Tuesday, December 9, 2008

We'll miss you...

The day after Thanksgiving, we had to say goodbye to our dear buddy, Loki. Loki was our 13 year old chocolate lab mix that had been fighting with a cancerous tumor on his neck. Because of his age, his doctors didn't want to operate on him unless they absolutely had to. After some sudden complications in late October, he had to have emergency surgery to remove the tumor. He pulled through that surgery like no other and acted like a young dog again. He had a great month running and barking, then things took a turn for the worse, literally overnight again. This time there was nothing we could do. His cancer had come back eight-fold in a matter of weeks. He suddenly had eight cancerous tumors and it spread to his lymphatic system. We rushed him to the vet the day after Thanksgiving and had to make the hard decision of putting him down to end his suffering.

The staff and doctors at Fort Caroline Animal Clinic are fantastic. Our family has taken our dogs there probably since just after they opened their doors in the early 80's and I still drive mine all the way there even though we live almost an hour away. Dr. Lincoln primarily handled Loki's surgery and care and we are lucky to have had such a great vet for him. The rest of the staff is very understanding and compassionate as well, and they all seem to truly care about the wellbeing of your pets and your family.

After 4 days in Jacksonville, I checked my mailbox just yesterday, knowing that Dani probably neglected to pick up the mail the entire time I was gone. I was right, and we had something from the folks at the animal clinic waiting inside. They sent us a very nice and encouraging card, and an imprint of Loki's paw that they took after we had to let him go. (There are even little stray pieces of his hair still stuck in the plaster...) I went ahead and strung a ribbon through it so we could hang it on our Christmas tree this year, and somewhere else after Christmas is all said and done. We'll miss him this Christmas and every Christmas after, but his paw print and his old beat up collar now have a special place on our tree.

loki card print 2

loki print card

loki card

loki tree

6 comments:

BH said...

Tears in my eyes...

Old Lo had a good life and many happy years. :) A northern dog, his coat just didn't adapt well to our southern climate did it?

Remember his (and Athena's) trip in the U Haul from Michigan?

We will miss you Loki. Your sisters will miss you too. Rest easy old man. You deserve it. Enjoy your time in doggy heaven with Ozzie and the Bear.

Jess Cumbie said...

I'm no joke crying! I have HUGE aligator tears in my eyes right now! I'm getting kits for the pooches when I get home!!! I miss them sooo much... maybe we'll switch our animal care to over there we haven't found a vet we just are in love with yet and what they did for you was amazing and so sweet!

Tara said...

Jess- Absolutely, give them a shot! Dr. Lincoln and Dr. Athey opened the practice in the early 80's and we lived about 3 or 4 houses down from it so we used to walk our dogs to their appointments, which is great fun when you're like 5 apparently... they've always been supportive, logical, flexible, and have very fair prices. Dr. Lincoln is my favorite!

JEZZIKAzart Photos & Design said...

My Condolences. Sorry to hear about your loss. I'm glad he's not suffering from the cancer anymore.

CountingBeans said...

I'm really sorry to hear about Loki. I had no idea. Again, I'm sorry and I wish you guys the best. How neat of you to make the paw-print into a Christmas Ornament. Your mom should do the same with Ozzies's.

Tracy said...

Oooooohhhhhh... I'm such a baby and I have such a soft spot for animals (obviously) so now I'm all welled up and trying not to let the tears spill over. Your pup had a wonderful life with you and I love the paw print your vet sent... how thoughtful of them! Loki knows you think of him often... and he's watching over you!