Heidi- Adopted 2004- Died May 17, 2011

This is Aunt Pat. Chloe will return to blogging with the next post.   I'm sorry to inform you that Heidi joined Katie and Nikki at the Rainbow Bridge this morning.  She was holding her own in the hospital Saturday, and her urine looked like the infection was clearing.  Unfortunately, Sunday, she stopped eating, and drinking, and started vomiting again.  She didn't improve with the steroids, as she would have if she had Irritable Bowel.  The Vet did an X-ray on Monday, which showed Megaesophagus, and not Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  However, the Vet thought she had a protein wasting bowel disease or other problem in either her esophagus or her liver.  Because of her deterioration, and the fact that we had already tried the common treatments for both  problems without success, there was nothing more we could do for her.  When we visited her Monday afternoon, the spark was gone from her eyes; she looked very peaceful, comfortable, and gave us the look that said "enough is enough."   

Katie was a Daddy's girl, but Heidi and I clicked.  She became my big furry shadow.  Everywhere in the house I went, she followed.  If I went upstairs, she would lay at the bottom of the stairs and bark, especially once her arthritis got worse.  If I didn't come out and tell her I'd be down in a minute, after a few more barks, she'd come upstairs. She loved laying on my left side on the sofa, with a large part of her touching me.  If Chloe had gotten up there, Heidi would look at Chloe, then look at me, then look back at Chloe as if to say "Please get her out of my spot."  If she went for a walk with Andy, and I didn't go along, she would only go around the corner and want to come back home.  She'd lay  by the bathtub while I took my shower, and would end her night/start her mornings beneath my bed.

It's very ironic that her esophagus would cause such problems, since one thing Heidi liked more than anything was a good meal...or a treat.  If anyone stood in front of the cupboard that held the treats, she'd bark until she got one. It didn't matter that one of us was just watching something on the television we put on the counter.  Heidi actually learned to point out the treat cupboard in exchange for a treat of course.  She didn't sit and bark when we were at the dinner table...that much.  If Katie or Chloe started to beg, then Heidi would beg as well...and she'd get rewarded.  However, carrots and green beans were two of her all time favorites.  She learned to dig the carrots out of the garden, and would eat not only the beans, but part of the plants as well.  If I was cutting carrots in preparation to cook something, she'd bark until I gave her some.  We played a few games of carrot fetch when the weather was bad. She also liked to play fetch and chew tennis balls, but she hadn't done that as much the last couple of years with her arthritis.  She also loved to roll around on her back in the grass, and especially in the snow.

Heidi also enjoyed rides in the car.  She always gave a "What?  You're leaving without me?" look whenever I'd go out to run errands.  She liked nothing better than to ride in the back seat of the car.  Many times she'd nap in the back seat and always seemed a little disappointed when we returned home.. 

Heidi was a sweet, loveable girl.  She loved her tummy rubs, and she loved it when people cooed and paid attention to her.  She really enjoyed her treatments at Thera-Vet, especially the Hako pool/whirlpool.  She wasn't always a fan of doing the exercises at home, but she'd do them, especially if there were treats involved.  I think she enjoyed the walks as much as Chloe.   

Heidi will be sorely missed.  But we know we did everything we could for her, and she's at the Rainbow Bridge with her canine sisters Katie and Nikki.  We'd like to thank the people at our Vet's office for their efforts on Heidi's behalf.  Their caring and concern made this ordeal much easier.  We'd also like to thank everyone at Thera-Vet for everything they did for Heidi.  Her quality of life improved greatly after her treatments.  We'd also like to thank everyone at Happy Tails, our groomer, who made her feel more comfortable and happy with every grooming.