Today is Manafort Monday, and we"re all gleefully following the news of indictments, arrests, and plea deals. But not all news today is happy news.
Over the weekend, Bethenny Frankel shared some very grim news about her dog, Cookie, experiencing seizures. She asked fans for help and advice, and we have some video of that, below.
Bethenny shared a tragic update this morning.
Bethenny Frankel is more than just a star of The Real Housewives of New York City.
She and her team coordinate disaster relief efforts. She"s been busy this summer, visiting disaster sites in the US such as Houston and Puerto Rico.
For some wealthy celebrities, charity is a means of self-promotion or even a way to alleviate a misplaced sense of guilt.
(Or boredom!)
For Bethenny Frankel, her work in devastated areas is a passion.
As I told my roommate when she arrived in Puerto Rico with private planes loaded with relief supplies: "Bethenny Frankel is not a chillful woman."
Even after everything that she"s gone through in the past few days, Bethenny was sure to tweet shortly after noon on Monday:
"PR/USVI/MEXICO I am still working for you. Still donating, planning flights & working for the cargo ship. xoxo"
Bethenny is also an avid dog-lover.
(Aren"t we all?)
Her dogs have their own social media accounts.
On Saturday, Bethenny took to social media to share the very upsetting news about the health of one of her dogs, Cookie.
In a series of truly hard-to-watch videos, a tearful Bethenny Frankel on Saturday revealed that Cookie was undergoing lengthy seizures.
Separated from her assistants and staff (she was staying in the Hamptons with her daughter, as she does on weekends), Bethenny turned to social media for advice — as so many of us do.
Though Bethenny reportedly took Cookie to the veterinarian after about three minutes of Cookie"s frightening seizures, she got flack from fans for reaching out to social media.
Bethenny replied: "Bc u cannot call dog 911, so I needed you. I literally didn’t know if lifting her would kill her or if she’d swallow tongue."
She took Cookie to the veterinarian, who was 40 minutes away.
In addition to the videos (below), Bethenny also shared updates in a series of tweets.
"My peanut & I experienced a 45 min dog seizure & have obvious decisions to make &” in case” goodbyes to say. @cookiedabooboo is still alive."
Bethenny"s young daughter, whom she shares with Jason Hoppy, experienced all of this, too.
"It’s clear what’ll happen, but panic/trauma w 7 yr old is a lot. Constant seizures for 45 mins in car to vet 45 mins away. #sadhelpless"
Bethenny thanked her fans for their advice and support.
"And u are amazing. When ur alone in something terrifying, u don’t know whether to move dog,put stick in mouth or sit still. This waa rough."
She updated how she was doing throughout the weekend.
"My dog had too long a seizure & I’m pissed the closest vet is 40 mins away. I’m in a bad place. She will be put down"
And the updates got worse.
"She is not regaining consciousness. It’s to be expected but this was a horrifying experience."
Someone asked why she didn"t take Cookie to the vet right away — but she did.
"We did 3 mins into foaming/seizure.Holding 30lb convulsing dog w 7 yr old&driving w bone in dying dog’s mouth is rough."
That is truly heartbreaking.
"Thanks for the love. @cookiedabooboo is alive but had a very high temp & 45 min seizure so she’s resting at hospital. Not time yet…."
She reported good news.
"She is 17 & did have 108 fever & 45 mins of seizures, but she licked Bryn & reacted to my belly rubs. Better today but TBD"
But Bethenny has always been a realist.
"Yes. I’m not delusional abt it, but she oddly seemed peaceful & MD said she’s in no pain & it would be a miracle"
She thanked fans again for their outpouring of love and support.
"I’m grateful. People are loving & caring. Part of me thinks the crap in the world is to bring us closer & make us better. Thank you."
And then, early Monday morning, Bethenny provided another update:
"My baby had 2 more seizures last PM. My heart is broken."
A lot of stories have happy endings.
Tragically, this one does not.
Bethenny posted this morning, on both Twitter and Instagram, a photo of her giving Cookie a kiss.
Her caption reads:
"My furry first baby, May your next life be as beautiful as this one was over the last 17 years. Thank you for all the love you gave to me and my peanut. See you on the other side my love. Xo"
This is devastating news.
Some hateful people will doubtlessly try to tell Bethenny that she"s in the wrong, here.
She is not.
It"s the responsibility of everyone with a pet to make medical decisions for their furry (or scaley or feathered) friend. Cookie was 17 and did not deserve to suffer.
It sounds like Bethenny did the right thing every step of the way. This is heartbreaking news, but sometimes death is the preferable option to slowly suffering.
Our thoughts should be with Bethenny Frankel and her family as their mourn losing a loved one.
Here is the video and, be warned: it can be tough to watch.
