Strider: Our Family's (not just man's) Best Friend

I think I may finally have the strength to write Strider's story.  He, of course, was our beloved dog who passed away last Saturday, April 17th. 

We rescued Strider from Pets, Incorporated during the weekend of Valentine's Day in 2004.  A Pets, Inc. staff member had found him wandering around in West Columbia, at a Sonic fast-food restaurant.  Obviously malnourished and mistreated, he was looking for food scraps.The staff member bought a hot dog and used it to lure Strider to his truck so he could take him to the shelter.  The staff loved him and named him "Sonic."  He was already an adult, but they weren't positive of his age. They guessed he was between 4 and 5 years old at the time. By the time we met Strider, he had been there for several months, and we couldn't figure out why.  He was so sweet!  But I guess most people go in looking for puppies or younger dogs, and it's pretty difficult to adopt out older adult dogs.  But we loved him, and Jayson HAD to bring him home that day. 

It took a few weeks, but he adjusted to being a part of the family.  He quickly became protective of the kids and found his way into all of our hearts.  Strider was an amazing pet.  No, he wasn't perfect.  He dug holes in the back yard.  Sometimes he would escape and run down the street - and when we ran after him, he would want to play "ha ha, you can't catch me!" Occasionally (and more often toward the end of his life), he would have accidents on the floor.  But he never broke anything, he never tried to get on the furniture - much less destroy it, and he never ate our carpet (all of these are things which our other dog, Jack, has done - more than once). 

Strider LOVED pats on the head.  He had the cutest pant when you would pet him.  His tongue would stick out and he would just grin.  If you didn't pet him enough, he would nuzzle your hand until HE was finished.  But for the most part, he did not demand attention.  He was there when you needed him to be, and he loved you from a distance the rest of the time.  He always seemed to know when to be a shadow, and when to lay low. 

In late February of this year, Strider started having more accidents in the house.  And for about a week, he was drinking water more than he was eating and was somewhat lethargic.  But he was still eating and looked healthy, and after a few more days he stopped having the accidents.  Everything seemed back to normal again and he had perked right up.  But a few weeks later, it seemed like he really started feeling bad.  It's almost as if he aged 4-5 years within the span of a couple of weeks.  His eyes became cloudy, he would only eat once a day, and he was having a very hard time getting up to walk.  He started losing weight and we became concerned.  By this time, it was late March.  Around the first of April, he got some energy back and started eating again. 

But things happened quickly after that, and Strider became sicker and sicker.  Last Thursday (April 15th), I called his veterinarian to make an appointment for him.  They were not able to squeeze him in for Friday or Saturday, so I went ahead and made an appointment for the following week.  But he was not looking good.  I had just come back from being out of town at a conference, and when I went to snuggle with Strider, his eyes were so sad.  He had never looked sad before.  He had become very weak and lethargic.  He didn't mind if we snuggled with him inside, but when he went outside, he wanted to be left alone. 

Last Friday (April 16th), Jayson came home and laid down with Strider outside.  He said he could tell it might not be long and that we might end up taking him to the emergency vet clinic.  Strider continued to look at Jayson and me with that sadness in his eyes.  I think he was asking for help.  I could barely stand to look at him.  We told the kids to make sure they spent some time with Strider that night and to tell him they loved him.  They both did.

Jayson and Jake left early last Saturday morning to work on a service project for Scouts.  Sarah was sleeping, and Strider was outside by himself.  It was such a beautiful morning.  The weather was perfect, and the birds were chirping along.  I went to check on Strider, and his breath was very labored.  He was lying still in the very back of our yard.  When I hugged him, he sighed.  I told him I loved him and that we would get him help soon, and he closed his eyes.  I rubbed between his eyes and watched him sleep.  Then all of a sudden, he opened his eyes and started to turn his head.  I thought he may have seen a bug because it looked like he was turning his head slowly to watch something.  But then....he picked his head up and rolled over on to his other side.  He started shaking all over and had no control over his body.  His arms and legs were "paddling" and he wouldn't stop shaking. 

Fear took over my body.  He was having a violent seizure, and I just knew this was the end for him.  I thought I was watching my dog die, and I just screamed out "No, Strider!  Please, no!  Not like this!"  He stopped and then opened his eyes.  He was still, but he was breathing and his eyes were opened.  I felt paralyzed and I couldn't talk.  I sent a text to my neighbor, asking her to come over.  I didn't know what else to do.  I just sat there beside him and cried, telling him I loved him and that it would be okay if he needed to go.  My neighbor came over and talked me into going inside and just waiting for Jayson to come home. 

Later that day, Jayson and I had to make the heartwrenching, difficult decision to have Strider put to sleep after taking him to the emergency vet clinic. There, he was diagnosed with Diabetic Ketoacidosis, an extreme complication of canine diabetes (which we didn't even know he had).  He had always gone in for his yearly exams and there was never any indication of diabetes.  The symptoms had been there for about 6 weeks, but they would come and go.  According to the vet who saw him that day, his sickness more than likely had begun within the previous 2 months and just deteriorated very quickly.  We discussed the prognosis.  In Strider's case, the condition had happened so quickly and had already impacted the majority of his body.  She said that his blood was basically, in its acidity, nail polish remover, and that he was rapidly losing fat.  The ketones had taken over his body.  We had to decide whether to try and treat him or let him go.  The treatment would have been lengthy and very expensive, with no guarantee of working.  In one of the saddest moments of my life, we decided it would be best for Strider to be euthanized.  We would be able to be with him and he would go peacefully knowing that we were there.  He would not be in pain anymore, and his quality of life would not deteriorate.  If Strider had been much younger, our decision probably would have been different.  But we had to do what we thought was best, and I continue to pray that we did the right thing.  They brought him in to us, and he looked so helpless.  But he looked at both of us and he actually smiled.  We said our goodbyes and told him we loved him, and I hugged him as he passed away quickly and quietly. 

I miss him so much.  I miss his silly grin.  I miss the nuzzles and the pants.  I miss his soft fur and the way he wagged his tail.  I miss letting him outside in the mornings.  I miss hearing him groan and sigh as he settled into his favorite spot on the floor.  I miss Strider.  I hope he knows how much we loved him and how glad we are that we were able to give him the last six years of his life.  I know the first part of his life was not good.  I hope the last part of his life was.