Dogs and death
Baxter was our 9 year old Dalmatian. We had him since he was a puppy of almost a year old. We got him from the Glendale pound. He had been raised with cats. He had stomach problems and had already had some type of intestinal surgery. He was passive. He talked to me when I came home. I have no idea what he said but it was a long conversation. He died two days ago of complications of interstitial lung disease. It’s an autoimmune disorder. He was our third of four Dalmatians. Zoey, our first, died in 2001. Archie was given back to Dalmatian Rescue after he bit my husband. Cinnamon remains. We aren’t getting any more dogs. Cinnamon missed Baxter for less than 24 hours. She doesn’t respond to his name and doesn’t look for him. She’s now the dog in charge of the house. It’s her rightful place. She’s thrilled.
Baxter had been incredibly sick for about four days prior to our decision to have him put down. He was hallucinating. His kidneys enlarged. He had a prostate infection. He had an enlarged heart and spleen. He was vomiting frequently. Although he could have some treatment to ease his suffering, it was just the beginning of a series of infections and illnesses he would have had to endure. We decided it wasn’t good for him. His death was peaceful. He had lost 15 pounds in 2 days and was down to 85 pounds when he died. He had developed an autoimmune thyroid disorder with no functioning thyroid gland. He had problems breathing and coughed and wheezed all day long despite medication. We’ll get his ashes back in a few days and he’ll be buried in the garden. We’ll miss him for much longer than Cinnamon.
