Goodbye My Sweet Ralphie

                                       Ralphie August 4, 2012 - December 19, 2023

This has to be the saddest post of this blog. My LAST blog post. My Ralphie left me this past week. My life is so empty now. The past 6 months he had struggles with his health and was diagnosed with leukemia. I tried to keep him with me as long I could, but his health was declining rapidly near the end and I had to make the hardest decision ever to put him asleep over the rainbow bridge. 

Ralphie was truly my very best friend. He was the kindest dog to everyone...to me, kids and other animals.  My world was pretty much me and him. My days were filled with Ralphie. We've been through ups and downs together the past 11 years. But he loved me unconditionally no matter what. I can write so much more but I can't control my tears right now. 

Ralphie, you will never be forgotten. You were my everything. My heart is so broken. 💔😢

HAPPY, HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY RALPHIE!!!!!

 HaPpY BiRtHdAy RALPHIE!!!

Today is Ralphie's 11th birthday!! It's been 11 wonderful years with him. I feel so blessed to have the best soulmate ever...my one and only.  I'm happy to say that Ralphie is quite healthy and still has some spunk in him. We enjoy our walks everyday. We walk about 3-5 miles a day depending on the weather. During the super-duper hot months in FL, we walk early in the morning before sunrise but we always get a walk or two in each day. 

Today Ralphie celebrates his 11th birthday with his BFF, Bubba (my daughter's pug)...2 old guys sleeping the day away. LOL He got a new pull toy, some hooves, and birthday doggie cookies. 

LOVE.

Happy 9th Birthday Ralphie!!!

Wow, I've neglected this blog for quite some time! Shame on me.  Sadly every day life gets in the way.  Little things in life are just as important as the big things.  Yes, it has taken me many, many years plus retirement to realize this.  Anyways, both Ralphie and I are retired now, living our senior years together.

Happy Birthday Ralphie!!!  Ralphie is 9 years old today which it 66 years old in human years.  So we're pretty close in age now and we're enjoying our retirement!  Ralphie is a big part of my life, he's family.  He's given me 9 happy years, he's so loyal and loving.  I can't even imagine life without him.  I love every lump and bump on his aging body and his sweet white sugar face.  And he loves me unconditionally, wrinkles and all.  LOL

Happy Birthday Sweet Handsome Boy!  You ARE the BEST!!!  I'm looking forward to our retirement years with many walks, snuggles, hugs, and kisses.  

Ralphie - 6 weeks old the day he was chosen to be my forever friend.

8 weeks old - The day he came home with me. 

LOVE!

Today - Happy Birthday Ralphie!

My 9 year old Big Boy!

Love this handsome sugar face boy!!

Coping With A Pet's Death

It's been about six weeks since Lucy left me and Ralphie.  Ralphie has adapted pretty well, but I feel he detached from Lucy when she fell sick.  But me ... not so much.

I was told by a friend that during the coping time of a pet's death, you may have bursts of tears with sadness.  That's exactly what is happening. These bursts can just come out of nowhere.  My friend was so right.  It's been a very difficult time for me.  Sometimes just the thought of Lucy, whether I'm thinking of all our good times or thoughts of her being sick, I just burst into tears uncontrollably.  So many times I feel guilty I didn't do more for her.  Her life was way too short.  I keep thinking of the look in her eyes when she was dying.  Looking at me so helpless. Me, so helpless...I couldn't keep her alive.  So devastating.

I pray every day that I become stronger and my broken heart heals.

Goodbye Sweet Lucy

My heart is broken my little girl Lucy passed away at home with me by her side last week.  Lucy struggled with health problems over the past 5 months.  She was in and out of the vet office, saw three different doctors and obviously misdiagnosed with vestibular disease.  I always had a feeling it was more than that.

