Goodbye To Zilla

[Ukalliq]

We lost our greyhound-sled dog mix, Zilla last week. She had a very severe and very sudden case of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia. On Friday night she was behaving completely normally but we saw what we thought was a rash in her "armpit" area (now we know that this was bruising due to low platelets). We made a mental note to get her an appointment on Monday. On Saturday she vomited blood and visited the ER vet. Sunday she had bloody diarrhea and went back to the ER vet for overnight monitoring. On Monday morning her platelet count was undetectable and the anemia was getting worse. She received a blood transfusion. We decided that we wanted her to be treated as long as she had a real chance at recovery.

 

Unfortunately, it only got worse from then on. The transfusion stabilized her temporarily, but for the next three days she declined rapidly despite several combinations of immunosupressant drugs and antibiotics. She likely had uncontrolled bleeding in her brain because she started showing neurological symptoms and weakness in her hind legs. On Wednesday night/Thursday morning, she had two seizures. Up until then she was weak and lethargic but did not seem to be in distress. But then she started whimpering constantly and might have lost some or all of her vision. We took her back to the vet that morning and her bloodwork showed no improvement. The neurological damage was probably unrecoverable. She just wasn't going to get better and she was clearly suffering at this point. With the sad recommendation from our vet, we made the decision to euthanize her. She was only six years old.

 

We adopted Zilla as a two month old puppy from the municipal animal shelter. She was from a feral or abandoned litter of six that was found on the outskirts of town. The story we were told is that there is/was a semi-feral female greyhound who probably got pregnant by a male from a musher's kennel. We had one of those DNA tests done and it suggested that one of her parents was a greyhound and the other had a mix of northern breeds (Siberian, malemute, chinook, etc.) that you would find in a working sled dog. As she grew, it became apparent that she would look like a greyhound more than anything else. The only hint at her northern breed ancestry was the slightly thicker fur than you would find on a pure greyhound and her habit of sticking her face in the snow. And probably her size, at 45 pounds she looked like a slightly fuzzy huge whippet or petite greyhound.

 

She will be missed.

 

I keep trying to think of any way we could have caught her symptoms earlier or tried other treatments but I can't think of any. Probably 5 or 6 vets examined her over those few days and they were all shocked and worried about how severe and sudden her condition was. Most dogs can recover from thrombocytopenia, she just got sick so fast.

 

We have another dog, an 11 year old Catahoula mix. I think she misses her sister, but it's hard to tell.

 

Here's a picture of Zilla during her first few days home - no bigger than a throw pillow.

 

And another one of her full-grown and filling the entire sofa. (Yes, she was responsible for the damage to the sofa!)

[KF_in_Georgia]

I'm sorry you lost Zilla.

I lost my greyhound Jacey to immune mediated thrombocytopenia in 2011. She had a scheduled lab panel at our vet's on a Tuesday (her annual wellness exam). Everything was fine. Thursday night she was lethargic, admitted to the ER early Friday morning, and we put her to sleep there on Monday night. General belief was that dogs have a better than 50-50 chance of surviving, but Jacey was just on the wrong side of the numbers. She was 8 years old.

We tried all the tricks: antibiotics, steroids, anti-nausea meds and appetite stimulants when she had no appetite, a blood transfusion, and lots of other things I no longer remember. X-rays and ultrasounds to hunt for signs of cancer; every tick panel known to man--all negative. But she started showing pain on Monday morning, and DIC set in. (DIC = Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation. Quietly referred to by members of the medical profession as "Death Is Coming.") She was blinded at one point by bleeding in her eyes, but that cleared up. She was Sharpied all over to indicate the extent of bruising. And how could we have caught it earlier when she was showing no symptoms and had perfect bloodwork 3 days before she went into the hospital? So don't beat yourself up about what you might have done earlier or during treatment.

You took good care of her and you were there to do everything she needed you to do at the end.

Godspeed, Zilla.

[Neighsayer]

Hugs!

[Batmom]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your lovely girl. Godspeed, sweetheart.

