Our Precious Dog, Maggie
Anyone who knows me personally also knows my dog Maggie. I got her 11 years ago, when I moved out of the dorm and into an apartment. She's been with me through a few moves, a divorce and re-marriage, the birth of two kids, etc. And considering that I got her when I was 19 and she was a wee pup, we've both done a lot of growing up together.
Maggie is a pretty special doggie. She's friendly, loaded with personality, and playful even as an older dog. She endears herself to just about everyone who meets her. After college, when I left Lexington to move back to my hometown, my friends were sadder about HER leaving than about ME!
Then two weeks ago, Maggie started falling when she was trying to walk. And we noticed she hadn't been eating. We went to the vet, who ran several tests on Maggie before an X-ray finally showed us the problem.
Maggie has a tumor in her chest that is effectively smushing her stomach. This is why she's been unable to eat, which has resulted in lost muscle-mass and her troubles walking. It's not a tumor that can be removed or treated.
It's obvious that Maggie's quality of life is deteriorating. She's not in pain, which is of small comfort. But she can't eat more than a few bites of food at a time, once or twice a day. This is the same dog that J. has said he someday wanted to keep feeding table food to, just to see if she EVER reached a point where she was too full to want any more. She no longer gets excited about company; and if you know her, you know that she used to be MANIC whenever someone came over. She also doesn't care about riding in the car, which was another of her favorite activities.
SO ... when J. gets back from his 10-day tour tomorrow, we're taking Maggie to the vet to have her put to sleep. It's been a difficult decision, and we've shed plenty of tears over it. But at this point, it's the right thing to do for Maggie's sake.
Please keep us in your prayers, especially the girls, who have never had to say good-bye to a pet before.
Maggie is a pretty special doggie. She's friendly, loaded with personality, and playful even as an older dog. She endears herself to just about everyone who meets her. After college, when I left Lexington to move back to my hometown, my friends were sadder about HER leaving than about ME!
Then two weeks ago, Maggie started falling when she was trying to walk. And we noticed she hadn't been eating. We went to the vet, who ran several tests on Maggie before an X-ray finally showed us the problem.
Maggie has a tumor in her chest that is effectively smushing her stomach. This is why she's been unable to eat, which has resulted in lost muscle-mass and her troubles walking. It's not a tumor that can be removed or treated.
It's obvious that Maggie's quality of life is deteriorating. She's not in pain, which is of small comfort. But she can't eat more than a few bites of food at a time, once or twice a day. This is the same dog that J. has said he someday wanted to keep feeding table food to, just to see if she EVER reached a point where she was too full to want any more. She no longer gets excited about company; and if you know her, you know that she used to be MANIC whenever someone came over. She also doesn't care about riding in the car, which was another of her favorite activities.
SO ... when J. gets back from his 10-day tour tomorrow, we're taking Maggie to the vet to have her put to sleep. It's been a difficult decision, and we've shed plenty of tears over it. But at this point, it's the right thing to do for Maggie's sake.
Please keep us in your prayers, especially the girls, who have never had to say good-bye to a pet before.
posted by Lisa | 1:11 PM
2 Comments:
I am sooooo sorry about Maggie. I know exactly what you mean about her being with you through divorce, moves, etc because that's how Cassie has been for me. You guys are very much in my thoughts.
I am sorry to hear about your dog. I know it's hard to lose a animal buddy. We will keep your family in prayer,
Love,
Eve
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