On a Friday night in February 2004 we took our English bulldog Molly to the vet because she had a hacking cough that wasn’t going away with antibiotic treatments previously prescribed.  There was some concern about the frequent occurence of the cough and Molly’s apparent discomfort.  She had x-rays taken and we were told by the vet, and saw with our own eyes, that Molly’s lungs were clear, but she had a hypoplastic trachea. 

Her trachea was, literally, the size of a coffee stirrer.  This raised the level of concern about Molly, more in terms of her future rather than in terms of her presenting cough.  We took Molly home with some additional antibiotics and contact information for a specialist that could provide us with more information about Molly’s condition.  A little more than 24 hours later, in the middle of the night Saturday-Sunday Molly wasn’t sleeping because she was hacking away; she was in extreme discomfort.  Molly was rushed to the nearest 24-hour veterinary facility and x-rays showed us that she had quickly developed pneumonia.  Her lungs were full of liquid and mucous and her prognosis was guarded because of the fact that her hypoplastic trachea would impair her ability to clear her own lungs. 

Molly stayed in an oxygen cage for 7 days and was treated with puppy nebulizers among other things.  Unfortunately, her condition did not improve at all and, in fact, it continued to worsen.  Each doctor that rotated through the facility confirmed that Molly’s pneumonia was very bad and her hypoplastic trachea made it nearly impossible for her to recover.  Her discomfort was apparent in her eyes and when we went to visit her on the 7th day Molly made it clear that she was ready to go to sleep and rest.  We made the very difficult decision to let her go so that she could exist in a place where she was no long suffering and uncomfortable.  My heart is still heavy with the loss of Molly; I often think about all the firsts that Molly didn’t have because she really was just a baby when she left.  I am so thankful for the love that she shared with us and I smile every time I look at her pictures that we have placed around the house. 

♥ Rest in peace, Molly ♥