one week

One week ago Jay took Elin to the vet.  She'd had an upset stomach, been a bit listless.  Last weekend at the cabin she was kind of clingy and didn't want to walk very far, positioned herself outside exactly where the breeze was blowing off the lake.

So Monday he took her to the vet.

Wasn't a stomach bug.   She was in heart failure, fluid around her heart and in her lungs.   Blood counts indicated internal bleeding.  X rays showed the tumors.

Our pretty girl was dying.  This was an aggressive type of cancer that dogs can get.

A few old pics

We scheduled euthanasia for Friday,  The vet prescribed Lasix and we put it in cheeseburgers to tempt her appetite, and Elin spent the last days of her life snoozing on the patio, her favorite spot to be.  We skipped the bath, left the snarls behind her ears.  Doesn't matter, baby.

The kids came to say good bye and friends, and Elin was so delighted to see each of them,    That's the thing about dogs. They live in the moment, made it easier for us to do that too.  

Friday came and in peace and kindness she slipped on out of here.   We thought we had more time.  Years.  This was way too soon.   We all keep hearing her collar jingle in our imaginations, keep looking around the corner for her.  It's hard.   We'll never eat a Hawaiian bun without it being about HER.

She always greeted us by bringing us shoes at the door.  If no shoes were handy, she'd grab whatever else she could find. Out on the patio even a leaf would suffice.  Gosh we miss her.

With love forever, Ee-Bee,   Mom and Dad and Everybody