4/6/19: Cooper is running free at the Rainbow Bridge

I look at his picture and I smile while my heart is absolutely breaking! Cooper came to United Yorkie Rescue as an abandoned precious little boy, sitting in a shelter with a ball in his mouth, not asking for much from any human, just simply love and a someone that would play ball with him!! There he sat, this precious baby with this huge swollen belly, that housed a 3 lb tumor, while another 1 lb tumor lay on the outside along his ribcage...what do we do? Lynne Turner called me after playing with this sweet angel with those words. We were so full, but that face, and that ball in his mouth...what do we do, well, we bring him home and figure this out...so his journey began. We soon realized that nothing was ever "normal" when it came to Cooper. He had a massive 3lb tumor removal along with a partial splenectomy. He healed great and through this major surgery and recovery, never once did he have an accident in the house.. His little body was wrapped up like a taco from such a large incision, but he would get up and get to that door to go potty outside. After healing, Cooper went under again to remove the 1lb tumor that was along his side...again a remarkable heal. Finally we were back for his last checkup before adoption. A final ultrasound and blood work were performed and within minutes he was in for emergency surgery due to his spleen. The vet removed the rest of Cooper's spleen and during surgery it was also noted that his liver looked really bad and angry. Blood work also showed the issue so we started to heal again with diet and meds. A few days later, Cooper peed on the floor. I immediately knew, before we even saw the vet that this sweet baby had diabetes. Normally we can control diabetes, and we do that really well with our dogs, but with Cooper, nothing was normal. Cooper also had developed the most lipemic blood the vets had ever seen. The centrifuge could not spin his blood thin enough for the testing. This meant testing needed to be sent to A&M to their labs. After months of battling his uncontrolled diabetes, it was evident that this was taking a toll on his liver and kidneys. We were also testing Cooper for various diseases that Cooper mimicked with no answers. I consulted with Sandi and Jan and decided Cooper and I should head to A&M to meet with Internal med to hopefully get answers. We came back hopeful with Cooper on a new plan, after learning about "the somogy effect" and diabetes. We also came back with a special compounded medication for his lipemic blood. For a few months we were doing good, then I walked into a nightmare of a sea of urine throughout the entire house. Cooper's glucose was so high it could not be read by machines and his urine had too much glucose to be read as well. After being rushed to the vet, he went overnight to an ER, and then moved at 7am into a critical care facility, Cooper was put on high amounts of IV fluids which flushed this glucose while it brought his levels down and out of his diabetic crisis. Last week Cooper started to act differently and confused. After a vet visit, his glucose revealed his glucose was on the rise and by Friday we were back into crisis. As they were frantically getting him setup, I realized we were at that point where it was my time to help him make his final journey. I told my vet to give him what he needs overnight and I would be there early in the am to bring him home for his final visit. I picked this sweet angel up early and took him outside so he could play with the water hose which he just loved. Cooper got to eat not 1, but 2 bones which he loves, but could not have during these last few months. I sat and loved on him, cried and apologized and told him how amazing he was, and then wrapped him in his blanket and made our way to his vet. I got so many sweet kisses all the way there and in the room as we waited. I think Cooper knew honestly it was time and he was ready as his lil body had fought such an amazing vigorous fight this past year and he was just so tired. I held him and kissed his sweet face as the angels came. Cooper gave me so much. He taught me that even in those darkest hours of pain and confusion, you can find happiness in the most simplest of things. I miss his mushy kisses already and I will miss this sweet baby boy's love for everything in spite of the bittersweet life he was dealt. Run free baby. Thank you UYR for letting me be his momma. ��