To the community of mine--if you've ever gotten love from Edie, please consider supporting me with this transition of her passing. For those of you who have been lucky enough to have met Edie, she was the most loyal, kind-hearted, and genuinely loving dog. She was my sidekick and support system through my ups and downs for over a decade. She was my emotional support animal, my baby and my best friend.
I took her in to the vet on 02/17 because she had stopped eating most things I was offering her; even her beloved boiled chicken and rice. She was also retaining fluid and not quite acting like her funny self. They did bloodwork, an x-ray and gave her medications. They couldn't really tell from her x-ray what was wrong because of all the fluid in her abdomen and told me she would need an ultrasound to really see what was going on. Her bloodwork came back suspicious for anemia and something else that might have to do with her liver. They suggested we come back in the next day (02/18) and on Monday (02/20) to compare bloodwork to see if her hematocrit levels were going down. I called my mom on Saturday because she still wasn't eating and the unknown of what was going on was too overwhelming to face myself. My mom came down from Duluth on Sunday and unbeknownst to us, took Edie on her last walk. When we went back in on Monday her hematocrit levels had gone down since Friday which wasn't a good sign. She had also defecated on the floor of the vet which had never happened before. The vet pulled me into the room and said we needed to take her in to the emergency vet for an ultrasound ASAP because it wasn't looking good and they weren't sure what was going on. After we were done there, mom and I took her to the University of Minnesota Small Animal hospital where we waited less than 10 minutes to get her in a room to be seen. They took her in the back for an exam, did an ultrasound, took out half a liter of fluid out from her abdomen and told us they would need to hold her overnight to monitor her and give her iv fluids and anti nausea meds. The next day, the vet called with bad news saying the fluid they took from her was microscopically evaluated and showed an inflammatory process. Her ultrasound revealed an enlarged and abnormal appearing liver. In order for us to determine what was happening to her liver and how to possibly treat what was going on , they suggested we do a CT Scan. At this point the bill was past $3,000 but I would have done anything to find out what was wrong to help my girl. The abdominal CT scan showed numerous masses affecting all lobes of her liver that was most consistent with cancer. She also had a mass on the spleen, along with a blood clot and a moderate amount of fluid within her abdominal cavity. Ultimately , there were no curative options for my girl and the vet recommended palliative care. We elected to bring Edie home so we could spend quality time with her prior to pursuing humane euthanasia. The vet told us if she continues to not eat, drink or no longer uses the restroom that she would maybe last 2-3 days. My girl didn't last 24 hours and we had to send her to rainbow bridge on Wednesday (02/22). It was the hardest thing I've ever had to decide on but I knew she was ready and was only holding on for us, once again, proving her love and loyalty. It was devastating but peaceful and she gave me a look of love and comfort before she passed on. I miss her so much and sometimes look for her and talk to her like she's still here.
This is how much Edie's care costs for me, a single person. In total, her medical, emergency and end of life care costs added up to over $5,000. I know Edie added light to many people's world and if there is anything you can contribute, whether by donating or sharing the fundraiser, it would help alleviate these costs during this tremendously difficult time. I would be forever grateful and literally anything would help.
Thank you for all of the love and support that you've given me and Edie over the past 10 years.
