Thursday was officially the worst day of my life. We lost Jack - our best friend, our first kid, the greatest Australian Shepard that ever lived. He was only 10 1/2. It's been 4 days and I still can't think about it without getting misty.
I got him when I was still in college. He was 6 weeks old when I picked him up, and he slept on my leg the whole way up to school.
From then on, he went everywhere with me. Rugby games, class, the bars, everywhere. I still run into people from school and their first question is "How's Jack?". That's the kind of dog he was.
He had his annual checkup last Wednesday. Everything was fine and clear, including his bloodwork. He was in amazing shape for a 10 year old dog. Thursday morning he was fine, he went outside at his usual 8:30 to chill on the lawn. Around 10, I looked out my office window and he was standing on the deck, just staring at the ground. Something was wrong. I opened the back door and he came shuffling inside slowly, lay down, and closed his eyes. Something was seriously wrong.
I carried him to the cruiser, and layed him gently in the back seat, and took off for my vet. They started checking him out - body temp was low, about 95. They were having trouble getting a blood sample, and his abdomen was distended. X-rays showed fluid around his heart. He was slowly fading I could tell.
Back in the cruiser he went, along with the vet and my sister, who used to work as a vet tech, to make the 12 mile trip to the emerency vet clinic. We made it in 9 minutes, I have never driven so fast in my life. I pull up on the curb and rush him in. As the nurse takes him from me, I kiss his face and tell him I love him. He weakly licks my face in reply. That's the last time I see my buddy alive.
My wife shows up and we soon realizes how serious the situation is. The vet comes out and says Jack coded as he came in. He somehow had the strength to fight his way back. As they tried to drain the fluid from his heart, he kept coding. He fought back for 30 minutes, coding 5 times in all. But it was too much for him, and he slowly faded away. Jack died at 1:53pm.
Hemangio Sarcoma. Cancer of the blood. That's what took my friend. Essentially, it's an extremely agressive form of cancer which is blood-born and attacks the liver, spleen and heart. It had caused a tumor on his heart which ruptured and caused fluid buildup in the sack surrounding the heart. It continued to build pressure on the heart, until the heart couldn't pump anymore. The vet said the tumor grows so fast that even an MRI a week ago wouldn't have detected it. No way to detect it, no way to cure it. Fxxxing cancer.
The one thing I am thankful for is that he didn't suffer. I only wish he could have passed away at home, surrounded by those who loved him, instead of a bunch of people sticking tubes everywhere.
Here's to you buddy. We still can't believe you're gone. We'll miss you, you will always be in our hearts. If there is a heaven, I'm sure you're there - catching frisbees, chasing rabbits, and sleeping in the shade of a tree.
I got him when I was still in college. He was 6 weeks old when I picked him up, and he slept on my leg the whole way up to school.
From then on, he went everywhere with me. Rugby games, class, the bars, everywhere. I still run into people from school and their first question is "How's Jack?". That's the kind of dog he was.
He had his annual checkup last Wednesday. Everything was fine and clear, including his bloodwork. He was in amazing shape for a 10 year old dog. Thursday morning he was fine, he went outside at his usual 8:30 to chill on the lawn. Around 10, I looked out my office window and he was standing on the deck, just staring at the ground. Something was wrong. I opened the back door and he came shuffling inside slowly, lay down, and closed his eyes. Something was seriously wrong.
I carried him to the cruiser, and layed him gently in the back seat, and took off for my vet. They started checking him out - body temp was low, about 95. They were having trouble getting a blood sample, and his abdomen was distended. X-rays showed fluid around his heart. He was slowly fading I could tell.
Back in the cruiser he went, along with the vet and my sister, who used to work as a vet tech, to make the 12 mile trip to the emerency vet clinic. We made it in 9 minutes, I have never driven so fast in my life. I pull up on the curb and rush him in. As the nurse takes him from me, I kiss his face and tell him I love him. He weakly licks my face in reply. That's the last time I see my buddy alive.
My wife shows up and we soon realizes how serious the situation is. The vet comes out and says Jack coded as he came in. He somehow had the strength to fight his way back. As they tried to drain the fluid from his heart, he kept coding. He fought back for 30 minutes, coding 5 times in all. But it was too much for him, and he slowly faded away. Jack died at 1:53pm.
Hemangio Sarcoma. Cancer of the blood. That's what took my friend. Essentially, it's an extremely agressive form of cancer which is blood-born and attacks the liver, spleen and heart. It had caused a tumor on his heart which ruptured and caused fluid buildup in the sack surrounding the heart. It continued to build pressure on the heart, until the heart couldn't pump anymore. The vet said the tumor grows so fast that even an MRI a week ago wouldn't have detected it. No way to detect it, no way to cure it. Fxxxing cancer.
The one thing I am thankful for is that he didn't suffer. I only wish he could have passed away at home, surrounded by those who loved him, instead of a bunch of people sticking tubes everywhere.
Here's to you buddy. We still can't believe you're gone. We'll miss you, you will always be in our hearts. If there is a heaven, I'm sure you're there - catching frisbees, chasing rabbits, and sleeping in the shade of a tree.