[nagdu] W-rose

[robert stigile]

Hello All,
I do not post to the list a lot, but I read every message that 
comes through.
Some of you have met me at the National Conventions, and some 
know me from being in California.
I am writing, to let all of you know, that Thursday, February 
19th, my little Girl w-rose, a yellow Lab from Guide Dogs of 
America, passed away.
It was very shocking to me, as I thought she would work a few 
more years, as did all of the trainers did as well.
In early January, she started having issues with releaving, so I 
took her to the school, where they have a vet who attends to the 
dogs, and he didn't find much from her blood work, so he 
prescribed some medication to help with the stool, but she kept 
having difficulties, so we changed her food to one that helps 
with digestive issues.
She seemed to be fine when we were at the Washington Seminar, of 
course her guide work was always great, but when we got home from 
DC, she started having relieving issues again, so I took her back 
to the vet.
Again, they couldn't get enough of a sample, so when the results 
came back it didn't show anything.
It kept up, and when she didn't want to eat much, it was a sign 
that something was definitely wrong, so this past Saturday, we 
went back to the vet, they took x-rays, and they came back 
showing that she had a mass on her stomach and chest.
I was devastated.
So, we brought her home, and figured that we would watch her over 
a few days, see how she does and then on Thursday, assess her 
again.
When I took her to the vet Thursday, she had lost 3 pounds in 
less then a week, she had a lot of fluid in her stomach and was 
in pain, so I couldn't let her continue being in pain.
We put her down on Thursday, and I am just now able to talk about 
it.
She was a great dog, worked hard, and was a very lovable dog.
I will get another dog, but I do not know when that will take 
place, as the school needs to see what might match with me.
Thank you in advance for reading this post.
Take care,

Robert Stigile
phone: 818-381-9568
e-mail: rstigile at gmail.com
Skype: robertstigile1
Twitter: rstigile