A sad post script to last week’s post. Our sick little Maggie dog did not recover from her holiday illness. We took her to the vet ER on Christmas day and made the difficult decision to have her put to sleep on Wednesday.
Maggie was diagnosed with lymphoma just a week after Chris, the corgis, and Lira joined me up here in WA. What was supposed to be a fun summer of exploring as a family turned into a veterinary adventure instead. Near-weekly oncology visits, several ER trips, and so many medications with such long names.
After early promising responses to treatment, Maggie’s progress plateaued and we could not get a satisfying response to any treatment. It was like a roller coaster, where we’d make a little progress and then plunge back down.
For most of this, Maggie was an absolute trooper. Aside from her ER visits with fevers, she rarely actually seemed sick. Some days she’d be a little pickier about food, a little slower on walks, but she still had a great attitude. She was a favorite at the oncologist’s office, with her bouncy gait and her good attitude. She always wanted to make friends with the other dogs too.
It’s been a rough week. Her sister Daisy (literal sister, they were littermates, together for life) doesn’t understand why she hasn’t come home. We’re doing our best to cheer her up, but there’s just no way to explain it to her.
We’ve been very fortunate pet owners. This is the first time we’ve ever had to make the decision to euthanize, and it was one of the hardest things either of us has ever done. I’m just thankful that everyone at the vet ER was completely kind and professional through the entire thing, giving us as much time as we needed (and plenty of Kleenex).
This is the hardest part about having pets, the fact that most of the companion animals we surround ourselves with are so much shorter-lived than we are. All we can do is give them the best life possible and hope that when their time comes, they can pass peacefully.
Hug your pets, friends, and give them a little extra love from me.
(Happier blog posts resume tomorrow, come back to see what I have planned for 2018)
