So sorry. Seems like the only time I post now is to let y'all know I lost another little one. It's been a very tough 11 months. Last April, Mr. Kitty crossed the bridge, to be followed by my little Coe kitty in August. Then Rufus, my adorable old weenie dog, left us in October, followed quickly by my Trooper. Well, now my Sweet Cinderella pitty has joined them all. 
I was told a while back that Cindy had Cushing's Disease and that she probably wouldn't live but a few weeks. Course, you all know by now, I wouldn't allow that to happen. I researched everywhere and found some incredible websites with advice on this terrible disease. My husband started fixing her special meals two to three times a day, which consisted of protein (chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs), veggies (especially green beans and carrots), garlic, cayenne, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, etc. It was also recommended to add all natural Cushex drops and Heart Tonic granules. Absolutely no grains or carbs of any kind! Well, the transformation was amazing! She turned back into a playful pup of 11 years old (we think...she was one of my rescues off the streets of SA, so the vet wasn't certain of her age). The only other meds offered were thought to be too hard on her heart, so we decided against them.
She had a very happy last few months. Last weekend, though, we could tell it was beginning to take a toll on her heart. That's what the vet had said would happen. She was breathing harder than usual, and was uncomfortable laying down. It reminded me of exactly what happened with my mother in her last 2 days here on earth. Then, Monday morning, she was acting completely normal, not breathing heavily, up and around with her two buddies, Abby and Brownie, chasing birds, "smiling" as she always did and wagging her tail. I went out before work and gave her a big hug and kiss. John gave her and all our outside dogs their morning biscuits about 10:45 am, and said she was a happy camper, munching away. He even told me he thought she just had a virus over the weekend, and was a-okay now. At 11:45 he went out to give her another small meal, and found her in the same spot he left her an hour before. Apparently after eating the doggie treat, her heart just stopped.
He could tell that she didn't even know what happened...no struggle, no pain, just literally "fell asleep" forever. He continued talking to her as he laid her to rest in a special place. He let all the other doggies say their goodbyes, placed a beautiful big stone with her name painted on it as her marker, and closed the gate so she would be undisturbed. He texted me at work, "Cindy's gone", and I cried the rest of the day (very difficult when you're cleaning teeth, but fortunately my patients, co-workers and boss know me well and helped to ease the pain), as did my wonderful friends in our rescue group, Karen "Miss Whiskers", Christine "and Bailey", Mari "mumpkees", my sis Jacqui, and a new friend in rescue, Jessica of BeKindToAnimals.
