Sweet Natalie

Today has been a very hard day because I had to have little Natalie euthanized this morning. We still don't know what was wrong with her but in the end it was the kindest thing to do for her. She and her sister, Rosalie, arrived at my home just over 2 weeks ago. They both had upper respiratory infections but were otherwise seemingly fine. Rosalie was adopted about a week later and is doing just fantastic with her new family. But little Natalie was a case of "failure to thrive" from the beginning. During the last couple of days she stopped eating, stayed in a dark spot behind the sofa, and was in obvious pain and discomfort. Last night things got worse and I prepared myself for what I knew was the inevitable. It's possible she had distemper but most certainly other complicating conditions as well. She was vaccinated for distemper (she had the first and second shots for it) but it is still possible for a dog to get distemper depending on whether the shot/s were given properly and the immune system/health of the dog. I held her in my arms most of the night last night, all wrapped up in a soft blanket - I even let her sleep next to me in the bed. I'll miss her and having to make horrible decisions like this make me even more angry at people who don't take care of animals in the first place. She will be cremated and I will keep her ashes.