Tommy

Dear Tommy,

You came to our family after your kind adopter could not keep you due to
your separation anxiety.  You were a loud one....When we saw you arriving
at our door it was instant love.  We were to be a temporary home until
Donna and Klaus were able to take you back to the kennel in Vermont but
from the moment I saw you, I knew it would not be so...

You walked in and I adopted you immediately and you did as well.  Over the
months, we discovered the great personality of Tommy the clown.  You
followed Marcial and I around everywhere we would go and we followed with
your big pillow knowing your need to be close to us but always in comfort.
In the kitchen, in the backyard...anywhere we went you were right there
with us always....

After a few months, we noted you were spending just too much time with what
we thought was cleaning your toes.  To our horror, when we looked closely
we noted your nails coming right off.  After some research, including
talking to Donna,  we soon came to realize that you had SLO.  Oh how upset
we were to see your nails falling off one by one, your appetite going down
and what appeared to us the pain you were enduring.  We did everything to
help you, research, vet, meds..... Little did we know what else you were
battling.......  Everyday with your bloody feet, you opened  the sliding
mirror doors to the front closet from which you pulled your coat dragging
it to us as you wanted to go for your daily  walk.  We always thought you
were so clever and what a personality....  We would take you out and we
would let you decide how long was good enough for you as we could sense
your pain.  Every day Marcial carried you up and down 2 stories so that you
could be with us all the time, you were not able to go up or down the
staircases.... And so we learned to live with SLO trying to do all that we
could to ease the pain and treat your feet.

I will never ever forget late Saturday September 24th, 2011...We let you
out in the back yard as always before bed with your friend Truman.  After a
few minutes we heard you cry so loud and we ran to the window wondering
what had happened... We looked outside and saw that you could no longer
walk your front left leg dangling. We rushed out and carried you back  into
the house  but by the look of your leg it looked like immediate care was
needed and it did surely look like a fractured limb.    We rushed you to
the ER at the nearest Veterinarian hospital as our regular Vet was closed
and we figured that you needed immediate care and that we would be taking
you back home with a diagnosis of a fracture and a cast.  That was not to
be.... after x-rays, we were given the very horrible news that in fact you
had bone cancer and that you were already at a palliative care for that
leg, bottom line Tommy, our choices were amputation or euthanasia.  Tommy
after much consideration and on your birthday September 27th we chose life.
I will always remember my son Brandon telling me, mom you would chose
amputation over death.  After lots of consideration and speaking to many
people and undergoing several medial examinations, on  September 30th,
Tommy you underwent your amputation.  Oh how we were ready to pick you back
up and for the rehabilitation process.  We were very excited and could not
wait to go get you after the surgery .   We had been told how much pain you
were in with this very difficult cancer and so we were happy that with the
amputation you would be pain free.

I remember, I was waiting for the call and was getting nervous as we had
now passed the time they mentioned they would call.  The vet had told me
that things would go well and that I should expect a call around 13h00 so I
thought of calling but decided to continue looking at the phone.  Then
around 14h00, the phone rang and I remember answering and I  was happy to
answer until Tommy, Dr. Plasse told me that you had crashed post surgery
and that they were doing everything they could to bring you back with no
success.  For 1 hour they attempted to bring you back, Dr. Plasse my vet
for over 20 years, knew I would want him to try to save you and he knew
that I was not ready to let you go...    When he spoke to me he told me
that they were keeping you alive artificially and that I had to make a
decision Tommy, and they told me they could no longer do anything for you
Tommy, I had to let you go....

Till the end Tommy, you were a brave boy, so strong and you fought all the
way.  In hindsight, we now believe that your SLO may have hidden the
cancer.  You brave soul fighting SLO and cancer and still being a greYt
spirit, trying to eat and wanting to go for walks till the very end.
Knowing now what you were battling, we are so impressed by the brave soul
and strong strong boy you were....

Tommy you were in our lives for a short period however, I must say you have
left HUGE footprints....

We love you so much and you will never be forgotten....

Your family..... Truman, Dominique, Brandon, Marcial and Jeannie

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