THREAD: Of all the things our family has had to deal with during #coronavirus #quarantine, the one thing that never crossed my mind was how we would deal with a dying pet. Now that we’ve been through the experience, I thought I’d share our story. (1/N)
We’d been very lucky with our dog Brady, a Newfoundland we’d adopted when he was 2. Newfies have a typical lifespan of 8-10 years, so we were as surprised as anyone else as he passed his 10th birthday, and then his 11th, without major health issues. (2/N) #pets #quarantine
When he was 6 and 7, he needed knee surgery, but he fully recovered and was in great shape - until last Saturday. (3/N) #pets #quarantine
Over the last few months my wife noticed that Brady cleared his throat a lot, like he was trying to cough up phlegm. He also wasn’t as enthuastic about walks as he used to be. But he’d developed some arthritis, so slowing down wasn’t much of a surprise. (3/N) #pets #quarantine
Before #coronavirus, our family was planning to go to Myrtle Beach for spring break this week. Obviously plans changed once it be came necessary to stay at home. (5/N) #pets #quarantine
Last Saturday, Brady vomited a couple times. We thought it was just an upset stomach, but he also developed respiratory distress. We headed to the local Pet ER in Columbia, MD. (6/N) #pets #quarantine
Like other businesses impacted by #covid19, procedures changed at the animal hospital. We conducted intake over the phone from our car, then we put bandanas around our faces to hand off Brady to a nurse. We weren’t allowed inside. (7/N) #pets #quarantine
After we’d run out of gunslinger jokes, we put away our bandanas and settled in for a long night sitting in the pet ER parking lot. (8/N) #pets #quarantine
As we awaited his initial examination, we watched a couple other cars pull into the large parking lot, well separated from each other. They idled their cars until their pets were escorted inside as well. (9/N) #pets #quarantine
After three hours, we got the full story. X-rays showed he had megaesophagus, or inflammation in his esophagus. He also had a fever and some spots in his lungs suggesting the onset of pneumonia. (10/N) #pets #quarantine
The vet explained to us that he likely had miastenia gravis, a condition where dogs lose muscle control. In this case, his esophagus was paralyzed. We brought him home to consider our options. (11/N) #pets #quarantine
The vet gave us several meds for Brady, but it was clear on Sunday he was struggling to keep him down. By Monday, he could barely walk. He was deteriorating shockingly fast. (12/N) #pets #quarantine
We spent rough night with Brady. He would occasionally drink water, but couldn’t eat food without regurgitating it. We decided to call our vet the following morning, expecting to arrange for him to be put down. We were in a complete state of shock. (13/N) #pets #quarantine
On Tuesday, Brady seemed to rally. After a quick call with our amazing vet, Dr. Meher, he suggested we focus on getting his anti-nausea meds in his system and worry about the rest later. All day, Brady seemed relaxed and drinking more water. (14/N) #pets #quarantine
Unfortunately, he still couldn’t digest food. We gave him a few chunks of food, which he swallowed and seemed to keep down, but many hours later regurgitated them undigested. This was extremely bad news. (15/N) #pets #quarantine
Because his esophagus was paralyzed, food would travel only as far as gravity would allow it. That’s why none of it appeared digested. Brady was going to starve to death. (16/N) #pets #quarantine
After an extremely long night of my wife nursing him, it became clear this morning we would need to put him asleep or he would linger for days. Unfortunately our vet is closed on Wednesdays, so we started making calls. (17/N) #pets #quarantine
Then we came to a horrifying realization. If we brought him to a vet to be euthanized, we wouldn’t be allowed inside due to #COVID19. He would die without us. (18/N) #pets #quarantine
I frantically began making calls to find a vet who could euthanize Brady at home. There are a number of vets in the DC area who perform the service, but all had stopped because of #COVID19. No one could help him die with dignity. (19/N) #pets #quarantine
I then spoke with an area vet who suggested a Baltimore-area service called Peaceful Passage. Thankfully they were willing to send a vet to us even though we live significantly south of Baltimore. peacefulpassage.net (20/N) #pets #quarantine
We made an appointment for 3pm. That gave us four final hours with Brady. All the kids were outside playing (at a safe distance) and my daughter explained the situation. One by one, they came to say goodbye to Brady. (21/N) #pets #quarantine
One family came by with their two kids, who had been scared of our gentle giant when they were younger. They both gave him loving hugs and cried. (22/N) #pets #quarantine
Another neighbor came by. Now college age, he had pet-sat for us over the years and even helped us pick out a Newfie as the breed we wanted to adopt. He was probably 11 at the time. (22/N) #pets #quarantine
At 3pm, Dr. White from Peaceful Passage arrived. We wanted to hug her, as no one else would come to our house during #quarantine. We all kept our faces covered and she gave us ample time to say goodbye. (23/N) #pets #quarantine
Brady passed away around 3:30pm. It was very peaceful. We then put him on a stretcher to carry his remains to the vet’s vehicle. Again, we wished we could’ve hugged her but instead maintained a safe distance. (24/N) #pets #quarantine
This evening has been surreal. When you’ve had a 130-lb dog in your house for so many years, his absence is glaring. But fortunately we found the one vet practice in the DC/Baltimore area that could help him pass with dignity without him being alone. END (25/25) #pets #quarantine
Brady Nathaniel Ferguson Carvin
December 7, 2008-April 8, 2020
Rest in peace my friend.
You were a good boy.
December 7, 2008-April 8, 2020
Rest in peace my friend.
You were a good boy.
