Moo Cow died today.
Earlier today she collapsed onto the floor and started convulsing, so we drove her to the animal hospital for emergency treatment since the vet we have been taking her to is closed until Wednesday. They took her in and hooked her up with oxygen and IVs and did blood work. When they came back, they said her blood glucose was extremely low (35) whereas just the other day it was too high.
They told us she was "extremely critical" and nothing they were doing to help her was yielding any sign of improvement. At that point they told us the best option was to let her go. They brought her in to say goodbye and she was almost completely unresponsive. I would have thought she was already dead if she was not still barely breathing. They injected several tubes of chemicals into her IV tube and as the last one went in she stopped breathing, and lots of green liquid came out of her nose. She died at 3:05pm EST today.
Shortly after, I buried her at my wife's ex-husband's house-- since he is the only person I know who has a yard. As I lowered her into the ground, everything I had been holding back took me. I did everything I could possibly do to help her. We all did. I thought she was looking better. I thought she could have recovered. When we got home, I realized she would never again be there to greet us, or frantically beg to be let into my stepdaughter's room. She will never chase straws down the hallway or make biscuits in my lap. Her food and water dish sit on the floor completely filled and her litter box is still completely free of waste.
The dirt from the hole I dug won't come off of my hands. My wife found this picture of when she was healthy doing what she loved doing best. I will leave it here.