Dear Daisy

Dear Daisy,

I miss you. I wish we could’ve had another few months at least, but I’m grateful for the time we had together.

If you had told me that my dog would get an incurable lung disease when she grew up, I would’ve looked at you confused, saying ‘What’s that, then?’

I was lucky enough to spend the last 14 and a half years with Daisy by my side. We bought her when I was 6 and together, we grew up and made our way through life. She was active, friendly and of course, slightly spoilt.

Daisy was perfectly healthy throughout her life and went on plenty of walks. She loved to bark at passers by and hopped into bed at night for cuddles. One summer, I noticed a wheezing sound almost all the time. I didn’t think much of it, but soon found myself searching online. This was when I came across a website for Westie Lung Disease.

Westie Lung Disease refers to something called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Idiopathic meaning the cause is unknown. Despite its name, it can affect several breeds of dog, the smaller ones in particular. It’s also something that occurs in humans and, in both cases, is incurable.

This broke my heart. Several questions went through my mind. How long did we have left with her? Would she suffer? She had regular visits to the vet and not once had they found this. I spent a lot of time researching, which made me pretty emotional but I had to find out what I could. I’d never heard of this disease, and it’s something that isn’t mentioned much by vets.

A few months later, it took a turn for the worst. Her neck was stretched out, a sign of progression. We took her to the vet, and they confirmed that it was definitely what we feared it was. Her oxygen was low and she was struggling. What we didn’t know was that the next day would be our last with her. I woke in the night and saw her struggling. She had probably been up all night. She couldn’t lie down and she was so tired that her head would fall for a moment. I couldn’t help but cry. We booked a visit to the vet to have her put down and end her suffering, but she didn’t make it and died in our arms.

You’re never ready to say goodbye, but she had a great life and that’s what we have to remember. Could we have had an extra few months with her? We’ll never know, but there’s no use pondering.

I hope, so much, that a cure can be found so that others don’t have to experience this horrible disease. Drug studies are being undertaken in dogs, and it’s hoped that the findings will also work on humans. I, for one, will be glad to see such a cure and will continue to raise awareness for this disease.

Rest in Peace, Daisy.