RIP Soraka

This week has been a very challenging week for me. On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Soraka passed away in my arms. I believe it was from her heartworms, but I am not for sure. I noticed that she was not eating her food that much the day before, and when I went in her room on Wednesday and saw she still had not eaten, I knew something was wrong. I tried to hand feed her some of her favorite treats, but she would turn her head. I decided to take her outside and see if that would cheer her mood. She was so weak she didn't want to go for a walk. So I brought her inside and decided to give her a bath. She was standing fine in the tub, but when I finished putting her shampoo on she sat down. She sits in the tub a lot, so I didn't take that as anything, but then she started to lay down. I had to hold her head up, so her face was not in the water. She then started panting so I figured she may have been too hot. I turned the water to make it a bit cooler, and she stopped panting for a little bit. I then tried talking to her to cheer her up while I rinsed her off and she did not seem to comprehend or even hear anything I was saying. I realized something was very wrong, and I turned the shower head off. I then took her in my arms, and she started panting again. Then I am not sure what happened except that she collapsed. Her ears and gums turned white, and I realized she was getting no oxygen. I was hysterical, but I tried to compress her chest to get maybe some oxygen and blood pumping, but it was no use. She was gone. The next 45 minutes are still a blur, but I know I couldn't let her go. My boyfriend was mourning with me, and we just sat in the bathroom. After I was able to gain a little control over my tears, I called Soraka's vet. They told me to bring her up there, and they would cremate her and spread her ashes in the pet cemetery. They also said they would send me a paw print in the mail so I could remember her.
I can hold my composure now, but I am still very upset. She was a sweet girl, and I am so glad I was able to give her four extra months to live. I wish there were more I could have done for her. I know she is no longer hurting, and she is probably happy as ever up in doggy heaven with my childhood pets, Spiderman and Kenya. I will miss her every day, but I am glad that I got the opportunity to have this sweet girl in my life. Below you will find a video that I made in remembrance of my princess. Thank you to Melanie and Aunt Pooh for your donations. Thank you to Renee for all the tips I needed to help bring Raka back to good health. And thank you to all who shared my posts that helped me raise money. You are all greatly appreciated, and I love you all.

Stay rocking, stay rad, and most of all, stay humble.
- Birdie and Raka