As pet owners know, it is very hard to say goodbye to their beloved, furry family members. Tonight, my wife, son, and I said goodbye to our dog Jasper (Red Heeler 13 years), our cat Megan (Calico 20 years), and our cat Elizabeth (Manx 13 years).
Jasper was my wife's baby and has "worked" in our flower shop for the last three years. We have been keeping an eye on her closely since December when she began to have some difficulty getting in and out of the van and up on our bed. She had a mass growing on her rear leg for more than two years. It started out slow and finally began to take over last summer. It was inoperable because of its' location. She became uncomfortable over the last couple of weeks and her legs began to slip out from under her this week.
Megan was old and began howling in pain a couple of nights ago while bathing herself. Her body, inside and out, was finally beginning to shut down.
Elizabeth developed a skin cancer on her nose last summer and her nose fell off in the fall. It was unsightly, but she has been fine otherwise. We had her put to sleep as a preventative measure (for lack of a better term) because the weather has turned and the sun has been shining. We didn't want her to lay in the sun and burn the underlying tissue or have problems with yellow-jackets and flies. (Sorry to be gross)
We have now lost twenty pets in the last fourteen years - six dogs, eight cats, and four pygmy goats. We have taken them into the vets office for a pre-scheduled appointment. We have met the vet on the side of the road on Sunday. I have driven twice the speed limit to the vets office for an emergency. Worst of all, I have received the, "I'm sorry, she just slipped away" phone call from the emergency vet at 1am. This time was different, though, in that we had a veterinarian specializing in "end-of-life care" come to our house. The overall process was longer, but it was more peaceful. She was very caring and considerate. It was not any easier as it never gets easier, but it was a more comfortable experience for all concerned.
We are all very familiar with the quality of service and the "service experience" that can be provided both in life and death in our business. This is one that pet owners can look for when the time comes. I would highly recommend it.
We now have only one dog, three cats, and one pygmy goat. We are awaiting the new arrivals. We have "the sign" on our door that only stray animals can read. All but one of our pets was a stray. Well, OK, the goats weren't really stray.
Jason
Jasper was my wife's baby and has "worked" in our flower shop for the last three years. We have been keeping an eye on her closely since December when she began to have some difficulty getting in and out of the van and up on our bed. She had a mass growing on her rear leg for more than two years. It started out slow and finally began to take over last summer. It was inoperable because of its' location. She became uncomfortable over the last couple of weeks and her legs began to slip out from under her this week.
Megan was old and began howling in pain a couple of nights ago while bathing herself. Her body, inside and out, was finally beginning to shut down.
Elizabeth developed a skin cancer on her nose last summer and her nose fell off in the fall. It was unsightly, but she has been fine otherwise. We had her put to sleep as a preventative measure (for lack of a better term) because the weather has turned and the sun has been shining. We didn't want her to lay in the sun and burn the underlying tissue or have problems with yellow-jackets and flies. (Sorry to be gross)
We have now lost twenty pets in the last fourteen years - six dogs, eight cats, and four pygmy goats. We have taken them into the vets office for a pre-scheduled appointment. We have met the vet on the side of the road on Sunday. I have driven twice the speed limit to the vets office for an emergency. Worst of all, I have received the, "I'm sorry, she just slipped away" phone call from the emergency vet at 1am. This time was different, though, in that we had a veterinarian specializing in "end-of-life care" come to our house. The overall process was longer, but it was more peaceful. She was very caring and considerate. It was not any easier as it never gets easier, but it was a more comfortable experience for all concerned.
We are all very familiar with the quality of service and the "service experience" that can be provided both in life and death in our business. This is one that pet owners can look for when the time comes. I would highly recommend it.
We now have only one dog, three cats, and one pygmy goat. We are awaiting the new arrivals. We have "the sign" on our door that only stray animals can read. All but one of our pets was a stray. Well, OK, the goats weren't really stray.
Jason
