Update on Loki

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Dr. Kremer called this morning and the tumor is on/around his liver, huge and inoperable. They put some Advantage on him to try to kill the fleas and I just got back from bringing him home. He seems to be in good spirits for being so incredibly pitiful looking. I don't think the vet told him he was so sick. So we have brought him home and set him up a fancy window seat so he can relax. And we'll wait. It's unknown how much longer he can go on in his current condition, but he's been a real trooper so far. Maybe I'll get him a LiveStrong wristband for a collar. He's small enough now it just may fit.

The next day ...

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Dammit, I miss that little dog. It's even harder for Rich since he works from home and Connor would faithfully lie directly behind his office chair so he would have to check before backing up from the desk. Everytime we check now, we just get sad. Maybe once we get his ashes we can get them put in a stoneware Scotty shaped doorstop and set it directly behind our chairs in the office.

I've always been a "bury in the backyard" kind of gal. So it was very hard to walk out of the vet's office and leave Connor there. Even when I was a kid, it was somehow consoling for me to hold my dead pet's body and help Dad bury our furry family member.

I read once where some hospitals have let families take their loved ones home for a few days before going to the funeral home - harkening back to the days of a wake in your own living room. On a certain level that really appeals to me.

I told Rich that he's the only man in the house now. He said he would work hard to continue the lying about and farting and begging for food that Connor had down to an artform.

RIP Connor

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Connor the World's Best Scottish TerrierDecember 26, 1994 - August 9, 2005
The Puddin' talks about it more in his entry.

I've gone through several pet deaths in my life, but they don't ever get easier. I must say, though, I'm very impressed with the Tidewater Emergency Veterinary Hospital. They are compassionate and caring and everything you want from a vet during a painful thing like putting your pet to sleep.

The hardest part was when Rich put Connor's collar back on him and he started wagging his little tail, even though he was too weak to move. Rich smiled and said, "I know, boy, you're excited. When we put you collar on, that means you're going somewhere."

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers