It only seems like yesterday,

We watched you come into this world.

How proud we were of  our little Amber,

So many plans, we had planned for you.

They say memories are golden.

Well, maybe that is true;

We never wanted memories,

We only wanted you.

We have thought of you,

We have cried, because we miss you;

If love alone could have saved you,

You never would have died.

In life we loved you dearly,

In death we love you still;

In our hearts you hold a piece

No other pet could fill.

But now we know you want us

To mourn for you no more,

To remember the happy times

Even though you life was short.

Since you'll never be forgotten

We pledge to you today;

A hollowed place within our hearts

Is where you'll always stay.

If tears could build a stairway

And heartache make a lane;

We'd walk the path to heaven

And bring you back again.

The family chain has be broken,

And nothing seems the same;

But as God calls us one by one,

The chain will link again.

Amber's autopsy report showed that she had,

"Granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis"

Better known as "GME"

GME is an inflammatory disease of the

Central Nervous system it effects dogs all over the world. Its cause is unknown. GME is more common in adult dogs, but can be found in dogs as early as six months. All breeds can be affected but females, small breed dogs seem to be predisposed especially Poodles.

However GME is Not hereditary         

In almost every case of GME, it is fatal.

GME causes the blood to clot in the brain leading to lack of circulation in parts of the brain.

There are two main forms of the disease - a disseminated form and a focal form.

The disseminated form usually has a sudden

onset and progresses quite quickly.

Clinical signs of this form are falling over,

head tilt, rotation of the eyeballs

from side to side, facial paralysis, circling,

loss of eyesight and possibly seizures.

(Amber had the disseminated form, she

was fine one day and by the next morning

she was like she was drunk.)

The focal form has a slower onset and the disease itself also progresses more slowly.

Clinical signs of focal GME vary depending on where in the central nervous system

the lesion is. there may be a change in

behavior, circling, weakness in 2 to 4 limbs,

head tilt, tremors or an unusual gait.