Thursday, February 04, 2016

Celebrating his life

I imagine some people may feel inundated with pictures and videos of Scrubs in upcoming days and weeks. However, I've decided that it will be healthy for me to take as many pics and videos of him with my kiddos as I can. 

We do not know how long he has left. It maybe hours or days or weeks or maybe months. The vet guessed a few weeks, but she admitted she had not really seen a case like his before and really could not be sure what she was dealing with. Her boss concurred. His abdomen was too full of fluid to get a really good look. She offered to refer us to Knoxville where we could get more answers, but we really don't think exploratory surgery is necessary. We don't have to know exactly what went wrong. We just want Scrubby to enjoy however much time he has left. (I am hoping it's a lot more than we think it is!)

I want to tell everyone that as of right now, he is nearly completely himself. He is a bit more lethargic than usual, but we aren't sure if that isn't from going under for the procedure yesterday. He is also loving laying on the couch. He is still scouring the kitchen for snacks and definitely wants to go out and feed the animals with me each time I go. 

Here is a little fun from our afternoon. I am actually realizing what a blessing it is that we have "gotten word" that our dog is sick. I am really waking up everyday treasuring him and giving him a lot of love that I am normally a bit too busy for.


2 comments:

Momma, PhD said...

I'm so sorry that Scrubs won't be around forever.

We lost our dog a year ago in October, she was the same age as Scrubs. It was sudden. She was totally fine one minute, the next she couldn't walk. We took her to the vet as soon as it opened the next morning and they suspected internal bleeding. She had a very low BP and her temp was very low. They offered all kinds of expensive tests to figure out what was going on, but we turned them down.

She was almost 9. She'd had a tumor removed when she was 6, and we suspected the cancer had spread. Like you, we didn't want her last moments to be tests and procedures that probably wouldn't make her better. We chose to go without the answers. We put her down that morning and returned home to our 5 and 2 year olds. We buried her on our property. The kids still remember her and talk about her.

The way you feel about Scrubs coming into your life when you needed him, I feel about Tracy. I got her when I was a lonely graduate student, before I met my husband. She saw me through grad school, getting engaged then married, having kids, buying a home, etc. All those major transitions she was a steadfast companion.

It was hard to say goodbye. I do wish we had been given a bit of warning. I am glad you have this bittersweet time with Scrubs.

I will keep all of you in my prayers.

MtnGirl said...

This story makes me just sob....I have three dogs and I canNOT imagine losing any of them. But, I know one day that will happen - same with my parents, etc. The key is to make every minute count and I would say take lots of photos and videos! I'm overjoyed that you are letting him on the couch! My boys are spoiled since they get on the furniture including my bed. I'm sure Scrubs feels the love! And the treats!