out that she has cancer. She has been showing signs of aging as of late, but recently the signs added up to something we were concerned with. She has been losing weight over the last year or more, but we figured it was due to getting old. Over the last couple of months we noticed an odor coming from her that was not fixed by her groom, then a couple weeks ago she got the runs, and had an accident in the house which never happens. After her groom, we noticed her lady parts were swollen. Thinking it might be an infection, we had given her antibiotics, and thought that maybe the antibiotics messed up her digestive system. However, her appetite had not been very good either, so we decided it was time to get her checked out. Her lady parts were still swollen, so the vet took a sample to look at. After some blood tests, and looking at the tissue sample he concluded that she has cancer, and with all the other symptoms, he says it has spread to her liver too. We are definitely sad by the news, but not surprised considering her age. In human years we figure she is in her 90's, possibly even over 100. We have decided to bring her home, make her as comfortable as possible, spoil her and prepare to say our goodbyes. We are unsure how much time she has, but we are preparing ourselves for the inevitable. She has been a really wonderful dog, and we will surely miss having her around!

Sequoia-Part 2

Sequoia is our first 'baby'. She is a Malamute/Chow mix. You can read how she came into our lives in 'Sequoia-Part 1' (Posted May 24th '07). If we are lucky, she is going be turning 12 years old this September. The average age for a dog her size is around 10 years old, so we already are very lucky to still have her around. Last year we had her groomed, and she could not walk for several days. We ended up putting her on a pain medication for aging dogs called Zubrin. She thankfully started to walk again, but she still had a hard time getting around. Especially after we moved to our new home, she slipped a lot on the wood floors. After she got used to walking on the wood floors she started to get a lot of energy back. She started to run around in the back yard, and jump up when she got excited. We then started to give her the pain medication only when needed, which wasn't often. She just had a new lease on life, and it seemed like she was aging backwards! We think part of it might be the new food we have her on which is supposed to be a really great brand, but we also think she too has been changed with our new addition to our home, our wonderful baby Liam. She has been so sweet with him, and we think she really loves him.

I am embarrassed to admit this, but I have not taken her to get groomed for a whole year! She absolutely hates going to get groomed ever since she was a puppy and she ended up having hip dysplasia, and having her hips blown out of her socket. She fights going there, and she fights getting groomed, and it is so hard on her body. With her being 11 years old, and pretty frail now, I have dreaded taking her because of how she could not walk the last time I took her. I fear that she may not be able to walk again, and the medicine just might not help this time. But, alas she just could not go another day without a bath, she just stinks too much! (Sorry girl, but you do.) Anyway, she is scheduled for a grooming this week, and I have given her the pain meds all this week, so I am hoping she makes it through this time!

We know she does not have much time left on this earth, but we sure would love her to have a little more time with our little guy.



Update On Sequoia-(5-7-08)

She did very well with her groom. The meds really helped. She looks and smells beautiful, and she has a clean bill of health. She is an amazing dog!

Sequoia-Part 1

About a year after Mike and I started dating Mike decided he wanted to get a dog. His family had never had one, and he thought it would be fun. My family had two dogs at the time, but Codi, an Australian shepherd mix, was my brothers dog, and the other was a stray that my family took in. Niki was a lab mix...he was a sweet dog, but liked to do his own thing. He wasn't too interested in playing or fetching balls. He generally like fetching buried cat poo.

