Jaz in the summer
I'd just like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts during last week and after we lost Jaz last Saturday, 24th November 2001.
Jaz. Early on 23rd November.
I've found it almost too hard to handle this time, though I'm not sure why - after Belle went in February, I always had the thought in my mind that Jaz wouldn't be long behind. But then I'm often accused of being a pessimist, so maybe I didn't take myself as seriously as I should this time!
Walking home with Toby (in front), Annie (on my right) and Jaz. 23rd November.
In the end, Jaz went very quickly, although she was very frightened. Saturday morning I think I knew what would happen, that 'certain spark' had gone overnight, despite the continued use of Vetagesic, which contains a morphine derivative I think.
Malcolm and Jaz. 24th November.
We spent the morning sitting with her, talking, grooming, cuddling; I think this extra attention slightly worried her, but she lapped it all up in true Berner fashion.
Jaz and Coley. 24th November.
As you can see from the above photo, she still looked pretty good, although this was the only position she could rest in. Coley was the last animal to come and say goodbye; Jaz was loved by all the cats - we called her The Cat Magnet!
Hugging comforted us all.
Just before lunch, her breathing got more laboured,
and we all noticed that look in her eye that every Bernese owner dreads.
So I rang Beth who, although it was her weekend off, said she would be with us as soon as possible. Jaz was now beginning to get very distressed, so it was with great relief and immense sadness that we greeted Beth and the Vet nurse, Sarah, just before 2pm.
One thing gave us all a smile, just as the last of the anaesthetic was being given, Jaz heaved a sigh. We guessed that's when she caught sight of her sister, Belle, waiting to introduce her to all her new friends over the bridge...
Poor Jaz, she lived most of her life in the shadow of Belle, but maybe the past 8 months without her sister will have taught her that she is every bit as good as Belle! In any event, my Best Boy Boots, Hannah and Hannah Too will also be there to see fair play.
Jaz. 1pm. Saturday 24th November 2001. Our last, best memory before she met her new family
Hannah (1986 - 1987)
Hannah Too (1987 - 1990)
Boots (1988 - 1996)
Belle (1994 - 2001)
We are having a post mortem done, as I need to know if Jaz suffered from the same rare cancer (apocrine gland cancer of the anal gland) as her sister. Preliminary results show that the tissue of her left lung lobe had been completely replaced with amorphous white tumour tissue. The tumour extended to the mediastinal and bronchial lymph nodes, which were much enlarged. The mass of this tumour tissue was measured at half a kilogram (about 1 pound.).
No wonder she had been bringing up fluid from her lungs and was having trouble breathing. Apparently the tumour was very close to the aorta, so we were extremely fortunate that she didn't suffer a haemorage.
There were no obvious signs of tumours in other organs, so we won't know if the lung tumour was a primary or secondary. If the latter, the primary would probably be microscopic, like Belle's primary. But it's no good second guessing the results... I'll post them as soon as I know.
Putting this page together has been very cathartic for me, but I hope that it hasn't distressed you too much. In the not too distant future, I will put photos up of happier days; meanwhile, here are three which give me the some of my happiest memories of her.
Jaz and Dr. Pepper...
Jaz in the spring...
Jaz the clown.
She was my poppet, my smiley girl and we all miss her terribly - even with 2 dogs and 7 cats, the house is too quiet.
Click here to see happier times