Doc’s Memorial
Shooting Star
A soothing lullaby that carried the hope of a ray of sunshine through a cloudy sky.
A blessing so small, briefly shining your light on us all.
We’ll meet again my friend in a place afar, for now our journeys must part my little shooting star.
Dad
In loving memory of Doc our beautiful, precious baby boy. Mommy & daddy love you and miss you. You will NEVER be forgotten.
10-20-07 – 12-20-07
Doc’s Story
Doc came into our lives when his breeder brought him into the vet clinic where I work. Doc was 7 weeks old and in distress. Dr. Mike did exploratory surgery on his abdomen and found a severe blockage. Doc obviously had this blockage for some time. His intestines were swollen to 10 times their healthy size. Doc had eaten bark chips which blocked his small intestine. Dr. Mike removed the blockage along with 4 inches of the small intestine. My husband and I were told that recovery was not likely due to Docs young age and the severity of the block.
The puppies owner came in and I greeted her. I asked her if I could take Doc home and monitor him overnight. She agreed and said “Why don’t you keep the puppy?”. I told her I couldn’t afford to pay her for the puppy and assume the vet bills that were coming. She agreed to give me Doc at no charge if I assumed the vet bill. I agreed and Doc became part of my family.
Docs second night home was a restless night. His stool had not hardened and his gums remained pale. I took him to work the next day. X-Rays showed what looked to be another block. The decision was made to do another surgery. There was a relief vet on that day. He was reluctant to do the surgery as he didn’t think Doc would survive anesthesia. Doc was going downhill, though. Dr. Doug agreed to do the surgery after I told him, “Do your best and whatever happens, happens.”
The surgery proceeded and revealed an intussusception. This is a condition where the intestine telescopes inside itself. Dr. Doug removed another 4 inches of Doc’s intestine and closed him up. Doc came out of anesthesia. He was obviously going to need I.V. fluids over the weekend. Dr. Mike and Dr. Lynn offered to take Doc to their home for the weekend. Doc spent the weekend at Dr. Mike’s and Dr. Lynn’s house. We visited him on Saturday and Sunday. Doc was hanging in but not showing signs of recovery. He was given two blood transfusions over the weekend. He would perk up for a time and then slide back. Doc showed no signs of suffering and he wasn’t giving up, so neither were we giving up on him.
Monday came with little change in Doc’s condition. He was getting very weak despite I.V. fluids and supplements. Dr. Mike decided to go in one more time because he believed something else wasn’t right. My husband and I assisted on the surgery. An inspection of Doc’s intestines revealed a suture had ruptured and was leaking into his abdomen. Dr. Mike fixed the suture and we flushed Doc’s abdominal cavity. It seemed like an eternity before Doc began waking up from anesthesia. Dr. Mike was stunned at the toughness of this little dog.
My husband awoke at 2:30 the next morning and went out to check on Doc. He then came in and woke me up. He said it was time. I layed Doc in a blanket on my lap. We gave him some fluids but we both knew it was to little, too late. At 3:00 am, Doc let out a last gasp and passed in my arms. I gave Doc some last kisses, layed him in his blanket along with a fresh rose and wrapped him up.
We arrived at the clinic the next morning and informed the staff of Docs passing. Dr. Mike was devastated. I made arrangements for cremation and asked that Doc’s blanket and rose be cremated with him.
Doc was with us such a short time but we learned so much from him. Doc united so many people. We are all closer and more dedicated than ever thanks to a little Shooting Star.
