Those who faithfully check my blog many wonder why I have not written my weekly update.
It is with heavy heart that I write to you letting you know that we had to put down our wonderful friend and family member, our dog, Zach. It was such a shock because he did not appear to be sick until just recently. Zach was going to be only seven years old this January.
A couple of weeks before Christmas he started drinking water excessively and needing to frequently urinate. I called the vet and they said because he has been on medication for his allergies that this was normal.
Suddenly, last week he not only stopped eating but started to withdraw. He stopped greeting us at the door when we’d come home with his usual dancing, loving and kissing. We knew then that something was drastically wrong.
Christmas Eve day I took him to the Pet Emergency Clinic where he spent two days and nights having IV and meds. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis along with possible cancer. He was then transferred to our vet for another day to have IV and meds.
He was sent home Wednesday night to see if the meds would kick in and to see if he would eat being in his familiar surroundings. The vet suggested boiled chicken and sweet potato, we thought surely this would work, chicken was Zach’s favorite. That night he ate plenty of chicken and we thought that this was the start of his recovery, he slept between us in our bed and again in the morning more chicken.
Then things went down hill fast, within a short time everything started to come back up. For the next two days we tried to urge him to eat. He became lethargic and had difficulty walking, we knew in our hearts that he was dying.
We were determined to keep him over the weekend with the hope of his turning around. We were determined not to give up on our best friend. But yesterday morning we knew that there was not going to be a miraculous healing for Zach.
We cannot begin to explain the heartache and pain we went through as we took him back to the vets for the inevitable.
We fully expected to have him at least another six or seven years. We use to say how hard it would be to lose him, never guessing that it would come a lot sooner than we expected.
It’s Sunday morning. The house is quiet. No clicking of Zach’s nails across the tile floor, no panting to get us out of bed, no loving licks, just quiet. Leo and I sit on our sofa reminiscing on all the wonderful things that was to love about him. We smile as the tears flow down our faces and we realize just how heartbroken we are.
We acknowledge just how much this little white, 15 pound dog named Zach was at the very heart of our home. He was the recipient of our love and affection as both empty nesters and want-a-be-grandparents.
Over the years we have heard others who have lost their pets say, they will someday see them in heaven. We’ve never quite bought into that statement until yesterday, now we to look forward to seeing Zach again someday.
Through this difficult time, we know that God has a plan for our lives. We also thank God for giving us this precious gift that we received so much joy from.
It has been said that, “we share our homes with our dogs, do all we can to keep them safe and healthy, and love them. The rewards are great – Unconditional love, devotion, friendship beyond measure and a deep emotional bond.”
God continues to show us that we all long to love and be loved.
Zach’s Mom and Dad.
