I don't even want to think about it, but putting it on paper is the only thing giving me comfort right now. If I keep it all inside, I feel like I’ll explode from the emotions surrounding me.
My girl is almost 13 years old. She’s always been so brave, sweet, and loving. It’s impossible to walk past her without saying hello because she won’t let you! She’ll greet you with her wagging tail, convinced you have a treat hidden somewhere. If you say, "I don’t have anything," she’ll sniff you, her eyes full of mischief: "Oh really? You smell like another dog. You definitely have a cookie!" 😊
She was always full of energy, but also obedient. When I told her to stay by my side or lie down, she listened—well, most of the time. Sometimes, she’d wander off, pretending not to hear me for a minute, but then she’d come running back, tail wagging, looking at me like: "I was a good girl, right? Where’s my cookie?!"
Whenever we came home, or someone visited, she’d bark like crazy, announcing their arrival. And trust me, if you didn’t give her a treat, she wouldn’t stop. Our family and friends knew the drill—many would bring snacks just for her. That made her happy—tail wagging, settling near you, or sometimes straight onto your lap. Your choice! 😊
Two months ago, we moved to a new apartment so she could have a garden and wouldn’t have to climb stairs every time she needed to go out. At first, everything seemed fine. But then I noticed she wasn’t eating her special food, the one she always loved. I thought it was just stress from the move, so I cooked her favorite meals—meat, fish—but she barely touched them. Then came the diarrhea. She started eating again, but hours later, she would throw up everything. That’s when I knew something was wrong.
We took her to stay with my husband’s parents while we went on a short trip. They said she ate a little, mostly fish. When we got back, she seemed better—no vomiting, but the diarrhea continued. Then, a few days ago, I noticed her stomach was getting bigger. How could that be, when she wasn’t eating much? But she was drinking a lot of water. Too much. Something wasn’t right.
We rushed her to Slovenia to see our trusted vet. The moment she examined her, she hinted that it could be kidney or liver failure. We knew what that meant. It wasn’t curable. We did an ultrasound and blood tests. The ultrasound showed a lot of fluid in her stomach, so much that they couldn’t even check for tumors.
She needed immediate treatment to drain the fluid. I had to leave the room when I saw the size of the needle they were going to use. Tears filled my eyes. But my brave girl, my fighter, stayed strong. My husband and two vets held her gently, petting her, while the third vet performed the procedure. These vets—so kind, so full of love for animals—I will never forget them. They drained over a liter of fluid from her stomach. The relief was immediate; her belly visibly shrank. She got more injections. I lost track of what they all were, but she didn’t give up.
We brought her home and fed her tiny portions from our hands. She ate. And, thankfully, she didn’t throw up. Now, we are heading back to Slovenia to see what happens next.
I know I have to prepare for the worst. But as long as there is hope, as long as there’s something we can do, I will keep fighting for her.
My darling, my sunshine. Keep fighting. You can do this. ❤️
We’ll know more in the next few days. ❤️
“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” – Suzanne Collins
With love, @tinabrezpike ❤️
ow wow girl...that aint no joke as they shouldn't mess with our furry friends!! Give her endless cuddles in the mean time while she (hopefully) recovers
...heads over here to hug my dog while sending vibes to yours...
Was any sort of scan conducted on the dog? Maybe it's another type of illness causing the fluid retention, even though liver and kidney are the biggest culprit. Hopefully it comes out the illnesses