FALL and memories....

It has been raining today and the leaves are quickly changing and starting to fall. I am always thrilled with the beautiful colors of the trees. This is in the backyard and it is quickly going to be barren. I was thinking and it has been a year since we lost our dog Kelsey of a stroke, but she was very old and suffering from cancer. We had her 15 years and loved her more than we could believe. We grieved but still had Chloe, our miniature schnauzer to entertain us...she was so ornery but held out hearts captive in her little paws. She was diagnosed with diabetes just a short while before we had to have Kelsey put to sleep. We had her on insulin two times a day and a special diet. We had a terrible time getting her sugar down and it was a constant struggle, Chloe was 9 years old but still rowdy and playful. She got a really bad case of pancreatitis which is common in schnauzers and was so bad our vet sent us to get a sonogram at an internal medicine veterinarian in Tulsa. Dr. Upton did the sonogram on Chloe and kept her in the hospital overnight hooked to an IV and then took over the diabetes care. Chloe was very sick but came back to us to be mostly the same little princess she always was. This went on for several months and then they ran the test for Cushings and hers came back positive. We had to give her pills to shrink her adrenal glands so she would not produce so much cortisone in her little body. I would say Chloe had a fair to good quality of life for the time she had left with us. She had a stroke and her little organs started shutting down and we had to put her down 6 months ago this week. We were all in shock even though we knew she would not live a long life like she should. I am still missing my little munchkin like crazy. I have loved all my animals like they were my children, but Chloe was diffrent, more child like. It is amazing how much animals add to your life. My mom has her litter mate Zoe and Zoe misses her little sister still also.

Chloe

Kelsey