Yesterday we lost a member of our family. We had to have our beloved Asta put to sleep. He was only with us a short time, 4.5 years. We got him from a friend of mine where I used to work. He had showed up at her door dirty and covered with fleas. I forgot to mention that he was a Schnauzer. She already had two Schnauzers and didn't have room for a third. She knew that our beloved Mieliki (a Lab) had just died, so she asked me if I wanted him. I said sure. She had already had him groomed and dipped to get rid of the fleas. I brought him home and we all immediately fell in love with him.
The next day I took him to my vet for a routine check. I was informed that he had a bad case of heart worms. I was asked if I wanted to have him undergo the expensive and sometimes fatal treatment. I immediately said yes. My philosophy is that the animals we are guardians for deserve all of the medical help available, after all they are a member of our family. Asta survived the treatment and came home.
All was well with him for about 6 months. Then one night he started crying and asked to go outside, the time was about 1 in the morning. I let him out and I could see that he was having a lot of pain trying to go to the bathroom. I immediately put him in the car and rushed him to the emergency room in Woolmarket. They determined he had an impacted colon and gave him an enema. From that time on I fed him All Bran with every meal mixed with mineral oil. That seemed to help and keep him regular.
Again all was well until 7 or 8 months ago. It was a weekend and I observed he was having trouble breathing and was lethargic. I rushed him to the emergency clinic in Woolmarket. They took x-rays and determined he had an enlarged heart and a lot of fluid around it. They gave me some medicine that would shrink the fluid and asked me to take him to his regular vet at the next opportunity. I did. I was informed that the reason for his enlarged heart was the heart worms and that the best that could be done was more medicine and try to keep him as quiet as possible. From that point on whenever I left the house I called just before I arrived back so my wife could get him and calm him down. If she didn't he would get so excited he would faint.
Yesterday I again noticed that he was having a lot of problems breathing, I rushed him to the vet and he gave him a couple of shots to stabilize him and put him in an oxygen cage. He asked me to come back in an hour to see how he was doing. When we returned we were shown some new x-rays that clearly showed that his heart had gotten even larger and that there was a massive build-up of fluid around it. My wife and I then and there made the decision that it was time to help him by relieving him of his pain. We held him while the vet injected him and he went quietly to sleep. We both cried, as I am as I write this.
Asta was only with us a short time but he was such a loving and smart little guy. Him and I had a special bond. He would climb into my lap and snuggle up as close as he could get. He will be sorely missed for a long time.
We love and miss you little guy.
