R. I. P. STRETCH

The morning after I wrote my last post
I came downstairs to find Stretch just laying on the kitchen floor.
Nora saw him and ran to chase him but he didn't get up.
Nora just looked at him and then at me.

That morning I took him into work with me and had extensive blood work run on him.
And radio-graphs
and had a fecal done and an urinalysis.
Then a sonogram.

I had him on a food that he liked and which helped him form firmer stools.
That's always been his problem.
IBS.
That's why I have him.
HERE is the post that I wrote when he came home with me.

But lately he didn't like his special food
So I had tried some others.
In the meantime he was really dropping weight.
When I weighed him at work, his weight had plummeted to 6.10 lbs.

The Dr. thought maybe with a couple of  medications
and different food and a shot of Vitamin B12.
Maybe that would help.
She consulted with the other vets
and no one could find anything conclusive.

So, it was either IBS or Lymphoma. (Cancer)
I kept him at the clinic, where I could closely monitor him
and his eating and his stool, etc.

Last Saturday he weighed 6.4

Yesterday, Monday he weighed 5.11.

Today he was wobbly and fell.
He was drooling and I knew it was just a matter of time.
I wasn't going to make him wait.
So I had the vet release him to Heaven.

This has been a bad few weeks.
In June alone, FOUR of my long time boarding dogs have passed.
One of them was a dog that I felt so close to, that I felt like he was my own.
I went into the exam room to say good-bye and his owners and I just balled our eyes out.
Another boarder, as the husband was carrying him into the clinic, the wife ran to my boarding door.
She was in tears and motioned me to come with them.
Yep....

I have a few more really sad things I could share that happened last week,
but I won't.
No use in depressing all of you too.

Some good news though!
Mikey is getting a home.
The son of the owner was going to put him down.
(I'm leaving out a lot of details)
but I had him sign Mikey over to the clinic and a home has been found.
(No, not me.)

And my friend's little schnauzer Louie, his Go Fund Me page has gotten a lot of donations!

Yep, that's good news.

Sigh... anyway.
With all the tragedy in the world
some might think me silly to get so upset about all of this
but I can't help it.
I just need to work on myself some more.
So, my break continues,
I just felt that I needed to share Stretch's passing.
xoxoxo

STRETCH

A lady called a vet clinic

She was upset because a stray cat that she had, kept vomiting in her house.

She was asked how long she had this cat in the house and she said 6 months.

and it kept vomiting. 

She was at her wits end.

She had even tried to take it to the no-kill shelter but they were full.

She didn't know what to do, she thought that maybe it was just time to put him to sleep.

The receptionist asked more questions.

He was an adult black cat but not old.

He wasn't her cat, she said, she had just found him, 6 months ago.

She was told that an appointment needed to be made to look at this cat.

When asked what his name was, she replied. "He doesn't have a name"

He's a stray cat.

Rather than make an appointment, the woman decided to give the situation more time.

The receptionist hung up and turned to her co-worker, the Boarding Manager.

"Sounds like this would be a cat for YOU!"

but the Boarding Manager said "No way! we are full up at my house"

A couple of weeks went by and the woman decided to bring him in and have him looked at.

She just couldn't take it any longer, he was vomiting all over her house.

So she dropped him off to have him observed for the day.

He sat in the cage and just looked at everyone.

Never vomiting.

Eventually the boarding manager walked by and saw him in the hospital cage..

"Who is this black cat named "Stray Cat?" she asked as she opened the cage to hold him.

The receptionist told her, "That's the cat I told you about a couple of weeks ago!"

The boarding manager frowned and put him back into the cage

and walked away.

So the stray cat sat there and just kept looking at everyone.

He ate and used his litter box and didn't vomit.

At lunch time the Boarding Manager took him out of the cage and held him again.

He leaned against her.

The receptionist walked up to behind her. "Isn't he just the sweetest thing!?"

"Yeah" said the Boarding Manager as she put him back into the cage and walked away again.

The day went on.

Different tests were run. Nothing was found

and he never vomited.

Finally x-rays were done.

The Boarding Manager walked back up to the lab area and asked the vet techs what the x-rays showed.

"He looks to have an inflamed bowel, some sort of irritation, hopefully a change in his diet, some medication to firm his stool will do the trick."

Everyone started to try to think of a name for him.

They called him several names but the Boarding Manager looked at him and said

"No, that's not his name" and walked off as the others exchanged looks.

The Boarding Manager went up to the receptionist and they talked.

The owner hadn't called back yet to check on him, so the receptionist called her.

No answer.

Just before closing, the woman called.

The receptionist gave her an update and started to comment on how very sweet he is

and that "one of the "girls" has really taken a liking to him"...

The woman immediately interrupted her and said

"She can have him! I'll pay the bill but she can have him".

The receptionist went back to boarding and talked with the Boarding Manager.

So the Boarding Manager went back to the lab area and took the stray cat out of the cage.

Doc looked him over again.

He checked his ears and looked into his mouth.

He stared at the x-rays.

One of the vet techs said to the Boarding Manager

"So are you taking him?"

Doc wrinkled his forehead and looked at the Boarding Manager.

The Boarding Manager replied hurried "Yes, but she's paying the bill!"

Doc mumbled, "She's paying the bill?" and then shrugged, shook his head and walked away.

The stray Cat went back to the Boarding area where he could be monitored and medicated.

He was given meds for a week and the Boarding Manager brought him organic pumpkin to firm up his stool

and he never vomited.

One of the vet techs came back to visit him and the Boarding Manager said

"Here, hold him out so that I can take a photo of him that shows how long he is"

So the tech held him up and stretched him out.

"What's his name?" she asked.

"Stretch" replied the Boarding Manager.

The Boarding Manager took him home.

He vomits.

She buys him canned gluten free food and special dry food.

It seems to be working.