Open Letter To Michigan Dog Owners: I Now Know Your Pain & Love

As someone who has never owned a dog before, I find it crazy that I went into my mid-30s to experience what it’s like to have the love of a canine. Not just the love, but the connection that you make with them. For the last 4 1/2 years, my every day has been spent with a unique and silly dog named Scarlet.

She is a Pomeranian/Schipperke mix and has one of the most fun personalities out of any dog I’ve ever encountered. Over the weekend I experienced something that completely tore me apart, and that was the fear of losing her. On Sunday, I woke up to Scarlet throwing up, which she had done before. But she had no interest in eating food and continued to get sick through the morning and was completely lethargic all day.

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We knew that something was wrong with her, we just had no idea what. I was hoping it was just a stomach bug and nothing more. Luckily the team at the Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Byron Center was able to get her in in the afternoon.

Later that evening, the doctor said that she very well could have pancreatitis but that her liver levels were over the top. Normal dog's liver levels will be between 100 and 200, whereas Scarlett was at 3000. They offered to keep her overnight so that a specialist could monitor her in the morning and she could remain on fluids.

We knew this was the right thing to do And that was filled with fear and sadness beyond measure. It sounded like a death sentence for our puppy who is only 12 years old. Monday morning we received a message from the doctor saying that after talking to the specialist it was determined her gallbladder was extremely abnormal, and they determined surgery was most likely the option to go with.

We ended up going to the hospital to see her before surgery, and the difference in her personality was night and day from Sunday night to Monday afternoon. Sunday she was shaking and looked exhausted and sad. Before surgery, she met us in the exam room with a smile on her face and pranced into the room to greet us.

The amazing doctors and specialists there were able to successfully operate on her and she battled like a champ through the whole thing. At this point, my only hope now is that no other issues are going on with her internally. The doctors are hopeful that the pancreas and liver issues all stemmed from the gallbladder, which they said absolutely needed to come out and we made the right choice by taking her in when we did, otherwise, she could have ruptured it, which would’ve been fatal.

She still has a long way to go, but everybody at the Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Byron Center has my eternal thanks for not only treating her as fast as they have but the care and love that they’ve shown Scarlet.

This dog has done so much for my mental health over the last 4 1/2 years, and I am in no way shape or form ready to say goodbye to her. For those Michigan dog owners who have been through a similar situation, I finally understand your pain, but also your love for these amazing creatures.

I hope that you never have to know the pain of watching something you love and care about so much suffering and being in pain. We were ready to have to make the most difficult decision in our life, and these people have given her a chance, which I am hopeful she will once again battle through.

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