Normally, I'm pretty private, I guess. I don't share a lot of personal things, but this one hits near and dear to all dog owners, so I think I have to for once. Bear with me, if I sound like I'm rambling for a moment.

Gabriel, my German Shepherd and SAR dog, died yesterday morning. Everyone, including me is shocked - the vet staff was in tears, and my vet feels horrible, he's like, "I had no idea he was that ill, none. He went home last night looking better."

He started vomiting Wed. at work, in the afternoon. Out of nowhere - he wasn't very distressed, just drooling and obviously didn't feel well. Thursday morning, we were at the vet first thing, and he was dehydrated a little, and not able to keep anything down. They X-rayed him, checked him out - no temp, no nothing, seemed fine, and so we all figured it was a GI upset, just a bad one, and put him on fluids. He went home pretty perky - after lounging around the front of the staff room all day getting loved on, since he breaks out of crates and cages at the drop of a hat. *chuckles* If he didn't want to stay in a crate, nothing was making him do so, especially since he usually just goes to a door and patiently waits for me to come back. My vet knows this, ah, old trick he's been doing for years.

Friday morning, after we got up for work, he rapidly started going downhill, fast. He'd been comfortable all night, but the moment he got up, he just started to crash. I immediately put him in the car and we were back at the clinic.

Noon, I got the call. He'd been up front, and my vet was honestly beside himself; he'd given everyone orders not to leave him by himself, he had a watch on him. In front of the tech, he went into cardiac arrest. They tried reviving him, but couldn't get him going. Apparently, the whole clinic came running, just about. I need to send them all a thank you card, or lunch, or flowers, or something. Above and beyond on that one for me, and I know they're as distraught as I am. I'm glad they were with him, if I wasn't.

We have no idea what happened - none. My vet is concerned about leptospirosis, perhaps, but if it was, it was the worst case he's ever seen in his practice. My dogs are vaccinated, and up to date. There was no fever, no nothing, but the vomiting. Bloodwork had slightly elevated kidney/liver levels, but that was it. I'm utterly puzzled. We're all stumped.

All the crew, Corgis and cats are on amoxi right now. Won't know for a few days what the results of the autopsy and biopsy are.

I'm going to miss him, wow. It's hard to lose a dog, any dog. But he wasn't just my pet, he was my partner, so it hits even more hard. I spent every day, nearly 24 hours a day, with this dog. I see him more than my husband, ha.

This is just a massive blow to me, my family and team, and the Corgis, who honestly adored him.

My dogs are vaccinated and up to date, but apparently there are some strains of Lepto that are literally this horrible, from there to gone within 48 hours.

This is just a gentle reminder on my end, make sure that your dogs have all their shots are up to date, please; unfortunately, Lepto is not a vaccine that fully covers all strains of it. It's common in the Pacific Northwest, especially at this time of year, in areas with wildlife.

I do not let my dogs drink out of puddles and streams, I always carry a bottle of water, but Lepto can be absorbed through a cut, or mucous membranes, and if he died of it, this is likely how he got it, walking on the trails. However, standing water is optimum for transmission, and that's another reason to not allow your dog to drink out of these places.

Everyone else in my house seems fine, and they all run the same trails with me, including the puppy. I'll keep folks posted on what happened.

- Shep

Edit: Thank you all so much for the kind words. It meant so much to me to see that, I cannot thank you all enough.

Pet people just understand, don't we?