When Daisy came to us in 2010, she was just a sweet, little 2 year old. We found her being given away on a Yahoo Group. When we met her, I instantly fell in love. As I was holding Daisy and getting acquainted, I could see fleas crawling through her white fur. A lot of fleas. I did not know her owners so I don’t want to judge them harshly. But I could not understand how, if I could see the fleas, they either could not see them or were just choosing not to do anything about them. Maybe they couldn’t afford to? At any rate, I knew two things: 1. Fleas were a problem I could easily take care of and 2. Daisy was coming home with me.
I said I would love to have her and they agreed to let her go. So we loaded Miss Daisy in the car to bring her to her new home. I got her in the house and took her immediately to the bathroom where I gave her a bath with blue Dawn. After she dried, I put flea treatment on her. She didn’t have worms so we were good. Fortunately, the vet deemed her otherwise healthy. Boom. Problem solved.
Daisy was always such a good baby. I often referred to her as Daisy Baby. She hardly ever barked, even with Puppy [and then Marley] bugged the crap out of her. When she did bark, though, she had a low, ominous bark that hardly matched her sweet, little face. We were only ever apart for an extended period when I had my heart attack as we were afraid she might climb on me and hurt me. That was only maybe 3 weeks though as I missed her greatly and begged for her back [a friend was babysitting her]. She climbed in the chair with me and sat calmly, never once hurting me. It’s as if she knew to be extra careful.
Oh How Daisy Loved To Circle
One of her favorite things was to “circle” down the hall. I like to think that Daisy imagined herself as a show pony, prancing for the judges. With her mouth open, tongue out, Daisy looked as if she was smiling the entire time. She would circle for what seemed all night sometimes and I often wondered if she might never tire out. I remember the previous owners complaining about this particular habit. Honestly, I always found it humorous. We like what we like. She really was a funny, mess.
Daisy’s Health Issues
A few years ago, she started having dental issues and even developed a whole in her face [we later learned that was from a tooth abscess]. Amber took her to the vet and, as it turns out, Daisy had to have all her teeth removed. I definitely didn’t know much about doggie dental care at the time, but my vet also said that dental loss can be quite common in chihuahuas as they age. I worried so much about how she would eat. My vet said that some of his dogs had lost their teeth as well and they continued to eat kibble. As it turns out Daisy did, too! She would pick up a few pieces in her mouth from the bowl, take them to the floor, and eat the ones she liked, leaving behind the bits that did not suit her. Fortunately for us, Marley made a good clean up crew and seemed to rather enjoy Daisy’s discarded kibble.
Daisy also developed cataracts shortly before she passed. One eye became almost completely covered before her death and the other started developing a cataract as well. We opted not to do surgery due to her age. At that time she was 13 or 14. I also wondered if sometimes she was losing her hearing as she didn’t seem to “come” as quickly when we called for her. Often it took several attempts to get her to even turn her head. For the most part, Daisy appeared to be able to see well enough, only running into things on occasion. This was mainly if she was “circling” and something was in her peripheral vision or if she got herself into a situation where she might need to back out [behind an open door, shelf, etc]. I work from home and was typically able to “rescue” her quickly so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
A few months before Daisy passed, she started having serious back and hind leg issues. She got to where she would lean against the wall to walk and sometimes she could barely stand to use the restroom. She was diagnosed with IVDD [Intervertebral Disc Disease]. There were several vet visits to track her progress and we had her on Prednisone and Gabapentin, but the vet informed us that, unfortunately, nothing could either reverse or stop the progression of the disease. At 14, the vet and I were mainly concerned with her pain level. More than anything, I didn’t want her to suffer.
Saying Goodbye To Daisy
In the end, she stopped taking food and water, even when I carried her over and offered them to her. She was just so weak. On the day that I felt would be her last, I sat in my chair and held her almost the entire day. I prayed to God that I could keep her longer but it was not meant to be. Deep down, I knew that she was just in too much pain and needed relief. Daisy passed away as warm and as comfy as we could make her in her bed November 12, 2022. She was surrounded by me, Kenny and Marley. I feel honored that I could call her mine for 12 years, even though, looking back, that time seems so fleeting and small now.
I often wonder how her original owners would have handled her teeth and back situations – or if they would have handled them at all. I am blessed that we got to care for her and be there for her when she needed help. There will never be another Daisy Baby and I miss her greatly.
Have you lost a pet? Tell us about your fur baby in the comments below.
