Bella has had a rough go of it lately. She had become cranky with the girls and was frequently acting out of sorts. We took her to the vet and did a full work up, but found nothing (we were convinced it was cancer). We treated her for joint stiffness and stomach ailments that the vet and we both felt were due to old age. However, late last night she took a turn WAY downhill.

Dave and I were watching TV and chatting when she came into the living room and acted like she was going to throw up. She has had a sensitive stomach, and we’ve put her on a restricted diet because of it, so we didn’t think much of it. But, after putting her outside and waiting a few minutes, we realized she was crying at the door. We let her inside and realized her stomach/belly was swollen to about 4-5 times its normal size. It was hard as a rock. Within ten minutes, she was frothing at the mouth and groaning/wailing. We madly scrambled to look up a 24 hr vet clinic, since it was already 10 pm. We called and they said to bring her in immediately. Dave drove her and said she wailed the entire way.

After quick x-rays it was determined that she had a full torsion or twist in her intestines which had pushed her stomach up and over to the side, blocking up her entire abdomen. She was already in labored breathing, and our options were very limited. Unfortunately, she did not make it.

I did not want her to end her life in a 24 hr emergency vet clinic right before Christmas, but I also know that she had a great 10 years with us. Dave and I got Bella as a little puppy the year we were married. She has lived with us in four states and been with us through graduate school, buying our first house, leaving the Air Force… She watched as we have grown our family from two to four (soon to be five).
For those of you who knew her, she was incorrigible to say the least. Barking, jumping, demanding, eating people food off the counter…all bad habits that we never broke. But, she was also loving and full of personality. And, except for the past few weeks, she was a great dog with our kids. I never worried for my safety when she was in the house with us. And, I always got a kick out of the fact that she thought of herself as human instead of dog. Sneaking time on the couch, wanting to be right in the mist of the action, never satisfied to be on the outside of whatever was going on. We will miss her.