Royal K9 Korner: Our Thank you For The First Day of Autumn

The first day of Autumn will forever bring new meaning to us. A few days ago, we made one of the hardest decisions we'll ever make again.
We'd been watching our Princess struggle day by day. She'd been showing her age in the last few weeks and we knew her time was near.
She was uncomfortable every day, though we knew it was mostly due to her age.
In dog years our girl was 103 yrs old. Who wouldn't be uncomfortable at that age.
Her bones and muscles were getting tired and it took much longer for her to walk around the yard.
She spent most of her days snuggled in her outdoor crate or cozied on one of her foamy indoor mats.

To remain standing and be uncomfortable on her wobbly legs, was easier for her than to go through the greater discomfort of trying to position herself safely, to sit down.

We often watched her just standing in the yard, while other dogs frolicked around her. I would like to say a Very Special Thank you to Royal K9 Korner mom's and dads for being so understanding of our situation. You did not hesitate to make alternative arrangement for your sweetie. Thank you so much for your thoughtful gifts and your kindness during these very stressful last days. You are all so appreciated!

Princess Mollydawg still looked just fine physically. If only we had X Ray vision.

Molly was tired of taking the meds to keep her regular and was refusing to eat certain foods. Especially if she suspected a hidden pill inside. I'd found various ways to "trick her" into taking her meds which she caught onto quickly. As the days went by, the meds became the most important part of meal time and because of that, her refusal to eat became the priority. Without adequate food intake, she would not last regardless if she had meds or not.

The Princess was just plain tired

Without the meds, she would be in pain and suffer constant diarrhea and vomiting. So every 2 hours we played the game of, "Oh look yummy cookies! If she refused, we'd try again in an hour. I was presoaking her kibble and grinding it up for easier digestion.
Every 8 hours we played, hide the pill/liquid/powder in the meat/cheese/canned-food/peanut butter and gently force it far enough at the back of her throat for her to swallow with the least amount of discomfort as possible. DONE! The next few hours would be fine. She was on special GI foods and getting extra fiber powders and extra cellulose pills to help with her diarrhea. She was taking liver support pills and kidney support pills and an anti vomiting pill.
Our girl was getting everything she needed to keep her as comfortable as possible in her last days.

Our Veterinarian Dr. Quinn Gavaga (With Dr. Ross Dickinson who moved away a while ago) have been Molly's doctors since she was 8 weeks old. She was so well known and was given the very best advise on supporting her through her old age. Although the medical staff has changed a bit over the years everyone who has ever helped us with our girls has gone above and beyond to support us.

Thank you SO MUCH!

Daddy and his girls chillin outdoors while Dr. Q tends other patients.

The one constant has been Kara-Lee. She is the most wonderful kindhearted person we have ever met. Thank you so much all your years of kindness, support and comfort for us on so many difficult days.
You are the BEST!
Last week our Molly started to refuse all food! She began accepting only bits of dry kibble and I worried it could cause her to have tummy pain. Yet, she was eating on her own! We decided to let her be the judge of what she wanted to eat and her appetite picked up. She was slowly munching on a few bits of dry kibble She started to accept her meds in Peanut butter and we were relieved. We thought that hurdle was crossed! She was feeling better. Our Princess has often been in poor health in the last couple of years. Even last Christmas we prepared to lose her. She surprised us and yet again bounced back up. Maybe this was just another bad bout. After all she still enjoyed her daily hedge rubs and grasshopper hunting

Of course that was not the case. She relapsed and was going through a severe bout of diarrhea and vomiting again. Off to the Vet we went. At that appointment Dr. Quinn told us her pancreas was no longer doing it's job and her kidneys were shutting down. They were at 10% and Molly's bloodwork showed high toxicity levels. The doctor suggested she was just days away from some very painful days. Daddy brought her home and we cried and talked and cried and talked some more.
We were losing our precious Molly!

A Healthy Princess Mollydawg. Still full of life and energy.
Ready to take on the world by the tail

Her days were dwindling. We knew what she deserved. She has been a loyal, loving, companion and we owed her a calm, peaceful exit from this realm. We refused to allow her to endure even one day of pain. If it meant we would have to say goodbye sooner, then it was a hardship we would bare and not her go through the pain. She deserved a calm quiet peaceful entrance to Rainbow Bridge and we would see to that.
We spent the next few days just being together. The visiting dogs were all asked to leave and we soaked up as much of our Molly as we could absorb in just a few days.
On the morning of our last truck ride to our last vet visit we took our sweeties for DQ ice cream. It used to be a special favourite for The Princess. This day she was very reluctant to eat it but appeased us with a couple of licks and then turned it over to her daddy to finish off.

It's okay daddy, Im done now

Lady May - "I still want mine though okay daddy?"

We strolled through the park in Cache Creek and headed off to Ashcroft Park as well. Molly had an opportunity to visit with a little baby whose mom was kind and allowed Molly to be stroked. Normally our Princess would have relished being able to kiss the little girl and enjoyed the attention. This time however, she did not pay any attention to the child at all. She simply turned her head away and began to walk away. She was giving us ample signs to recognize what she was feeling. She was tired!
We let Molly determine where we walked and when it was time to head back to the truck. She wanted to stay ambling around the tress and gardens longer than Lady May. We put Lady May back in the truck and stayed out with our Princess. We were only a few feet away from the truck just sauntering back and forth. After a few more shrubs to sniff and a couple of flowers, she seemed to become a bit confused about where she was heading. We knew it was time to head back in the direction of the truck. She layed in down beside Lady May. An unusual position for Molly. Normally she must be standing so she can see out he front window. Lady May gave her sister a little ear sniff and the two just rested while we head back into Cache Creek.

Princess Molly - "Im tired Lady May
Lady May - " I can tell my sweet sister. I think it's time for you to go to sleep now"

At the hospital the resident kitty was outdoors to greet us. Molly walked straight passed her with only one tiniest bit of " I see you"

In a quiet private room Daddy held our dear Molly in his arms and Lady May cuddled close to mommy. Dr. Quinn spoke soothing supportive words and gently guided our darling Princess Mollydawg onto Rainbow Bridge at 1:30 pm.
We lowered Molly onto a big fluffy blanket and allowed Lady May to visit her sister one last time. She showed little interest and seemed more aware of having missed her lunch. We stayed with Molly and sobbed for a short time. Our Molly was no longer in her earthly body. We knew she had left this realm.
Our Precious girl was being reunited with so many others who have passed before her.
She is in spirit form now. We know she will visit us in the wind and we will try to find comfort knowing we made a decision for her that she deserved. No Pain.

Just exactly what she gave us for 15 1/2 years.
Love,
Devotion and Bravery!
Run Free beloved girl
You were such a GOOD GIRL!