The past 5 months I would hold Lucy in my lap like a baby and cuddle her each evening while watching TV.  Thursday, February 7th was not any different.  I walked Lucy around 6pm, after her walk I tried to feed her and she wouldn't eat.  So I gave her a peanut butter sandwich along with her pills and she gobbled it down.  I was happy to see her eat.  Then she jumped on my lap as usual and I held her, running my hand up and down her back, played with her ears, and just snuggled.  She began  panting, which scared me.  I continued to hold he and thought maybe she needed to go potty outside.  She went outside and did her business.  I brought her back in and she jumped on the opposite sofa from me.  She sat there for a couple of minutes and suddenly jumped off that couch and ran to the hallway.  I think she was trying to get to her crate, but didn't make it.  She collapsed in the hallway.  I was freaking out and called my daughter.  I thought she was having a seizure.  I was petting her, trying to move her to get her out of the "seizure".  But she passed away within a minute.  I'm balling my eyes out to my daughter..."MY LUCY IS DEAD, MY LUCY DIED"!  It was about 9:30pm and had no idea what to do with Lucy.  I draped her favorite blanket over her with one paw not covered.  I had to leave her one paw out in the open just to see her.  My daughter called the wonderful people at Honor Thy Pet in Tampa to make arrangements to have Lucy picked up.  They came around 11:30pm.  Ralphie sat next to me like a statue as they carried her out of the house.  I had Lucy cremated to be with me forever.  She will be on my shelf next to Ollie.

As I write this, I am crying and crying.  I'm having the hardest time with this.  Lucy would have been 4 years old next week on 2/21.  She was way too young to leave so soon.

Ralphie is okay.  I feel he disconnected from Lucy when she became sick.  But each morning he peeks in the room where Lucy's crate was.  He seems to be more giving me extra attention and always by my side.  I'm sure he senses my sadness.   Love.

Goodbye My Sweet Lucy.

Vizlsa - Vestibular Disease - Week 6

Today is the last day of week 6 of Lucy's vestibular disease, or is it really vestibular disease??  I'm not so sure anymore...perhaps a stroke??

I didn't see much change in Lucy this week.  Still with the tilted head and bewildered.  She's still leaking, more so at night.  Lucy was diagnosed with a UTI and more meds were given to her.  She's on Cefpodoxime Proxetil 200mg, one pill a day.  It seems like giving the pills smothered in peanut butter is the easiest way.  I've been giving her Dramamine on her real dizzy days.  Her energy level is low, probably from all the meds.  She's eating good and still drinking a lot of water, but I'm limiting the amount.  I bought some doggie diapers in hopes to save time on laundry.  I just use them at night, but they're not working.  Even though I add an additional pad to the diaper, she is soaking through them and leaking from the side of the diaper.  It's a real struggle.

Bewildered...hiding in the closet.

My poor baby girl. 😢😢😢

Sporting her doggie diapers.

Vizsla - Vestibular Disease - Week 5

Today ends week 5 of Lucy's vestibular disease battle.  Really no changes.  She still has the tilted head, vertigo, and little bladder control.

I took both Lucy and Ralphie to the vet yesterday.  What a fiasco... taking both dogs at the same time!  I made the appointment during their slow time, but it was a struggle handling both dogs myself.  Ralphie just needed his heart worm test and Heartguard.  Lucy had her follow-up check-up, UTI screening, and heart worm test.  The doctor is speculating she may have a UTI because of her lack of bladder control.  I'll get the results next week.  But in the meantime, she gave Lucy antibiotics, Clavamox 375mg, take twice a day for 7 days.  Hopefully this will help!  I'll be ordering Lucy some doggie diapers today.  That should help with less laundry.

If Lucy still has the vestibular symptoms in 2 months, the vet recommends tests and more tests.  I really don't think they can do anything if she had a stroke for the after effects.  But we will see.  The vet bills are starting to add up.  🙁

At the vet. You can see Lucy has little control of her head.

Tilted head Lucy. Ralphie was a handful for his doctor's appointment.