Content creator Grace Mondlana has opened up about the heartbreaking death of her puppy, Bella, revealing that she initially believed the dog’s worsening condition was simply part of being a young puppy.
Mondlana shared the painful details on her Instagram Story after followers asked what had happened to Bella. She said she felt compelled to explain the situation because she had been carrying the loss privately.
“I can’t ignore this question for good. This is what happened. Bella is gone,” Mondlana said.
Bella had only been part of Mondlana’s household for a short period after she introduced the puppy to her followers as a companion for her other dog, Kai. Mondlana had explained that she was worried Kai would become lonely when she was away from home for several hours.
Bella was about three months old when she joined the family.
Constant vomiting and diarrhoea
According to Mondlana, Bella began experiencing persistent vomiting and diarrhoea roughly a week after she arrived at her home.
“At first, I really thought that it is the puppy phase, as I did experience the same thing with Kai when he was still four months old,” she explained.
However, Mondlana said Bella’s symptoms continued for longer than she expected and eventually became increasingly concerning.
“But with Bella, it was a little bit strange because the things that were happening took a little bit longer than they were supposed to,” she said.
She said she took Bella to a veterinarian and spent a significant amount of money seeking treatment, but believed the advice and medication she received did not resolve the problem.
“So I took her to the vet, and I spent a lot of money because that particular vet kept on saying the same thing and giving me the same medicine,” Mondlana said.
Mondlana struggled while injured
As Bella’s condition continued, Mondlana said she also found herself struggling to care for the puppy while dealing with an injury of her own.
By the third week, she began considering giving Bella away because she felt she was no longer coping.
“So in the third week, I thought to myself, I have to give Bella away. I’m not coping with her around and my injury,” she said.
Mondlana said she delayed the decision because she did not want to give up on the puppy.
“It took me another week to do that because I did not want to let go of her yet. I thought I would keep trying, but we both just kept on getting worse.”
She also admitted that the situation became emotionally overwhelming as she struggled to move around quickly enough to clean up after the sick puppy.
“I kept on getting angrier at myself for being unable to move around and turn around whatever that she would make in the house quickly,” she said.
SPCA delivers devastating news
Eventually, Mondlana took Bella to the SPCA, believing the organisation would be able to help find her a new home.
Instead, she was told that Bella’s condition was far more serious than she had realised.
According to Mondlana, SPCA staff told her that Bella was internally bleeding and that her condition had reached a point where keeping her alive would amount to animal cruelty.
“You know what they said to me, Ma’am? This has gotten to a point where it is considered animal cruelty because she is internally bleeding, and keeping her alive is just hurting her more,” she recalled.
Mondlana said she was devastated because she had taken Bella to the SPCA with the intention of finding her another family.
“I was not aware of any of that. I took my puppy there just so she could get a new family,” she said.
Bella was euthanised immediately
Mondlana said the SPCA staff informed her that Bella’s condition was so severe that she needed to be euthanised immediately.
“We have to put her down. Like right now, in front of you. It needs to happen right now,” she recalled being told.
She said Bella was then euthanised in front of her.
“So instantly, they put Bella down and that was the end of her,” Mondlana said.
The circumstances have left Mondlana grieving while also confronting the painful reality that she did not know how seriously ill Bella had become.
Why she kept Bella’s death private
Mondlana said she deliberately chose not to announce Bella’s death immediately because she needed time to process the loss away from public scrutiny.
Her decision comes after Bella had only recently been introduced publicly as Kai’s new companion.
Mondlana had previously explained that she got Bella because she wanted Kai to have company when she was away from home. Her dogs had also become part of her social media content, with her lavish celebrations and treatment of Kai attracting significant attention online.
Mondlana is now left with Kai as she mourns Bella.
The influencer’s account also highlights how quickly a puppy’s apparent stomach problems can become serious – although the specific cause of Bella’s illness was not independently confirmed in the account she shared.
