Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell
“Welcome home, Bailey.”
“Nothing feels as good as home Little Stuff. This grass is divine.”

Friday is here, and it has been quite a week. Monday saw the need to rush Bailey to the Emergency Care Clinic in San Antonio. She was continuing to deteriorate, and we needed some advanced tests and scans that were not available locally. They kept her and did all the testing to confirm the diagnosis. Baily has stage V Lymphoma. As you can guess the prognosis does not include a cure. The best we can do now is focus on her quality of life which we intend to do with additional treatment. We will be concentrating on continuing the drugs that make her feel the best she can for the time we have left.

Thank you for all the good wishes we have received since Bailey’s illness became known and know we appreciate your kindness.

As those of you who have faced the loss of a pet know, it is a hard road that requires courage to do whatever is in the best needs of your loved one. We hope Bailey has the six to ten months of relatively good health that the vet has projected. None of us are ready to say goodbye. We feel blessed to have the time to continue our love for her. When the quality of her life is in jeopardy though we will need to be strong and do what is right for her.

Today’s JohnKu talks of responsibility. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Responsibility by John W. Howell © 2018

The news is not good,

Whose welfare needs protection . . .

Yours or the loved one?

55 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF”

  1. Very insightful Haiku, John. Sometimes the choices are heartbreaking. Thankfully, Bailey is home where she is loved. Blessings to you all…

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  5. As hard as it was to say goodbye to Dixie Rose, everything happened so quickly — in the space of four hours — that there was no time for extended internal debate, and no question what needed to be done. In a way, I’m glad of that now. Being in your situation would be hard. But your haiku points to the critical issue in all these situations: what’s best for the loved one?

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  12. Oh, no. I was so encouraged yesterday, and now I’m in tears. I commend you for your devotion to her. I know her last months with her family will be filled with love and compassion. I will pray for you all to find strength while you come to terms with her diagnosis. ❤

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  14. Oh, John, this breaks my heart! Poor Bailey. Poor Lucy and Twiggy. Poor you and the Producer. Everybody suffers in a situation like this. The best thing you can do is, like you said, make her final days/months/years as happy and pain-free as possible, and to gird yourselves up for the inevitable. God bless, my friend.

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    1. Yeah. We have been through the inevitable so many times and we never get used to it. (I guess the whole idea is not getting uded to having to say goodbye to those you love.) Thank you, Debbie.

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  22. Dearest John,

    I am so very sorry to hear this sad news. It is not easy, ever, to lose a member of our family and that’s what our pets are, aren’t they? Knowing the end is within reach will give you the chance to be as loving as you can and avoid any suffering on her part. This means her time with you and the gang will be filled with love. Hugs from me and mine.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, Dale. Although it is heartbreaking for us all, we feel blessed to be able to have more time. We will be stewards of that time to make it the best possible. 🙂

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  23. So sorry to read this. It brought back all the memories of my old pitbull. The situation was almost the same. Fading, noticing that something was wrong, and a number of months left. Seems like you guys just lost Stella too.

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  24. I *like* what you wrote, the feelings behind the words, but not the message that Bailey’s time is limited. The only good news is that at least you know what ails her. A pet’s suffering is unbearable when you don’t know the cause and, thus, don’t know how to help. So, although I’m sure it’s small comfort, at least you have a diagnosis and can move forward. Make her comfortable. Shower her with affection and love. Know that she had the best life with you, and that she had time to nurture Twiggy. I know you’ll do the right thing when it’s time. I just hope it doesn’t come too soon. Love you.
    xo

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  25. I am sad to hear this news about Bailey. May she live out her days in sunshine surrounded by love. You and the Producer have given her a wonderful life. You will know when it is time to let her go and know you have done your best.

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