Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg
2003-2016

In the early hours of July 1, my 13 year old German Shepherd, Blitzkrieg, passed away.

The last two days of his life, his health rapidly declined. He didn't eat, drink water, he had trouble walking and sitting up. My husband and I scheduled a time on July 1 to have him put down, but he died in the early morning.

I was with Blitzkrieg from when I got home from work on his final day. I made sure he was comfortable, as best as I could, offered him food (which he didn't eat) and water (he drank a little). I stayed awake with him until 2:15 a.m. His breathing was labored earlier in the night, but he seemed to breathing easier when I decided to go to sleep. I slept on the floor about 3 feet away from him. When I woke up around 5 a.m. Blitzkrieg was gone. I just hugged him, said I loved him over and over and said I was sorry. I was sorry that he suffered. I know he was in pain that last day. My big boy, who we had since he was a puppy, was gone.  

About a year and half ago, Blitzkrieg was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy. Degenerative Myelopathy is disease of the spinal cord for older dogs. The symptoms of the disease is limb paralysis, loss of muscle, loss of muscle tissue and loss of bodily functions.

Every day for a year and a half, I helped Blitzkrieg walk around the house. A towel was put under his back legs and I would help stand him up. Blitzkrieg was able to walk with his front legs. He would sit and lay on a puppy training pad to help protect the flooring from accidents. When Blitzkrieg went outside, he used a wheelchair. When he would walk in the wheelchair, it was like he was before the disease was diagnosed. He was able to walk around the yard by himself. It was something that he could do on his own. It always made my heart happy to see him in the backyard walking by himself.

A few months ago I put Blitzkrieg in his wheelchair on the back deck. He just wanted to get down the stairs to walk in the backyard that he caught his left wheel on the corner of a flower box on the deck and it snapped the arm of his wheelchair. His wheelchair was broken and I couldn't fix it. My husband ordered new wheelchairs for him that arrived weeks later, but Blitzkrieg had a hard time with those. Too much time had passed by that he walked on his own, that he had trouble standing and walking in the two new chairs that were bought for him. I realized that my brother-in-law used to work in a shop and could probably fix his broken wheelchair. My brother-in-law was able to fix it within a couple of days. I would take Blitz outside to get in his chair. He acted like he did in the other chairs. He would just stand, shake and finally lose his footing and fall. I knew when that happened that he lost muscle and strength while waiting for new wheelchairs and his old one to be fixed.

My husband and I don't regret putting Blitzkrieg down when he was diagnosed with this terrible disease. Blitzkrieg still had a wonderful life during that last year and half. He loved walking in the backyard. He loved playing with a tennis ball. He loved his food and receiving treats because he was a good boy. Helping Blitzkrieg after he lost the use of his legs, showed me what a wonderful caretaker or mother I can be. I loved Blitzkrieg like a child. He was my child. He needed to eat and visit the vet. He needed to play and be loved. And my husband and I did all of that for him.

I will always have Blitzkrieg in my heart. I will always miss him and love him. He was the best dog anyone could ever have.

Goodbye Blitzkrieg. Until we meet again.