Friday, October 15, 2010

In Memory of Lexy



This is Lexy. Fifteen years old and all of 3.4 pounds, she is a beloved pet of one of our long time clients. We didn't know her when she was a youngster, but she has been a patient here for 5 years and over that time has surprised us with her resilience. Her most recent illness involved a bad kidney infection that almost took her life. Although she appeared quite fragile and was guarded at best in her prognosis, she rallied and recovered. And while even a younger, stronger dog would have needed intensive care for several days to pull through, she did so through the loving comfort of her "mom's" arms and outpatient visits at Towne.

Every visit brought more encouragement as her kidney values came down and her health improved. Yesterday her values were almost normal, she had gained back her weight, and her mom and I talked about long term followup. We said "see you in a month" and both went about our days, mine at church with my son's boy's club, and her at her daughter's Girl Scout meeting.

At home Lexy walked up stairs, curled up in her bed, and peacefully left this life. I'd like to think that she had conquered her illness and was ready to leave on her own terms. Perhaps we should just be thankful for the gentleness that characterized the substance and end of her life.

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