Category: rainbow bridge

A Foxy Lady

When I started writing this blog a couple of years ago, I had lots of ideas as to what it would become. I haven’t become rich and famous and probably never will but it has become an avenue to talk my passion in life to those folks who are kind enough to read the blog.  Working in the animal field and owning pets fuels my list of stories to tell.  The list is becoming very long as the hours in a day just aren’t enough for me to accomplish all that I want and need to get done.  Never the less, there are times when it is important to make the time in an effort to share something that has moved me. Today is one of those days.
I first met Lilly, the Foxhound, about 6 years ago when she moved here from Canada.   Her owner is a nutritionist who adopted her from her nutritional research program when the studies were completed.  She told me that no one else would adopt Lilly because she was so quiet and laid back. The other adoptable dogs apparently were more desirable because they were much more lively and active.  Lilly was quite the opposite:  a lovely, quiet, gentle soul who was truly the perfect dog. I got to know Lilly as she came to work frequently and was often seen wondering the halls looking for the next person who would give her some attention. I’ m quite sure that in all the years I knew her, I never once heard her bark! Despite her quiet demeanor, she still enjoyed “dog stuff.”. She frequently went for walks, bike rides and the yearly trip to the remote cottage in Canada.  I later became great friends with both of Lilly’s owners and had the honor of providing veterinary care for her on occasion.  Sadly, Lilly developed cancer this year and a decision had to be made. Lilly crossed the bridge yesterday and moved on to a world with no more pain and suffering.
Decisions such as these are heart wrenching.  The ability to end pain and suffering for our beloved pets is truly the ultimate gift we can give them. It is a selfless act but our hearts do suffer as a result. It really speaks to the iron strong bonds and relationships that develop between humans and animals. Animals become deeply weaved into our lives and hearts.  Unconditional love is hard to come by these days but never ending when a cat or dog enters your life. When they are gone, a large void remains.  Of course grief runs its course and we all manage to move on, but always they remain part of our lives.  You are missed Lilly.  May angels greet thee at thy coming.

Lilly

Angels of Mercy

Today was one of those days that makes my job more difficult than the average person.  I had the responsibility of euthanizing an animal who had reached the end of her time here on earth.  She had excellent care throughout her 18 year life but the body had finally worn out.  It was a rough day.  As I was driving home and thinking about her, it  occurred to me that veterinarians deal with death routinely  as part of our daily work life.  For whatever reason, it was kind of a revelation.  I’ve been doing this job for nearly 19 years and never thought about in the same context before.   It is something that a person  experiences when losing family members or friends but on average this isn’t a regular occurrence.  Veterinarians deal with death routinely but it is never routine.  It is the end to a life that was spent with some purpose whether it was to be a loving pet to a family or a service dog for the handicapped.  It is the end to the beautiful animal that we had the opportunity to share our lives with who gave us comfort and happiness during their short time with us.  Something not to be taken lightly.
I read an aritcle in The New England Journal of Medicine (Treadway, 357;13) a few years back that discussed the end of human life from the perspective of an intern.  The article discussed a busy hosptial and the routineness of a “code”.  Everyone swarms into the room, tries to revive the patient with death often the outcome,  they leave and move onto the next patient .  During all this, they are trying to  remove their fear of what they were actually doing-trying to save a life.  If they thought about the shear responsibility they had of saving that life, they might fail at what they were trained to do.  During one of her experiences of a failed code, she was the last to leave the room and repeated a phrase she remembered from church “may choirs of angels greet thee at thy coming.”  It was a way to acknowledge the loss of a soul here on earth who she had a part in trying to save.  
Since reading this article, I always think of those words when an animal has taken it’s last breath and is free from it’s malady here on earth.  I hope there are angels awaiting to greet them or that a gatekeeper is waiting at the bridge to give them a shiny new collar or a new furry mouse.  Wherever their souls go, I long for it to be a happy place and they are rewarded for their time spent here to enrich our lives. 

Ode to Peanut

Peanut was a female dilute tortie kitten who became one of the luckiest cats in the world about 18 years ago.  Her story is not a glamorous one but an all too often familiar one that most of us working in the animal business have heard numerous times.  She was rescued from the life of a barn cat to the life of a house cat.  Now this may not sound like much to some people so what it means to that cat is food everyday, a warm bed, and a long life.  Statistics show the outdoor cat lives on average 2-4 years while the  indoor cat lives on average 12-18 years.  I know which one I’d pick if I were a cat. 


Anyway, back to Peanut.  She was rescued by my Mom who cared for her during her life.  Despite health issues, she really lived an incredibly long life.  Sadly, I recently had to euthanize Peanut due to her ailing health.  As the veterinarian in the family, I provide care to all the family animals.  In Peanut’s case that usually meant dispensing some sort of medication that Mom had to give on a daily basis.  Some of her medication included inhalers that she required for an asthmatic condition as well as pills of various sorts.  Cats can be challenging at best to give pills, let alone making them breath inhalers!  Fortunately, she was a mild mannered cat and took her medications with little trouble.  She had an uneventful life for a cat but she had the important things: lots of love, great care and safety.   In the end, her body gave out and rather than jeopardize her quality of life, my Mom made the difficult decision.  She crossed over the Rainbow Bridge last week. 
Her long life can definitely be owed to my Mom, who rescued her from the cold and provided never ending care for her till the end.  Please raise your glass and salute to Peanut.  Also, a salute to Mom and anyone who has rescued a needy orphan!