As The End Draws Near

Tasha is starting to fail. The last week in May she started to have trouble going to the bathroom and we went to the vet to see what was wrong. It turns out that the drugs that we had her on to prevent the spread of cancer, had caused a blockage and was preventing her from being able to go. Both the holistic vet and our regular vet did an extensive exam and determined that not only did Tasha need to stop taking the drugs that we had her on, but also that her cancer had spread and there was a tumor that was growing inside her intestine, which was adding to the problem. They gave her only a few days to live.

I went home preparing to watch my sweet girl pass, but I also wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for her, so a new diet and a pain pills to avoid any discomfort were in our treatment plan. We received a miracle in that the diet seemed to bring Tasha some must needed relief and she became comfortable and full of new energy.

With this change in Tasha's health, we decided to make our originally planned trip to Connecticut to see my family. So I packed up a rented mini-van and we started on our way. My husband was not able to come with us, so he made sure to say his goodbyes to Tasha, as we were not sure she would make it back from the trip; then we started our journey.

















We spent the week with my family and Tasha seemed to really do well. She spent her days playing in the yard with her Buddy, playing Frisbee, and sleeping whenever she was tired. Our schedules were entirely for Tasha and how she was feeling.

Buddy was very protective of his girl and was always in the yard with her, or laying directly below her at the foot of the bed.





















































































Since returning from the trip, Tasha is tired and we are watching the signs that the vet said would happen. Her lymph nodes are affected, so her legs are swelling and require daily massage to keep them from causing her pain. As the days progress, we can see that her time is growing short and we watch for the signs when she tells us that she has had enough and she is ready to pass.

I am grateful for the time that we had on vacation and my husband was so thankful to see that Tasha made it home to him. We enjoy each moment with her and although we are sad to see that her time is drawing near, we know she has had a good life and she has been loved.