Save Me a Good Spot

She was dragging her hindquarters behind her, trying to gain access to the closet which had a curtain instead of a door to cover the contents. She made it to the curtain, then stopped. I think that is when she started to die, and by the time I got her to the vet and they gave her the first shot, I believe she was almost gone. I didn't ever want to have to put her down, but I was afraid she was in pain, and I couldn't let her suffer.

I made them give me extra time to sit in the car so I could rock her on my lap while I sang to her. Because of Covid 19, I couldn't be in the room when they gave her the shots, but was determined to hold her until she passed completely away. She wasn't going to go through this alone in a strange room, on a cold, metal table. She was my best friend for fourteen years, and we stick by our friends until the end.

My fur daughter's name was Tauri, or, Tauri Jo. She seemed to accumulate names that matched her personality. Trader Joe was another name because she would tease me and give love to my roommate and ignore me. I think my very favorite nick-name was Jo Jo The Dog-Faced Girl. She did have a dog's face, but she was my girl.

Tauri would have been fifteen years old in July. She was very healthy except for her severe arthritis, and her touchy digestive system. I had to remind myself not to give her table scraps or share certain foods with her that could make her sick. I had begun taking her to a vet for her arthritis, a vet who came highly recommended from a good friend. This woman was apparently very fair when it came to costs, very thorough in her exams, and did good work. I had the utmost faith in her based on the recommendation.

She began prescribing pain medications for Tauri for her arthritis, but none of them seemed to work very well or for very long. I remembered a medication that was chew-able and she liked, one she had taken for her arthritis before and had success with. Unfortunately, my lady vet didn't have the medication for me to try, and didn't want to write an entire prescription for something else that might not work. So, she sent me to a different vet to get the medication. Upon finishing with my Tauri, the nurse's assistant informed me that they had to run tests on Tauri's liver and kidney functions before they could prescribe the pills, and her levels were so high she was almost in liver failure. They gave me medication for her liver and told me she was not to have any pills other than those and they would check her liver in a couple weeks.

I had no idea that the liver in a dog had to be checked before pain medication could be given, or, that it could disable the liver and/or kidneys. My heart was in my throat, and Tauri didn't eat for several days, but slowly began to regain her appetite, and also her energy.

It was dark, and she was particularly energetic, continuously wanting outside and being very annoying about it. I let her out, but what I didn't know was she was chasing mice and caught one, and ate it, or what I found of it when she was sick in the hall. I made the mistake of contacting my old vet, and she told me Tauri needed to take what she referred to as "her miracle pills". I showed her the reports from the second vet, and reminded her that they said Tauri wasn't to take any pills until her liver healed. She insisted Tauri needed to take these pills to clear her system out after eating the mouse, and that they pills would help her and not hurt her.

Two days later I stopped giving Tauri the pills since she had stopped eating. Easter weekend was coming up, and with each day she got worse until it was the weekend. I couldn't get anybody to see her unless I had a lot of cash to pay for the inconvenience on a Holiday weekend. I was under the impression vets put the animals first, not the money, but in this case I was wrong. She shook with pain and I held her, she slept a lot, and she had stopped drinking water. Her very favorite thing was a bowl of ice, but she even refused that. That afternoon I sat outside in the yard with her because that was all she wanted to do. She smelled the air and growled at the guys walking by in a protective manner, still trying to be there for me even though she was so sick. I got cold, so we needed to go inside, but after a few steps, I had to pick her up and carry her. She was too weak to walk by herself.

Tauri Jo died April 5, 2021. She still has my heart and always will. She taught me how to laugh and how to truly love a dog. She taught me patience, and how to treat others, even those we consider odd, or grumpy. She reminded me how fun it was to play, and how to love and forgive.

I am sure the vet who prescribed the pain medication without checking her liver enzyme levels didn't do her harm on purpose. She obviously loves animals or she couldn't be a vet, yet, I want to make others aware of how important it is to understand medications, and what they do and side effects. I had no idea the tests needed to be done each time, and if I had, I would still have my beautiful girl. Please, take responsibility for your animal's well-being, because even doctors and vets are human and make errors. Our animals health ultimately lies in our own hands.

I have a new dog now, Savannah Rose, who just turned 9 months old the 18th of February. She's a Carolina dog, full of energy, very smart, and has so many traits like Tauri that she has filled a hole in my life. However, I will never forget Tauri or stop loving her, and can't help but to think maybe Tauri sent her to me to fill that gap. I like to believe so at least.