This morning, my eyes were literally swollen shut. I am in a state of shock and saddened to my very core. Yesterday, at 4:15 in the afternoon, papa and I braced ourselves as we said goodbye to our beautiful darling dog, Lily Rose.
Over the last one month Lily’s health drastically deteriorated. Yesterday we found out this was due to a misdiagnosis of a well-known Mediterranean disease called Leishmania. Symptoms can be hard to detect until they’re not. And you’re suddenly faced with a very sick pet and the sickest of all feelings that something is definitely not OK.
Yesterday morning I took Lily to the vet again. Chunks of her once beautiful and shiny coat covered my clothes and stuck to my sweaty arms and legs. Her crystal clear, piercing eyes now droopy, filled with puss and bloody.
The words ‘no cure’ and ‘euthanasia’ were mentioned only minutes after the first test showed she was a carrier of Leishmania. Suddenly the word ‘hope’ came up and I fought back the tears determined to be positive and hopeful that my strong baby girl would fight this.
But then the look on the vet’s face when he glanced at the laboratory test caught my eye and my world was turned upside down. Her kidneys were failing, her adrenal glands were swollen. She was in pain. And there was no more hope.
I sobbed uncontrollably.
Our beautiful little girl would no longer be a part of our family.
She was just over two years old. She was beautiful, intelligent and extrordinary. And now she’s gone. I sit here writing this piece and there are moments when I swear I can hear her rustling around in the yard or I expect her to bark any minute. I fight the urge to say her name because it hurts too much.
Saying goodbye to Lily Rose is one of the hardest things I have ever done.
May you rest in peace, baby girl.
I’ll leave you with a few words papa texted me today:
She was my second baby and I miss her so much…
She will always live deep in my heart as the loyal friend who loved me unconditionally…
Leishmania is a serious threat to the health of your dog. Please find out more and get your beloved companion checked by your veterinarian.