[FiveRoooooers]

Your beautiful girl. I am so very sorry. Peace for her family, including her sister.

 

Godspeed Zilla.

[BatterseaBrindl]

So very sorry for the loss of your beautiful girlie.

Remember the good times....

[MP_the4pack]

[macoduck]

I will add Zilla's name to the list of Bridge Angels here on Greytalk.

[GreyPoopon]

I'm so incredibly sorry. To lose such a young dog to a sudden horrible condition must be phenomenally difficult.

 

Godspeed Zilla.

[Houndtime]

How awful for you. I am so sorry for your loss.

[Remolacha]

I am so sorry

[Beachbum1]

So very sorry for your loss

[smurfette]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Godspeed, Zilla.

[Ukalliq]

Thank you all for your kind condolences. I know we gave Zilla the best life a good dog could ask for, I just thought we would have so much more time with her.

[Charlies_Dad]

I am very sorry for the loss of your pretty girl.

 

Run free Zilla, run free sweetie...

[robinw]

I’m so very sorry.

[racindog]

My heart is breaking for you. I am so sorry Zilla had to leave so suddenly. I have learned that when it is time they leave and that there is absolutely nothing we can do about it...or could have done about it. I can also tell you that I have found that the love actually continues to grow and is even stronger than before. Nothing,not even death, is more powerful than love. Love is energy like everything else and cannot be destroyed. I hope your Zilla sends you a sign to reassure you. If she does you will recognize it so just enjoy it and don't try and talk yourself out of it You will not be imagining anything. Our beloved can and sometimes do reach out to us in surprising ways. One of their favorite ways is through another animal. So don't be surprised if the 11 year old exhibits some Zilla behaviors. It is just your Zilla telling you that your love continues and she is well.

:f_pink

[JohnF]

So sorry to read of your loss.

You went that extra mile and three more, and didn't let your Zilla down.

 

[Time4ANap]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

Run-free, Zilla.

[Patsy]

Maybe some more pix of your gorgeous girl? And welcome to the board; sorry it is such a sad reason to begin with.

[schultzlc]

I am so very sorry for the loss of your Zilla.

[ramonaghan]

I'm so sorry for your loss. You did everything you could for your girl. Rest well, Zilla.

[sabrina]

I am sorry that Zilla left you so suddenly although there is never a easy time for them to pass

[Cricket57]

So sorry for your loss. Run free, sweet Zilla.

[Ukalliq]

I'm sorry you lost Zilla.

 

I lost my greyhound Jacey to immune mediated thrombocytopenia in 2011.

Thank you for sharing that with me - story is sadly familiar. I'm sorry you had to go through that with Jacey.

 

Maybe some more pix of your gorgeous girl? And welcome to the board; sorry it is such a sad reason to begin with.

Thank you.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures. A few blocks from our house, there is a boat launch into a calm river. In the summer, we would take the dogs there to swim and play. Zilla didn't really like to swim in water deeper than she could stand, but she would wade and bounce around near the shoreline. Our other dog, Jaws, is clearly part fish. We would toss the frisbee out into the river for Jaws to fetch and Zilla would wait near the edge of the water for her to come back and "pounce" at her. No idea why.

 

She loved soft blankets, pillows, couches. Always looking to be comfortable.

 

Another puppy pic. She loved play-fighting with her sister. It's cold where we live, so we'd put a coat on her if she was outside for anything longer than a potty break. Often, she would not sit still long enough for us to take it off her once she was inside.

 

 

Here she is in her grown-up coat. Some times she'd even have to wear booties! Poor girl had the instinct to play in snow from her northern breed ancestors but couldn't stay out for too long. I liked to imagine her sled dog half saying "Hey! Roll around in the snow!" and her greyhound half going "No! We don't have any body fat!"

 

I think this is the last picture we took of her. She was too weak to stand, and we were trying to get some food in her. Boiled chicken mixed with canned food. This picture makes me sad and happy at the same time. Sad that she didn't make it, but happy that we were able to spend time with her and take care of her until the end.

 

Everyone here has been so supportive; I really appreciate it. I'm feeling better every day.