It is with tears and a broken heart that I write to share that our Gentle Storm crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning, held in Steve's arms.
She was doing so well. Her stool was finally solid, her colitis under control. We were making great progress in fighting the clostridium and her discoidal lupus had not reemerged since the nose wound she had when she first arrived.
Our precious littlest girl was at an ideal weight and her diet had turned her coat into silky smoothness.
Storm loved to be brushed and would lie snuggled in my arms to be groomed, cuddled, and to receive her meds. Once a timid, frightened mill dog, she turned out to be quite the love bug. And attitude! She had it and bossed YoYoMa around, made her little bark heard and was one of the first to charge to the door, tail wagging, to greet Steve when he came home from work.
Last night she picked all the "good stuff" from her meal, and shared treats but retired right after Steve got home from teaching at 11:30pm. There was a bit of blood in her stool, not horribly unusual for a dog with her issues, but we noted and planned to take her to see the vet iff the issue continued in the morning. She showed no signs of distress or serious medical problems.
This morning, Steve (an early riser) went to the office and was greeted by Storm. She was panting and he thought she might need water. When she did not drink from the bowl, he got her pipette to offer small squirts.
He never got the chance. Once in Steve's arms, Storm drew a deep breath and passed. We are devastated and in shock. We are having blood and fecal tests run to see if we can determine the cause of death.
Now our Gentle Tiny Girl runs with the White Dog Army over the Bridge, whole, healthy, and filled with vigor with the knowledge that she is loved and will be remembered...Always.