R.I.P. Chestnut

We had to put our dog Chestnut down on November 5.  I must say it was a very sad day for our family, but especially for me.  She was my dog and now she is gone.

We noticed on the previous Wednesday that she wasn't opening her right eye.  I assumed she had an eye infection or something.  Seth took her to the vet on Thursday and she had a fever and had lost weight.  He got some meds for her.  But, while he was there she started limping on her back right leg.  We were used to her limping on her back left leg because she had a bad hip.  Also, they found skin lesions we hadn't noticed before.

Friday night when Seth took the dogs out before bed she was walking like she couldn't see.  She walked into the Jeep and her bowl.  Totally not like her.

Saturday morning Seth took her back to the vet and an x-ray was done.  She had blasto everywhere.  Blasto is some kind of infection (Seth knows the details not me!).  Since it was everywhere there was no hope.  The vet said we could try to treat her but there was no guarantee of anything.  The humane thing to do was to put her down. 

So, Saturday afternoon Seth and Luke went and dug a hole out on our property.  Then late afternoon the vet came to our house and took her out of her misery.  We then all loaded up as a family and took her to the property and said our last good-byes and buried her.  I still cry thinking of it.  I really thought she would just get old and we would have to put her down but it would be a slow process.  3 days is all we had and it was fast and I didn't expect it to end like that.

Chestnut was crazy!  She was scared of fireworks, storms, balloons, guns (real and toy)!  But, she was our dog.  We got her 1 year after we got Whitefield so they both came before the kids.  We walked or ran everyday till Claire came along.  Then I couldn't do as much.  She loved to play frisbee and chase a tennis ball.  She loved to cuddle between your legs.  She also loved to have her face buried in you somewhere while you loved on her!  She slept on my side of the bed and now it is empty.  She was great with the kids and let them do just about anything to her.

We loved her and still talk about her.  Today we were talking about how she sang with the harmonica and it sounded like she was crying!!!  Luke will remember her and this time but I'm not sure Claire will.  We are even happier that we have Dixie now.  Whitefield seems totally fine and him and Dixie and definitely pals now.

RIP Chestnut!  (April 2004 - November 2011)