Anyway, we looked at a wolf hybrid, but he was pretty skiddish. After looking through the paper for a few weeks, we finally found an ad in the Thrifty Nickel for husky/chow mix puppies for $25. The puppies were in Salem, and we called the number. A guy living there said to come on down. So we drove there, and we saw about 10 adorable fluffy puppies behind the fence. We both instantly picked out the same puppy. The pup had the most defined mask, and distinctive colors. We both pointed to the puppy, and said "I like that one". So, we rang the doorbell, but no one answered. We waited around for a while trying to figure out why they said they would be there, and they weren't. We decided to get dinner and come back and wait. Still no people. We joked that we should just take her and leave the $25 on the door. But, we weren't sure if she was spoken for. A long time passed and they still were not home. We decided to go to Mike's work and give them a call (this was before the cell phone era). We found a box there and made a bed for her. We called over and over and no answer. Then we decided to go to our vets office to kill some more time. We asked what they thought of chows. They said they are known to be mean. We called again from the vets and FINALLY a lady answered. She said the puppy that we wanted was still available and that she was a girl. PERFECT! So we drove back down there, and picked her up. The lady told us that she was born on September 14th. We got her in the car and I sat in the back with her and put her in the box. She cried and cried all the way home.

We being young kids, still living at home, DID NOT get permission to get a dog. We thought we'd keep her with my families dogs outside. So we introduced them and put her on the ground. The dogs were very curious and chased her. She screamed and peed all over the ground. So we thought, this isn't going to work. So we took her to Mike's house. We snuck her in the window well while we tried to figure out what to do with her, she cried and cried. So we took her back to my house, and snuck her into my brothers room. We put her in his bed, and then went into the family room to watch TV. A little while later, my mom came down to check on Eric, and then came to us, and said in a scared voice, "there is a skunk in Eric's room!" Then we said "really?"and busted up laughing, and she said "that's a dog isn't it?!" So we had to take her out. I decided to stay up with her that night. I took her into the utility room and fell asleep on the concrete floor. The next morning she woke me up licking my face. It was pretty early still, so I took her in my jacket and walked around the neighborhood. That morning we were better able to introduce her to my families dogs. We named her Sequoia, and had a blast with her.

At about 9 months old, I took her to the groomers, and when I picked her up she was limping a bit. By the time I got her home, she did not want to get out of the car. I called Mike up, and he came over to help. Something was seriously wrong. We took her back to the store that she was groomed at, which also had a vets office. They took some x-rays, and we found out that both her hips were blown out. She had advanced hip dysplasia, which is generally genetic, but can be caused by a trauma. It is usually not in both hips, and usually does not show up until the dog is older. With hip dysplasia, the pelvis that holds the ball of the hip is too shallow, and it slips out. Hers were completely out of the socket on both sides. We really felt that she definitely had the genetic form, but with her being so young, we thought something happened during the grooming to progress the dysplasia to that point so quickly, but unfortunately we could not get anyone to back it up. The specialist that saw her did say he'd never seen a case like this, but couldn't prove that it was caused by a trauma. He had a vested interest in staying neutral because he got referrals from the store she was groomed at. The surgery would cost $1500 per side. I had been saving money like crazy for a new car, but I decided that she was more important, so we did the surgery. During the surgery they cut her pelvis in 3 places then bolted them at a different angle, so that the ball of her hip would sit inside. The surgery was a great success. She walked perfectly!

About six months later I moved out of my parents house to a small house in Provo. This rental allowed pets! So, she got to live inside with me. She has been an indoor dog ever since. She has been the best dog ever. She is very sweet, and loves to be around us.

She will be 11 years old this September, and she's starting to show her age. We had her groomed last week, and ever since she has been limping. We know it's age this time, so we got her some pain medication, but it's not helping. The last 2 nights she has not been able to go up the stairs to be with us at night. The first night after trying to help her up the stairs, Mike had to carry her up. The second night she seemed to be OK on the main floor, so we let her stay down there, but at about 4 in the morning, she started barking. Mike went down to check on her. She went outside to go to the bathroom, then he was going to sleep downstairs with her, but she was standing by the stairs wanting to go up. He said she looked like she didn't care how humiliating that she had to be carried, but she wanted to be with us. So he carried her upstairs, and she slept soundly for the rest of the night. She has been such a huge part of our life and we really aren't ready to see her go. So we hope to find a good strong medication that will allow her to live longer. We would love to have her meet our first child. We know she will be a wonderful big sister. We love you Sequoia!