He is my precious wiggler enduring yet another condition, unheard of, during his later years. His breathing became raspy earlier this year then morphed into other problems. He certainly did not deserve it, no dog does. As I wrap my thinking around it all, I wondered till I wondered no more.
It all began this year, in February. His hollow sounding, croupy voice came out of nowhere. It took me by surprise. Cool air, a common thread at this time of year in Canada, soothed throat and breathing. upon examination, the doctor asked me to time his respiration rate as he slept or napped. A rate faster than 30 beats per minute spelled trouble. His was always lower and quiet. And so I watched, timed and counted from that moment on till this day. How could I not perform this simple act while my puppy slept. I needed to know if things could get worse.
There were surgeries galore listed to ameliorate this larynx problem. All acted a harsh penalty: in one case, post operative death rate was 60%. No thank you. The dog had to be silenced for several weeks during recovery. Really? No barking for a animal who communicates through his barking? How do I explain this ridiculous notion to him.?
No collar. That was easy. Immediately, a harness was bought and used immediately. No time like the present. A food stand was used to keep all his food at eye level preventing the strain on his neck, back, larynx. All were positive actions to be taken to keep that other thing from happening. Nothing heroic was ever undertaken, just easy, make sense ones.
Everything was going according to plan till an unexpected visit to the doctor to plan for his future turned dire. A few minutes after arriving home my dear precious wiggler, still wiggling as he always did, died at home desperately trying to breathe. Frantically I tried to get him back into the car to get him the lifesaving help he needed. But time ran out. My 86 pound Mr. Wiggles, died courageously, with me by his side. I am heartbroken and will be for a very long time....... Good bye my precious little pup.
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