I asked the vet how we could not have detected it and she said it was in her spleen and that is just too aggressive and rapid to detect at times.She noted, surgery to remove the tumor on her spleen and chemo would run about 5k, however, she said she was not willing to give it a try because she would more than likely bleed to death and would also needed a blood transfusion noting her survival rate was non-existent.
So we agreed to put her down, we spent a good hour with her, the kids wanted some individual alone time. After we decided where and what to do with her after all was said and done. She seemed fine at times and labored at others but happy we were all there. We asked if we could take her home and let her expire there but the vet said she would not make it through the night and that she would more than likely bleed to death internally before the morning and that it would be painful for Ruby and messy.
They fed her a fine last meal, one of those high dollar $12.00 tin canned meals for fancy dogs, wait Ruby was a high dollar dog bought by a working class family. Then they took her and placed an I.V. on her and brought her back, we said our final emotional good byes and my daughter Emily, the one we got her for 10 years ago held her while they sedated her, Ruby lie there so very trusting, her eyes glazing over as she slipped into a heavy sleep, her body becoming limp and lifeless as they finally administered the drug that stopped her heart. Emily later told me, as her hand was placed on Ruby's chest that she felt her racing heart suddenly become still.
In less than a minute we lost a decade of happiness, suddenly the kids, my ex-wife, and I became a mass of emotion as we struggled with the loss of a family member. We all would gladly re-sacrifice the chewed shoes, rod handles, toys, socks, and pet accidents to have Ruby one more week, but that's life.
The void is there folks and Ruby now rests in my kids backyard where she gave the possums and rabbits hell, wrapped in my son's and her favorite blanket. In a few months Emily is going to plant a cherry blossom tree there to mark the spot. Folks, I brought his dog home in my coat pocket Christmas 1999 and I buried her a few hours ago, 100 dachshunds could never replace Ruby Tuesday, too bad she could not have waited until tomorrow and she would have played into the song she was named after.
Good bye Ruby Tuesday, you will be missed.
My last photos with Ruby at the vet...
Mando, I cried so much when I read this. I really hope that I can see you and your family soon. I miss you. You were always like a brother to me, I hope you know that. I miss you.
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