| Saying Good-bye to Blossom |
| It started with a little nosebleed. And then there were tests, and then there were some more tests, and then we found out that Blossom had cancer. There was a tumor in her sinus passages and it was slowly growing. She was 11 1/2, and we knew that should would not be around forever, but we were stunned that it was time or her to go. The veterinarian said it might be weeks or months, and prescribed perdnisone to keep her comfortable. She seemed so unchanged, other than the nosebleeds and occasional snuffling, that it was hard to believe she was actually dying. We had 7 weeks after the diagnosis in which to pet her, brush her, give her treats, take her to the lake to swim, walk with her, feed her peanut butter toast, and generally lavish her with attention. In mid-July she began to show signs of deterioration. She'd lost weight, and grown incontinent. The nosebleeds were more frequent and she began to have trouble breathing. We made an appointment to have her euthanized. |
| Blossom smile some sunshine down my way. Lately I've been lonesome, Blossom, It's been much too long a day. It seems my dreams are frozen, Melt my cares away... --James Taylor |
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| Towards the end of the week, she could no longer breathe without panting, and in order to pant she had to keep her head up. That meant that she could not go to sleep. She was clearly exhausted, and would often start falling asleep and then wake up again when she couldn't draw a breath. We talked to her a lot, told her to hang in there just a few more days if she could, but we would understand if she wanted to leave sooner on her own. We told her she'd see her friend Sebastian soon. The day before she went, I brushed her and brushed her, and rubbed her stomach, and talked to her about how much we loved her and how much we would miss her. I read her a book my mom sent when Sebastian died, called "Dog Heaven." How much of this was for her and how much for me? I have no idea. I know that I felt better. I can only guess at how much of what I was trying to convey crossed over into her canine world. The next morning we had peanut butter toast, and Blossom got her own piece. Jonny and I sang her song to her, and then we took her and Sherman to the vet. The vet was great about explaining exactly what would happen. He gave her a general anesthetic first, and Jonny got her to sit down, and then lay down. Sherman laid down too, and I was surprised at how calm he was. We all sat together in a big puppy pile on the floor until Blossom got sleepy and laid her head down. For the first time in days she was able to sleep, snoring loudly. The vet came in and sent Sherman out with a vet tech. He administered an overdose of barbituates, and her breathing slowed and quieted, and then stopped. It was very peaceful. We had Blossom cremated and scattered her ashes in the garden outside. She is still missed very much. She was a special dog, beloved by many people, among them friends Heather, Kathy, Michelle, and Diane. We were very lucky to have been able to spend two final months with her, making her as comfortable as we could. She was a very good dog. |
| July 2003: Blossom enjoying a dried pig's ear. She never lost her appetite, or her taste for treats. |