Poor baby

Well, I have some sad news. After my last update where it seemed Chevy was doing so much better, she relapsed again. Her snot came back with a vengeance and clogged her nose with green. Her cough was keeping her up all night and she stopped eating very much. This meant pretty much one thing. Distemper. She was housed at one point with a puppy that had come down with the neurological (nerve) form of distemper. But they were in and out of the same places at odd amounts of time and we really didn't think they'd had enough contact to transmit. They never had any physical contact just shared air. But that's how contagious distemper can be. So unfortunately, even if Chevy never showed any of the nerve symptoms her upper respiratory symptoms would linger and linger until months from now they might subside. And that was too far in the future for her to have to suffer through the discomfort of her leg and hip injuries that had yet to be fixed and were causing her great pain. There was no way for her to undergo surgery to correct those with her congestion as bad as it was. So in her best interest we opted to put her to sleep.

It was very sad, holding her head and thanking her for fighting with me. But her sleep was quick and her comfort returned as she slipped away. I cried over her soft, thin head and held her until she was completely gone. You think in the world of shelters that this kinda thing gets easier. But it doesn't.
And, in my honest opinion, it shouldn't. Cause when they stop mattering. Each and every one of them, then its time for you to find a new line of work.

So next time I will introduce a new patient, Bomber. A youngish Boxer with heartworm disease so bad it was shutting down his heart. The boxer rescue is looking to take him, but until they do, I will let you in on his story!