About 6 months ago, 13-year old Dexter was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. A cruel, relentless disease that eventually left him powerless to fight for breath. On Friday, November 25, he was brought in to the vet to have a fluid tap performed, withthe goal to drain some of the accumulation of fluid backing up around his lungs. He responded well to the first tap about 3 months ago, but over the course of a couple of months, he labored again to breathe, to sleep and play. And this time around, the procedure was halted when the doctor gave me the terrible news that the liquid had turned to a thick viscous state that could not be extracted. 
My husband and I knew what this meant, knew that we suddenly had to make the difficult but noble decision to help Dexter do what he could not, and end his suffering. We stayed with him until the end, stroking and telling him we are right here, and to go sleep now. As the life from his little body left him, and heard the doctor whisper, "He's gone", we wept and pet Dexter for a final time. We left the vet in a state of shock and disbelief, a surreal moment to say the least.
Dexter is the most curious, unique of personalities and everybody who met him fell in love with his quirky dog-like behavior! He and my 14 year old cat Pixel, a calico, were the center of me and my husband's lives. Pixel has overcome a few hardships of her own, and we manage her Stage 1 kidney failure very closely. She will surely miss Dexter's presence, I watch her now look throughout the house for him.
During these depressing and sad times, my heart aches and I'm already missing the companionship that two kitties give. I want to open my heart and home to one or two new kittens who need a home or saving. Is it too soon? I've never lost a pet before and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this hole in my heart.
Final moments where I could not bear watching him suffer:
My husband and I knew what this meant, knew that we suddenly had to make the difficult but noble decision to help Dexter do what he could not, and end his suffering. We stayed with him until the end, stroking and telling him we are right here, and to go sleep now. As the life from his little body left him, and heard the doctor whisper, "He's gone", we wept and pet Dexter for a final time. We left the vet in a state of shock and disbelief, a surreal moment to say the least.
Dexter is the most curious, unique of personalities and everybody who met him fell in love with his quirky dog-like behavior! He and my 14 year old cat Pixel, a calico, were the center of me and my husband's lives. Pixel has overcome a few hardships of her own, and we manage her Stage 1 kidney failure very closely. She will surely miss Dexter's presence, I watch her now look throughout the house for him.
During these depressing and sad times, my heart aches and I'm already missing the companionship that two kitties give. I want to open my heart and home to one or two new kittens who need a home or saving. Is it too soon? I've never lost a pet before and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this hole in my heart.
Final moments where I could not bear watching him suffer:
