Wisteria Woo RIP

Wisteria Woo Silver~Rhodesian Ridgeback Cane Corso mix~ 7.19.15-3.2.26

My service dog, Wisteria, had been slowing down, having mysterious health symptoms like severe hives and unexplained injury. She went to the vet last month, but unfortunately, not all tests detect all problems. When we returned to the vet yesterday, upon much more concerning symptoms suddenly appearing, we learned she had a very large mass (10inx10in) likely the very aggressive hemangiosarcoma, and that we would only be buying a few months if we went through with treatment.

I know these are treatments, surgery, and medicine that would be painful and make her sick. I would honestly be hesitant to choose these kinds of options for myself, even with a better prognosis than she was facing. I watched my sister-in-law pass from the human equivalent of this cancer.

Within ten hours, we learned of her partial diagnosis, took her to the closest animal hospital that would be able to treat her properly (she was a giant breed, which not all vets are equipped for), and before midnight, had to make the choice to euthanize her. If we had not already discussed this eventuality early on, I would have been completely paralyzed. Unfortunately, the only choice was to let her go. Our hearts are totally broken.

Just last week, Wisty was running around, playing with her toys, getting involved in our conversations like we could understand what she said, and all of the other things she had done since she was a puppy. She never lost the excitement, the talkativeness, or the joy she had. In a single weekend, she declined, and in one evening, she was gone.

Still, I know that can't be true with how sick she was. She had been getting slower and more complaining about things I couldn't figure out, and we chalked it up to her getting on in years. So we got her joint supplements and changed her food. When she had sudden extreme allergies, we treated the symptoms, but couldn't find a conclusive root cause. These are the things that are coming into focus now and tug at my heart the most.

She was just a pillar of strength. She not only supported me emotionally, but also physically. She often helped steady me on my feet and helped pick me up when I fell. She pulled me up any hill we walked up, and even off the couch when I was injured. That harness was a lifeline. And her sweet nature was doubly so. She rarely barked and loved to meet people. She was so gentle and loving with my previous dog, Echo, a miniature pinscher; it was unbelievable.

Wisteria was my husband's first dog of his own, one that he raised from a puppy. Echo was 10 or 11 when I got her back from my parents after we were married, so she was already pretty well set in her ways. Wisteria was our baby. I did various tasks for her all day, Damien walked and played with her when he came home, and it gave him so much peace and joy to do so. She jumped up from her bed to get in the middle of any embraces and climbed on the couch to wind down at the end of the night and get pets and hugs. She loved the meadow near our house, and playing in the snow was something she looked forward to every year, and didn't seem to tire of all winter.

She only gave love, and we gave her everything we could. Getting to live her whole life in the natural wonderland that is South Lake Tahoe, I count as one of the best things we were able to give. Echo practically transformed when she moved here. A relatively healthy and emotionally enriching environment is a luxury not everyone has access to themselves.

Hug your people, hug your pets. Be as gentle and understanding as you can with everyone. Life can change so quickly.

K.B. Silver