Rowan was the family basset hound. We got her when she was a puppy and she was an ever-present part of the family for ten long, wonderful years. She was the neediest dog I've ever met. If you weren't petting her, she'd whine at you and you couldn't get away with just touching her either- she demanded motion, movement and attention. If you didn't feel like giving it to her, she'd fix you with one of those pathetic, pleading glances with her big, brown eyes and long nose and you'd soon give in and she'd get what she wanted. Whether it was a scratch behind the ears or a nice, long belly rub she loved the attention.
She was getting older though and having some trouble with arthritis and when my parents went out to visit some friends in Wyoming, they took Shep with them and Rowan came to stay with us for a few days. She got along with Little Man (she likes the attention, after all) and she got along with the other dogs and cats so she fit in just fine. About a week ago around lunch time, I noticed that she was dragging one of her legs behind her. Concerned, I called Mom who told me to give her some IbuProfen to see if that would help. I did that and instead of getting better it, it got worse.
By the time I left for work, poor girl was dragging herself around by the front legs- she had no use of her back legs at all. By the time the Missus got home, she couldn't even hold herself up to go outside and go pee. She spent the evening sitting next to the Missus on the couch, quietly and then I came home from work and we rushed her into the emergency vet hospital.
I had a feeling it was going to be bad. If the painkillers weren't helping then something had to be very, very wrong and sure enough the vet checked her out and we got Mom and Dad on the phone and worked out some option. If it was a slipped disc, then we would have needed an MRI (which meant a trip to Ames) to find out where it was and even with surgery, given her age there was no guarantee of a full recovery. If it was a tumor on her spinal cord then there would be nothing they could do. They could try x-rays on sight and do some bloodwork but if the pain was getting worse because of the compression on her spine, the risk was that it could become permanent and the clock was ticking.
I wished that Mom and Dad would have been there for her. I think she would have liked that. But if the pain was getting worse that would have meant at minimum another day with IV pain medications in a strange place waiting for them to come be with her. My parents didn't want that for her. So they made the call and I sat on the floor, stroking her as they found a vein and gave her the injection as she slowly faded out. It was peaceful. Even dignified. She's in a better place. And she will be missed.
(The Missus mentioned something about a Rainbow Bridge... I looked it up and discovered it was a poem. A very nice poem.)
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