Bo Zarts
Bo Zarts's JournalRIP Sweet Nick
We had to put Nick-Nick down on June 9. I can just now talk about it. He was 16 years 10 months old. Nick had quite the life. The quintessential fire lookout dog!
Losing Nick was the low point of the worst three weeks of my life. My heart attack scare on May 26 (it ended up being gall bladder). My gangrenous gall bladder and emergency surgery on 1 June. Seven days in the hospital away from Nick. Nick slipping away, and me unable to be there for him. At least I was there at the end.
I still had a Foley catheter and collection bag when we took Nick in to the veterinarian on 9 June. He sensed my condition. He knew. But he was ready to go. It had been 15 days since I had been able to walk him. It broke my heart not to be there for him in his final days.
Remember, Nick saved my life on the first night of fire season 2010. He woke me at midnight in a carbon monoxide filled fire lookout tower in the Oregon wilderness, and I was able to get us both out of there. That's one reason I have taken the last two fire seasons off .. to take care of sweet Nick in his last years.
Nick: the best dog ever.
Nick-Nick
Old Man Gallbladder Syndrome: GANGRENOUS Cholecystitis
Finally got into surgery at about 7 am this morning (Friday 6/1). We knew from the imaging that it would be bad. But gangrene? Bet that sucker was quite aromatic!
Now for the recovery. I'm typing through some morphine, trying to stay awake. Why?
My B/P plunged on Wednesday, to the 55/45 regions, and stayed there for about a day. Biliary sepsis.
Imaging on Thursday showed a wickedly angry, and dangerously distended gall bladder, with thick walls, fluid, and, lots-o-rocks. The surgeon got it before it popped. A gangrenous gall bladder.
What a week.
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