Losing A Beloved Pet - A Tribute To Scarlett

I never intended to have a seven month gap in between my first and second blog posts - which were going to be about life with our three Bichons, Trixie, Holly and Scarlett. Two weeks after my first post, our 4-year-old Bichon, Scarlett, became gravely ill with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. I had read about this disease, but never imagined it would take the life of one of my dogs.

Scarlett fainted and fell off the couch in mid-August 2011. I picked her up and checked her gums, discovered they were white (not a good sign at all) and rushed her to the hospital. After blood work and some other tests, we found out she had autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The best way I can describe this disease is to say that Scarlett’s immune system was aggressively destroying her red blood cells as fast as (or faster than) she could make them.  Due to her low red blood cell count, Scarlett was weak and lethargic. Looking back, she seemed a little tired a week or so before this happened, but we attributed this to the hot August weather.

Scarlett’s veterinarians recommended kennel rest in addition to the medications they prescribed to suppress her immune system.  Her blood levels were closely monitored in hopes that her immune system would back off and stop attacking her red blood cells. We read everything we could on the disease and realized that the odds were not in our favor. We were determined to do everything we could to try for the good outcome. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia often comes on quickly and the cause is not known, nor is there a cure. The best we could hope for was to control the disease.

Scarlett became too weak to go on walks with her sisters, Trixie & Holly, so we took her along in the stroller so she could still get fresh air. She had a good appetite and we checked her gums and ears often for signs that her color was returning. She still maintained a sense of self despite the severity of her condition in that she would hunt squirrels from her stroller, bark at passers-by and greet us with her (weakened) woo-woo-woo bark and joyful tail wagging. We fed her tasty concoctions of rice, vegetables and meat so that she wouldn’t know we were giving her medication. My husband even assembled patties using lamb, sirloin, vegetables, rice, eggs and unflavored bread crumbs and grilled them like burgers. These were a hit with the entire pack.

I slept with Scarlett, usually on the living room floor, every night while she was sick. One of the medications she was on (prednisone) made her very thirsty. I would set my iPhone timer to wake me up every 2-3 hours so I could take her outside so that she wouldn’t have to have an accident in her sleep. Scarlett was always a dog that got warm easily, but the medications seemed to make this worse. She wore her Kool-Collar often and slept on a cool pad beneath her blankets.

Scarlett was sick for 20 days and nights and she died in the wee hours of the morning of September 6th.  Trixie was up most of that night acting anxious and pacing the house while we tried to sleep on the living room floor. We now realize that Trixie probably sensed that Scarlett was at the end of her life. Before we took Scarlett to the hospital, we woke Holly up and laid her on the floor with Scarlett’s unconscious body so she could understand what happened. We said our goodbye’s to our baby bear at the hospital and went back home to grieve.

Scarlett, being 10 years younger than her sisters, was the emerging pack leader. She was the one who we often saw in the front window patiently waiting for us to come home or watching the neighbors walk by on the sidewalk or drive by in their cars. Scarlett was in charge of telling our golden girls, Trixie and Holly, that it was time to guard the house or time to greet mom and dad. Trixie and Holly didn’t greet us at the door for a couple of weeks after Scarlett passed away because they can’t hear as well and Scarlett wasn’t there to tell them it was time to greet. They eventually started sitting in the window and sleeping at the back door so they could greet us when we got home.

Scarlett loved to hunt squirrels and bunnies (Trixie taught her this), but never did so without being on a leash. She loved racing up the driveway with Holly after a walk, usually letting Holly win. Scarlett had 30+ nicknames – it’s a wonder she came to us when we called her! She would often get the hiccups and liked to sleep with her feet propped up on the wall or the back of the couch.  She wasn’t a fan of vegetables, loved snuggling in clean laundry, and preferred gentler play. She was usually the first one in bed at 10 p.m. and loved having her belly rubbed before she fell asleep. “Let’s go have a night-night!” was all I had to say and she would run to the bedroom.

As a puppy and an adult dog, Scarlett enjoyed squeaky toys and often took them apart to see what made them squeak. She was a good little sister to Trixie and Holly, encouraging them to play and always trying to get them to share their food with her. She often had 20 or 30 minute “discussions” with Trixie and I’m quite sure Trixie misses this interaction. Scarlett put on a brave front but was sensitive and often shy with new dogs she met in the neighborhood. She was most comfortable with her sisters, her cousin Lily and her friends, Biscuit and Bea.

We miss her energy and her joyful exuberance. We miss her sweet personality, her sharp bark and the way she communicated with us using her eyes and her voice. I miss picking her up and snuggling her, burying my face in her hair. The wonderful memories my husband and I share of the time she was with us are of some comfort and we know we gave her the best life we could in the too-short four years she was with us, but the pain of losing her is still with us every day.

There will never be another like Scarlett. Rest in peace baby dog.